About this role
Job summary
Are you an enthusiastic Occupational Therapist looking to broaden your practice and help shape the future of ward-based community rehabilitation? Join our supportive multidisciplinary team at Westhaven Community Hospital and the wider Integrated Community Rehabilitation Team.
As a Band 7 Clinical Lead Occupational Therapist, you will provide advanced clinical leadership across the patient journey, delivering specialist advice and person-centred interventions while supporting pathway development and service improvement. You will identify opportunities for innovation, contribute to quality improvement projects, monitor outcomes, and help ensure rehabilitation services remain responsive to an increasingly complex and frail population.
This role focuses on clinical leadership, workforce development, complex case management, and strengthening rehabilitation pathways. Operational management remains within the existing Operational Lead structure, enabling you to focus on patient care and service development.
This 12-month secondment or fixed-term pilot offers an exciting opportunity to help shape a sustainable model for senior Occupational Therapy leadership across the Trust.
Informal visits and contact with the Team Lead are encouraged to find out more about the role.
Please note visa sponsorship for this role is unfortunately not available. Ensure you hold valid right to work in the UK and will not require sponsorship if successful.
Main duties of the job
Provide advanced clinical leadership and specialist Occupational Therapy expertise across Westhaven Community Hospital and the wider Integrated Community Rehabilitation Team.
Deliver highly specialist assessment, rehabilitation, complex discharge planning, safeguarding, capacity assessments, and risk management for patients with complex needs. Use advanced clinical judgement, critical analysis, and decision-making to support safe, person-centred care.
Lead service development, quality improvement, audit, outcome monitoring, and rehabilitation pathway redesign to ensure evidence-based practice and responsive services. Work collaboratively with health, social care, and community partners to improve patient flow, rehabilitation outcomes, and timely discharge planning, sharing expertise to support service improvement across the wider locality.
Support workforce development through supervision, education, and professional leadership.
Participate in the team's 7-day working rota.
A driving licence and access to a vehicle is essential in order to undertake community visits.
Employment in this post requires an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, which the Trust will cover the cost of.
This is a fixed term role and for those with current NHS service, the role will be offered on a secondment basis only. Please obtain permission to be released on a secondment before submitting an application
About us
At Dorset HealthCare we're on a mission to empower people to make the most of their lives through our outstanding, joined-up healthcare services. We're a dynamic, forward-looking Trust, running 12 community hospitals, specialist inpatient facilities and a wide range of integrated community and mental health services for a population of almost 800,000 people.
We do things differently here - it's one of the reasons the CQC rated us 'outstanding' in 2019. It's also why 95% of patients across our services say they have a good or very good experience of our services and 89% of staff feel they can really make a difference. Whether you're looking to work with us in one of our bustling market towns, vibrant urban locations, thriving seaside spots, or among the rolling hills of Dorset, there are lots of ways you can make a difference in our communities.
Our 7,000-strong workforce is at the heart of what we do and our success is a testament to our brilliant people. We're all about building a workplace for the future, we believe in equal opportunities and we celebrate diversity. We're an inclusive workplace, where everyone is welcome, everyone can be authentic, and we are all encouraged to be the best version of ourselves.
Working with us you'll be part of a strong team, challenge yourself, build a career, and teach us what we don't know. And you'll be working towards our vision to be better every day through excellence, compassion and expertise in all we do.
Job description Job responsibilities
For the main duties and responsibilities for this role please read the attached job description and person specification. When completing your application please ensure your supporting statement reflects the criteria set out in these documents by showing how your experience and skills apply to this post.
We understand that AI can be a useful tool when completing your application. However, we are seeing an increasing over-reliance of AI tools, which can negatively affect your application as it reduces a candidates individuality, and makes it difficult for us to gain a clear and authentic understanding of your experience, skills, and in turn your suitability for the role.
All submissions must be truthful and if you do use AI, it should only be used to enhance your application and not create your supporting statement in its entirety. Your supporting statement should be in your own words and must accurately reflect your personal experience and achievements. Where we have concerns that AI has been used to generate content that misrepresents your experience and suitability for the role, we may withdraw your application.
As part of our vision to have a skilled, diverse and caring workforce, Dorset HealthCare offers support for people getting into work. We offer an employability service to support individuals with application writing, interview skills and other employment support. If you would like or know of anyone who would value this support, please do contact [email protected]
Person Specification
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND TRAINING Essential
Registered practitioner to degree/diploma level. Membership of the relevant Professional body. Evidence of recent professional development in an up to date portfolio. Knowledge and understanding of Trust Strategy relevant to role. Evidence of post-registration diploma level specialist training and/or short courses or demonstrable extensive experience in the relevant specialty.
JOB SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE Essential
Experience at Registered Practitioner Band 6 or Band 7 level. Able to demonstrate specialist expertise and knowledge underpinned by theory acquired through CPD in relation to clinical assessment, treatment and evaluation. Able to demonstrate a vast experience of making clinical judgement regarding diagnosis and highly specialised advice and intervention. Evidence of risk management skills and experience. Experience of developing specialist programmes of care for an individual or groups of patients/clients and of providing highly specialist advice. Evidence of involvement in the development of programmes of care, protocols and audit. Experience of multi-disciplinary working. Able to actively research for the potential to improve quality and customer care, seeking new ideas and methods to improve health care. Evidence of involvement in policy and practice change.
MANAGERIAL/SUPERVISORY EXPERIENCE Essential
Evidence of proactive involvement in the supervision and development of members of the multi-disciplinary team. Able to act as a clinical supervisor and/or facilitate peer groups. Evidence of delivering education and training in practice.
PERSONAL QUALITIES/ATTRIBUTES Essential
Able to communicate effectively at different levels of the organisation and with staff, patient/service users, visitors or external organisations both verbally and in writing in the exchange of highly complex, sensitive or contentious information which may require the use of negotiating and/or persuasive skills. Experience of planning and organising complex activities such as organising own time and that of junior staff and learners, planning off duty rotas, undertaking discharge planning involving co-ordination with other agencies and planning for sudden unforeseen circumstances.
Finance and Resources Essential
Able to effectively manage available resources in the pursuit of quality service provision ensuring a safe environment.
Information and Technology Essential
Able to analyse data and produce reports using Microsoft Excel and Word. Confident in the use of computer systems, spread sheets, databases, data collection and coordination, word processing and report writing. Experience of using electronic patient / service user record systems, data entry and reporting.
Personal Qualities/attributes Essential
Evidence of demonstrating the Trust's values and behaviours. Able to communicate effectively at different levels of the organisation and with staff, patient/service users, visitors or external organisations both verbally and in writing in the exchange of highly complex, sensitive or contentious information which may require the use of negotiating and/or persuasive skills. Ability to evaluate care leading to improvement in quality standards and service improvement. Able to analyse and assess situations and to interpret potentially conflicting situations and determine appropriate action, where there is a range of options and judgement is required.
Business Travel Essential
Able to travel using own vehicle on Trust business.
Additional requirements Essential
Demonstrable skills in written and spoken English to a standard which enables the post holder to carry out the full range of duties and responsibilities of the role effectively.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details Employer name Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust
Address Westhaven Community Hospital - Radipole Ward
Radipole Lane
Weymouth
DT4 0QE
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.dorsethealthcare.nhs.uk/work-for-us (Opens in a new tab)