About this role
Job summary
Home 1st is a large interdisciplinary community rehabilitation service focused on promoting independence, preventing unnecessary hospital admissions, and supporting timely discharge from hospital. We provide rehabilitation across community settings, helping people maximise function and maintain independence within their homes and local communities.
Working alongside Physiotherapists, Community Nurses, and AHP Support Workers, you will deliver person-centred care in patients' homes, inpatient rehabilitation units, community venues, and hospital settings.
As a Band 5 Rotational Occupational Therapist, you will manage a defined caseload, using evidence-based approaches to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate treatment programmes. You will work autonomously with regular supervision and support from Senior Occupational Therapists.
The successful candidate will contribute to a high-quality Occupational Therapy service and have opportunities to support and supervise Occupational Therapy students on placement.
This permanent rotational role offers experience across a range of integrated community and rehabilitation services, including:
Admission Avoidance Community Therapy Inpatient Rehabilitation Staying Steady (Falls Prevention) Pulmonary Rehabilitation You will rotate across Home 1st services within agreed timeframes, developing a broad range of clinical skills and experience to support your professional growth and career development.
Main duties of the job
Key Responsibilities
Work within Trust, RCOT and HCPC professional, legal and ethical standards, maintaining accountability for practice. Undertake occupational therapy assessments using interviews, observation, standardised tools and available information to identify needs and priorities. Use clinical reasoning to develop client-centred goals and deliver evidence-based interventions.
Manage and prioritise a caseload of varying complexity, monitoring and adapting interventions to achieve agreed outcomes.
Work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams, carers and partner agencies to coordinate care and manage referrals. Prescribe, delegate and monitor rehabilitation programmes delivered by rehabilitation assistants, providing education and support to carers and staff as required.
Maintain competence in community moving and handling, proactively manage risk, including lone working, and ensure accurate, timely record keeping in line with Trust policies and confidentiality requirements.
Contribute to service development, audit, outcome measurement and quality improvement initiatives. Maintain an up-to-date CPD portfolio and undertake designated departmental responsibilities. Work flexibly across Trust sites and participate in rotational opportunities to support service delivery and professional development.
CNWL is committed to delivering safe, effective, high-quality services and a positive experience for patients and their families.
About us
Why Join Home 1st?
This is an excellent opportunity for newly qualified or early-career Occupational Therapists to build a broad range of skills within a supportive multidisciplinary team. You will gain experience across the rehabilitation pathway, work with diverse patient groups, and help deliver person-centred care in the community.
CNWL Milton Keynes is committed to providing high-quality health and social care services that promote wellbeing, recovery, and independence, while ensuring staff feel valued, supported, and empowered to succeed.
We offer:
A rewarding role where you can make a real difference to patients, carers, families, and local communities. Ongoing professional development, training opportunities, and supportive supervision to help you grow in your career. A safe, inclusive workplace that promotes health, wellbeing, equality, and respect. Flexible working opportunities where service needs allow, supporting a healthy work-life balance. Fair and equitable treatment, free from discrimination, with a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion. Opportunities to influence service development and contribute to decisions affecting your role and patient care. Encouragement to share ideas, drive innovation, and help improve outcomes for patients and services. Join Home 1st and become part of a team dedicated to delivering high-quality community rehabilitation while supporting your professional development and long-term career progression.
Job description Job responsibilities
Patient Safety
The Band 5 Occupational Therapist will contribute to the provision of safe and reliable services by:
Using their clinical judgement and risk assessments to keep the people using our services as safe as possible
Safeguarding people by recognising and responding when an adult or child might be at risk from abuse but also recognising their own limits and asking for help and escalate concerns when necessary
Escalating safety concerns and by doing so acting as effective advocates for those who use our services
Being open and transparent about their own practice
Supervising the work of others
Reflecting on everyday practice to identify areas where improvements in safety or quality can be made
Working with others to create a culture of continuous improvement
Maintaining accurate, legible, comprehensive records
Maintaining compliance with their mandatory training requirements.
The HCPC plays an important role in safeguarding the public by regulating the work of Occupational Therapists and you are expected to register with the HCPC each year and adhere to the HCPC Code of Conduct.
Clinical Outcomes
The Band 5 Occupational Therapist will contribute to the effectiveness of services by:
Providing skilled, evidence-based therapy which adheres to agreed policies and procedures
Working with patients and families in all stages of the care planning process including assessing risks and needs
Acting as patient advocates in the multi-disciplinary team and overseeing the work of others to ensure that they are also responding to the needs of patients and providing clinically effective therapy/care
Working as autonomous practitioners and taking responsibility for the therapy/care they give to patients but within their own limits of competency and confidence
Contributing to creating and maintaining high performing teams by:
communicating well with all members of the team. Understanding their role in the team and how they help the team achieve its' objectives
reflecting on their own practice regularly and encouraging the whole team to reflect on their practices in handovers and team meetings identifying how care could be improved
Patient Experience
The Band 5 Occupational Therapist will contribute to the people using our services feeling respected and empowered to make decisions about their health and wellbeing by:
Working in partnership with patients and their families and carers
Gaining consent and, as far as possible, involving people in all decision making
Signposting patients and carers to supportive services e.g. the courses provided by the Recovery and Wellbeing College or services provided by the local authority or the voluntary sector
Reassuring people by being professional, responsive, knowledgeable and confident
Responding to complaints or concerns effectively and quickly in line with the Trust policy
Supporting Yourself and Others
Engaged staff are more productive and the Band 5 Occupational Therapist plays a role in engaging in other staff members in the Trust and the work we do by:
Providing supervision and annual appraisals to other staff which helps those staff reflect on their work, understand their objectives and monitors their progress towards achieving them
Participating constructively in their own supervision and annual appraisal processes
Using continuing professional development funds to consolidate or improve clinical skills and to gain mentorship skills so they can support student nurses
Person Specification
Education and Qualifications Essential
HCPC registration Degree in Physiotherapy Demonstrate/evidence of recent continuing professional development Full UK driving licence. Access to a car for work.
Desirable
Membership of recognised and relevant professional body
Experience Essential
Previous experience of working in the NHS Ability to manage own workload, determine priorities and make autonomous decisions Experience in Community/ Acute /Stroke/ Rehabilitation / Frailty settings
Skills and knowledge Essential
Effective written and oral communication skills Planning and coordination of treatment packages Ability to work within a team and autonomously in a community setting
Desirable
Knowledge of Mental Health conditions Ability to maintain standards of record keeping in line with local policies Ability to problem solve Ability to hold and manage delicate conversations
Attitudes, aptitudes, personal characteristics Essential
Confidence in basic IT skills
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.
Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
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 Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
Address Home 1st Therapy, The Open University
CNWL Trust HQ, The Open University, Charles Pinfold Building
Milton Keynes
MK7 6AA
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.cnwl.nhs.uk/work (Opens in a new tab)