About this role
Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen for you to join our Trauma and Orthopaedic Therapy Team as a Senior Occupational Therapist.
This post is based at the Poole site, which is the main Orthopaedic Trauma site for University Hospitals Dorset. This is a fast-paced and dynamicworking environment and you will be based within a well-established collaborative, Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy service, with a Band7 Clinical Specialist OT to support you. You will receive regular supervision and training and have responsibility for the supervision of others and contribute to the team training programme.
This post will also provide you with opportunities to develop managerial skills and contribute to and lead on service development within the teamand wider services.
This role required HCPC Registration
Base - Poole Hospital
Interview Date - 29th May 2026
Main duties of the job
You will have the opportunity to develop specialised skills including high-level assessments; moving and handling; cognitive assessments and interventions; capacity assessments; admission avoidance, and complex discharge planning.
You will have responsibility for a caseload of patients with wide ranging injuries and complexity. Alongside your own caseload you will support other less experienced team members with their caseload. University Hospital Dorset works in partnership with health and community providers within the county to enable the Discharge to Assess and Home First principles.
This role will provide you with the opportunity to support patients within the acute hospital and within their own homes to ensure they receive the right service in the best place for them.
About us
UHD are investing, developing and transforming Trust services in line with the New Hospital Programme. As part of this, some services may move site this year or next, either temporarily or permanently. Recruiting Managers will be happy to answer any service-specific questions at interview.
This service has a planned move from Poole site to RBH site with the possibility of some ongoing cross site working.
If a role or service relocates as part of a planned move, excess mileage will not be reimbursed. Travel from home to the new work base will be classed as a normal commute. Any other changes will be managed under Trust or national terms and conditions.
UHD has active networks including Women's, Diverse Ethnicity Network, Pride, European, Pro Ability, and Armed Forces Networks. We support Disability Confident and Armed Forces Covenant interview schemes.
AI tools may be used, but applications must honestly reflect your own skills and experience. Integrity is key to our recruitment process
Job description Job responsibilities
To understand the role in more detail please read the full job description and person specification documents which are attached to this advert.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Evidence of CPD maintained in a portfolio HCPC registration
Desirable
Member of RCOT Involvement in RCOT Special Interest Group Completion of in-house: Leadership & motivation Managing performance Time management Appraisals skills
Experience Essential
Experience of a range of rotations including medicine, orthopaedic, older people & rehabilitation, providing examples/case studies. Experience of discharge planning, providing examples/case studies experience as a Band 5 in the NHS.
Desirable
Involvement in audit, research & understanding of quality issues.
Technical Skills Competencies Essential
Contribution to the clinical education of less experienced staff, students or assistants. Up- to-date with professional practice and new research Able to present information, written and verbal, in a clear & logical manner. Ability to organise, prioritise & delegate Understanding of clinical governance & its implications Able to carry out moderate to intense physical effort Able to cope in a stressful environment and with emotional or aggressive patients & carers Able to work well across teams to meet patient and service priorities
Desirable
Supervision & appraisals of juniors, assistants or students IT skills Presentation skills Able to demonstrate leadership skills in the operational management of staff
Knowledge Essential
Comprehensive knowledge of the occupational therapy assessment & treatment of a range of clinical conditions. Awareness of the occupational therapist's role in the Discharge to Assess/Home First model of care
Other requirements specific to the role Essential
Possession of a clean UK driving licence and access to a car for work purposes.
Personal attributes Essential
Able to work as a team member Flexible Empathic Reliable Problem-solving Act professionally and responsibly at all times
Language requirement Essential
Able to speak English as necessary to undertake the role
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 University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust
Address Poole Hospital
Longfleet Road
Poole
BH15 2JB
Employer's website https://www.uhd.nhs.uk/careers (Opens in a new tab)