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Job summary

Main area
OT
Grade
Band 7
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
197-RF8542
Employer
Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Kaleidoscope
Town
Catford
Salary
£49,387 - £56,515 per annum plus HCAS
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
16/08/2026 23:59

Employer heading

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust logo

Occupational Therapist - Advanced, Autism Diagnostic Pathway

Band 7

 

Please refer to the Applicant Guide via this link for key information:- Applying to LGT Guide - Key Information for Applicants 

 

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, (LGT), is a community-focused provider of local and acute care, delivering high-quality services to over one million people living across the London boroughs of Lewisham, Greenwich, and Bexley. We provide whole-life care and are here to support our communities to live healthier lives as well as taking care of them when they need us the most.

Employing almost 7,500 colleagues, affectionately known as Team LGT, we provide services at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, University Hospital Lewisham, and at over a dozen community settings in Lewisham. We also provide some services at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup.

We have recently launched our new vision and values to mark the LGT10 – the tenth anniversary of our Trust forming in 2013. Our trust vision is to be exceptional. In the quality of our patient care; our support for colleagues; and in the difference we make through our partnerships and in our communities.

To achieve this we value Respect, Compassion, and Inclusion; Being accountable over  staying comfortable; Listening  over always knowing best; and Succeeding together over achieving alone. You can read more about our visions and values here

Our hospitals and community sites provide a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services, as well as emergency and planned care. The Trust is rated as “good” or “outstanding” in over three-quarters of the services inspected by the Care Quality Commission.

Every year our work includes performing 10,000 procedures in our theatres; bringing seven and a half thousand new lives into the world; carrying out 570,000 visits to patients in their homes or communities and providing emergency care for more than 300,000 patients arriving in our busy Urgent and Emergency Departments.

LGT is a centre for the education and training of medical students enrolled with King’s College London’s GKT School of Medical Education. We are a training centre for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals. We are pioneering new roles that will support the changing needs of our patients and are one of the largest employers of physician associates in the country.

We are committed to working with our partners to deliver the best outcomes for our local communities. This means playing an active role in the South East London Integrated Care System (ICS), and in formal partnerships including the South East London Acute Provider Collaborative, provider partnerships with our local mental health trusts and borough-based boards of the ICS in Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham.

Job overview

 

We are excited to offer a newly created Band 7 post within our Children’s Autism Diagnostic Pathway.  

Working within the multidisciplinary team to: 

  • Apply advanced clinical knowledge to assess, diagnose autism and complex communication needs 

  • Lead on care pathway development and clinical protocols 

  • Deliver specialist training and supervision to colleagues and students 

  • Champion neuro – affirming, inclusive communication practices 

We are embarking on major redesign of our neurodevelopmental pathways to reduce waiting times and improve patient experiences. You’ll be instrumental in shaping service delivery, ensuring it is responsive, equitable and aligned with NICE guidance and best practice.  

We are seeking a warm, empathetic, clinically confident, inclusive and equity minded speech and language therapist who has significant experience working with children with autism and complex communication needs.  

You’ll be part of a supportive team that values your expertise, encourages innovation, and invests in your professional growth. We are committed to supporting your professional growth. As part of this role, you will receive training in autism assessment tools, including ADOS  This will equip you with the skills to contribute confidently to differential diagnosis and multidisciplinary assessment. 

Main duties of the job

This role supports the clinical and operational leadership for the Autism Diagnostic Pathway, working closely with the Autism Clinical Pathway AHP and MDT Lead. The post holder will support the development and implementation of efficient, NICE‑compliant ways of working aligned to best practice and the local ASC core offer, in partnership with medical, nursing and AHP colleagues. They will take a delegated lead in developing care pathways, service protocols and clinical guidelines, and use advanced specialist OT expertise to contribute to differential diagnosis within the MDT. The role involves independent assessment, diagnosis and management of children and young people with social communication needs, providing second opinions where required, and ensuring care is integrated, evidence‑based and population‑responsive. The post holder will also provide supervision and deliver specialist training to support pathway quality and sustainability.

Working for our organisation

Please refer to the Applicant Guide via the link below for key information:- Applying to LGT Guide - Key Information for Applicants 

Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:

  1. Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
  2. Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
  3. Improving the experience of staff with disability
  4. Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
  5. Making equalities mainstream

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For more detailed information about the job and main responsibilities see the attached job description and person specification. 

Person specification

Qualifications and training

Essential criteria
  • Recognised Occupational Therapy Degree or equivalent
  • Successful completion of additional specialist training relevant to this area
  • Health and Care Professions Council – Licence to Practice
  • Leadership and/or supervisory training
Desirable criteria
  • Membership of relevant Clinical interest groups
  • Registered as a member of the Royal College Of Occupational Therapists

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Significant post-qualification experience working with children with a wide range of challenges with participating in daily activities.
  • Significant experience of working with children with autism and related including referral for autism assessment
  • Experience of multiagency and multidisciplinary collaboration and/or working
  • Experience of service development
  • Experience of developing and delivering training for others
Desirable criteria
  • Experience of diagnosing and/or contributing to diagnosis of autism
  • Experience of writing/guidelines protocols/standing operating procedures/or policies

Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • Understanding of National Service Frameworks and NICE guidance relevant to client group/care setting and its application across healthcare and educational settings
  • Extensive knowledge of a broad range of assessment and diagnostic tools relevant to the specialist clinical area

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Trust IDCapital Nurse, LondonVeteran AwareApprenticeships logoTimewise helps businesses to attract and develop the best talent through flexible working.No smoking policyLondon Living Wage is a voluntary commitment made by employers, who can become accredited with the Living Wage FoundationAge positiveDisability confident leaderArmed Forces Covenant (Silver Award)We offer Wagestream - A financial wellbeing benefit which lets you access your pay as you earn it.NHS Rainbow badgePrince's Trust - Proud to support the Prince's trust - Youth can do itStep into healthHappy to Talk Flexible WorkingArmed Forces Covenant

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Rachael Kay
Job title
Principal SLT
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
020 3 049 1378
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