Job summary
- Main area
- Mental Health
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 6
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Part time - 30 hours per week (4 days)
- Job ref
- 354-AB-20963
- Employer
- Sussex Partnership NHS FoundationTrust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Mill View Hospital
- Town
- Hove
- Salary
- £38,682 - £46,580 Pro rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 28/08/2025 23:59
Employer heading

Senior Occupational Therapist
NHS AfC: Band 6
Come and join us
We're looking for people who share our values (compassion, accountability and optimism) to help us provide high quality care to the patients, carers, families and local communities we serve. We specialise in providing NHS mental health and learning disability services.
So what can we offer you in return?
We're an organisation which puts people first. We'll do everything possible to help you feel respected, valued and included. We'll help you learn, acquire new skills and gain further experience to support your career development. And we'll provide the opportunity for you to bring your fresh ideas to work about how we can do things differently and continue improving.
You will also be joining a health and care system committed to working together to do the best we can for the communities we serve. Above all, at Sussex Partnership you'll have the chance to make a difference to the lives of the patients, carers and families across our communities.
As a Trust we are committed in making a difference. Your development is important to us, so don't forget to ask us during interview what opportunities we can offer. We can offer fully funded lifelong learning opportunities such as an apprenticeship from GCSE to Masters level.
If you like the sound of that, then come and join our team.
Job overview
Are you an experienced Occupational Therapist motivated to work in acute mental health? If so, our permanent Band 6 Occupational Therapist role at Mill View Hospital, Falmer ward may be the job for you!
Falmer Ward is a mixed gender ward with 20 patient beds, a dedicated psychologist, consultant psychiatrist, occupational therapist, occupational therapy support worker and brilliant team of nursing and social care staff. Our patients are at the heart of everything we do. It is our privilege to provide compassion and care to patients and their loved ones during some of the most distressing periods of their life, supporting them through their recovery journey.
If you have passion, dedication, experience and skills in mental health care and want to work with an amazing team - then we want to hear from you. You will need to possess effective time management skills to manage your own caseload and be confident to work autonomously through the OT process. You will be expected to carry out occupational assessments and recovery-based interventions for individuals with a range of mental health needs and play a key role in contributing to safe and effective discharges.
This could be a fantastic band 5-6 development opportunity for an experienced band 5 OT if you feel ready to increase your level of challenge and responsibility in a structures and supported way. Or an existing opportunity for a band 6 OT if you'd like to broaden your expert knowledge within acute mental health.
Main duties of the job
You will provide specialist occupational therapy assessment and interventions using evidence-based, client-centred principles to assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions. You will promote and develop the role of Occupational Therapy within the clinical area.
Please see attached Job Description and Person Specification for full details.
Working for our organisation
What we can offer you in return
In return for your skills and expertise we can offer you highly rewarding work within a forward thinking, supportive, friendly, occupational therapy team. You will have opportunities to work in close collaboration with multidisciplinary colleagues. Professional support is provided by the Professional Lead OT through monthly professional supervision.
· You will have access to a wide range of Training and CPD opportunities including;
- Access to our comprehensive AHP training prospectus
- Monthly Occupational Therapy CPD Hubs
- AHP Communities of Practice (including Sensory Strategies and Recovery Through Activity, Research and Innovation,)
- The opportunity to participate in a range of local and trust wide QI work and service innovations
- Varied leadership and development opportunities
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
- Operate as a senior occupational therapy practitioner and manage an appropriate complex clinical caseload.
- Promote evidence based practice in occupational therapy
- Provide a specialised range of clinical interventions and demonstrate knowledge of models of practice.
- Monitor, evaluate and modify treatment in order to measure progress and ensure effectiveness of interventions.
- Provide clinical assessment, formulation, intervention and review
- Contribute to the development of multi-disciplinary best practice clinical guidelines and protocols.
- Have a basic working knowledge of the medication prescribed for the persons in their care.
- Supervise the work of more junior qualified staff and provide support and guidance.
- Ensure that up to date written and electronic records and activity data are maintained in accordance with Professional and Trust standards and to provide specialist occupational therapy reports relevant to the practice setting.
- To adhere to Trust risk management policies and procedures.
- To champion occupational and recovery approaches within the service area.
- Be aware of and able to use de-escalation techniques and physical breakaway
- Ensure effective communication with all parts of the service, other agencies and people who use services and their carers
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Degree/Diploma in occupational therapy
- Evidence of post graduate level study/training
- Registration with the HPC as an occupational therapist
- Practice Education training
- Training in the use of standardised occupational therapy assessment tools
Knowledge/Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience as a qualified occupational therapist in mental health
- Broad experience of working with clients with a range of mental health problems
- Experience of both group and individual work
- Experience of multidisciplinary working
- Experience of supervising staff and students
- Experience as a Care Coordinator
- Experience in a clinical area related to the post
- Leadership experience
- Experience in applying a range of assessment tools and a comprehensive knowledge of occupational therapy clinical approaches used in mental health
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
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Claire Michie
- Job title
- Professional Lead OT B&H Acute Services
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01273 621984
- Additional information
We encourage and welcome informal visits. Or, for further information please contact:
Claire Michie, Professional Lead OT B&H Acute Services [email protected]
List jobs with Sussex Partnership NHS FoundationTrust in Allied Health Professions or all sectors