Job summary
Are you an occupational therapist looking to develop foundational competences ahead of a fascinating career? If so, you are warmly invited to join the friendly, cohesive and supportive occupational therapy team at St Richard's Hospital in Chichester.
Occupational therapists at St Richard's are well-respected within the MDT, and enjoy a wide range of development opportunities, gaining a deep understanding of patient care across a broad range of specialisms. These include acute neurology, neuro rehabilitation, cardiac, respiratory, gastric, amputee, frailty, trauma, surgery, orthopaedic, and palliative care.
St Richards Hospital sits at the foot of South Downs National Park, in the heart of Chichester which is a lively and historic university city. The hospital is a well-established institutional member of University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, meaning that band-5 occupational therapists also have access to rotational opportunities at nearby Worthing and Southlands hospitals (there is a free shuttle bus between sites).
Beyond your clinical competences, you will be well-supported to develop core skills such as leadership, communication, MDT working, education, research and leadership within our AHP Preceptorship Programme, which facilitates and supports your career progression.
We also welcome and support candidates returning to practice.
Main duties of the job
* Complete occupational therapy assessments, plan and implement interventions, and evaluate patient outcomes. You will take an evidence-based, person-centred approach to enable patients' engagement in self-care, productivity and leisure.
* Promote productive inter-professional relationships and represent occupational therapy within your multi-disciplinary team.
* Develop an enhanced understanding of our varied specialisms as you rotate amongst our expert occupational therapy teams.
* Proactively pursue and engage in training and development opportunities in line with your continued professional development.
* Empower and develop junior colleagues and students, with guidance and support from seniors.
* Contribute to the planning, development and evaluation of occupational therapy services.
About us
At UHSussex, diversity is our strength, and we want you to feel included to help us always put the Patient First. Your uniqueness and experiences will be part of our creative and innovative community where everyone is encouraged to succeed. We have a range of Staff Networks to help break down barriers, and can offer a buddy to help new members settle in. We're proud to be a Disability Confident Employer (Level 2) and a Veteran Aware Trust.
We treat our patients and staff with the same compassion and empathy we expect for ourselves. We're here for them when they need us, and we go above and beyond to meet their needs. This can be seen in our Wellbeing Programme for staff which is extensive and designed to support you when you need it, including where possible, flexible working to support work life balance - because we know that to look after others we must first look after ourselves.
As a university trust and a leader in healthcare research, we value learning, teaching and training so that we can be the best that we can be. From the moment you start with us and throughout your career we will help you to grow and develop. We hope that in choosing UHSussex you are choosing a long and happy career where you will be able to see the difference you make and feel valued for all that you do.
We look forward to receiving your application and the start of your journey with UHSussex.
Candidate information pack - University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust
Date posted: 08 April 2025
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 5
Salary: £29,970 to £36,483 a year per annum pro rata
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time, Flexible working
Reference number: 279-6665059-APR25
Job locations
St. Richard's Hospital
Spitalfield lane
Chichester
PO19 6SE
Job description Job responsibilities
For an overview of the main duties of the role please see the "job description and main responsibilities" section below. To understand the day to day responsibilities in more detail please read the full job description document attached. This also includes the person specification which provides more detail about the essential and desirable skills and experience needed for this role. We highly recommend you view this document and use it when completing the application as these criteria are used by hiring managers as guidance during shortlisting.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
* Diploma or Degree in Occupational Therapy
* Evidence of recent and relevant CPD (CPD Portfolio)
* Registration with the HPC
Desirable
* Membership with the BAOT
Knowledge & Experience Essential
* Basic awareness of current legislation, government initiatives and current practice affecting OT
* Clinical experience (incl. student placements) in area relating to speciality/post or able to demonstrate acceptable equivalent
* Knowledge of the OT role, relevant OT assessments and intervention
Desirable
* Knowledge of OT models of practice
Skills Essential
* Ability to establish and maintain communication on complex, potentially stressful topics in a range of situations, with individuals or groups
* Ability to analyse assessment outcomes, identify problems and offer solutions
* Ability to reflect and critically appraise own and other's performance
* Ability to organise and respond effectively to complex information
Equality Diversity and Inclusion Essential
* Evidence of having undertaken own development to improve understanding of equalities issues
* Evidence of having championed diversity in previous roles (as appropriate to 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.
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.
Employer details
Employer name: University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (279)
Address:
St. Richard's Hospital
Spitalfield lane
Chichester
PO19 6SE
Employer's website
https://www.uhsussex.nhs.uk/
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