Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist

Job overview
We are seeking a Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist to join our friendly team

• Demonstrates ability to work as a team member as well as autonomously.
• Managing a case load of service users who have complex needs.
• Balancing all aspects of the job role.
• Being flexible and responsive to competing demands.
• Promoting Occupational Therapy in the service and keeping an occupational focus at the centre of practice.
• Demonstrate an advanced ability to apply complex skills and knowledge commensurate to a higher level of professional practice.

The post holder must hold a full, valid, UK driving licence and have access to a car/vehicle to use for business purposes (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010).

Main duties of the job
• Adhere to all professional (HCPC, COT), legal, and KMPT policy standards, upholding Trust values, maintaining registration, and ensuring accountability for clinical practice and data protection.
• Provide holistic, person-centered care by assessing, planning, and reviewing care with service users, ensuring informed consent, managing risk, and involving carers within the multidisciplinary team.
• Deliver supervision, appraisal, and development for staff and students (practice education) to support service objectives, alongside managing equipment and resources efficiently.
• Evaluate, audit, and implement evidence-based practice, research, and national guidelines to improve service delivery while maintaining a CPD portfolio for personal development.
• Collaborate with the AHP lead and participate in clinical meetings to support strategic aims and ensure high-quality, coordinated service provision.

Working for our organisation
We are the Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust. We care for the mental health and wellbeing of people across Kent and Medway. Our teams support adults with a wide range of mental health needs. Because we cover the whole county and both hospital and community settings, we can make care more joined up and easier to access for the 1.8 million people of Kent and Medway. Rated 'Good' by the CQC, we care for over 2,000 people in our hospitals and 54,000 in the community each year.
Our vision is simple: We are here to help communities not just live with mental illness, but live well. It's why we're passionate about working with communities to make mental health care better for everyone. And everything we do is guided by our values caring, inclusive, curious and confident.
Join us - if you share our passion for better mental health care and want to be part of a team that's doing well together.
Take a look at our Occupational Therapist Video

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• The clinical specialist occupational therapist is a highly experienced occupational therapist within the multi-disciplinary care team.
• To take the lead in identifying, developing and providing the Occupational Therapy contribution within the multi-disciplinary service in accordance with the needs of service users and the requirements of the service.
• To assess, plan, deliver and evaluate therapeutic interventions for identified service users.

Please refer to the attached job description for the full details on the responsibilities and person specification
We are serious about diversity and inclusion, and we are working hard to build this into our DNA. We warmly welcome applications for any of our roles from people from diverse backgrounds, and we are proactively encouraging applications from under-represented communities for our more senior roles, like this one.

Person specification

Training, Qualifications and Registration

Essential criteria

• A recognised Occupational Therapist professional qualification
• Registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
• Evidence of post graduate development through formal postgraduate courses or experience e.g. (MSc or equivalent - clinical leadership or clinically related subject)
• Approved Practice Educator

Desirable criteria

• Registered member of the relevant professional body and / or special interest group
• Formal management qualification

Experience

Essential criteria

• Experience in clinical practice, holding a broad range of experience or specialist field within a variety of settings
• Managing a case load of service users who have complex needs
• Experience of undertaking audits, service evaluation and research in specialist field.
• Experience of delivering and coordinating clinical supervision
• Experience of managing and developing learners and staff in the work place

Desirable criteria

• Experience of proactively leading service development
• Experience of recruitment and selection of staff
• Experience of recruitment and selection of staff

Knowledge and Skills

Essential criteria

• Highly developed and specialist knowledge in clinical area underpinned by theory and experience
• Ability to make decisions autonomously and co-operatively as part of an inter-professional team
• Specialist knowledge in the application of relevant OT theoretical models, and approaches relevant to service user group.
• Knowledge of and ability to apply national policies and procedures including, but not limited to confidentiality, consent, risk management, service user involvement.
• Ability to analyse and resolve clinical and ethical issues and enable others to actively reflect and learn
• Supervisory and appraisal skills
• An ability to communicate clearly both verbally and in writing
• Computer literate. Able to use e-mail, Word, Excel and access Internet resources
• Ability to prioritise own work effectively and to be able to guide others

Desirable criteria

• An understanding and expertise in the principles of risk assessment and risk management
• An understanding of the broad aims of current national and local healthcare policy and an appreciation of the implications of this on clinical practice

Personal qualities, values and behaviours

Essential criteria

• Ability to work as a team member as well as autonomously
• Adaptability, flexibility and resilience
• Able to work with competing priorities and change
• Professional, calm and efficient manner
• Commitment to and a focus on quality, promoting high standards of clinical care to improve patient outcomes/recovery
• Actively develops themselves and others
• Ability to motivate, empower and enable others
• Values diversity and operates with integrity and openness

Desirable criteria

• Self-awareness in managing own wellness at work and confidence to seek support when required

Important Information:
In cases where we receive a high volume of applications for a post, it may be necessary to bring the closing date forward. Please submit your completed application as early as possible to avoid disappointmen