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Job overview
Join the Shaftesbury Forensic Inpatient Service at Springfield University Hospital as a Specialist Occupational Therapist and play a pivotal role in delivering high-quality care within a modern medium and low secure setting. This is an exciting opportunity to work within a multidisciplinary team supporting men and women detained under the Mental Health Act who present with complex mental health needs and risks. Occupational therapy is central to recovery.
The service has a strong culture of continuous professional development, with robust supervision and excellent training opportunities. There is a clear commitment to growing and developing staff at all levels. You will also benefit from working alongside specialist expertise, including a dedicated sensory practitioner within the team. This role offers the opportunity to shape practice, promote inclusion and recovery, and contribute to a culture of learning, innovation, and continuous quality improvement within a supportive and forward-thinking forensic service.
Main duties of the job
You will independently manage a complex caseload and apply advanced clinical reasoning to deliver evidence-based, person-centred interventions informed by the Model of Human Occupation (MOHO) and the Recovery Approach. You will support service users to develop meaningful skills, enhance independence, and progress towards community reintegration. Alongside your clinical responsibilities, you will provide leadership through supervision, staff development, and service improvement initiatives. You will also act as a specialist resource in complex situations and influence care planning and clinical pathways.
The service has a strong culture of continuous professional development, with robust supervision and excellent training opportunities. There is a clear commitment to growing and developing staff at all levels. You will also benefit from working alongside specialist expertise, including a dedicated sensory practitioner within the team. This role offers the opportunity to shape practice, promote inclusion and recovery, and contribute to a culture of learning, innovation, and continuous quality improvement within a supportive and forward-thinking forensic service
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
- To provide a specialist Occupational Therapy service to service users within medium and low secure services, delivering interventions informed by the Model of Human Occupation (MOHO) and the Recovery Approach, and acting as a specialist resource within the team.
- To independently manage a complex caseload, applying advanced clinical reasoning in situations of complexity and uncertainty to assess, plan, implement and evaluate evidence-based, person-centred interventions.
- To provide clinical leadership within the team, offering supervision, guidance and support to occupational therapy staff and support workers, and taking responsibility for maintaining high standards of practice in collaboration with the OT leadership team.
- To take a lead role in delegated areas of clinical practice and service development, contributing to the design, implementation and evaluation of service improvements and supporting the development of staff across the team.
- To work collaboratively with the OT leadership and multidisciplinary team, influencing care planning, contributing to clinical pathways and promoting continuous quality improvement across the service.
- To provide formal and informal supervision, supporting staff development, clinical decision-making and reflective practice, and promoting a culture of learning and professional accountability.
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Person specification
Experience
Essential
- Experience of carrying a caseload of service users with complex and diverse needs in a mental health setting.
- Experience of working in an inter-professional team.
- Experience of working within a multi-agency environment.
- Experience of working in a multi-cultural context
- Experience of supervising junior staff
- Experience of maintaining a written record of continual professional development
Desirable
- Experience of working in a range of mental health settings
- Experience of working as an occupational therapist in a forensic mental health in-patient setting.
- Experience of MDT project management
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Highly developed interpersonal skills enabling therapeutic alliances to be developed & maintained with service users who have multiple & complex needs
- Ability to communicate effectively in complex and sensitive situations including conflict and distress
- Ability to influence and challenge decision-making within a multidisciplinary team
- Ability to provide specialist occupational therapy advice and consultancy to colleagues and external agencies
- Ability to work autonomously, set priorities and manage complexity
Training and Qualifications
Essential
- Diploma or degree in Occupational Therapy
- Registration to practice in the UK
- Evidence of post registration training relevant to mental health practice
- Training in the theory and application of the model of human occupation within the first 4 months of appointment
Desirable
- Practice placement educators course within one year of appointment
- Leadership and/or management training
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Lead Occupational Therapist with South West London and St George's Mental Health Trust NHS Trust in London, London, England. It is listed as a Band 7 Occupational Therapist role. The advertised salary is £58,133 - £65,261 per annum inclusive of inner London HCAS. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 16 Jul 2026.
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