Occupational Therapist - Band 5

Job overview

If you are looking for a rare and exciting opportunity to develop your career and have a genuine interest in Forensic Services, this could be the perfect role for you.

Based at St Bernard’s Hospital in Ealing, our Forensic Services provide a dynamic environment across men’s and women’s low and medium secure pathways. You will join a well-established and highly regarded Occupational Therapy team, supporting service users on meaningful recovery journeys.

You will be part of a supportive multidisciplinary team, including Occupational Therapists, Assistants, Activity Coordinators, and Recovery Support Workers, all committed to delivering high-quality, recovery-focused care. You will receive structured supervision and professional development support from a Clinical Lead Occupational Therapist.

As a Band 5 Occupational Therapist, you will manage your own caseload and contribute to assessment, care planning, and therapeutic interventions within a collaborative team environment.

This role offers the opportunity to work across the wider service, supporting individuals as they progress through care pathways and transition into the community. You will also gain valuable knowledge of local resources to help promote independence and successful reintegration.

This is an excellent opportunity to develop your skills and be part of a passionate team making a real difference in forensic mental health care.

Main duties of the job

You will manage a varied and rewarding clinical caseload, delivering a range of individual and group interventions to support service users in developing skills for independence and recovery. Interventions include social skills, self-care, life skills, transitions, cyber safety, leisure, and vocational development, all within a recovery-focused framework.

The role provides excellent opportunities to develop core clinical skills, including assessment, case formulation, and goal setting. We use the Vona du Toit Model of Creative Ability (VdTMoCA), and full training and supervision will be provided.

You will work within clear clinical pathways, supporting service users as they progress from acute care through rehabilitation and into the community, with occupational performance central to each stage of recovery.

You will also support access to vocational and educational opportunities, helping service users build confidence, skills, and future employment prospects.

We are committed to continuous professional development (CPD) and offer a wide range of learning opportunities. You will work closely with a wider network of Allied Health Professionals (AHPs), benefiting from collaborative working and shared learning across the Trust.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Candidate Pack provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. Please view as attached.

The person specification below is not the full person specification, but outlines the criteria against which your application form will be assessed.

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.