Occupational Therapist- rotational

Job overview

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with us.

Please see below for detailed job description of the role.

Main duties of the job

We are looking for Band 5 Occupational Therapists, who are able to start work with us in 2026, to join our large Therapy Services department, working in acute care, on a variety of wards as part of our therapy workforce. Our appraisal programme includes a one-year preceptorship programme for anyone with less than 1 years’ experience, and you will be allocated a mentor to support you.

You will have the opportunity to work in over 12 different clinical areas, with rotations lasting 6 months, enabling you to expand your knowledge and develop robust skills in acute care.

This post is part of the wider Therapy Services department and therefore you will have many opportunities to develop new skills and knowledge, through our in-service training. You will be part of a large department of over 300 Therapy staff including Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists and Therapy support staff.

We run a 7-day therapy service working on weekends and Bank Holidays, on a rota basis, as part of your usual working hours.

You will be working alongside advanced and specialist clinicians in all areas, and will have access to regular supervision, in-service training, development, and a personal development plan.

This role involves specialist assessments and interventions, including complex discharge planning, cognitive assessments, specialist equipment (pressure relief, bariatric manual handling, splinting, seating) and acute rehab, integrated working with Physios and Therapy Support staff.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

We have several B5 OT opportunities suitable for either  Newly Qualified Occupational Therapists, including 2026 summer graduates, or experienced B5s wishing to widen their skill set in acute care. Experience of working in the acute setting and recent NHS, as a student or therapy support worker, is desirable and we welcome applications from people who have previously undertaken student placements with us.

Our B5 rotations are for 6 months each and initially you will slot into vacancies, being able to request rotations when these are due to change.  Rotations currently include cancer care, cardiac, surgery, AMU/ED, orthopaedics, neurology, stroke, paediatrics, medicine, and medicine for older people, however these may change as services develop. This means you will develop a broad knowledge base on which to plan the rest of your career, and help you decide what area of OT you may want to specialise in for the future, or you can continue rotating as part of our B6 workforce as another future option.

Please make sure you fit the following criteria before you apply, and read the attached Job Description and Person Specification:

Essential skills and qualifications: •    Qualified Occupational Therapist, or in the process of completing your degree. •    HCPC registered, or in process of applying. •    Able to treat patients with care, compassion, and dignity. •    Happy working alone, making autonomous decisions, as well as part of a wider team. •    Good communicator (verbal and written) •    Clear desire for wanting to work at UHS in an acute rotational post  •    Knowledge and understanding of NHS systems.

Desirable skills: •    Previous experience working in an acute hospital as a student, or therapy support worker. •    NHS experience •    Previous experience working at UHS on a student placement (please reference in employment section of form)

Please note: 1.    Please answer all the questions on the application form with your own experience. 2.    Interviews will be held in face to face, in person, on either 23rd or 24th July 2026 , due to having a practical assessment, so please dress in smart and comfortable clothing for your interview.  3.    No alternative virtual interviews will be offered, please do not apply if you cannot attend an interview in person in Southampton, England. 4.    We do not accept CV applications. 5.    We may offer fixed term opportunities following interview. 6.    If we receive a high volume of applications, this advert may close early.

We are happy to answer any questions you may have.

For other therapy opportunities please email: [email protected]

We look forward to hearing from you