Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust logo

Occupational Therapy Assistant Practitioner


Location
Norwich, England
Salary
£28,392 - £31,157 gross per annum
Profession
Healthcare support worker
Grade
Band 4
Deadline
24 Jun 2026
Contract Type
Permanent
Posted Date
18 Jun 2026
Medical Protection — indemnity for locally employed doctors from £79

Job overview

Do you have skills in motivating people, building people’s independence and supporting individuals to achieve their Recovery goals!?

The Forensic Community Mental Health Team (FCMHT) in Secure Services are looking for an Occupational Therapy Assistant Practitioner (OTAP) to provide support for service users preparing for discharge, to facilitate reintegration into the community.

Main duties of the job

Within this role you will be working under the supervision of a registered Occupational Therapist. You will work with service users at all stages of the Occupational Therapy process and would be expected to work closely with the wider MDT as part of the assessment and treatment process

You will provide 1:1 and group therapy interventions which support service users to work towards goals as part of their Recovery Journey. You will be expected to have excellent communication skills, both verbal and written. Within this role you will be instructing and guiding service users during therapeutic interventions. To enable you to provide high quality care you will build professional therapeutic relationships with service users and communicate in a way that respects their views, autonomy and culture.

This role covers service users in hospital through to after they have been discharged into the community. The team also covers the whole of Norfolk so having the ability to travel across the county independently is an essential component of this role

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Within the service, we follow a Recovery-based and trauma-informed approach, working alongside Service Users who have a mental health diagnosis. The majority have also had contact with the criminal justice system. Your role would be to instil hope, inspire confidence, and work collaboratively with individuals to meet their goals and build on life skills. You will work alongside Service Users, an Occupational Therapist and the MDT.

We are looking for someone who ideally has experience of working with adult mental health service users and can adapt their skills to work with our client group.

Working alongside our colleagues in the inpatient Occupational and Fitness Therapy (OFT) team you will support service users in their transition from inpatient services into the community.

Please find attached our Job Description and Person Specification for more detail on your Key Accountabilities, then if you feel you have what it takes to make a difference in your local communities, click APPLY!

Please visit our Facebook and Twitter page @NSFTjobs

Person specification

Other

Essential

  • Ability to travel independently (driving service users in pool cars and own car)

Knowledge

Essential

  • An understanding of Occupational Therapy and the importance of meaningful occupations.
  • Health and safety risk awareness

Experience

Essential

  • Experience of working with groups of people
  • Ability to work both independently and under supervision

Desirable

  • Experience of working within mental health

Qualifications

Essential

  • Foundation Degree in Health and Social Care/mental health OR Apprenticeship in H&SC/mental health L5 OR Equivalent Qualification at L5 or above in a related subject

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Applying for this NHS job

This advert is for Occupational Therapy Assistant Practitioner with Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust in Norwich, East of England, England. It is listed as a Band 4 Healthcare support worker role. The advertised salary is £28,392 - £31,157 gross per annum. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 24 Jun 2026.

Before you apply, compare the job description with the person specification and mirror the employer's essential criteria in your supporting information. Use the vacancy title, employer, location, salary, contract type, closing date and posted date (18 Jun 2026) to decide whether this role fits your current NHS job search. If the employer can close applications early, prepare the application before the stated deadline rather than waiting for the final day.

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