Respiratory Occupational Therapist

Job overview

Please note: at this stage, the role is open only to colleagues currently employed within Kent and Medway NHS Trusts, the Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board (ICB) and Medway Community Healthcare or working on the Staff Bank within these organisations. Nursing and AHP vacancies are also open to Student Nurses and Newly Qualified Nurses/AHPs.

Are you an experienced Occupational Therapist with at least four years’ post-registration experience, or already working in a respiratory specialty role?

Join the East Kent Specialist Community Respiratory Service, a multidisciplinary team committed to reducing hospital admissions and supporting patients to manage their conditions confidently at home. Working across Ashford and the South Kent Coast, you will deliver group interventions and home visits, empowering patients through self-management, symptom control, behaviour change, and personalised support.

Based at Trinity House, Ashford, you will manage a varied caseload across Ashford, Dover, Aylesham, Folkestone, Hythe and Romney Marsh, making a meaningful difference to patients' quality of life.

This is an excellent opportunity to develop specialist respiratory skills within an innovative, patient-centred service that values collaboration, creativity and continuous improvement. If you are motivated, compassionate and ready to make an impact in community respiratory care, we'd love to hear from you.

A full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle are essential.

Main duties of the job

Join our specialist respiratory team supporting people with complex, long-term respiratory conditions to live well at home and avoid unnecessary hospital admissions. As an autonomous practitioner, you will manage a varied caseload, delivering comprehensive assessments, care planning, treatment and evaluation for patients with complex and high-risk respiratory needs.

Using evidence-based symptom management approaches, including Cognitive Behavioural techniques, you will provide both one-to-one and group interventions focused on breathlessness, fatigue, anxiety and sleep management. You will empower patients through education, self-management support and personalised care, improving health outcomes and quality of life.

Working within a multidisciplinary team, you will identify vulnerable patients, coordinate appropriate interventions, and act when a person's safety or wellbeing is at risk. You will also undertake equipment and environmental assessments to maximise independence and function.

This role offers the opportunity to develop and maintain specialist expertise in respiratory care while supporting and supervising colleagues, contributing to service development and the growth of clinical competencies across the wider workforce.

If you are passionate about delivering high-quality, person-centred care and ready to take the next step into a rewarding specialist role, we would love to hear from you.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

As a community Trust, many of our roles require individuals to be able to drive to perform their duties. Where driving is a requirement of the role, you will be asked to confirm that you hold a full UK driving licence or a full driving licence issued by an EU country (not exchanged from a non-EU country) to proceed with your application. We are committed to supporting candidates with disabilities into employment. If you are unable to drive due to a disability, please contact the Recruitment Team via kentchft.recruitment@nhs.net, quoting the vacancy reference number, so we can support you further.

The job description and person specification gives you all the information you need about this role. Please look carefully at the criteria in the person specification and tell us what you have done that shows you meet this in your application. If you need an application form in an alternative format please let our recruitment team know. All information you supply on your application should, to the best of your knowledge, be true and accurate.

Still have questions? The recruiting manager would love to hear from you, their contact details can be found in the job advert.

We can get a lot of applications for some roles so to be in with the best chance of being shortlisted please make sure you apply as soon as possible. A vacancy may close early if there is a lot of interest in the job.

At KCHFT we strongly encourage colleagues in clinical and non-clinical roles who have direct or social contact with patients to be fully vaccinated. In this way we will be doing all we can to ensure your safety and that of your colleagues and the patients we serve.

Find out more about the community difference here.

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.