Specialist Occupational Therapist - Frailty and Acute Medicine

Job overview

Do you have a passion for working in a fast paced, dynamic front of house service? We are looking for an enthusiastic, proactive Occupational Therapist to join our combined Older Peoples Assessment and Liaison (OPAL) and Integrated Assessment Team (IAT). We provide a Specialist Frailty and Acute Medicine therapy service here at Wythenshawe Hospital. We are excited to be advertising for a full time Occupational Therapist. If you are working at, or progressing towards, band 6 level why not apply for our static, full-time position (1 WTE posts available).

Our OPAL/IAT therapy service aims to deliver high quality care to our patients across the Emergency Department, Clinical Decisions Unit and our Acute Frailty and Acute Medical Units. We are presently working to develop our Frailty SDEC services and working closely with our community colleagues across the hospital at home and urgent response services. Our aim is continually to improve outcomes for our older population, and those living with frailty through proactive early assessment and management of complex co-morbidities, preventing avoidable hospital admissions, supporting early discharge and accessing appropriate community services. In addition, we provide services for adults with a variety of clinical conditions presenting to these clinical areas.

Main duties of the job

• To help deliver a comprehensive therapy service to patients in the urgent care setting, with particular knowledge and skills in the management of frailty and medicine
• To perform advanced therapeutic assessment of patients with a diverse and often complex presentation.
• To be responsible for organising and managing your own caseload to meet service need and patient priorities.
• Be able to support, appraise and educate more junior staff, therapy technicians (Band 4) and students.
• Support your team leaders and deputise as required.
• To have excellent communication skills with patients, relatives and be able to show empathy and understanding.
• Work as part of the therapy team and wider MDT demonstrating excellent communication skills.
• Maintain Confidentiality, dignity and professionalism at all times.
• To participate in a 7-day rota, inclusive of weekends and bank holidays between the hours of 8am and 6pm. With progression to extended service hours until 8pm.
• To maintain your professional standards of practice and codes of conduct and ensure any staff under your supervision maintain these as well.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

IMPORTANT CANDIDATE INFORMATION

To find out more about the key responsibilities and the specific skills and experience you’ll need for this role, take a look at the Job Description & Person Specification attachments under the ‘Documents to download’ heading.

Explore ‘Inside MFT – Your Candidate Place’

To help you feel confident, prepared and fully informed before you apply, we invite you to explore Inside MFT – Your Candidate Place. This welcoming one‑stop hub gives you a real sense of who we are, what we stand for, how we reward and support you, and the many ways we care for you as you care for others. You’ll also find practical hints and tips for submitting a great application, along with the essential information you need to know before you apply.

To access ‘Inside MFT – Your Candidate Place’, simply click on the relevant PDF document under the ‘Documents to download’ heading and once opened, you can either scan QR code or click on the link provided.

Closing vacancy listings early

We welcome applications from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. To help us manage applications fairly and give each one the time it deserves, our adverts may close early if we receive a high level of interest. Early applications are therefore encouraged.

Diversity Matters MFT is committed to promoting equality of opportunity, celebrating and valuing diversity and eliminating any form of unlawful discrimination across our workforce, ensuring our people are truly representative of the communities we serve. All individuals regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation are encouraged to apply for this post. As an inclusive employer, we are here to support you. If you have any special requirements to help you with your application, please contact the manager named below.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in your application

Here at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, we’re proud to be ALL HERE FOR YOU, for our patients, our communities, and each other. As part of our commitment to fairness, transparency, and personal integrity, we ask all applicants to ensure that their job applications reflect their own experiences, skills, and motivations. While AI tools can support spelling, grammar, or formatting, we expect that the content of your application, especially personal statements and responses to role specific questions is written by you. This helps us get to know the real you and ensures that our recruitment process remains equitable and meaningful for everyone.

Thank you for helping us uphold the values that make our Trust a place where people belong, grow, and thrive. We look forward to receiving your application.

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check

As part of our commitment to safeguarding patients and staff, many roles at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) require a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. This is a standard process across the NHS and helps us ensure a safe environment for everyone.

What is a DBS Check?

A DBS check is a background check that reveals any criminal convictions, cautions, reprimands, or warnings. The level of check required depends on the role:

Standard DBS: Checks for spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands, and final warnings.

Enhanced DBS: Includes the above, plus any additional information held by local police that’s considered relevant to the role.

Enhanced with Barred Lists: Includes all of the above, plus checks against the children’s and/or adults’ barred lists.

Who Needs a DBS Check

Most roles involving direct patient contact, working with children or vulnerable adults, or access to sensitive information will require a DBS check. The job advert and recruitment team will let you know if this applies to your role.

The Costs for a DBS

At Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), roles that require a DBS check are subject to a cost recovery policy. This means that the cost of submitting and processing a DBS application if you are successful and join us, will be deducted from your salary within the first three months of employment. If, however, you withdraw from a conditional offer after the DBS process has begun, you will still be liable for the cost incurred.

For more information about the cost of the various types of DBS, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/dbs-fees-are-changing-in-december

DBS Update Service

Candidates are also expected to register with the DBS Update Service which must be completed within 30 days of the certificate being issued. This helps streamline future employment checks and supports safer recruitment practices. For more information, please visit the DBS Update Service.

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.