Specialist Occupational Therapist - Paediatrics

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 an enthusiastic and experienced OT, with robust postgraduate experience, who is looking to work with children.

A rare and exciting opportunity has arisen for a motivated Occupational Therapist to join our B6 paediatric rotations within the Children’s Therapy department in Southampton Children’s Hospital.

The successful post holder will work within the B6 rotations providing quality care for children and young people from 0-16 years within a variety of high care, ward, clinic and outpatient settings.

Rotations may include Neurology, Neuro-developmental (including neonatal), Orthopaedics, Mental health and Neuromuscular, normally over a 9-month period, which will be decided on service need and staffing.    The successful applicant will work in a dynamic and forward-thinking therapy team, supported by B7 Paediatric OTs both within physical and mental health, and Physiotherapists,  allowing excellent opportunity for further developing clinical skills.  All our therapy staff are required to be able to undertake flexible working over a 7-day period. This post is part of the wider Therapy services department. 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, so will have peer support available to you.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

This B6 OT post is suitable for an experienced B5 or B6 OT looking to develop their skills in Paediatrics.  Rotations include the below speciality areas:  •    Speciality of Neurology/ Neurosurgery/ Neurorehabilitation/ Neuro Oncology. Southampton Children’s Hospital is a UKROC accredited Level 2a centre for neurorehabilitation. We are a designated major trauma centre, neurosurgical centre, tertiary neurology centre, tertiary oncology centre, and have a level 3 PICU. This rotation involves providing neuro therapy and assessment, hyper-acute and acute intensive rehabilitation, goal setting, collection of objective measures and discharge planning.

• Neonatal Service at Princess Anne Hospital provides specialist, family centred care for preterm and medically unwell infants. The B6 OT works within the Developmental Therapy Service alongside the B7 Neonatal OT, supporting early development and neuroprotective care in collaboration with families and the multidisciplinary team across hospital and community settings. This rotational role involves assessment, intervention, and parent education, addressing infants’ sensory, motor, and self regulation needs while developing neonatal practice skills in a busy tertiary setting.
• Paediatric Orthopaedic service includes trauma, elective and multi-level surgery. The OT is an integral member of the multidisciplinary team, supporting children, young people and their families throughout their pathway, from pre-admission assessment and equipment provision to intensive early rehabilitation, goal setting and discharge planning. The role includes independent management of a caseload with support from a B7, wheelchair and seating assessments, contribution to MDT meetings and ward rounds, and close liaison with community teams.
• Mental health. Our service provides mental health support for a variety of children and young people (CYP) admitted to the acute paediatric wards and Bursledon House, including transitioning outpatient sessions. We work as part of different multi-disciplinary teams, including Bursledon House, Eating disorders and General Paediatrics. We aim to provide a holistic approach to meet the physical and mental health needs of our children and young people.
• Neuromuscular. Our specialist service is a designated Centre of Excellence, covering a wide range of patients and clinics across the region including DMD, SMA and CMT. Expectations include leading on clinics under the supervision of your B7, liaising with other inpatients teams including Orthopaedics, Respiratory, LTV and palliative care, supporting the community in providing specialist advice and education, with the potential of joint visits, and advocating for your patients in specialist EHCP, CIN, and MDT meetings. There will also be an expectation to support on the wards if any patients are admitted to hospital.

We are looking for someone with the following skills/experience: •    An experienced B5 or B6 Occupational Therapist who is proactive, enthusiastic and has a definite desire to work within paediatrics. •    Able to build a good rapport with the children and their families/ carers, encouraging participation working with children with a wide range of presenting conditions •    Clear communication/liaison skills, working with a variety of external agencies to ensure a smooth patient experience, e.g. community therapists, schools, social care •    Clear communication, prioritisation and delegation skills •    Confidence working in different environments: high care, wards, OP, clinics, externally •    Car driver/ ability to work between sites is essential •    Able to manage physically manage complex manual handling, including on the floor. •    Able to work under pressure, in challenging and emotive situations with active coping strategies and resilience  •    Able to work alone and alongside others The successful applicant will be expected to work within our team philosophy which is:  “We strongly believe in team working in a happy working environment. Workloads are shared and communication/ support is strongly encouraged. We are mutually responsible for the service and its development and expect everyone to carry out a certain level of responsibility.”

There is regular clinical supervision as well as peer support. There are also opportunities for involvement in audit, research & service development is always encouraged as we strive for new & innovative ways of working. You will be responsible for managing a varied and complex caseload as well as supporting & supervising B3-5 therapy staff & students. Please ensure you fulfil all the essential criteria and have read the job description before applying.

As well as the person specification, we are looking for people with the following skills specific to this post: Essential skills: •    Qualified OT with postgraduate experience working across several clinical areas/rotations in the acute setting, demonstrating a broad knowledge base. •    Postgraduate experience in assessment, provision and fitting of specialist/complex equipment  •    Proven postgraduate paediatric experience is essential; however, this does not need to be hospital-based experience •    Good knowledge of discharge planning process and pathways. •    Clear desire and reasoning to work within Paediatrics at UHS, stated on your application form •    Evidence of day-to-day supervision and management of B2-4 staff, or evidence of being named supervisor to therapy students on placements •    Flexibility to work as part of our 7-day therapy service, including rostered shifts on weekends and Bank Holidays Desirable skills: •    Postgraduate involvement in audit/research/clinical project/service development •    Evidence of providing teaching to therapy staff and students •    Understanding of complex equipment needs including managing pressure care Training and support will be offered to meet your learning requirements.

Please note: •    Interviews will be held on 12th June 2026 with face-to-face interviews only due to a practical interview component. No virtual alternative will be offered. •    As part of the interview involves a practical assessment, please wear smart, comfortable clothing. •    This is NOT a post for a newly qualified graduate, please enquire about our B5 opportunities. •    We do not accept CV applications.

We actively encourage all potential applicants to contact us to ask any questions you may have. Due the unique nature of this post we welcome informal enquiries or visits – please contact Michelle Geary or Paediatric OT department on 02381204560

For other therapy career opportunities please email [email protected]