Senior Occupational TherapistNHS

Job summary

Band 6 Occupational Therapist or Band 5 Development Post

Newly Qualified Occupational Therapists Welcome - HCPC Registration Pending or Newly Registered

Are you due to qualify as an Occupational Therapist and looking for an exciting opportunity to begin your career in mental health? Or are you an experienced Occupational Therapist ready for your next challenge?

We are looking to recruit a passionate and motivated Occupational Therapist to join Newcastle Community Mental Health Services. We welcome applications from experienced Band 6 Occupational Therapists as well as newly qualified Band 5 Occupational Therapists who are keen to develop their skills and progress towards Band 6 competencies within a supportive learning environment.

The successful candidate will spend:

• Three days per week based within Lymebrook Community Mental Health Team (CMHT), supporting adults with a range of complex mental health needs within a recovery-focused community setting.
• Two days per week working alongside the Intensive Outreach Team (IOT), predominantly supporting the psychosis pathway and working with individuals who require more intensive support to remain well within their communities.

The IOT element of the role will be in place for 12 months, after which the arrangement will be reviewed in line with service needs and workforce development opportunities.

An excellent opportunity to develop specialist skills in psychosis care while maintaining a broader community mental health caseload.

Main duties of the job

The Role

Working as part of supportive multidisciplinary teams, you will:

• Manage a defined clinical caseload with appropriate supervision and support.
• Complete evidence-based occupational and functional assessments to understand an individual's strengths, needs, goals, and barriers to participation.
• Work collaboratively with service users, carers, and partner agencies to develop person-centred care and recovery plans.
• Deliver interventions that enable individuals to maximise independence, improve wellbeing, and engage in meaningful daily activities.
• Support individuals experiencing severe and enduring mental illness, including those accessing psychosis services.
• Communicate complex or sensitive information in a compassionate and accessible way, ensuring individuals and families are fully involved in decision-making.
• Contribute to service development and quality improvement initiatives across community mental health and outreach services.
• Promote the value of Occupational Therapy within integrated community teams.
• Be part of a supportive Trust-wide network of Allied Health Professionals.

Job description

Why Join Us?

This is an exciting opportunity for an Occupational Therapist with a passion for supporting people experiencing psychosis and complex mental health needs. Based within the Community Mental Health Team and working across the Intensive Outreach Team, the role offers a unique combination of rehabilitation, recovery-focused practice, and intensive community support. You will have the opportunity to build meaningful therapeutic relationships, enhance engagement with individuals who may find services difficult to access, and support people to develop skills, independence, and participation in meaningful occupations. The role is ideal for someone who is motivated by recovery, values person-centred care, and wants to make a tangible difference in helping people live well within their communities. This is also an exciting time to be an Occupational Therapist in community mental health. The NHS is transforming the way care is delivered, with a clear focus on shifting care from hospital to community, moving from sickness to prevention, and supporting people to live well in their own homes and communities. Occupational Therapists have a vital role in delivering this vision through promoting recovery, independence, participation, and meaningful occupation. As a member of our team, you will have the opportunity not only to deliver high-quality, recovery-focused interventions but also to help shape the future delivery of community mental health services. We are looking for innovative and forward-thinking practitioners who want to influence service development and champion the unique contribution of Occupational Therapy.

Outstanding Support for Newly Qualified Occupational Therapists

We recognise that transitioning from student to registered practitioner is a significant step, and we are committed to helping you succeed.

As a newly qualified Occupational Therapist, you will benefit from:

A comprehensive AHP Preceptorship Programme designed to support your transition into professional practice.

Regular Occupational Therapy-specific supervision and peer support.

Access to a well-established and supportive Occupational Therapy network across the Trust.

Structured development opportunities to support progression towards Band 6 competencies.

Opportunities to gain experience across both community mental health and intensive outreach services, enhancing your clinical skills and confidence.

Opportunities to shadow colleagues across a range of specialist services and pathways, helping you broaden your skills and explore future career interests.

Access to specialist clinical training, leadership development, quality improvement programmes, and continuing professional development opportunities.

Support from experienced Occupational Therapists and AHP leaders who are passionate about developing the future workforce.

A Profession with Influence

The national Allied Health Professions strategy, AHPs Deliver, recognises the crucial role of AHPs in improving outcomes, reducing inequalities, promoting independence, and redesigning services around the needs of people and communities. It places a strong emphasis on partnership working, prevention, social justice, optimisation, and integrated care.

This role offers an opportunity to put those ambitions into practice every day. You will help people achieve their goals, support recovery, prevent unnecessary hospital admissions, and contribute to the development of modern community mental health services that are responsive, accessible, and person-centred.

By working across both CMHT and Intensive Outreach services, you will gain a unique insight into the wider mental health pathway and the interventions that support people at different stages of recovery.

What We're Looking For

We are seeking Occupational Therapists who:

Are passionate about mental health and recovery-focused practice.Believe in the transformative power of occupation.Want to make a meaningful difference to people's lives.

Are enthusiastic about learning, developing, and embracing new ways of working.

Have an interest in supporting people experiencing psychosis and complex mental health needs.

Are committed to improving outcomes and reducing health inequalities.Want to help shape the future of community mental health services.

Join Us

Whether you are an experienced Occupational Therapist or preparing to receive your HCPC registration this year, this is an exciting opportunity to develop your career within supportive and progressive community mental health services.

With experience across both Lymebrook CMHT and the Intensive Outreach Team, you will benefit from a diverse and rewarding role, developing specialist skills in psychosis care while building a broad foundation in community mental health practice.

Come and help shape the future of community mental health care in Newcastle while building an Occupational Therapy career that makes a real difference to people's lives. We look forward to hearing from you.

About us

As a Trust we remain bold and ambitious with plans for both service and system collaborative transformation over the coming years to improve the health and wellbeing of our local people through high quality care.

We pride ourselves onensuring our team has their wellbeing put first and as such provide a range of wellness opportunities including flexible working.

We are committed to the Greener NHS national ambition to becoming the world's first 'carbon net zero' national health system by 2045 (Greener NHS (england.nhs.uk). As part of this, sustainability is embedded in our strategy as one of our four key enablers. In order to deliver on this commitment, we recognise that we need a workforce that is as passionate as we are about achieving these goals, for the benefit of our service users, workforce, local communities and the planet alike.

The Trust is committed to ensuring that a diverse workforce is representative and inclusive at all levels. We would very much welcome applications from all under-represented groups including women, people with disabilities, people from global majority backgrounds, and those from the lesbian, gay, bi and trans communities.

The Trust is committed to the Step into Health scheme and actively encourages applicants from the Armed Forces Communities to apply.