UHD Older Persons Clinical Lead Therapists

Expectations of the post holder would include working holistically across professional boundaries, service development, supporting and supervising junior staff and opportunities to work alongside a range of experienced professionals both within the hospital and community.

• Experience working as an Occupational Therapist covering core rotations
• Experience working at a junior level within the NHS is essential
• Willing to participate in 7 day working on a rota basis
• Ability to drive, hold a clean drivers licence and have access to a car for work purposes

Previous applicants need not apply.

As University Hospitals Dorset we are a three site acute trust with ‘university hospital’ status through our partnership with Bournemouth University, working with an annual budget of £730m. We offer highly regarded health services, employing some 10,000 staff. Our ambitious £500m transformation programme is well on the way to delivering state‑of‑the‑art facilities over the next two years to meet the current and future healthcare needs of the populations we serve.

In an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with over seven miles of sandy beaches you'll find inspirational opportunities to achieve your perfect work/life balance. With the New Forest and the Purbecks on our doorstep, we're also less than three hours from London by road or train. The thriving towns of Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch give way to idyllic villages and unspoilt landscapes just minutes from our hospitals.

We believe that having a diverse workforce, and allowing people to be themselves, is essential in ensuring we offer an inclusive, welcoming and productive place to work. We especially welcome applications from minority groups in the community who may be underrepresented in our workforce.

Our active staff network groups are the Women’s Network, Black Asian Minority Ethnic Group (BAME), Pride Network, European (EU), Pro Ability Staff Network, and the Armed Forces Support Group. As a Trust we are proudly signed up to the Disability Confident and Armed Forces Covenant guaranteed interview schemes.

We are aware that some candidates may choose to use AI tools to support the preparation of their application. While this is not discouraged, we kindly remind applicants that submissions should remain an honest and accurate representation of your own experience and suitability. Personal integrity is an important part of the recruitment process. Our values define who we are as #TeamUHD.

They underpin everything we do now and in the future. They define how we treat our patients, visitors, and each other, our valued team mates and colleagues.

UHD is investing in services across the Trust, with many being transformed and developed following merger and the New Hospital Programme. In some cases this means that a service may move site this year or next, either temporarily or long term. Recruiting Managers interviewing for this role will be happy to answer any specific questions that you have at interview.

Our rotational post provides opportunities to work as part of the therapy team covering:

• Emergency Department (ED) & Same Day Emergency Care Unit (SDEC)
• Older Persons Assessment Unit (OPAU)
• Older Persons wards
• Older Persons outliers
• Day Hospital - offering specialist clinics and community outreach

This provides therapists with an opportunity to develop a full and rich understanding of our patient’s journey, from emergency admission to their transition home to outreach and bespoke community interventions.

For UHD employees, this fixed‑term post will be offered as a secondment in line with the Trust’s Secondment Policy. Please speak with your line manager before applying.

Interview date: 24th March 2026. Staff recruited are expected to be available to work flexibly across all our Trust locations to meet service demands. This advert may be closed early if sufficient applications are received.

COVID-19 vaccination remains the best way to protect yourself and our patients from the virus when working in our healthcare settings. Whilst this vaccination is not a condition of employment we do encourage our staff to get vaccinated.

Internal Candidates: staff employed prior to merger who voluntarily change jobs will be appointed to UHD terms and conditions.