R1; AJM) Specialist Occupational Therapist

NHS Scotland is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. To this end, NHS Scotland welcomes applications from all sections of society.

Specialist Occupational Therapist

Royal Edinburgh Building, REH

We have an exciting opportunity to join our Occupational Therapy service within the Royal Edinburgh and Associated Services (REAS). The post will be based within the Royal Edinburgh Building in the mental health assessment wards for older adults. This post focusses mainly on the Dementia Assessment wards to provide specialist assessment and treatment to people admitted for assessment. Clinical work focuses on conducting a variety of occupation focused assessment and utilising both standardised/non standardised tools to contribute toward MDT assessment.

Interventions include individual or group based sessions to maintain or enhance functional skills, manage distress and promote a sense of wellbeing. These may include sensory based work, cooking, gardening or music based activities designed to meet individual needs.

Working within well-established multidisciplinary teams, where Occupational Therapy is well integrated and valued, you will have opportunities to develop your skills in clinical decision‑making, leadership, risk management and service development.

The post is permanent and is 28.19hrs/week. It offers great development potential whether this is a change of speciality or an opportunity to work in a more senior role for either an experienced Band 5 or a Band 6. It is not necessary to have previous experience in the speciality, and candidates with skills that could compliment the skills of the existing team would be welcomed.

Regular clinical and professional supervision are valued and prioritised within the service and the successful candidate will be supported to take up a range of training and professional development opportunities. A passion for quality improvement and innovative practice is welcomed and is actively supported through our quality improvement team.

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Informal enquiries and visits are encouraged:
Morna Russell, OPMH Occupational Therapy Team Lead on  or email

As this post is part-time, the salary will be pro-rata.

To work in the United Kingdom, there is a legal requirement for an individual to demonstrate that they have the relevant permission to work in the country. This permission is, without exception, granted by the UK Visa and Immigrations Service. Further information on what NHS Scotland Boards are required to do to check this as well as what your responsibilities include can be found in the further information for this vacancy.

This post requires the post holder to have a PVG Scheme membership/record. If the post holder is not a current PVG member for the required regulatory group (i.e. child and/or adult) then an application will need to be made to Disclosure Scotland and deemed satisfactory before they can begin in post.

We will fully support disabled candidates, and candidates with long‑term conditions or who are neurodivergent by making reasonable adjustments to our recruitment policy and practices.