Senior Occupational Therapist

We are offering an exciting opportunity for a creative, enthusiastic, and autonomous Band 6 Occupational Therapist to join the Haldon Eating Disorders Unit at Wonford House, Exeter.

This specialist adult service supports individuals with eating disorders through evidence-based, occupation-focused interventions aimed at enhancing engagement in meaningful activities to promote health, wellbeing, and community integration.

The Occupational Therapist will play a key role in specialist assessment and intervention, particularly around the occupation of food and social eating, and in supporting individuals to overcome barriers to participation through reasonable adjustments and adaptive strategies. The successful applicant will have experience working with adults with complex needs, and be confident in managing a specialist caseload, applying outcome measures, and contributing to multidisciplinary care.

An interest or experience in sensory processing assessment and intervention is desirable.

The post also includes providing clinical supervision and support to junior staff, students, and apprentices, as well as contributing to leadership, service development, and research within the Occupational Therapy team and the wider Haldon Eating Disorders Service.

We welcome applicants with transferable skills and a commitment to ongoing professional development.

Deliver
specialist OT assessments and interventions targeting meaningful occupation, especially relating to food, eating, and social participation
.

Promote
health,well-being, and community reintegration through occupation-focused approaches on an individual and/or group basis.

Contribute to the multi-disciplinary team by offering specialist advice, be involved clinical discussions and collaborative working within disciplines.

Provide
leadership and supervision to junior staff, students, and apprentices.

Participate in service development, research
, and refinement of the clinical model.

The post holder will be a curious, compassionate, experienced, and committed Occupational Therapist who demonstrates courageous and critical thinking within their professional scope. They will be responsible for delivering specialist, safe, and evidence-based occupational therapy assessments, formulation, interventions, and evaluations, with a strong focus on meaningful occupation particularly relating to food, eating, and social participation for adults with eating disorders. Through occupation-focused approaches delivered individually and in groups, they will promote health, well-being, and community reintegration.

Working collaboratively within a multi-disciplinary team, the post holder will provide expert occupational therapy advice, contribute to clinical discussions, and support holistic, person-centred care aligned with best practice guidelines. They will support clients and their families to develop sustainable routines and roles, enabling recovery and preventing relapse. Additionally, the postholder will provide leadership and supervision to junior staff, students, and apprentices, and actively contribute to service development, research, and ongoing refinement of the clinical model to ensure innovative, effective, and responsive care tailored to the needs of adults living with eating disorders.

• BSc/ MSc/ Diploma in Occupational Therapy
• Registration with Health Professions Council (HCPC)
• Commitment to undertake continuing professional development (CPD)

• Sound theoretical understanding of OT practice and recovery principles within Mental Health settings.
• Ability to transfer core OT skills from different settings to an ED setting.
• Knowledge of mental health legislation and relevant NICE guidelines/ national policies.
• Understanding of role of OT in the multidisciplinary team.
• Understanding of team dynamics.
• Experience of multidisciplinary teamwork.
• Experience of planning, implementing and evaluating groups.
• Understanding of Eating Disorders and Therapeutic boundaries.
• Experience of working with individuals with Eating Disorders.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer & applications are encouraged & welcomed from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics as governed by the Equality Act 2010. Part time & flexible working applications will be considered & supported, where possible. We particularly encourage applicants with lived experience of mental health conditions, neurodiversity or learning disabilities. We are a Disability Confident Leader.