Hospital to Community Occupational Therapist

Hospital to Home Community Occupational Therapist

Closing date: 01 July 2026

Are you an innovative, creative, and motivated professional looking for your next challenge? Come and join an expanding team “Hospital to Home”, that across Dorset helps to support people leaving mental health hospital care to return home in a safe and timely manner. This role will enable the Hospital to Home Service to work 7 days a week and support discharges from hospital wards to home.

As part of a multidisciplinary team that includes peer workers, housing officers, support workers and occupational therapy assistants, the Occupational Therapist will provide specialist occupational therapy assessments, provide clinical leadership and support colleagues in delivering occupational therapy-based interventions.

The Hospital to Home Occupational Therapist will link with inpatient and community teams across the county.

To ensure you can support our service users effectively in their own homes and communities, please note the following requirements;

• You must hold a valid, permanent right to work in the UK.
  
  Please note:
  
  Visa sponsorship is not available for this post
• You must hold a full, valid UK driving licence and have access to a car for business use to support patients across the Trust.
• This post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. The Trust will cover the cost of this for the successful candidate. (If you are subscribed to the DBS Update Service, please bring your certificate to your interview.)

To be responsible for providing and overseeing the delivery of evidence-based occupational therapy interventions to promote mental health recovery for patients under the Hospital to Home Service.

To carry out holistic and comprehensive evidence-based occupational therapy assessments to facilitate engagement in a range of occupations, including prescribing aids/adaptations where necessary and/or education around compensatory strategies due to co‑morbidity physical health challenges.

To support the Hospital to Home team in delivering occupational therapy‑based interventions.

To provide clinical leadership and management of the Hospital to Home service when required.

To provide occupational therapy support to step‑down unit in North Dorset.

For the main duties and responsibilities for this role please read the attached job description and person specification. When completing your application please ensure your supporting statement reflects the criteria set out in these documents by showing how your experience and skills apply to this post.

• Subject to the provisions of the Equality Act, able to travel using own vehicle on Trust business

• Degree/Diploma in Occupational Therapy.
• Registration with HCPC

• Experience of mental health services
• Knowledge of the legislative framework within which OTs work
• Comprehensive knowledge and application of therapy assessments, including OT specific assessments and interventions relevant to the client group.
• Knowledge of and application of risk management.
• Competent in drafting correspondence and reports
• Able to demonstrate the ability to clarify the therapist role across the services
• Experience of working with older people and adults with complex needs, both individually and in groups
• Understanding of the emotional and physical impact of illness/disability on an individual, their family/carers.
• Experience in prescribing minor aids and adaptations to address physical health challenges
• Experience in working in a community setting

• Leadership or management experience
• Supervisory skills
• Experience in teaching on in‑house training sessions to own profession

• Basic computer literacy and keyboard skills
• Experience of using an Electronic Service User record
• Ability to manage demanding workload to agreed deadlines and timescales
• To respect the individuality, values, cultural and religious diversities of clients and contribute to the provision of a service sensitive to these needs
• Ability to communicate information clearly…