Cardinal ClinicOccupational Therapist
£36,000 per year, depending on experienceFull-time | Permanent | In person – Windsor
Job DescriptionMake recovery real in everyday life
Cardinal Clinic is a private inpatient psychiatric clinic in Windsor, providing specialist, person-centred care within a highly collaborative multidisciplinary environment.
We are looking for a motivated, compassionate and creative Occupational Therapist to join our team and play a key role in helping patients translate the work they do in therapy into meaningful, sustainable change in everyday life.
This is a hands-on, patient-facing clinical role for an OT who is passionate about functional recovery. You will work alongside our psychiatrists, psychologists, therapists, nurses, APs, PSWs, case managers and behavioural health team, bringing a distinct occupational perspective to patient care.
You will help patients develop structure, independence, confidence, meaningful occupation and practical recovery skills, supporting them not simply to understand recovery, but to practise and live it.
We are looking for someone who wants to be clinically involved, visible on the floor and directly engaged with patients, with the opportunity to develop their practice and contribute to the continued development of our OT provision.
What you will do
You will:
- Complete occupational therapy assessments early in admission, considering activities of daily living, functional ability, routines, interests, strengths, sensory needs and barriers to engagement.
- Develop and deliver individualised occupational interventions based on each patient's needs, goals and formulation.
- Use occupation as a therapeutic intervention to help patients develop healthy routines, independence, confidence and meaningful activity.
- Provide 1:1 and group-based interventions, including routine development, life skills, meaningful occupation, community participation and functional recovery.
- Support patients who are struggling with motivation, withdrawal, self-neglect, routine or engagement.
- Work with patients experiencing severe anxiety, depression, psychosis, trauma-related difficulties, neurodivergence and other mental health presentations where occupational functioning is affected.
- Support patients to develop practical sensory regulation and self-management strategies, including appropriate use of the sensory room.
- Use graded community activities to develop confidence, independence and real-world functioning.
- Help patients reconnect with meaningful roles, interests, relationships and activities that support long-term recovery.
- Support patients with activities of daily living, including personal care, nutrition, sleep, medication routines and maintaining a safe and sustainable daily structure.
- Consider functional risks, including self-neglect, vulnerability, reduced independence and difficulties meeting basic needs, and contribute relevant observations to the MDT.
- Contribute your professional perspective to formulation, MDT reviews and care planning, particularly where occupational functioning is relevant to presentation or risk.
- Work alongside psychological therapists where graded behavioural or exposure-based approaches are clinically indicated, ensuring interventions remain within your professional scope.
- Support community reintegration, including practical preparation for returning home, work, education, relationships and wider community life.
- Contribute to discharge planning and relapse prevention, helping patients identify routines, meaningful occupations, early warning signs and practical strategies that can be sustained after discharge.
- Maintain high-quality clinical documentation and contribute to reports and clinical reviews.
- Work collaboratively with the wider MDT while maintaining the distinctive professional contribution of Occupational Therapy.
- Have the opportunity to contribute to and/or deliver psychoeducation groups for patients newly diagnosed with Autism and/or ADHD, helping patients understand their neurodivergence and translate that understanding into practical strategies for everyday life, routines, relationships, sensory regulation and sustainable recovery.
The unique contribution you will bring
At Cardinal, we see Occupational Therapy as the bridge between clinical treatment and everyday life.
A patient may understand their therapeutic goals but still struggle to get out of bed, eat regularly, manage their environment, leave their room, use public transport, return to work or reconnect with meaningful activities.
Your role will be to help turn those therapeutic gains into practical, observable and sustainable change.
You will bring a different lens to the MDT by asking:
“What does this patient need to be able to do in everyday life to sustain their recovery?”
Your functional observations will also contribute to understanding patients who may be at risk of neglecting their needs, particularly those experiencing severe depression, anxiety, psychosis, significant avoidance or phobias, neurodivergence, frailty or long-term physical health conditions.
You will not hold primary responsibility for risk management, care coordination or psychological therapy, but your professional assessment and observations will form an important part of MDT formulation, risk assessment and discharge planning where occupational functioning is relevant.
Person SpecificationEssential
- Degree or Diploma in Occupational Therapy.
- Current HCPC registration.
- Experience within mental health and/or an inpatient setting.
- Understanding of recovery-focused, person-centred and trauma-informed practice.
- Ability to complete occupational assessments and develop meaningful, goal-focused interventions.
- Ability to work autonomously while contributing effectively within an MDT.
- Excellent communication, organisation and clinical documentation skills.
- A genuine interest in helping people develop independence and sustainable recovery.
Desirable
- Experience within private healthcare.
- Experience working with acute mental health, addiction, eating disorders or complex presentations.
- Experience of working with neurodivergent patients.
- Experience delivering groups or community-based interventions.
- Knowledge of sensory approaches and sensory regulation.
- Training or experience in CBT-informed, DBT-informed or other psychologically informed approaches.
- Experience of behavioural activation, graded exposure or functional rehabilitation.
The person we're looking for
We want someone who is:
- Compassionate and genuinely patient-centred
- Curious about what makes people engage, recover and flourish
- Creative in finding meaningful activities and solutions
- Confident working directly with patients
- Comfortable working in a dynamic inpatient environment
- Able to motivate people who may initially be withdrawn or reluctant to engage
- Practical, organised and clinically thoughtful
- Able to recognise when a patient's functional presentation may indicate increased vulnerability or risk
- Collaborative and respectful of the contribution of every profession within the MDT
- Committed to reflective practice and continued professional development
- Excited by the opportunity to help develop an OT service rather than simply step into an established job description
Why join Cardinal Clinic?
This is an opportunity to join a strong and developing multidisciplinary service where Occupational Therapy can make a genuinely distinctive contribution.
You will have the opportunity to:
- Develop a meaningful OT role within a specialist private mental health setting.
- Work closely with an experienced multidisciplinary team.
- Have genuine patient-facing clinical impact.
- Contribute to formulation, functional assessment and discharge planning.
- Develop innovative occupation-based groups and community interventions.
- Support patients to build the practical skills required for life beyond hospital.
- Contribute to service development and innovation.
- Access professional development, supervision and reflective practice.
- Grow your clinical experience within a supportive environment.
- Opportunities to contribute to our developing neurodiversity pathway, including involvement in psychoeducation for patients newly diagnosed with Autism and/or ADHD and helping them develop practical strategies to understand and manage their individual strengths and needs.
Salary
£36,000 per annum, depending on experience.
We particularly welcome applications from newly qualified or early-career Occupational Therapists who are enthusiastic about developing their mental health practice. The role provides an excellent opportunity to build experience, develop specialist skills and grow professionally within the service.
Location
Cardinal Clinic, WindsorFull-time | Permanent | In person
If you are an Occupational Therapist who believes that recovery is not just about what happens in the therapy room, but about helping people build a life they can sustain outside it, this could be an exciting opportunity for you. You will have the scope to develop a genuinely meaningful OT role, contribute to our growing neurodiversity provision, deliver occupation-based interventions and psychoeducation, and help shape how Occupational Therapy contributes to recovery at Cardinal Clinic.
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Pay: £35,000.00-£40,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- On-site parking
Work Location: In person
