An exciting opportunity has arisen to join CNWL NHS Foundation Trust’s innovative Rapid Access Services (RAS) team. This role offers the chance to develop advanced clinical and leadership skills within a dynamic multidisciplinary service delivering integrated community healthcare.
RAS works closely with acute hospitals, social care and third-sector partners to provide high-quality acute care in the community, helping people remain at home, reducing avoidable hospital admissions and supporting timely discharge from hospital.
The service includes three key pathways:
Discharge to Assess (D2A): Supporting medically optimised patients to leave hospital safely through urgent therapy assessment and intervention at home.
Urgent Community Response (UCR): Providing rapid assessment and treatment for patients to prevent hospital admission and clinical deterioration.
Camden Hospital at Home (H@H): A Consultant-led service delivering hospital-level care in patients’ homes following early discharge or step-up referrals from UCR.
This role offers exposure to a diverse and complex caseload, requiring advanced clinical reasoning and decision-making to optimise recovery and reduce pressure on acute services. It also provides opportunities to develop leadership and management skills through involvement in service development, quality improvement, workforce planning, recruitment, supervision and appraisal of junior staff, and collaboration with key health and social care partners.
The Band 7 Occupational Therapist role within Camden Rapid Access Services is focused on providing advanced occupational therapy assessment and intervention for clinically frail adults, working closely within a multidisciplinary team to support admission avoidance, timely discharge, and community-based care. Key responsibilities include assessing functional ability, falls risk, cognition, mental capacity, and deteriorating health needs; developing and implementing rehabilitation plans; coordinating care with primary, community, and acute services; supervising and supporting junior staff and students; contributing to service development and quality improvement initiatives; maintaining accurate electronic patient records; and providing leadership within the team. The role requires strong clinical reasoning, autonomous decision-making, effective communication, and a commitment to evidence-based practice, patient safety, and continuous professional development.
Shift work (earlies, lates and long days) as well as flexible working opportunities
Buy & Sell Annual Leave
NHS Pension Scheme
Employee Assistance Programme: A free and confidential service to help with personal life
Structured induction process using the New Starter Roadmap throughout the first 12 months and beyond
A range of staff networks: The PRIDE@CNWL Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and other sexual and gender minorities (LGBT+) Network; Disabled Employees Network;Lived Experience of Mental Health Staff Network;Carers at Work Network; Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Network (BME)
Discounts and savings at hundreds of retailers nationwide with My Trust Benefits: You can save money on your weekly food shops, household bills, toiletries, and cosmetics, cinema tickets, meals out and holidays or weekend breaks.
Salary sacrifice scheme via VIVUP platform
Central and North West London NHS Trust is committed to providing safe, effective services and providing patients and families with a positive experience.
Patient Safety
The Senior Occupational T herapist contribute s to the provision of safe and reliable services by:
Using their clinical judgement and risk assessments to keep the people using our services as safe as possible
Safeguarding people by recognising and responding when an adult or child might be at risk from abuse but also recognising their own limits and asking for help and escalate concerns when necessary
Escalating safety concerns and by doing so acting as effective advocates for those who use our services
Being open and transparent about their own practice
Supervising the work of others
Reflecting on everyday practice to identify areas where improvements in safety or quality can be made
Working with others to create a culture of continuous improvement
Maintaining accurate , legible, comprehensive records
Maintaining compliance with their mandatory training requirements
As the regulatory body, t he Health and Care Professions Council ( HCPC) play s an important role in safeguarding the public by regulating the work of both occupational therapists and physiotherapists . A ll therapists must be register ed with the HCPC and adhere to the relevant Professional Standards and Code of Conduct .
Clinical Outcomes
The Senior Occupational Therapist will often work with people who have complex needs and contribute to the effectiveness of services by:
Being confident, autonomous practitioners who take responsibility for the care they give to patients but also take responsibility for overseeing the work of others in the team including less experienced therapists and staff without a professional qualification
Providing skilled, evidence - based care which adheres to agreed policies and procedures
Working with patients and families in all stages of the care planning process including assessing risks and needs
Acting as patient advocates in the multi-disciplinary team and overseeing the work of others to ensure that they are also responding to the needs of patients and providing clinically effective care
Working as autonomous practitioners and taking responsibility for the care they give to patients but also work as team members
Contributing to creating and maintaining high performing teams by:
C ommunicating well with all members of the team
U nderstanding their role in the team and how they help the team achieve it s objectives
R eflecting on their own practice regularly and encouraging the whole team to reflect on their practices in handovers and team meetings
E ncouraging the team to learn from adverse events or respond to data analysis from audits or benchmarking exercises and implement sustainable initiatives which improve clinical outcomes
Patient Experience
The Senior Occupational Therapist will contribute to the people using our services feeling respected and empowered to make decisions about their health and wellbeing by:
Working in partnership with patients and their families and carers
Gaining consent and, as far as possible, involving people in all decision making
Signposting patients and carers to the courses provided by the Recovery and Wellbeing College or services provided by the local authority or voluntary sector
Reassuring people by being professional, responsive, knowledgeable and confident
Demonstrating clinical leadership and challenging any poor behaviour to patients, families or other staff members and creating a positive, inclusive culture in which everyone is treated with kindness and respect and the trust’s values are embedded in all practice
Responding to complaints or concerns effectively and quickly in line with the Trust policy .
Supporting yourself and others
All services and teams in the Trust should be able to demonstrate that they are meeting the Care Quality Commission (CQC) standards of care. The Senior Occupational Therapist is expected to be a c linical l eader play ing an active role in ensuring that the team understands the CQC standards and what individual team members do to help achieve those standards by:
Taking a lead role in gathering and recording evidence which demonstrates that CQC and locally agreed standards are being met: assessing the performance of the whole team by using audit and benchmarking exercises and often contribute to the implementation of quality improvement initiatives
Contributing to the performance management of teams and creating a positive culture in which the team can learn from mistakes and is enthusiastic to improve
Deputising for the Therapy Lead and ensuring that there is no fall in performance in their absence . This may include managing the team and coordinating shifts.
To undertake the role of Practice Supervisor
Engaged staff are more productive and the Senior Occupational Therapist will play a role in engaging in other staff members in the t rust and the work we do by:
Providing supervision and annual appraisals to individuals and giving constructive, regular feedback which helps those individuals reflect on their work, understand their objectives and the CQC standards and monitor their progress towards achieving them
Participating constructively in their own supervision and annual appraisal processes
Using continuing professional development funds to develop a relevant clinical specialism, gain sign-off mentorship skills or undertake accredited leadership modules.
Service Specific Responsibilities
To provide supervision, annual appraisal and monitoring the work of RAS therapists (Band 5 & 6 ), therapy assistants and students.
Complete DAT I X investigations and Initial Management Reviews (IMRs) , as delegated by the servic e leads .
Actively participate / lead in clinical handover.
Using HealthRoster , participate in rota planning ; finalise day to day bank/agency shifts; book temporary workers as required .
Leadership and Management
To contribute to the recruitment and selection of staff for the team and to participate in
induction and orientation programmes
To manage and co-ordinate the work of occupational therapists and therapy assistants, monitoring and appraising their performance, offering support, development and training as appropriate .
To take responsibility for ensuring own mandatory training is up to date and those of the team members are similarly.
Monitoring Statutory and Mandatory training compliance for supervisees , ensuring where staff are not compliant, there is a plan in place to become compliant.
To be able to identify and implement formal processes such as capability management; disciplinary action etc.
To contribute to the successful implementation of organisational directives within the team and the achievement of annual team aims and objectives .
To continually look for and identify opportunities for improving the service and value for money , so that the overall aims and objectives of the service are achieved without impacting on patient’s quality of care .
To improve access to services by ensuring that service provision and delivery is culturally
appropriate for the targeted client group.
Support, teach and assess the developing clinical skills of junior team members in response to the changing needs within the localities.
Promote evidence-based practice that responds to local and national service standards, and to act as a resource to colleagues.
Maintain an oversight of the weekly / monthly allocations, ensuring staffing is optimal or sent to bank/agency as appropriate .
Deputise for Therapy Lead when they are unavailable / otherwise engaged / on leave.
