Senior occupational therapist

Bradford District Care Trust is an award-winning Trust that provides a range of innovative services that have been recognised as best practice nationally. As a provider of care for people of all ages who have mental and/or community health needs we are dedicated to providing a high-quality service, close to where people live and as much as possible tailored to an individual’s needs.

Job overview Senior Occupational Therapist - Band 6 Are you an experienced Occupational Therapist looking to develop your leadership skills within an acute inpatient mental health setting? An exciting opportunity has arisen for a motivated and enthusiastic Band 6 Senior Occupational Therapist to join our established Occupational Therapy team at Lynfield Mount Hospital. Based on Oakburn Ward, an acute mental health ward for males aged 18-65 experiencing acute mental illness, you will play a key role in delivering high-quality, recovery-focused care.

Working as part of a multidisciplinary team, you will undertake specialist occupational assessments, develop and deliver therapeutic interventions, manage a caseload, and provide leadership and support to junior colleagues and students. We are looking for a HCPC-registered Occupational Therapist with experience of mental health assessment, treatment planning, groupwork and multidisciplinary working. You will be passionate about promoting independence, recovery and social inclusion, while supporting service users to achieve meaningful outcomes.

In return, you will join a supportive team committed to professional development, innovation and delivering excellent care across the Adult Mental Health Acute Care Service. If you are ready to take the next step in your Occupational Therapy career and make a real difference to people experiencing acute mental health difficulties, we would love to hear from you.

Advert Main Duties of the Job

• Deliver high-quality occupational therapy assessments, interventions and care plans for patients within an acute mental health inpatient setting.
• Manage and prioritise a caseload, providing person-centred, recovery-focused support.
• Lead and support the ward-based Occupational Therapy team, providing clinical leadership and guidance to colleagues.
• Develop and facilitate individual and group therapeutic activities to promote recovery, independence and social inclusion.
• Work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team to assess needs, plan treatment and support discharge planning.
• Complete specialist occupational assessments and provide recommendations to meet patients’ functional and environmental needs.
• Support service users in developing skills for daily living, self-care, leisure and community participation.
• Supervise, mentor and support junior staff, assistant practitioners and students.
• Contribute to service development, quality improvement initiatives and the delivery of innovative practice.
• Maintain accurate clinical records and ensure practice complies with professional standards, legislation and Trust policies.
• Support the Team Manager with service delivery, staff coordination and operational duties as required.
• Work across the Adult Mental Health Acute Care Service sites when required.

Closing Date: 2nd November 2026 Shortlisting Date: 3rd & 4th November 2026 Interview Date: TBC

Working for our organisation

Everything we do is underpinned by our core values:

• We Care - We act with respect and empathy, and always value difference
• We Listen - We understand people’s views and respond to their individual needs
• We Deliver - We develop and provide excellent services and support our partners

We will consider a variety of flexible working arrangements to enable staff to balance their work and home lives and support staff by offering a fantastic range of benefits including:

• Increase mileage rates for > 4500
• A wide range of health and wellbeing support packages
• A range of internal and external development and learning opportunities
• Plus many more.

We are also proud to pledge our support to the Armed Forces and hold a Bronze Award in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme. BDCFT is dedicated to environmental and social sustainability by delivering on the commitments within our Green Plan. All staff are actively encouraged and supported to participate in training and to identify and implement sustainable quality improvement across all service areas and activities.

Please note that the Trust reserves the right to close the vacancy before the closing date if a sufficient number of applications are received. It is in the candidate’s best interest to apply as soon as possible.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please read the attached Job description and person specification for further details about this role.

Right to Work in the UK

Applicants should be aware that for any individual who requires a visa to work in the UK, the Trust provides sponsorship for registered healthcare practitioner roles only. This is an essential requirement of the role, and the Trust is unable to offer you a role if you are unable to meet Trust requirements for sponsorship and Home Office requirements for a visa.

Prior to your appointment you will be asked to provide confirmation of your right to work and reside in the UK. During your continued employment with the Trust, you have a personal responsibility to notify your manager as soon as possible should there be any changes to your right to work status. Regrettably, if the role is not eligible for sponsorship under the Trust’s eligibility criteria, the Trust are unable to extend your employment beyond the expiration of your current visa. The Trust is not responsible or liable for ensuring that your employment continues after this period.

As a condition of continuous employment, it essential you maintain the legal right to work in the United Kingdom throughout the duration of your employment with Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust (BDCFT). Any change in your right-to-work status, including but not limited to visa expiration, revocation, or denial of renewal, may impact your eligibility for employment with the Trust. It is your responsibility to promptly inform your Line Manager of any changes in your right-to-work status immediately and to provide necessary documentation for verification purposes. Failure to obtain or renew your visa in a timely manner is a breach of employment conditions and will result in termination of your employment.

We appreciate your attention to this matter and your commitment to fulfilling this requirement promptly. Please note that the Trust reserves the right to close the vacancy before the closing date if a sufficient number of applications are received. It is in the candidates best interest to apply as soon as possible.

In view of Home Office Immigration Regulations all applicants must state their current immigration status, including expiry dates.

Bradford District Care Trust is an award-winning Trust that provides a range of innovative services that have been recognised as best practice nationally. As a provider of care for people of all ages who have mental and/or community health needs we are dedicated to providing a high-quality service, close to where people live and as much as possible tailored to an individual’s needs.

The Trust’s purpose is to create connected communities and help people to feel as healthy as they can be at every point in their lives and our vision is to connect people to the best quality care, when and where they need it and be a national role model as an employer and provide our staff with the best place to work.

Bradford has been awarded the coveted status of UK City of Culture 2025. The year is set to deliver more than 1000 new performances and events including 365 artist commissions, a series of major arts festivals as well as exciting national and international collaborations. Its themes will be rooted in the unique heritage and character of Bradford and will reveal the magic of the district that is held in its people, its ambition, and above all, its potential.

We would welcome applicants with lived experience of providing unpaid care and/or support to a family member or friend with a disability, health condition, frailty, mental health problem, addiction or other health and care needs. We welcome people from all backgrounds and in particular Bradford District Care Trust is keen to reflect the population we serve, we are currently underrepresented in terms of black and minority ethnic staff. Applications are encouraged from these groups, but it must be stressed that selection will be solely on merit and in accordance with the Trust recruitment policy.

BDCFT is dedicated to environmental and social sustainability by delivering on the commitments within our Green Plan. All staff are actively encouraged and supported to participate in training and to identify and implement sustainable quality improvement across all service areas and activities.