Children's Occupational Therapist Band 5 | Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Band 5 Occupational Therapist to join our community paediatric team based at Mid-Sussex Child Development Centre. The post includes working as part of the multi-disciplinary team providing assessment and intervention to children aged 0-19 with a range of health needs. The successful candidate will hold a mixed caseload of children and young people, including developmental and neurological conditions. They will carry out clinical assessment and work closely with the child, family and other relevant professionals to set collaborative goals and provide interventions or strategies that can be administered by parents, education and/or therapy staff. Children will be seen in various settings such as clinic, nursery, school and/or home. Access to a vehicle or mode of transport that enables the candidate to carry out community visits in a time efficient manner is required. The successful candidate will work independently in the community, have excellent organisation/time‑management skills and be committed to clinical governance. Candidates are required to have current HPC registration. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to develop their knowledge and skills through clinical competencies, regular supervision, internal/external training and preceptorship programme. The team are committed to Sussex Community Trust’s values of “Working Together, Achieving Ambitions, Delivering Excellence and Compassionate Care”, and aspire to deliver a service of ‘compassionate patient centred care, promoting independence and empowering families’. We offer excellent in‑service training, supervision and clinical support from the Countywide Paediatric Professional Lead. The ability to travel is essential as you will need to visit nurseries, schools and children’s homes. To work as a band 5 registered professional within a Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust service: To manage a caseload of patients with a variety of conditions. To formulate and deliver generic and specialised treatment programmes based on a sound knowledge of evidence‑based practice and treatment options using clinical assessment and reasoning skills. To treat all patients with respect and courtesy, maintaining dignity and respecting individual needs and differences, both physical and cultural. To be involved in the support and supervision of unregistered staff. To act as a clinical educator for undergraduate students within own professional area. To receive and deliver internal training and keep your own Personal Development plans up to date. To take on an audit and evaluation role of the service in which you work. To assist the team with service development initiatives. We are the main provider of NHS community services across East and West Sussex, with 6,000 staff serving 1.3 million people. We deliver essential care to adults and children, helping them manage their health, avoid hospital admissions, and reduce hospital stays. Our Trust vision is to provide excellent care at the heart of the community. We offer opportunities across medical, clinical, support, and corporate services. Why work for us? Positive 2024 NHS Staff Survey results, highlighting compassionate leadership and wellbeing Varied environments: community hospitals, patients’ homes, and bases across Sussex Flexible working options: part‑time, flexi‑time, annualised hours, and flexi‑retirement Excellent training, development, and research opportunities Accredited Living Wage Employer, we ensure fair pay for all our staff Cost‑effective workplace nurseries in Crawley, Hove, and Brighton Active EMBRACE, Disability & Wellbeing, LGBTQIA+, and Religion & Belief networks Level 3 Disability Confident Leader and Veteran Aware Trust Our values—Compassionate Care, Working Together, Achieving Ambitions, Delivering Excellence—guide everything we do. We embrace diversity and encourage applications from all backgrounds, particularly from ethnically diverse, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ individuals. We aim to create an inclusive environment and support reasonable adjustments during recruitment. This post may close early if sufficient applications are received. The main tasks you will spend your time doing are: To work effectively as a team member in providing and facilitating a high standard of care, social and rehabilitative support across various settings. To plan therapy, social and rehabilitative pathways taking account of the fluctuating needs of the patient and assist in evaluating the outcomes. To report and document variances in a patient’s condition or planned pathway of care. To offer advice and support and education on healthcare to both patients and carers. To undertake a holistic assessment of all the patients’ needs and understand the routes for escalating issues that are not directly resolved by own professional practice. Formulate and deliver an individual treatment programme based on a sound knowledge of evidence‑based practice and treatment options using specific clinical assessment, reasoning skills and knowledge of treatment skills. To evaluate patient progress, reassess and alter treatment programmes as required. Assess patient understanding of treatment proposals, gain valid informed consent and have the capacity to work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment. To manage clinical risk within own patient case load and recognise potential risks to others, complying at all times with the requirements of health and safety regulations. Work in line with the SCFT lone worker policy where lone working is integral to the role. To be responsible for maintaining personal accurate and comprehensive patient treatment records in accordance with SCFT Information Governance and professional bodies. To be responsible for maintaining and developing own competency to practice through CPD activities and maintain a portfolio which reflects personal development. To clinically supervise, support and teach other staff, including assistants and students. To support the operational lead with annual appraisals for staff at Band 3 to 4 staff and assist them with their career development. This advert closes on Monday 8 Dec 2025. #J-18808-Ljbffr