Trac proudly powers the recruitment for

Whittington Health NHS Trust

About

Whittington Health NHS Trust aims to help local people live longer and healthier lives by providing safe, personal, coordinated care for the community we serve.

We provide hospital and community care services to 500,000 people living in Islington and Haringey as well as other London boroughs including Barnet, Enfield, Camden and Hackney. As one organisation providing both hospital and community services, we are known as an ‘integrated care organisation’.

We have an income of £350 million and over 4,400 staff delivering care across north London.

Our priority is to provide the right care, at the right time and in the right place for our patients. We provide a large range of services from the hospital, including accident and emergency (A&E), maternity, diagnostic, therapy and elderly care. We also run services from 30 community locations in Islington and Haringey. Over the past year we have reviewed and developed services to make them stronger and better support the needs of patients.

As an integrated care organisation we bring high quality services closer to home and speed up communication between community and hospital services, improving our patients’ experience. Key to our approach is partnering with patients, carers, GPs, social care, mental health and other healthcare providers.

Our organisation has a highly-regarded educational role. We teach undergraduate medical students (as part of UCL Medical School) and nurses and therapists throughout the year, alongside providing a range of educational packages for postgraduate doctors and other healthcare professional.

Contact

Address: Whittington Health NHS Trust; Magdala Avenue; London; N19 5NF

Find out more

Jobs Website

Open

Ref: 220-WHT-8317013 Vacancy ID: 8317013

Band 7 Occupational Therapist

Accepting applications until: 27-Oct-2026 23:59

Vacancy status: Open

Accepting applications until: 27-Oct-2026 23:59

Location

Site: Northern Health Centre
Address: 580 Holloway Road
Town: Islington
Postcode: N7 6LB
Major / Minor Region: London

Contract type & working pattern

Contract: 24 months (fixed term contract)
Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week

Salary

Salary: £58,133 - £65,261 Per Annum Including HCAS
Salary period: Yearly
Grade: (NHS AfC: Band 7)

Specialty

Main area: Occupational Therapist

Please note in order to progress your application, your data will be processed by our 3^rd party recruitment providers – North London Partners Shared Service, who conduct recruitment activities on behalf of Whittington Health NHS Trust.

For our current apprenticeship vacancies, please go to https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship and use Keyword ‘Whittington’

By applying for this role, you accept in the event you are successful that your personal data may be transferred from the Trust to another NHS organisation where your employment transfers within the NHS. This is in accordance with the streamlining programme which is aimed at saving you time and improving efficiencies within the NHS when your employment transfers.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a set of technology that can perform various tasks that typically required human intelligence. Your application is your opportunity to demonstrate to us how you meet the requirements of the role.

We recognise that AI tools can support accessibility, equity and confidence for applicants. However, it’s important that examples and responses genuinely reflect your own experience and abilities, as these will be explored further during the selection process. AI must not be used to provide misleading or false information during any stage of the application journey.

Further guidance can be found in the NLPSS Applicant Toolkit https://royalfree.pagetiger.com/cuuomnr/1.

Whittington Health NHS Trust is committed to ensuring that its recruitment processes are carried out with integrity, transparency, and fairness for all applicants. To help maintain these standards, we ask candidates to provide accurate and truthful information throughout the recruitment process.

If incorrect or misleading information is identified, this may affect the progression of an application, any employment offer, or continued employment. As part of our due diligence, the company may verify the information provided by applicants and take appropriate action where necessary.

We do not charge applicants any fees at any stage of the recruitment process, including applications, interviews, sponsorship arrangements, pre-employment checks, or employment offers. All vacancies are advertised through TRAC/NHS Jobs and candidates are assessed solely on their skills, qualifications, experience, and suitability for the role. If you are asked to make a payment in connection with an NHS job opportunity, please treat this as suspicious and contact the organisation directly using the details published on our official career's website.

Applicants can refer to the Fraud Act 2006 for further information: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/35/contents

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical

• To develop an effective and efficient high quality Occupational Therapy universal service for schools within the Experts at Hand team.
• To demonstrate highly specialist knowledge and skills in supporting children and young people with complex developmental needs, including autism, learning disabilities, physical disabilities, developmental co-ordination disorders, sensory processing differences, social, emotional and mental health needs, and behaviours that may impact participation and engagement.
• Demonstrate knowledge of implementing a variety of evidence-based treatment approaches for example Cognitive Orientation to daily Occupational Performance (COOP) and Occupational Performance Coaching.
• Demonstrate an understanding of how a child's sensory processing needs and preferences can influence participation in occupation as part of a holistic assessment.
• Demonstrate and apply a high level of understanding of the effects of medical conditions and recommend adaptations and strategies to the child’s physical and social environments.
• Observation of children and young people within educational settings to identify barriers to participation, learning and engagement.
• Collaborative problem-solving with school staff to support attainment of functional and educational outcomes.
• Environmental review and provision of advice regarding adaptations and reasonable adjustments.
• Guidance on strategies that promote participation, independence, engagement and inclusion within school activities and routines.
• Support for educational staff in implementing agreed strategies and interventions.
• Modelling of practical approaches and solutions within classroom and wider school environments.
• Working in partnership with families, schools and other professionals to support a coordinated approach to inclusion.
• Contributing to early intervention and prevention activities to reduce escalation of needs.

Workforce Development

The post holder will contribute to the development of knowledge, confidence and skills within the education workforce.

• Designing and delivering bespoke training sessions for educational staff, parent/carers and partner organisations
• Facilitating co-produced workshops focused on occupational performance, participation and inclusion.
• Providing drop-in consultation sessions to support staff with advice and problem-solving.
• Supporting and facilitating communities of practice across educational settings.
• Developing practical resources, guidance materials and toolkits to support inclusive practice.
• Promoting evidence-based occupational therapy approaches within educational environments.
• Supporting staff to develop sustainable solutions that enhance children's participation and independence.
• Evaluating training and development activities to inform future service improvements.

System Development

The post holder will contribute to strategic and system-wide developments that promote inclusion and positive outcomes for children and young people.

• Identifying emerging themes, trends and unmet needs through engagement with schools and stakeholders.
• Collaborating with Inclusion Advisers and other Experts at Hand partners to achieve shared outcomes.
• Sharing learning, innovation and examples of effective practice across educational settings and partner agencies.
• Contributing to service evaluation, quality improvement, audit and service development initiatives.
• Supporting the development of policies, pathways and guidance that promote inclusive practice.
• Using and reporting outcome data and feedback to inform service planning and future priorities.
• Representing Occupational Therapy within multi-agency forums, networks and working groups.
• Supporting the implementation of local and national SEND and inclusion agendas.

Key skills

• To use knowledge of other multidisciplinary roles and external agencies to ensure effective management and timely onward referrals for more specialist support, if required
• To coordinate input with the other members of the Expert at Hands team and the wider network of professionals working to support mainstream school settings
• To demonstrate excellent negotiation skills across a range of issues and situations, recognising and resolving potential breakdown and conflict when it occurs. To deal with initial complaints sensitively, avoiding escalation where possible.
• To practise in accordance with the standards, policies and procedures of the Occupational Therapy Service, the Trust, the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT), and relevant Children, Young People and Families (CYPF) professional guidance.
• To demonstrate and maintain a working knowledge of, and comply with, relevant legislation, statutory frameworks and procedures, including safeguarding children and adults, SEND legislation and processes, the Equality Act 2010, and other legal and professional requirements.
• Demonstrate highly effective personal coordination of day-to-day activities including prioritising caseloads, decision-making and problem solving.
• To ensure that documentation e.g clinical records and reports, are accurate and meet the standards legally required
• To prescribe, delegate and supervise the work of less experienced colleagues/Occupational Therapy Assistants/Students
• Participate in induction and training of new staff
• To participate in the publicising, promotion and representation of the Paediatric Occupational Therapy Service
• Keep up to date with developments within Occupational Therapy, early intervention and children’s services as well as latest research and guidance.

Work Conditions

• To have due regard for personal safety and that of children and young people/carers, adhering to moving and handling regulations and ensuring the safe positioning of self and others.
• To be flexible to the demands of the environment including unpredictable work patterns, deadlines and frequent interruptions.
• To conform to the provisions of the Health and Safety Act and to comply with local policies, attending statutory training including Level 3 Child Protection, on an annual basis or as required.
• To reflect and adhere to infection control and health and safety guidelines in order to deal with specific issues related to client contact: for example exposure to body fluids, infectious conditions.
• To employ appropriate strategies to manage behaviours that challenge within the workplace and in the community.

Personal and Professional Development

• To exercise good personal time management, punctuality and consistent reliable attendance and maintain professional standards of dress code and personal presentation.
• To participate in supervision and Individual Performance Review ensuring that the objectives set reflect the Service and Trust plans, including specific objectives relating to the clinical specialism.
• To be aware of current opinion on the provision of Occupational Therapy care for paediatric conditions and keep up to date with new techniques and clinical developments within paediatric complex needs through:
o Individual supervision
o Reading of Occupational Therapy related literature
o Reading of National guidelines and standards
o Attendance at peer support groups, in-service training, conferences and courses
o Yearly appraisal
o Self-reflection
• To attend specialist short courses and training in order to maintain and develop skills and knowledge required of a therapist working in the field of paediatric complex needs and maintain up to date HCPC and RCOT registration.
• To attend and facilitate supervision groups organised for Occupational Therapists in order to offer and receive support.
• To contribute to team meetings and participate in in-service training as required.

Other

To occasionally deal with a wide range of complex emotions in staff and provide support to distressed staff members.
Regularly travel within the community (schools etc.).
Staff who deliver work into educational settings will need to take the bulk of their holiday time during school holidays

SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN AND ADULTS

To comply with the Trust’s Safeguarding Children and Adults policies, procedures and protocols. All individual members of staff (paid or unpaid) have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults This will require you to:

Ensure you are familiar with and comply with the London Child Protection Procedures and protocols for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young people.

Ensure you are familiar and comply with the London Multi Agency Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults Pan London Procedures.

Ensure you are familiar and comply with local protocols and systems for information sharing.
Know the appropriate contact numbers and required reporting lines.
Participate in required training and supervision.
Comply with required professional boundaries and codes of conduct

Whittington Health is committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Your application form –

Provide only business email address for your referees – we are unable to request references from yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail accounts.
Make sure you to include all evidence of where you meet the essential requirement on the jobs description as this forms the base of our shortlisting criteria.

Our processes –

Closing dates are given as a guide; we are within our right to close adverts early so please ensure you submit your application as soon as possible to avoid delay.
If you do not hear from us up to 3 weeks after the closing date of the job unfortunately this means you have not been successfully shortlisted for interview. If your require feedback on your application please contact the appointing manager detailed in the body of the advert.
Please check your emails regularly as all correspondence from us will be via trac.systems – occasionally these emails will go into your Junk folder.
Employment at Whittington Health is offered subject to successful completion of a 6 month probationary period for all staff with the exception of GMC Registered Doctors.

Other important information –

You must already have the right to work in the United Kingdom or fully meet the eligibility criteria for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa route. We welcome applications from candidates who require visa sponsorship; however, we can only consider these where all UKVI requirements are met. Before applying, please ensure that both you and the role satisfy the relevant UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) points‑based system criteria, as applications that do not meet these requirements cannot be progressed. For more information about the criteria, please click here
Applications are welcome from people wishing to job share or work flexible patterns. We are committed to equal opportunities.
In submitting an application form, you authorise Whittington Health NHS Trust to confirm any previous NHS service details via the Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) process should you be appointed to the post.

If you are offered a role with one of the NLPSS partner trusts, as part of pre-employment checks your identity and right to work documentation will be verified remotely (in most circumstances), using a certified identity verification service provider TrustID. You will be asked to capture an image of the relevant documents as well as a “selfie” using your smartphone/tablet (if available) for facial matching. TrustID will also perform a digital address check using Trunarrative and Equifax, which is a soft check and does not leave a footprint on your credit rating. For more information, visit www.trustid.co.uk

Please note that during the recruitment process your Identity Documentation (i.e. passport, driving licence, visa, etc.) will be scanned using a device which recognises UV, Infrared and Machine Readable Zone security features of the documents provided

The Trust uses electronic new starter forms on Trac to collect personal details. Information collected is securely stored and used to set up the employee record on the ESR HR system.

We would welcome applications from individuals who are from underrepresented groups in the organisation

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Person specification

Education & Qualifications

Essential criteria

Diploma or Degree in Occupational Therapy and current HCPC Registration
Evidence of relevant post-registration continuing professional development.
HCPC registration

Desirable criteria

Membership of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT).

Skills & Abilities

Essential criteria

Excellent written communication skills
Advanced observation, assessment and clinical reasoning skills to identify barriers to participation and develop effective, outcome-focused solutions.
Service development, quality improvement, and evaluation skills.
Coaching skills to facilitate reflection, problem-solving, and sustainable change
Advanced observation, assessment and clinical reasoning skills to identify barriers to participation and develop effective, outcome-focused solutions.

Knowledge and Experience

Essential criteria

Experience of developing and delivering training to others.
Knowledge and experience working at a specialist level supporting school aged children with a broad range of clinical conditions e.g., autism, learning disabilities, genetic conditions, DCD, etc.
Specialist experience of supporting children, young people, families and schools with sensory and regulation differences impacting on participation and function
Experience of having delivered training and workshops to a range of audiences and ability to present complex information in an accessible manner.
Experience of advising school staff regarding reasonable adjustments and inclusive practice
Experience writing assessment reports/advice
Supervision and mentoring of junior staff and students