Band 7 - Occupational Therapist, Orthopaedics and Surgery

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West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Band 7 - Occupational Therapist, Orthopaedics and Surgery

The closing date is 17 November 2026

Apply for this job

Job summary

Are you enthusiastic and passionate about working with people in a fast-paced, acute care setting? Are you looking to develop your leadership and clinical skills in Orthopaedics and Surgery?

Then we might have the job for you! We are looking for an enthusiastic, experienced Occupational Therapist to join our inpatient Orthopaedic and Surgical therapy team at Watford General Hospital.

This post is offered part-time for 23.5hrs a week and we welcome discussion of these hours being over 3 or 4 days but do require the post holder to work on a Monday.

The Occupational Therapy team have core working hours of 8:00 am-16:00 pm and is part of a 7-day working rota (frequency of 1:6 weekends) with rest days in the following week.

This post is based on acute hospital wards and NHS experience in Orthopaedics and Surgery is essential.

Main duties of the job

You will be leading the team alongside another Band 7, providing OT clinical expertise in Orthopaedics and Surgery.

The clinical areas this post includes:

Trauma & Orthopaedics - working with the MDT to facilitate an 'enablement approach' to rehabilitation and supported discharge of trauma orthopaedic patients. This can include # NOF patients, head injuries and spinal cord injuries.

Surgical - working across surgical wards in the acute hospital to provide assessment and intervention to patients following acute surgery, including new amputees.

Discharge planning skills are key to this post, and you will need to be able to make timely decisions regarding transfer to community services and managing referrals to specialist units.

You should have a caring, committed and quality focused approach to the provision of patient care.

You will need to be a dynamic team leader with excellent communication skills.

You will lead on appraisals and development of more junior staff and will lead on service development projects /audits within the department.

You will be supported with your personal development by the Therapy Team Leads with opportunities for additional training based on your personal development plan.

About us

With a new hospital planned for Watford, work underway to update theatres at St Albans City Hospital and plans for a neighbourhood healthcare centre in Hemel Hempstead, this is an exciting time to join us. We are building on the success of our award-winning virtual hospital and re-imagining models of care, working closely with partners and making the most of advances in digital healthcare. Staff wellbeing and development are a priority, as is the role of innovation in improving clinical care, outcomes and patient experience. Our vision is Excellent patient care, together and our values are to be empowered, compassionate, professional and inclusive. They capture an important balance across what we must all do as individuals and to support others. We offer a variety of flexible working options as we recognise the importance of a good work life balance.www.westhertshospitals.nhs.uk/flexibleworking If you have a disability or long-term health condition and require support or guidance please [email protected] If you are a Service Leaver, Veteran, Military Reserve, Cadet Force Adult Volunteer, or partner/spouse of those serving please tick "Member of the Armed Forces Community" on the application form. We reserve the right to close this advert early due to the volume of applicants. Please apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.If you do not hear back within 3 weeks of your application, please assume you have been unsuccessful on this occasion.

Details

Date posted

03 November 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£51,657 to £58,785 a year pa inc HCA pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time, Flexible working

Reference number

360-C-11517-B

Job locations

Watford General Hospital

Vicarage Road

Watford

WD18 0HB

United Kingdom

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for a full list of duties and details about the role.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for a full list of duties and details about the role.

Person Specification

Education and qualifications:

Essential

• Member of Professional Body or equivalent recognised by Health Care Professionals Council.
• Occupational Therapy degree qualification or equivalent and NHS experience.
• Documented evidence of Continued Professional Development of expanded and highly specialised knowledge and skills.
• Attendance at a Clinical Educators Course.
• Substantive post registration experience.

Desirable

• Attained or working towards a Post Graduate Degree/qualification.
• Evidence of leadership courses / training.
• Membership of a professional Special Interest Group or National or Regional Network - ie. BACPAR.

Knowledge:

Essential

• Understanding of organisational structure of the NHS and Social Care.
• Demonstrate an ability to provide professional/clinical leadership.
• Understanding of Standards - Health Care Professions Council/COT/BAOT/Local/National.
• Understanding policies and procedures (local e.g. Health and Safety).
• Specialist knowledge of acute post-surgical Occupational Therapy management and pathways, including amputees, trauma and acute Orthopaedics.
• Demonstrate evidence of service development / QI projects/ audits
• Demonstrate understanding of clinical governance and the implications of the service.

Experience:

Essential

• Ability to teach and present to qualified/non-qualified staff and other disciplines, in groups or individually, using a variety of media.
• Ability to lead clinical education of less experienced staff, students, or assistants.
• Documented evidence of Continued Professional Development of expanded and highly specialised knowledge and skills in surgical & Orthopaedics OT.
• Senior level experience working with patient following major surgery, amputees and trauma patients.
• Broad range of rotational experience including neuro and elderly care.
• Attendance at post graduate courses in relevant fields (specific to the post).

Desirable

• Experience of leading competency training / IST.

Person Specification

Education and qualifications:

Essential

• Member of Professional Body or equivalent recognised by Health Care Professionals Council.
• Occupational Therapy degree qualification or equivalent and NHS experience.
• Documented evidence of Continued Professional Development of expanded and highly specialised knowledge and skills.
• Attendance at a Clinical Educators Course.
• Substantive post registration experience.

Desirable

• Attained or working towards a Post Graduate Degree/qualification.
• Evidence of leadership courses / training.
• Membership of a professional Special Interest Group or National or Regional Network - ie. BACPAR.

Knowledge:

Essential

• Understanding of organisational structure of the NHS and Social Care.
• Demonstrate an ability to provide professional/clinical leadership.
• Understanding of Standards - Health Care Professions Council/COT/BAOT/Local/National.
• Understanding policies and procedures (local e.g. Health and Safety).
• Specialist knowledge of acute post-surgical Occupational Therapy management and pathways, including amputees, trauma and acute Orthopaedics.
• Demonstrate evidence of service development / QI projects/ audits
• Demonstrate understanding of clinical governance and the implications of the service.

Experience:

Essential

• Ability to teach and present to qualified/non-qualified staff and other disciplines, in groups or individually, using a variety of media.
• Ability to lead clinical education of less experienced staff, students, or assistants.
• Documented evidence of Continued Professional Development of expanded and highly specialised knowledge and skills in surgical & Orthopaedics OT.
• Senior level experience working with patient following major surgery, amputees and trauma patients.
• Broad range of rotational experience including neuro and elderly care.
• Attendance at post graduate courses in relevant fields (specific to the post).

Desirable

• Experience of leading competency training / IST.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Additional information

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Address

Watford General Hospital

Vicarage Road

Watford

WD18 0HB

United Kingdom

Employer's website

http://www.westhertshospitals.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Address

Watford General Hospital

Vicarage Road

Watford

WD18 0HB

United Kingdom

Employer's website

http://www.westhertshospitals.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Therapy Team Lead

Kelly Lanaghan

[email protected]

01923217271

Details

Date posted

03 November 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£51,657 to £58,785 a year pa inc HCA pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time, Flexible working

Reference number

360-C-11517-B

Job locations

Watford General Hospital

Vicarage Road

Watford

WD18 0HB

United Kingdom

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