Occupational Therapy Team Lead - Frailty

Job description

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Provide professional leadership and operational oversight for the Occupational Therapy service within the Acute Frailty Team.
• Deliver advanced Occupational Therapy assessments and interventions for patients with frailty, complex multi-morbidity, cognitive impairment, and functional decline.
• Lead on complex discharge planning, risk management, capacity assessments, and clinical decision-making.
• Ensure the delivery of high-quality, person-centred care that promotes independence and supports safe, timely discharge.
• Work collaboratively with medical, nursing, therapy, social care, and discharge planning teams to optimise patient flow and improve outcomes.
• Provide clinical supervision, mentorship, appraisal, and professional support to Occupational Therapists, Therapy Support Workers, and students.
• Support workforce planning, caseload management, and service capacity to ensure effective and efficient service delivery.
• Lead and contribute to service development, quality improvement projects, clinical audits, and research activities.
• Champion evidence-based practice and support the implementation of national and local frailty initiatives.
• Monitor service performance, quality standards, and patient outcomes to drive continuous improvement.
• Act as a professional role model, promoting excellence in clinical practice and multidisciplinary working.
• Represent Occupational Therapy at operational, divisional, and strategic meetings, contributing to the development of integrated frailty services.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Degree or Diploma in Occupational Therapy
• HCPC Registration as an Occupational Therapist
• Practice Educator qualification or willing to achieve

Desirable criteria

• Leadership Course

Experience

Essential criteria

• Significant post registration experience within acute hospital services
• Experience working with older adults and patients living with frailty
• Experience of complex discharge planning and integrated working
• Experience leading service improvement or quality improvement projects

Desirable criteria

• Member of specialist interest group relevant to the post

Knowledge and skills

Essential criteria

• Advanced knowledge of frailty, aging and rehabilitation principles
• Comprehensive understanding of discharge planning and community pathways
• Excellent clinical reasoning and decision making skills
• Ability to analyse service data and drive improvements

Desirable criteria

• Experience of service redesign and transformation programmes
• Experience working across acute and community pathways

Personal skills

Essential criteria

• Team focussed
• reliable, adaptable and dependable

It is an exciting time to join Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. We run two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Our 7,500 staff provide high quality care for a growing population of around 700,000 across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas.

You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. Travel between hospital sites may be required. We have state-of-the art facilities placing us at the heart of cutting edge health care. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.

All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering their first six months in post.

Employer certification / accreditation badges