Senior Occupational Therapist - Advice and Wellbeing Hub

We are a Local Authority working for the community, improving the lives of our residents and we’re looking for a motivated and talented Senior Occupational Therapist to join our Advice and Wellbeing Hub – OT Pathway.

We seek the best talent from the widest pool of people as diversity and inclusion is the key to our success. Reading Borough Council is a Disability Confident Employer and is committed to the recruitment and continued employment of people with disabilities.

About the Role:
Working as a Senior Occupational Therapist for Reading Borough Council you will be part of a friendly and supportive team. We are looking for an individual who can demonstrate great communication skills and the ability to build and maintain relationships with colleagues, services users, and health care providers.

The Advice and Wellbeing Hub comprises a Social Work pathway and an OT Pathway. The team takes all the new referrals into Adult Social Care for people 18 years upwards.  The Hub aims to actively promote wellbeing and independence, supporting people to retain or regain their skills and confidence by using existing and new support networks, Technology Enabled Care (TEC), equipment and short-term interventions.

You will hold a varied caseload and contribute to the team performance and positive outcomes for our residents.

You will support individuals to remain in their own homes and maximise their independence.  Using a strengths-based approach and your unique OT skill set to support individuals to find solutions, promote wellbeing and healthy occupations through a variety of interventions including equipment, adaptations, moving and handling, goal planning and working closely with care providers, Housing Services and Health colleagues.

 

You will work alongside Social Worker and Social Care Coordinator colleagues assessing adults with a broad range of needs.

You will work within the legal framework provided by the statute, guidance, policies, and procedures.

Your duties as Senior Occupational Therapist include providing supervision to the Occupational Therapists and Social Care Coordinators within the team and to undertake joint visits with other members of the team to support with knowledge sharing and skills development. You will also support the Team Manager in some aspects of managing the team as a whole and service development.

You will need to have:

• A degree in Occupational Therapy
• Registered with HCPC
• Community experience is helpful but not essential

We offer excellent support, supervision, and induction. You will have access to our Learning and Development programme and be supported in your career and personal growth with opportunities to learn and develop new clinical skills, helping you to build your Continuing Professional Development portfolio, extending your skills and supporting you to grow as an Occupational Therapist.

 

We offer placements to students from local universities and offer opportunities to mentor and supervise occupational therapy apprentices.

We work closely with our colleagues in Reading Borough Council, Health Professionals, Voluntary and Charity colleagues to facilitate the best possible outcomes for those people we support.

 
You’ll be part of a team that relies on each individual to play their part to the best of their ability. As well as the colleagues that you work closely with every day, you’ll also be part of Team Reading, playing your personal part in making Reading a successful and vibrant place.

Our vision is to ensure that Reading realises its potential as a great place to live, work and play, and that everyone shares the benefits of this success. Our values and behaviours guide how we will achieve this:

Work Together as one team - work collaboratively, with each other and with our partners, and demonstrate the Team Reading values in everything we do

Drive Efficiency - show initiative, be adaptable to change and put forward ideas to help improve delivery and efficiency. Take responsibility for our own learning and development and for reaching our potential

Be Ambitious - be demanding of our own performance – striving to be even better – and be prepared to engage with and challenge leaders in a constructive and positive way

Make a Difference to Reading - maintain the highest levels of customer service and be flexible and willing to provide the services needed at the time they are needed

Our offer
A competitive salary alongside a range of benefits including:

• Generous holiday entitlement - 25 days holiday each year plus bank holidays - rising to 33 days after 10 years' service, with the option to buy additional leave
• Maternity, adoption, parental and sick pay
• A wide range of flexible working opportunities 
• Access to a range of training and learning opportunities to help you develop
• Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• On-site day nursery (Kennet Day nursery) rated outstanding by Ofsted, and a salary sacrifice scheme to help lower the cost of your nursery fees
• Season Ticket Loan - a loan to help with the cost of your rail or bus journey, to and from work
• Lease car salary sacrifice scheme allowing you to lease a brand new, greener car for three years.  The monthly fee includes insurance, servicing, and road tax
• Salary sacrifice scheme for Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVCs) to help you save for your retirement

 

Closing date: Monday 3^rd February 2025
Interview date: To be confirmed

If you would like to find out more about this role and the team, please contact Samantha Midwinter – Advice and Wellbeing Hub OT Team Manager Samantha.midwinter@reading.gov.uk 0118 937 3334 or Laura Casey OT Senior Laura.Casey@reading.gov.uk 0118 937 2077.

Please note that the closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and return your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Visit: www.moretoreading.co.uk to find out more about Reading’s Community & Adult Social Care Services. It’s a chance to hear from the people who already work here and why they have chosen Reading as their professional destination.