Occupational Therapy Clinical Team Lead - Trauma and Orthopaedics

Job Description

Band 7: (£49,387 - £56,515)

Permanent

Part-Time (30 hours per week)

Are you ready to lead, inspire and make a real difference?

Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust is seeking an experienced, motivated, and forward-thinking Clinical Lead Occupational Therapist to join our dynamic Trauma and Orthopaedic Therapy team at Queen Alexandra Hospital.

This is an exciting leadership opportunity for an Occupational Therapist who is passionate about delivering high-quality, patient-centred care within a fast-paced acute setting, while also contributing to the development of specialist rehabilitation services.

About the Role

As Clinical Lead Occupational Therapist, you will play a pivotal role in shaping, leading and delivering an occupational therapy service across acute trauma and elective orthopaedic services, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, evidence-based, and patient-centred care. You will lead specialist occupational therapy interventions for patients recovering from traumatic injuries, elective orthopaedic procedures, and complex musculoskeletal conditions, supporting individuals to achieve optimal functional outcomes and independence.

You will act as a visible clinical leader within Trauma and Orthopaedics, driving service excellence through the promotion of best practice, professional standards, clinical governance, and continuous quality improvement. Working collaboratively within the multidisciplinary team, you will identify opportunities to enhance patient pathways, improve patient experience, optimise operational efficiency, and deliver positive clinical outcomes.

A key responsibility of the role is the leadership and development of the Occupational Therapy workforce. You will provide professional guidance, supervision, mentorship, and support to registered and non-registered staff, fostering a culture of learning, innovation, and professional growth. Through effective leadership, you will contribute to building a skilled, resilient, and high-performing workforce capable of meeting the evolving needs of the service.

In addition, you will contribute to the development of wider rehabilitation services, supporting pathways for patients with spinal cord injuries, femoral fractures and complex rehabilitation needs. Working alongside the Clinical Lead and Clinical Specialist, multidisciplinary colleagues, and regional partners, you will help ensure seamless patient journeys and coordinated rehabilitation across organisational and regional boundaries.

This is an exciting opportunity to influence service development at both local and regional levels, shaping the future of occupational therapy and rehabilitation services while making a meaningful difference to the lives of patients and their families.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide specialist clinical expertise across a varied orthopaedic caseload, including trauma and complex rehabilitation patients
• Lead and support the day-to-day operational management of the Therapy service
• Contribute to the development of services for spinal cord injury and polytrauma patients, improving pathways and patient outcomes
• Alongside Physiotherapy colleagues, lead on supervision, mentorship and development of Band 5/6 staff, apprentices, support workforce and students
• Contribute to service improvement initiatives, audits, and quality improvement projects
• Ensure delivery of safe, effective discharge planning and rehabilitation pathways
• Work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams including physiotherapists, nurses, consultants, and community services
• Promote evidence-based practice and innovation across the service

About You

We are looking for someone who is:

• A qualified Occupational Therapist with current HCPC registration
• Experienced in acute care, with exposure to complex rehabilitation needs (e.g. trauma, neurological or orthopaedic patients)
• Demonstrating leadership skills or ready to step into a leadership role
• Passionate about patient-centred rehabilitation and discharge planning
• A confident communicator with excellent team-working skills
• Committed to service development and continuous improvement

Essential Requirements

• Registered with HCPC (Health and Care Professions Council)
• BSc in Occupational Therapy
• Excellent communication, organisational, and interpersonal skills
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to manage complex situations
• Evidence of continuing professional development (CPD)
• Experience in supervising staff and/or students

Desirable

• Previous leadership or senior role experience 
• Experience or interest in complex or neurological rehabilitation (e.g. spinal cord injury, polytrauma)
• Post-registration experience in acute settings 
• Involvement in audit, research, or service redesign
• Knowledge of NHS pathways and discharge processes

What We Offer

• A supportive and innovative working environment within a large teaching hospital
• Access to training, CPD, and research opportunities
• Opportunities to contribute to service development in specialist rehabilitation areas
• Flexible working options where possible
• NHS pension scheme and staff benefits

Apply Now

If you are ready to take the next step in your career and make a meaningful impact across acute and rehabilitation services, we would love to hear from you.

Join us in delivering outstanding care, every day.

For a full list of roles and responsibilities, please see the attached job description. 

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered with HCPC (Health and Care Professions Council).
• BSc in Occupational Therapy
• Significant post-qualification experience in a clinical therapy role, ideally within a Trauma and Orthopaedic setting.
• Proven leadership and management experience in a healthcare environment.
• Excellent communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary team.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to manage complex situations. A commitment to continuous professional development and service improvement

Skills and Knowledge

Essential

• Operational management and leadership skills
• Supportive, excellent interpersonal skills including ability to communicate clearly both written and oral
• Outstanding leadership skills
• Understand legal responsibilities of your profession, with knowledge of professional and ethical issues in practice
• Ability to build effective working relationships within the Multi-Disciplinary Team
• Knowledge of health and safety issues
• Detailed knowledge of the principles and application of clinical governance including experience of quality issues and audit
• Specialist knowledge and application of assessments, interventions, outcome measures
• Self-motivated, assertive, diplomatic, and tactful
• An ability to work alone, autonomously and set own priorities
•  Ability to work flexibly and manage pressure of work
•  Ability to delegate and negotiate.
•  Able to analyse professional and ethical issues, including ability to critically appraise own performance
• Ability to recognise when to seek advice
•  Supervisory and appraisal skills
•  Ability to organise and respond efficiently to complex information
• Ability to cope with a stressful working environment and with emotional or aggressive patients or carers
•  Ability to build effective working relationships
•  Competent IT skills
•  Presentation skills
•  Commitment to lifelong learning
•  Ability to engage with service users, including a commitment to client centred, non-discriminatory practice
• Ability to keep accurate and legible patient notes including numeracy and literacy skills.
• Driving licence as required for role

Experience

Essential

• Evidence of experience to meet the scope and authority of the post.
• Evidence of advanced level of practice including in depth experience at band 6 level
• Supervision of staff/students
• Leadership, recruitment and selection of staff
• In individual/group and team work in a variety of relevant settings
• Of research/audit
• Documented evidence of Continuous Practice Development (CPD)
• Practice innovation
• Of working with users/carers and external agencies

Additional Information

The health and wellbeing of our staff is at the forefront of everything we do. We are proud to be able to offer our staff some fantastic benefits including our on-site Nursery, access to our free Beach Hut for those long summer days, our on-site Wellness Centre including a gym and a swimming pool, access to our fantastic staff networks including LGBTQ, Race Equality and Disability, and awards ceremonies to recognise your achievements. We believe we can offer support to all of our staff when they need it the most.

We welcome the unique contributions that you can bring in terms of your education, opinions, culture, ethnicity, race, sex, gender identity and expression, nation of origin, age, languages spoken, veteran’s status, colour, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and beliefs. 

For more information, please see our People and OD Strategy 2026