Occupational Therapist -Community

We're looking for an experienced Occupational Therapist to join our Adult Social Care Community Therapy Service. Working across West Northamptonshire, you will use your specialist Occupational Therapy skills to assess how adults manage everyday activities within their home environments and identify practical solutions that maximise their independence, safety and wellbeing. This role focuses on functional assessments, equipment provision, housing adaptations, moving and handling, risk management, and Care Act prevention duties. It is ideally suited to Occupational Therapists who enjoy working autonomously within the community and using their professional skills to help people remain safe, independent, and living in their own homes for as long as possible.,

• Manage a diverse caseload of adults with complex physical disabilities, long-term conditions, frailty, and deteriorating health.
• Undertake holistic Occupational Therapy assessments within individuals' homes, focusing on functional ability, occupational performance, environmental factors, and risk.
• Recommend and prescribe specialist equipment, minor adaptations, and major adaptations to support independence and safety.
• Complete moving and handling assessments and contribute to safe care planning where required.
• Apply Care Act and Disabled Facilities Grant legislation within practice.
• Work closely with Housing, Adult Social Care, health partners, care providers, and community organisations to achieve positive outcomes.
• Deliver prevention-focused interventions that reduce, delay, or prevent the need for ongoing care and support.
• Supervise and support therapy staff, contributing to service development and continuous quality improvement initiatives.
What We Offer
• A supportive and collaborative team environment.
• Opportunities for professional development and specialist training.
• The chance to make a meaningful difference to people's lives within the community.
• A varied and rewarding role, with opportunities to develop leadership and supervisory skills.
Working Hours 30 hours per week Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 3:00pm. Please note that these hours are indicative, and flexibility will be required to meet the needs of the service.What Makes This Role Different? This is not a traditional rehabilitation or treatment-focused Occupational Therapy role. Our Community Therapy Service focuses on:
• Promoting functional independence and occupational performance.
• Recommending equipment and adaptations.
• Delivering housing-related Occupational Therapy assessments.
• Prevention and early intervention.
• Risk management and safe care planning.
• Supporting people to remain living safely and independently in their own homes for as long as possible., In this role, you will work autonomously across the community, with opportunities to develop specialist expertise in equipment provision, Disabled Facilities Grants (DFGs), major adaptations, moving and handling, prevention, and Adult Social Care legislation.
  
  You will be a qualified Occupational Therapist registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), with experience of working with adults who have complex physical disabilities, long-term conditions, frailty, or deteriorating health needs. Experience in undertaking functional assessments, recommending specialist equipment and adaptations, managing risk, and promoting independence within home environments is highly desirable.
Experience within Adult Social Care, community Occupational Therapy services, housing adaptations, or moving and handling would be particularly advantageous. A sound understanding of the Care Act, Disabled Facilities Grant legislation, Health and Safety requirements, and Occupational Therapy best practice is essential, together with a commitment to continuing professional development (CPD). Due to the nature of the role, a full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle, or alternative suitable transport, is required to enable travel throughout West Northamptonshire. We would also welcome applications from candidates who have experience in teaching, coaching, or training health and social care professionals. Experience of participating in research, audit activity, service improvement projects, conferences, or professional therapy groups would be advantageous. Candidates who have contributed to service development and quality improvement initiatives will be highly valued, helping us to enhance outcomes for residents and deliver an innovative, high-quality Community Therapy Service.

At West Northants Council, it's about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people. Our vision is 'to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive'. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services. We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential. We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner The following film was created by us to communicate our intentions - watch WNC colleagues explain what DEI means to us.