Verified Skilled Worker sponsor

Band 6 Occupational Therapist - Bristol

Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust

Bristol, BS16 2EW £39,959 – £48,117 a year Permanent Posted 11 September 2026 Apply by 27 September 2026

Home Office register entry: Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health NHS Partnership, Bath

Visa sponsorship

This role is listed by an employer that holds a live Home Office sponsor licence on the Skilled Worker route.

Closest occupation match: SOC 2222, Occupational therapists. Pay for this occupation is set by national pay scales (NHS bands), so no single Home Office going rate applies.

This occupation falls under the Health and Care Worker route. Public reference figures for that route: the general salary minimum is £25,000 a year, and salaries set by national pay scales (NHS bands) at or above the relevant band rate typically meet the occupation's requirement. Individual eligibility depends on personal circumstances. These figures are public reference information, not advice or a verdict on this job.

Role description

Job summary

Specialist Occupational Therapist - Eating Disorders

An opportunity has arisen for an experienced and enthusiastic Occupational Therapist to join the STEPS Eating Disorders Inpatient Unit at Blackberry Hill. STEPS EDU is a welcoming, compassionate 10-bedded specialist unit working closely with community eating disorder services across the South West Provider Collaborative.

As the Specialist Occupational Therapist, you will undertake comprehensive occupational therapy assessments, develop and deliver person-centred interventions, and contribute to the wider therapeutic programme. Your role will include supporting meal planning, shopping and cooking skills, meaningful activity engagement, vocational support, equipment assessments for the ward and home and discharge planning.

The service is entering an exciting period of transformation, offering opportunities to contribute to service development and quality improvement initiatives.

You should have significant post-qualification experience and be confident and working as an autonomous practitioner. You need to have a strong interest in working with people experiencing eating disorders and be keen to continue your professional development within this specialist field of work.

The successful candidate will receive a comprehensive induction, ongoing training, management and clinical supervision, and access to professional networks to support continued development within this specialist field.

Main duties of the job

Evidence-based occupational therapy interventions for individuals.
Liaison with carers and other agencies, including social workers and accommodation providers.
Home assessments for leave and discharge, sensory awareness, and sensory interventions for patients on the unit.
Facilitating and co-facilitating groups with the MDT.
Skills training for staff.
Assessing patients for equipment.
Addressing the physical health needs of patients.
Working with the MDT to determine the best pathway for patients on the unit.
Supporting patients on leave to achieve goals, including managing eating outside of hospital and engaging in activities.

Please see the attached job description for a full list of duties and responsibilities.

About us

We are the lead provider of healthcare for people with serious mental illness, learning disabilities and autism across Bath and North East Somerset (BaNES), Swindon and Wiltshire, and Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.

We aim to provideHigh Quality, Compassionate Careeverywhere, every day. This means our services will be safe, clinically effective and provide a positive all round experience for our patients, families and carers. And we believe passionately in treating everyone with kindness, respect and empathy.

Key to this is providing a supportive and safe environment for our 4,000 staff where we all feel welcome and able to do the best we can for those we support. Our staff and teams work incredibly hard delivering services across more than 90 locations, covering 2,200miles, to more than 1.8million people.

At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.

Date posted

11 September 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£39,959 to £48,117 a year

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

342-SS105-0926

Job locations

STEPs EDU, Acer Unit, Blackberry Hill Hospital

Manor Road

Bristol

BS16 2EW

United Kingdom

Job description

Job responsibilities

Manage a complex/specialist OT caseload from assessment to discharge from therapy. Service users may have multiple needs, including a combination of physical and mental health conditions or learning disabilities. Service users may demonstrate challenging behaviours or have difficult family situations of relevance.
Ensure the highest professional standards and attitudes towards the care of service users are maintained at all times, and that care is delivered in accordance with evidence-based practice by all staff for whom the postholder has designated responsibility.
Undertake complex occupational therapy assessments and develop complex therapy programmes.
Assess and manage risk effectively in clinical and community settings, including the service users own home.
Work with service users and carers to identify occupational therapy goals as part of the overall multidisciplinary team plan.
Develop and implement specialist interventions for individuals or groups, in collaboration with the service user(s) and MDT, to achieve therapeutic goals.
Use technical and creative skills to engage service users in therapeutic activities and encourage service users/carers in a compassionate manner to support them in achieving their identified goals.
Monitor and evaluate occupational therapy treatment to measure progress and modify treatment plans to ensure the effectiveness of clinical interventions.
Provide reports and make recommendations on service user progress at clinical meetings, and participate in the clinical decision-making process regarding service user care programmes as part of the multidisciplinary team.
Provide specialist clinical advice to other healthcare professionals, including those in the acute hospital sector with limited mental health or learning disability experience.
Provide professional advice, as requested and where appropriate, in relation to subject access requests.

Please see the attached job description for a full list of duties and responsibilities.

Person Specification

Essential

Degree in Occupational Therapy or equivalent
Successful completion of preceptorship year as a graduate occupational therapist
Significant experience of delivering Occupational Therapy
Experience of supervising students on placement
Experience of participation in quality improvement activities
Legal aspects of moving and handling
Significant knowledge of evidence based practice in designated specialist area
Self aware and committed to professional and personal development

Desirable

Clinical Risk Assessment and Management
Care Programme Approach
Work collaboratively as part of a multidisciplinary team
Motivate and work positively and constructively with other members of the team
Provide effective teaching, training and clinical supervision
Able to engage with vulnerable people and work effectively in distressing and challenging circumstances

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.

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.