Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Children’s Occupational Therapist – Neonatal/Neurodevelopmental
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Job Description
For questions about this job, contact:
Claire England
Clinical Service Manager - Children's Occupational Therapy
Shortlisting Date: 28th August
Interview Date: 17th September
Job Summary
Looking for an exciting and rewarding role where you can make a meaningful difference to the lives of babies, families, and their futures? Thanks to significant NHS England funding, an exciting opportunity has arisen for dynamic, enthusiastic, and highly motivated Occupational Therapists to join our expanding Band 7 neonatal workforce within Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. We are a dedicated and cohesive neonatal AHP team delivering high-quality, evidence-based developmental care for babies and their families. Recent investment offers an exciting opportunity to expand our workforce and strengthen AHP provision within neonatal services across St James's University Hospital and Leeds General Infirmary. As we progress through a period of transformation, we are enhancing developmental pathways, improving outcomes, and embedding collaborative, family-centred practice.
This is an exciting time to join our fantastic team and be part of meaningful service improvement. Successful candidates will join our established team of experienced and supportive neonatal Occupational Therapists. Working within a Family Integrated Care (FiCare) model, the team delivers highly specialised care to infants from preterm – 2 years and their families, across our inpatient level 3 and level 1 neonatal units and outpatient neurodevelopmental services. This includes working with the neonatal/neurodevelopmental MDT providing assessment and patient/family goal-led intervention supporting infant and parental occupations, postural support, developmentally supportive care, and identification of developmental concerns, education/training to parents/carers and ward staff, support with transition from hospital to home, assessment and provision of specialist equipment, and advocating for their specific needs. We would love to hear from passionate, forward-thinking, and dynamic occupational therapists who would like to be part of this exciting service transformation. As our units are on 2 sites across a large city, it will be essential to commute between the 2 sites to ensure service need is met efficiently and effectively. Transport is available to move between sites for staff. Full-time and part-time available hours negotiable.
Why You Should Join Our Team
The Children’s Occupational Therapy team work across Leeds Children’s Hospital, covering both inpatient wards and outpatients. We pride ourselves on being a friendly, inclusive, and supportive team with genuine care for our patients and for each other. Staff wellbeing is at the heart of our culture, with access to Trust-wide wellbeing resources including a monthly team reflection session, staff support networks, and wellbeing champions. We recognise the importance of work-life balance and offer flexible working opportunities alongside team socials and events throughout the year. We are highly committed to supporting CPD to enable us to strive to provide the highest quality care to our patients. Our mission is to make a positive difference in children's lives through the use of specialist, individualised, and fun therapy in partnership with the MDT, the child, and their family. This aligns with The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Organisational Strategy 2026-2029, which sets out our vision for delivering excellent, safe, and sustainable care for every patient, every time. Leeds Children's Hospital is one of the largest and most specialised children's hospitals in the UK, providing world-class care for children and young people across Yorkshire and beyond. As part of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, you will have the opportunity to work within a nationally recognised teaching hospital at the forefront of clinical excellence, innovation, and research.
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Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust has an extensive employee benefits package for staff, for example, our salary sacrifice offer provides a range of ways to spread the costs of everyday products, with options for cycle to work, car leasing, and home and electronics. Our Lifestyle Savings benefit gives access to exclusive discounts and offers across a wide range of categories, including:
- Shopping – Save on high-street and online retailers.
- Dining & Leisure – Enjoy discounts on restaurants, cinema tickets, and family days out.
- Travel – Reduced prices on holidays, hotels, and transport.
- Health & Fitness – Offers on gym memberships and wellness products.
Other benefits include:
- Opportunity to purchase additional leave
- Onsite nursery
- Staff Networks
- Regular staff recognition initiatives including annual children’s hospital Kite awards celebration, Gr8tx awards, IRIS award (Inclusive Recognition of Inspirational Staff), and long-term service recognition.
What You Will Bring To The Role
To be successful in this role, you will possess significant postgraduate experience at a senior level within Paediatric Occupational Therapy, with demonstrable experience and skills in assessment, treatment, and management of neonatal and/or neurodevelopmentally supportive Occupational Therapy practice. Level 3-unit experience will be advantageous. You will have highly developed communication, organisational, and clinical reasoning skills, enabling you to work effectively with service users, families, carers, and members of the multidisciplinary team. The ability to manage a complex caseload, prioritise competing demands, and work under pressure to adapt to the demands of an acute service is essential. You will show a commitment to patient-centred and compassionate care. It would be advantageous to have specialist education, training, and continuing professional development relevant to the clinical area and role, as well as active engagement with professional bodies, specialist interest groups, and professional networks relevant to occupational therapy and neonatal care. You will participate in service development, training, and contribute to improving the quality of care. You will be working closely with the Neonatal MDT, patients, families, and relevant Health and Social Care teams, ensuring compliance against clinical drivers and standards. You will deliver support, training, and supervision to junior staff, undergraduate students, and multidisciplinary team colleagues, fostering professional development, clinical competence, and evidence-based practice. Alongside Band 7 colleagues within the wider Children’s OT service, you will participate in the leadership, management, clinical governance, and ongoing development of the wider Children’s Occupational Therapy team and deputise for the Children’s Occupational Therapy Clinical Service Manager as required.
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Please see the attached job description for further information about this vacancy.
About Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust
Our Trust Values
The Leeds Way is working together to support each other and deliver the best possible care to patients.
We are…
- Responsible
- Open and Honest
- One Team
- Kind
Our Trust Priorities
Our purpose: Excellent, safe, and sustainable care for every patient every time
Our Priorities
- People
- Improvement and Innovation
- Partnerships
- Outcomes
Sponsorship Eligibility
To comply with UK Government regulations on Skilled Worker sponsorship, Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust is unable to provide sponsorship to applicants who do not meet the eligibility criteria or the salary threshold concessions set out under the Skilled Worker visa route. Please take this into consideration before submitting your application. Full guidance on these concessions, including details of who may qualify, can be found here.
We reserve the right to close this advert early if we receive a high number of suitable applications.
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