Newly Qualified Occupational Therapist

Overview

Are you a Newly Qualified Occupational Therapist looking for a supportive first step into community practice?

Our Adult Occupational Therapy Team is looking for a motivated and enthusiastic Newly Qualified Occupational Therapist (NQOT) or experienced band/range 5 to join our forward-thinking and evolving service. This is an excellent opportunity to consolidate your university learning, grow your confidence, and develop your professional practice within a well-supported community setting.

Why join us?

We’ve designed our NQOT programme to give you the space, support and experience you need to thrive. You’ll benefit from:

• A structured, supportive NQOT programme.
• A protected caseload, building confidence at a manageable pace.
• Rotations across triage, clinics and community-based work.
• Regular reflective supervision and mentorship.
• We cover the cost of your HCPC registration
• Free parking
• We offer a salary sacrifice personal car lease scheme to those who are eligible and have passed their probation period
• 5 dedicated study days over the course of the year to support learning and development.
• A clear pathway to Range 6 Occupational Therapist roles (subject to vacancies).

In addition to the salary advertised, you will receive a market premium of £1,500 per annum. You will also be entitled to a ‘Golden Hello’ lump-sum payment of £1,000 paid on successful completion of your probationary period.

About us

Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively new organisation that combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally.  

Our Adult Occupational Therapy service is a supportive, forward‑thinking team, committed to helping people live independently and well within their own homes and communities.

We have transformed our service away from traditional, task‑led models towards a strengths‑based, preventative approach, focused on positive risk‑taking, innovation and meaningful outcomes for the people we support. Our work aims to prevent, reduce or delay the need for ongoing care, while promoting choice, independence and wellbeing.

You’ll be encouraged to develop your practice, share ideas, and be part of a service that is continually evolving. We’re looking for motivated, ambitious individuals who want to start their career in an environment where they are supported to grow, build confidence, and make a real difference to people’s lives.

About the role

As a Newly Qualified Occupational Therapist, you’ll support adults aged 18+ to remain independent, safe and well in their own homes and communities. With guidance and supervision, you’ll:

• Carry out holistic OT assessments in people’s homes, clinics or virtually.
• Support OT assessment clinics across the county.
• Develop skills in moving and handling, equipment provision, and home adaptations.
• Contribute to OT triage, understanding referral pathways and innovative interventions.
• Work collaboratively with Health, Social Care and partner organisations.
• Build your confidence in evidence-based, strengths-focused practice.

You won’t be doing this alone - support is embedded throughout your first year.

Mobile:

A ‘mobile’ role gives you the flexibility to schedule your own diary, so you can meet with colleagues and clients in a variety of locations. You’ll access digital folders and resources on your Council laptop and will be able to access the network wherever you are based. Working from home will be common, as well as meeting your team in the office where necessary.

About you

We’re looking for someone who is:

• Newly qualified with a minimum 2:2 BSc in Occupational Therapy (or equivalent)
• Registered with the HCPC
• Keen to learn, reflect and develop as a practitioner
• Able to manage priorities, keep accurate records and work collaboratively
• Passionate about supporting independence and positive outcomes

No previous community or post-qualifying experience is required - just the right motivation and values.

For further details, please refer to the full job summary attached.

Other information

A full driving licence with access to a vehicle is an essential requirement for this role.

For more information about the role, please contact [email protected]

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent convictions and conditional cautions
• All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020 and 2023).

For further information on filtering please refer to Nacro guidance and the guidance published by the Ministry of Justice (see, in particular, the section titled ‘Exceptions Order’).

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

We understand that candidates may use AI tools to assist with their applications. While we welcome innovation, we expect all submissions to reflect your own experience, skills, and achievements accurately. Please ensure your application is truthful and demonstrates your personal capabilities, as this will be assessed during the selection process.

Buckinghamshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk.

Our values and culture

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining us, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

We know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

About the Service Area

Our Occupational Therapy services have undergone a significant transformation in the last few years. As we adapt to working more closely with the community and supporting people near to where they live, we have created more roles in the team to fulfill the demand for Occupational Therapy support. 

We have developed a new career progression framework to encourage staff ambition and development, and to establish the conditions to deliver outstanding practice, we have reduced the numbers that managers supervise and the caseloads the team has. This has allowed us to have more contact with our residents.

If you are a great people person, familiar with working to a strength-based approach where you think outside of the box and enable people to prevent, reduce or delay the need for care, Occupational Therapy is one of the most rewarding services in our Adults and Health directorate.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.

https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/