Occupational Therapy Professional Lead

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced and innovative Occupational Therapist to join HPFT as the Mental Health Occupational Therapy Professional Lead for our new Experts at Hand (EaH) service.

EaH is a jointly delivered early-help model funded by Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) and developed in partnership with HCT. The service is evolving to provides structured, consistent support to children, young people, staff and systems across mainstream educational settings (0-25), bringing together OTs, SaLTs, EPs and specialist teachers.

We are seeking a highly skilled Mental Health OT with strong leadership capability and substantial experience in CYP mental health. You will shape and embed the Mental Health (MH) OT offer within EaH, lead the MH OT team, and ensure high-quality, evidence-based assessment and intervention.

You will thrive in a collaborative, multi-agency environment and be passionate about improving participation, emotional wellbeing and functional outcomes for children and young people.

This is a rare opportunity to lead a new, high-impact model that will shape early-help support across Hertfordshire. If you are ready for a strategic leadership role and want to make a meaningful difference, we would welcome your application.

Main duties of the job

The postholder will play a key role in shaping and embedding the Experts at Hand (EaH) model, leading the development of the Mental Health Occupational Therapy offer and providing professional leadership to the MH OT team to ensure service priorities are delivered effectively.

Working as part of the EaH team, the postholder will ensure that Occupational Therapy assessment and intervention are well-managed, evidence-based and delivered in line with professional standards and best practice. The role includes supporting high-quality clinical delivery across mainstream educational settings and contributing to service development, quality improvement and workforce capability.

The postholder will work closely with HPFT Mental Health OTs, HCT Sensory and Functional OTs, SaLTs, EPs, specialist teachers, assistants, MHSTs and mainstream education settings, as well as wider system partners across health, education and social care.

This role provides a unique opportunity to lead a new, funded, system-wide model that strengthens early intervention and improves outcomes for children and young people across Hertfordshire.

About us

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of 'Outstanding' from theCare Quality Commission.

Our family of over 4,500 members of staff provide health and social care for people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. Everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout:

Welcoming. Kind. Positive. Respectful. Professional.