Occupational Therapist

We are seeking enthusiastic Band 5 Occupational Therapist to work with our female acute mental health inpatient service at ward 1 Becklin Centre. You will provide rapid, recovery-focused occupational therapy assessments and interventions for adults experiencing an acute mental health crisis. You will manage a defined caseload of individuals in acute crisis and detained under the Mental Health Act.

Your role will be to deliver brief, targeted OT interventions to help with emotional regulation, self-care, daily structure, engagement, and coping strategies, working in collaboration with the Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) that includes nurses, medics, health support workers, a senior occupational therapist, an occupational therapy assistant and activity coordinator.

You will focus on occupational performance and address barriers to occupation associated with complex mental health presentations. You will be proficient at risk management, discharge planning and facilitating sustainable discharge back into the community ensuring people have the appropriate resources to maintain their independence, skills and wellbeing.

Please note The role is full time with some weekend working required. Flexible working patterns can be discussed.

Shortlisting will be held week commencing 26th October 2026.

Interviews will be held on week commencing 2nd November 2026.

Job description

Please note this post may close earlier than the listed closing date and time should the maximum number of applications be received, therefore please do not delay in submitting your application should you be interested.

We recruit people based on their valuesand qualifications (where required) and believe that their lived experience is an advantage, this means that together we are as diverse as the communities we care for. Simply put, when we employ caring people who act with integrity and have the right skills, we can give those with mental health challenges, learning disabilities and neurodiversity high-quality care and support to live fulfilling lives, and make our staff feel purposeful, happy and valued.

All our information is available in accessible formats. Please contact the Recruitment team [email protected]

Attached to this advert is our candidates guide to values-based recruitment and supporting guidance on how to make a successful application.

If you require a reasonable adjustment, please contact the Recruitment Team or see the attached candidate guide to reasonable adjustments.

To find out more about the key responsibilities and the specific skills and experience youll need, look at the Job Description & Person Specification attachments under the Supporting Documents heading.

So that youre even more equipped to make an informed decision to apply to us, youll need to take time to read theCandidate Guide to Values Based Recruitment. This document provides you with information to help you apply.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential

• HCPC registration, Occupational therapy degree (Bsc or Msc)

Experience

Essential

• Experience of collaborative MDT working.
• Experience of working in a mental health setting.
• Experiencing of assessing and delivering intervention to a patients co-morbid physical and mental health needs.

Skills

Essential

• Ability to manage own time and determine priorities autonomously.
• Ability to reflect on own performance and set professional goals.
• Self-driven to organise and manage own caseload based on patient need.

Knowledge

Essential

• Good understanding of mental health legislation and NICE guidelines.
• Understanding of the challenges and barriers to occupational performance that people with mental health diagnoses face.

Values

Desirable

• Tell us about a time when you spotted something small going wrong and did something to stop it becoming a bigger issue.
• Tell us about a time when you realised a colleague or someone you know needed a bit of support and you offered to help.
• Tell us about a time when you showed someone kindness or understanding.

About the employer

The Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LYPFT) is the main provider of Mental Health and Learning Disability services in Leeds. We also provide specialist inpatient services in York and some highly specialised services across the country. As a teaching trust with strong links to local universities, we are a centre of excellence for teaching, research and development.

There are many benefits of working for LYPFT including fantastic employee wellbeing support, 27 - 33 days annual leave, flexible working and remote working arrangements, the NHS Pension Scheme, coaching, support and opportunities for career development and training and education support alongside a range of exclusive discounts and payment schemes including for cars, extra leave days and more NHS Discount Offers.

We also have a bank department, offering variety of roles in nursing, allied health professions, healthcare support worker and administration clerical. Permanent employees are automatically added to bank.

Applicants should be aware that individuals requiring a visa to work in the UK, the Trust only provides sponsorship for registered healthcare practitioner roles(this does not include Healthcare Support Workers). This is an essential requirement, and the Trust is unable to offer you a role if you do not meet Trust requirements for sponsorship and Home Office requirements for a visa.