Occupational Therapist - HMP Down

Occupational Therapist - HMP High Down

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

The closing date is 11 February 2026

Are you a passionate and experienced Band 7 Occupational Therapist seeking a fresh and rewarding challenge? Or perhaps you're a Band 6 OT ready to take the next step in your career? If so, we'd love to hear from you!

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join our multi-disciplinary team within a Psychologically Informed Planned Environment (PIPE) at HMP High Down.

This role is ideal for a practitioner who is passionate about delivering trauma-informed care in a prison setting and is committed to supporting individuals with complex psychological needs and learning difficulties. You will work closely with service users and staff to create a safe, structured, and therapeutic environment that fosters personal growth, rehabilitation, and relational security.

You'll be part of a supportive, multidisciplinary team where reflective practice, relational working, and psychological safety are central to our approach.

This is a fantastic opportunity to make a meaningful impact in a supportive and innovative environment, while developing your clinical and leadership skills.

Work as an independent OT practitioner with women presenting with complex & challenging needs who reside on the Psychologically Informed Planned Environment units, engaging in the PIPE Outreach service & those where referral to PIPE may be considered.

Working within the MDT to provide a comprehensive service to women with personality disorder resident on the PIPE units & to contribute to ensuring the PIPE is a successful environment. Working as part of a team supporting women in their own location, through the PIPE Outreach service.

Lead on the planning & delivery of enrichment activities & a therapeutic social setting & to an Enabling Environment as defined by the Royal College of Psychiatrists. The Progression PIPE is an established Enabling Environment currently & continues to work towards maintaining its award.

Work with the wider OPD Pathway to integrate careful selection of assessment tools & interventions with personal recovery principles which will engage individuals in activities & occupation, encouraging the development of 'surviving & thriving' skills & knowledge.

Apply a high level of understanding of the impact of mental & physical health conditions; providing training & advice on lifestyle changes & adaptations.

Work with the Clinical Lead to continue to develop & deliver a comprehensive OT Service within a preparation & progression PIPE, including assessment, intervention & evaluation which is underpinned by an evidence base & personal recovery principles.

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust offers its staff ongoing career progression through:

• Monthly supervision
• Access to exciting internal and external training opportunities.

Excellent progression through various career pathway opportunities such as but not limited to:

• Preceptorship Programme
• Support and guidance with Revalidation
• Hidden Gem and annual award ceremonies

Excellent staff benefits, our benefit packages are amongst the best in London and include:

• Health and wellbeing services
• Season ticket loans
• Cycle to work scheme
• Relocation package subject to meeting criteria

The trust values its staff and you are entitled to become a member of My Trust Benefits . My Trust Benefits  is an online portal for all CNWL staff, as well as their family and friends. It offers over 1400 discounts at hundreds of retailers nationwide. Save money on your weekly food shops, toiletries, cosmetics, cinema, meals out, holidays, travel and entertainment.

You can also access free online courses on a variety of topics, professional and personal, ranging from business management, languages, law and teaching.

All of our sites in Surrey offer free use of the onsite leisure facilities and free parking for staff.

Please see attached JD&PS for full details of duties and responsibilities.

Clinical

• To provide specialist, culturally appropriate, evidence based occupational therapy assessments for individuals within the prison setting in order to establish and meet their occupational needs. To select and use validated standardised assessment tools routinely and in practice, exhibiting clinical reasoning skills; to include the Model of Human Occupation (MOHO) assessments.
• To apply clinical knowledge and skills to carry out evidence based occupational therapy interventions, both individual and in groups, which are underpinned by relevant theoretical approaches.
• To plan, implement and review individually tailored programmes of intervention using individual and group work approaches with prisoners within the PIPE unit
• To support service users and colleagues to ensure that care plans are developed in partnership with the individual and that they reflect recovery goals. These should be strengths-based and oriented towards reinforcing a positive identity and…