Occupational Therapy Assistant

Overview

Are you passionate about helping people live more independently in their own homes? Do you enjoy practical, people‑focused work that makes a real difference every day?

We’re looking for an enthusiastic and motivated Occupational Therapy Assistant to join our Adult Community Occupational Therapy Team. This is an exciting opportunity to work within a progressive service that champions innovation, strengths‑based practice and positive risk‑taking to achieve meaningful outcomes for residents.

Whether supporting triage, completing assessments, fitting equipment or working alongside partners, you’ll play a vital role in helping adults remain safe, independent and connected to their communities.

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.  

About the role

As an Occupational Therapy Assistant, you will work closely with qualified Occupational Therapists and the wider Adult Social Care team to support adults with a range of physical, mental health and social care needs.

Your role will be varied, rewarding and hands‑on and will include:

• Managing and responding to referrals into Occupational Therapy, offering high‑quality advice and guidance
• Undertaking routine assessments to support daily activities such as mobility, personal care, meal preparation and access within the home
• Recommending, supplying and fitting assistive equipment and minor adaptations to promote independence
• Supporting triage and decision‑making to ensure timely access to services and reduce waiting times
• Working collaboratively with colleagues, health professionals, housing partners and equipment providers
• Maintaining accurate case records and contributing to strength‑based care and support planning
• Holding a non‑complex caseload, with support and supervision from senior staff when required

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 laptop and be able to use 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

You will have experience supporting adults, ideally within an Occupational Therapy or social care setting, and are committed to helping people maintain independence in their own homes. You are confident undertaking routine assessments, recommending and fitting equipment or minor adaptations, and working within agreed policies and procedures. You communicate effectively, work well both independently and as part of a team, and can manage a varied workload. You are adaptable, willing to work flexibly to meet service needs, and committed to ongoing learning and professional development.

You should also demonstrate enthusiasm and motivation to work towards an Occupational Therapy apprenticeship, with potential access to this pathway during employment.

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/