Community Occupational Therapist: Learning Disabilities


Company:	Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust
Salary:	£39,959 - £48,117 p.a
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	Weymouth, DT4 7BG
Job type:	Contract
Posting date:	22 Oct 2026
Closing date:	21 Nov 2026

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Summary

A Vacancy at Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust.

Are you looking for a new challenge and would like a bit of variety in your caseload? The Weymouth & Portland Adult Learning Disability Team are looking for an experienced Occupational Therapist to join us. As a co-located health and social care team, this is an exciting opportunity to work within a multidisciplinary and multi-agency team.

You will be based in the Weymouth & Portland Local office, although the majority of the workload will be in community settings across Weymouth & Portland. The clients on your caseload will all have a Learning Disability (LD) and may include those with multiple disabilities, complex communication difficulties, sensory needs, and behaviours that challenge. A broad range of clinical experience is essential but does not need to be specific to the learning disabilities field. This is a challenging but rewarding role and no two days are ever the same.

Experience of working with people with Learning Disabilities is not vital, but a desire to work with this client group and a knowledge and understanding of their needs is important.

The ideal candidate would have experience of the following:

• Working with adults with neurological or complex health needs

• Community working

• Hybrid working (home and office)

• Managing a varied caseload

• Working as part of a multidisciplinary team

• Creative problem solving

• Thinking on your feet

• A passion to learn and to support others with their development

As the Occupational Therapist within the team, you will facilitate the development of the full range of function (physical, cognitive, interpersonal, and intrapersonal) in the occupational areas of productivity, self-care, and leisure, for people with Learning Disabilities who have been referred to Occupational Therapy for assessment and treatment.

This is an excellent opportunity to practice Occupational Therapy within the challenging and rewarding field of Community Learning Disabilities. If you are interested in developing your skills through supporting a diverse caseload, within a supportive multidisciplinary team, then we look forward to your application.

Driving is essential for this role. You will be required to have a full and valid UK driving licence and to travel using own vehicle on Trust business.

Employment in this post requires an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, which the Trust will cover the cost of.

Applications from candidates that require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are unfortunately ineligible to apply for this position.

At Dorset HealthCare we’re on a mission to empower people to make the most of their lives through our outstanding, joined-up healthcare services. We’re a dynamic, forward-looking Trust, running 12 community hospitals, specialist inpatient facilities and a wide range of integrated community and mental health services for a population of almost 800,000 people.

We do things differently here – it’s one of the reasons the CQC rated us ‘outstanding’ in 2019. It’s also why 95% of patients across our services say they have a good or very good experience of our services and 89% of staff feel they can really make a difference. Whether you’re looking to work with us in one of our bustling market towns, vibrant urban locations, thriving seaside spots, or among the rolling hills of Dorset, there are lots of ways you can make a difference in our communities.

Our 7,000-strong workforce is at the heart of what we do and our success is a testament to our brilliant people. We're all about building a workplace for the future, we believe in equal opportunities and we celebrate diversity. We’re an inclusive workplace, where everyone is welcome, everyone can be authentic, and we are all encouraged to be the best version of ourselves.

Working with us you’ll be part of a strong team, challenge yourself, build a career, and teach us what we don’t know. And you’ll be working towards our vision to be better every day through excellence, compassion and expertise in all we do.

For the main duties and responsibilities for this role please read the attached job description and person specification. When completing your application please ensure your supporting statement reflects the criteria set out in these documents by showing how your experience and skills apply to this post.

We understand that AI can be a useful tool when completing your application. However, we are seeing an increasing over-reliance of AI tools, which can negatively affect your application as it reduces a candidate’s individuality, and makes it difficult for us to gain a clear and authentic understanding of your experience, skills, and in turn your suitability for the role.

All submissions must be truthful and if you do use AI, it should only be used to enhance your application and not create your supporting statement in its entirety. Your supporting statement should be in your own words and must accurately reflect your personal experience and achievements. Where we have concerns that AI has been used to generate content that misrepresents your experience and suitability for the role, we may withdraw your application.

As part of our vision to have a skilled, diverse and caring workforce, Dorset HealthCare offers support for people getting into work. We offer an employability service to support individuals with application writing, interview skills and other employment support. If you would like or know of anyone who would value this support, please do contactdhc.wideningparticipation@nhs.net.

This is a fixed term role and for those with current NHS service, the role will be offered on a secondment basis only. Please obtain permission to be released on a secondment before submitting an application.

This advert closes on Thursday 5 Nov 2026

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