Occupational Therapist - Mental Health Social Care Team

We are seeking an experienced and motivated Occupational Therapist to join our Mental Health Reablement Service, supporting adults with mental health needs to regain independence, reduce long‑term care dependency, and engage in meaningful occupations.

We support hybrid working, it’s important to us that working arrangements are designed to enable our employees to excel and within this role you’ll have the opportunity to work in a way that suits your lifestyle.

About the Role:
Working as an Occupational Therapist for Reading Borough Council you will be part of a friendly and supportive team. We are looking for individuals who can demonstrate great communication skills and the ability to build and maintain relationships with colleagues, services users, and health care providers.

You will deliver strengths‑based, recovery‑focused, time‑limited interventions that support hospital discharge, prevent admission, and improve outcomes for people with complex mental health needs.

You will hold a varied caseload and contribute to the team performance and positive outcomes for our residents.

Key Responsibilities:

Undertake complex occupational therapy assessments in line with the Care Act 2014
Identify functional strengths, needs, risks, and barriers to independence
Develop and review SMART, outcome‑focused reablement plans
Lead goal‑based interventions promoting independence, routine, confidence, and social inclusion
Provide clinical oversight and quality assurance to reablement providers (Enablers)
Monitor progress, review outcomes, and make evidence‑based decisions about stepping down, extending, or transitioning support
Support safe hospital discharge and proactive admission prevention
Lead multi‑agency working with CMHTs, inpatient services, housing, and voluntary sector partners
Manage safeguarding and risk, including self‑neglect, hoarding, and non‑engagement
Maintain high‑quality, defensible records and contribute to service performance outcomes

Using a holistic, strengths-based approach and your unique OT skill set you will support individuals to find solutions, promote wellbeing and healthy occupations through a variety of interventions including provision of equipment, adaptations, moving and handling and goal planning. You will work closely with care providers, Housing Services and Health colleagues.

You will work within the legal framework provided by the statute, guidance, policies, and procedures.

You will need to have:

A degree in Occupational Therapy
Registered with HCPC
Community experience is ideal
Post‑qualification experience in mental health settings
Experience of outcome‑focused care planning
Knowledge of reablement, recovery models, and strengths‑based practice

We offer excellent support, supervision, and induction. You will have access to our Learning and Development programme and be supported in your career and personal growth with opportunities to learn and develop new professional skills, helping you to build your Continuing Professional Development portfolio and supporting you to grow as an Occupational Therapist.

We work closely with our colleagues in Reading Borough Council, Health Professionals, Voluntary and Charity colleagues to facilitate the best possible outcomes for those people we support.

You’ll be part of a team that relies on each individual to play their part to the best of their ability. As well as the colleagues that you work closely with every day, you’ll also be part of Team Reading, playing your personal part in making Reading a successful and vibrant place.

Our vision is to ensure that Reading realises its potential as a great place to live, work and play, and that everyone shares the benefits of this success. Our values and behaviours guide how we will achieve this:
Work Together as one team - work collaboratively, with each other and with our partners, and demonstrate the Team Reading values in everything we do
Drive Efficiency - show initiative, be adaptable to change and put forward ideas to help improve delivery and efficiency. Take responsibility for our own learning and development and for reaching our potential
Be Ambitious - be demanding of our own performance – striving to be even better – and be prepared to engage with and challenge leaders in a constructive and positive way
Make a Difference to Reading - maintain the highest levels of customer service and be flexible and willing to provide the services needed at the time they are needed

Our offer:
A competitive salary alongside a range of benefits including:

Generous holiday entitlement - 25 days holiday each year plus bank holidays - rising to 33 days after 10 years' service, with the option to buy additional leave
Maternity, adoption, parental and sick pay
A wide range of flexible working opportunities
Access to a range of training and learning opportunities to help you develop
Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
On-site day nursery (Kennet Day nursery) rated outstanding by Ofsted
Season Ticket Loan - a loan to help with the cost of your rail or bus journey, to and from work

If you would like to find out more about this role and the team, please contact Ruvimbo Katsholo – Team Manager at [email protected] or Becky Price – Senior Occupational Therapist at [email protected]

Closing date: Sunday 17th May 2026
Interview date: To be confirmed
Interview will be in person at the Civic Offices in Reading

Visit: to find out more about Reading’s Community & Adult Social Care Services. It’s a chance to hear from the people who already work here and why they have chosen Reading as their professional destination.

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A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident .