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Occupational Therapist (Band 5)

Colchester, CO4 5HF
£31,317 per year
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About the role

Overview

Colchester, CO4 5HF
Full Time
£31,317 per year
11 June 2025

Would you like to explore a rewarding career experience as an Occupational Therapist?

 

About Us:

Cygnet Health Care was established in 1988 as an independent provider of health and social care services in England, Scotland and Wales.

Your Role: Occupational Therapist (Band 5/Newly Qualified)
Working hours: 40 Hours per week
Salary:  £31,317 per year (salary to increase upon successful completion of OT Preceptorship)
Service Line: Learning Disability Mental Health
Location: Cygnet Hospital Colchester, Boxted Rd, Mile End, Colchester CO4 5HF
Responsible to: Head of Occupational Therapy and Regional Lead Occupational Therapist

Cygnet encourages applications from newly qualified, or soon to be qualified, Occupational Therapists. Cygnet is a great place to launch your career in Occupational Therapy, offering lots of learning opportunities and support.  We provide a monthly Band 5 development programme, a 12-month OT preceptorship supported by your supervisor with peer support from other Band 5s too, and weekly 1:1s with your supervisor to help you feel empowered and supported in your role.

Summary of the site:

Cygnet Hospital Colchester is a 59 bed service providing a range of intensive support and rehabilitation services for men with learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorders or mental health needs.

The aim of our services is assessment, stabilisation, treatment and engagement, with a view to supporting service users in the least restrictive environment appropriate to their needs. Our services are recovery-focused, with the aim of preparing individuals for a move to rehabilitation or step-down services, and ultimately, back into the community wherever possible.

The team at Colchester consists of nurses, psychologists, psychology assistants, occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, and psychiatrists as well as 24/7 support from the nursing team. This means that we are able to meet the changing needs of our service users as they progress through their care pathway, while ensuring their safety is maintained and their independence supported.

Clinical:

You would be responsible for the assessment and treatment of occupational dysfunction for patients on your allocated caseload, including the delivery of person centred group and individual therapy sessions. You will work with a full multidisciplinary team in a coordinated way to support each service user to develop their skills and move through our clinical model of care from admission to discharge. You will have the support of an Occupational Therapy team. You will receive regular clinical supervision from an experienced Occupational Therapist on-site, including weekly 1:1 check in’s.

Occupational Therapy Directorate

Under the leadership of our occupational therapy directors we support over 150 Occupational Therapists and over 300 OT support staff. Working together as a large team we provide support to each other across the group, with the opportunity to be part of specialist interest groups & become involved in service development.

Every service line has a clinical lead occupational therapist to lead and develop evidence based practice and agreed occupational therapy pathway.

We ensure our occupational therapy team members have a voice through participating in service model development, utilising the expertise and support of our clinical lead occupational therapists

Occupational Therapy Preceptorship & Induction:

We understand the pandemic has brought with it challenging times, and we recognise this may have had an impact on some of your placement experiences. We offer an Occupational Therapy 12 month preceptorship programme to support and consolidate core Occupational Therapy Skills.

5 reasons why you should make an application today…

  1. We care about people in our services
  2. Expert clinical supervision with an occupational therapist
  3. Induction & service line training in area of specialism
  4. Dedicated CPD time for peer support, skill development and specialist training
  5. We support and develop you to build skills and confidence for the next level in your career.

Cygnet Health Care Benefits

  • Free parking
  • Free meals for staff on duty
  • Relocation package available  
  • Group pension plan helping you save for your future
  • NHS Discount Cards & Blue Light Card (includes big brand discounts)
  • Wellbeing centre with exercises, recipes, financial and mental health advice.
  • Plus much more…

A career at Cygnet comes with excellent benefits. Whether it’s saving you money on the high street, with healthcare, holidays & leisure – or securing your future with professional development and a pension – we support you to be happy both in & out of work.

Apply now to enjoy excellent career prospects while reaping the rewards of making a difference to others – every day.

If you would like to discuss this role with the recruiting occupational therapist or arrange an informal visit, we’d be more than happy to facilitate this. Please contact: Emmanuel Ozowara (Head of Occupational Therapy at Colchester) at EmmanuelOzowara@cygnethealth.co.uk

Requirements:
The successful candidate will be required to undergo an enhanced DBS and reference check and an offer of employment will be subject to successful clearance.

 

*Recruitment agencies please note: Speculative emails are not to be sent directly to our clinical staff, these need to go via our internal recruitment team. If speculative candidates are sent directly to a member of the clinical team, we will consider these candidates as our own*

Benefits & Rewards

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Group Pension

We’ll look after you beyond Cygnet by helping you save for your future with a pension scheme. Cygnet provides a monthly contribution into your pot for every month you actively pay in.

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Free Mortgage Broker & Insurance Cover

Cygnet understands that buying a home is probably the biggest and most important financial decision for most of us. As a result we have partnered with L&C to offer free mortgage advice, free insurance cover and receive a voucher on completion of your mortgage

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Enhanced Maternity

In addition to statutory pay, Cygnet provides enhanced maternity pay.

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Free Life Assurance Cover

Cygnet provides a Group Life assurance scheme which pays out a lump sum benefit to your family or next of kin in the event of your death whilst employed by Cygnet.

Plan your commute

Cygnet Hospital Colchester

Colchester
London & South East
CO4 5HF
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Stories from our staff
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OT's have the biggest opportunities to change somebody's life
It is very challenging, but at the same time a very rewarding experience

88% of staff enjoy working for Cygnet

At Cygnet, you’ll work in incredible, inspiring teams and enjoy satisfying careers with plenty of opportunities to grow

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90% of staff said access to training has helped them in their role

No matter what your role is, we invest in your learning and development to help you achieve your career aspirations.

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Colleague to colleague endorsements

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Beverley

Team Leader
Recognised for
Support
Recognised by

Langdale House have recently started transition work with an individual who will be moving into our home. Bev was happy to support Langdale by being involved in the transition and feeding back relevant information which has supported managers to build up a comprehensive care plan prior to admission to Langdale.

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Mercy

Night Support Worker
Recognised for
Support
Recognised by

Langdale House have recently started transition work with an individual who will be moving into our home. Mercy was happy to support Langdale by being involved in the transition and feeding back relevant information which has supported managers to build up a comprehensive care plan prior to admission to Langdale.

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Idris

Night Senior
Recognised for
Resilience
Recognised by

The work in service can sometimes go on forever at night, but not while Mr. Idris is working. He usually approaches each task with concentration and a sense of humour, and he never gives up until he ensures that it is finished. Mr. Idris frequently eases his coworkers with funny jokes and enjoys bringing them along. Weldone Mr Idris.

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Eziaku

Night Support Worker
Recognised for
Support
Recognised by

Langdale House have recently started transition work with an individual who will be moving into our home. Ezi was happy to support Langdale by being involved in the transition and feeding back relevant information which has supported managers to build up a comprehensive care plan prior to admission to Langdale.

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Steven

ATL
Recognised for
Support
Recognised by

Langdale House have recently started transition work with an individual who will be moving into our home. Steve was happy to support Langdale by being involved in the transition and feeding back relevant information which has supported managers to build up a comprehensive care plan prior to admission to Langdale.

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Victoria

ATL
Recognised for
Support
Recognised by

Langdale House have recently started transition work with an individual who will be moving into our home. Tori was happy to support Langdale by being involved in the transition and feeding back relevant information which has supported managers to build up a comprehensive care plan prior to admission to Langdale.

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Enite

Senior Support Worker
Recognised for
Hard Work
Recognised by

The Outwood Night Team- We have had shifts consistently available due to being unable to recruit to them for a variety of reasons. Over the last year this team have worked so hard to ensure that the shifts are covered, they work together to ensure consistency for the residents as well as to support each other. Their hard work has meant that we very rarely run short and we always can meet the needs of the residents. They are a great team and a great support to the effective running of the service.

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Robert

support worker
Recognised for
Support
Recognised by

Robert supported an individual to hospital following a significant head injury, he remained calm and ensured the individual received medical attention

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Pamela

support worker
Recognised for
Hard Work
Recognised by

Pam has gone above and beyond to support the service over the past 2 months. The service is currently dealing with a shortage of team leaders, during this time Pam has offered to support with shift leading & medication administration, this support has been invaluable to the service and has ensured the service is staffed safely, avoiding agency use

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Catherine

Nurse
Recognised for
Communication
Recognised by

Catherine is an exceptional nurse with outstanding clinical and, especially, communication skills. She clearly and compassionately explain complex medical information, fostering trust and easing anxiety in patients and families. Their strong communication also promotes a positive and collaborative work environment.

Click here to apply for a life changing career

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Speculative candidates or CVs sent to Cygnet by recruitment agencies/headhunters will be treated as a “free of charge” gesture. For further clarification, email recruitment@cygnethealth.co.uk
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