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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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kelsey

support
Recognised for
Hard Work
Recognised by

Kelsey has taken her role as a key worker with great responsibility, she has ensured her resident has new clothing, kept up to date on family birthday, planning personal trips and building strong relationships with her key workers mum. she has made a real difference in her key workers life.

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Aashia

Support Worker
Recognised for
Hard Work
Recognised by

After a recent environmental audit, Aashia has gone out of her way to ensure that all areas improve with cleanliness and making sure the home looks more homely. Aashia has put in hours worth of cleaning when she has the time to do this. Thank you Aashia.

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Eve

Acting team leader/ Support worker
Recognised for
Positivity
Recognised by

On Monday the 3rd of march 2025, Eve was supporting an Individual DW.
She understood that the individual rarely gets involved in outdoor activities . Eve helped engage DW into a new walking activity in the garden which was interactive by touching objects along the way and following routes , it helped bring fun and exercise into DW’s regime.

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Emily

Acting Team Leader
Recognised for
Hard Work
Recognised by

After a recent environmental audit, Emily has gone out of her way to ensure that all areas improve with cleanliness and making sure the home looks more homely. Emily has put in hours worth of cleaning when she has the time to do this. Thank you Emily.

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Khurram

Support Worker
Recognised for
Support
Recognised by

A member of the community came to Longfield searching for her parcels, they were located at a neighbouring house. The parcels were too heavy for her to carry. Khurram took the initiative to assist the lady in carrying them to her house.

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Ruth

OT
Recognised for
Support
Recognised by

Ruth has been amazing today.
As a trainer the motorway was closed so I was 30 minutes late to the training i was running.
As soon as I walked in Ruth helped with making sure that the group had everything they needed. even finding some people who had gone to the wrong place.
With Ruth’s help i managed to get back on track with the course. thanks

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Stephen

Support Worker
Recognised for
Fun
Recognised by

Stephen has taken a resident on holiday who is having a hard time currently to try and lighten his mood and ensure he is completing meaningful activities and explore new opportunities.

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Jamie

Hospital Manager
Recognised for
Growth
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I want to express my gratitude for Jamie’s outstanding collaboration & his success has created a positive impact on his colleagues. Jamie has demonstrated positive growth in his leadership, & his willingness to support his colleagues has created a harmonious work environment! Keep Growing! Keep Shining!

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Emma

Ward Manager
Recognised for
Fun
Recognised by

Emma often goes above and beyond to make work fun for all staff, she has a strong passion for boosting morale and often hosts events and BBQ’s for our staff, and patients – which always get positive feedback.
I would like for Emma to be recognised for all the effort she puts into this.
Thank you Emma for being amazing.

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Elizabeth

support worker
Recognised for
Hard Work
Recognised by

Liz joined the service about six month ago and it’s like she has been with us for ages. Her dedication, support and engagement with the residents is very admirable. She is very pro-active, always looking for ways to improve the residents wellbeing. She has also been able to cover team leaders shifts that is how good and hard working she is!.

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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