Occupational Therapist Apprentice

Wiltshire Council

Salisbury (SP1 3UZ)

Closes in 13 days (Sunday 1 June 2025)

Posted on 16 May 2025

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Contents

Summary

Join our South Adult Community Team through our exciting Level 6 Occupational Therapist Apprenticeship, integrated with a degree. This apprenticeship spans four academic years followed by a six-month End Point Assessment.

Wage

£30,559 a year

Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

Training course
Occupational therapist (level 6)
Hours
Monday to Friday, start times between 8am - 9am and finish times between 4pm - 5pm due to flexible working. This will be discussed at interview and appointment.

37 hours a week

Start date

Friday 1 August 2025

Duration

4 years

Positions available

1

Work

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

What you'll do at work

  • To uphold standards of practice for Occupational Therapists as determined by the regulatory body, the Health and Care Professions Council and the Professional Standards and Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists
  • Undertake strengths based occupational therapy assessments (including assessment of mental capacity where appropriate) using your professional judgement to adapt your approach to the individual needs of the customer
  • Undertake Moving and Handling risk assessments with some moderately complex cases; access support and guidance for the management of complex and challenging cases
  • Develop an understanding of risk assessment and positive risk taking. Work with customers to manage risk and record any actions and strategies agreed in a timely manner

If appropriate following assessment, refer customers for Disabled Facilities Grant (private properties) or Disabled Adaptation (Council/Housing Association properties) to facilitate any adaptations which have been identified as necessary for customer.

  • Work with housing providers and other partners to maintain effective communication and ensure that adaptations are completed in a person-centred way
  • Undertake assessments for Disabled Parking Bays
  • Assess for, provide and review pieces of equipment requested to meet customer's needs
  • Gather sufficient information about customers from a wide range of sources in order to be able to accurately assess their needs against Wiltshire Council’s duties under the Care Act, Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 (amended 2002) and housing legislation
  • Analyse, research and source equipment solutions including obtaining quotes and specifications if required, in order to obtain best value and reduce risk. Plan for the provision of support and/or services, focusing on customers undertaking occupations and encouraging independence
  • Build relationships with domiciliary care agencies, Homefirst teams, acute and community hospital staff
  • Consider the needs of carers in line with Care Act eligibility and make referrals to partner agencies for assessment and support as required
  • Record all occupational therapy contacts accurately, and in a timely way, onto the social care records in accordance with work targets set by the Team Manager and Supervisor
  • Understand and utilise universally available services within the voluntary and community sector, as well as maintaining knowledge of services commissioned by the Council to support effective provision of information to customers
  • Take active responsibility for your continuing professional development including attendance at statutory and non-statutory training and participation in development opportunities
  • Fully engage with, and prepare for, own supervision and appraisal through self-evaluation, ensuring that continual professional development is evidenced
  • Provide professional advice and support to non- professionally qualified staff and ensure that any practice and other concerns are communicated with line managers
  • Contribute proactively to the effective working of the team with positive attitude, by sharing knowledge, offering advice and support and being prepared to be involved in the development of services
  • Have awareness of safeguarding in line with Wiltshire policy, including making referrals and participating in safeguarding investigations where appropriate
  • Establish and maintain good working relationships with other professionals working with the customer and carry out joint visits where needed. Seek advice from other professionals such as GP's, Consultants and Health Therapists working with the customer and refer to other disciplines as appropriate

Where you'll work

Bourne Hill
Salisbury
SP1 3UZ

Training

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

College or training organisation

UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST OF ENGLAND, BRISTOL

Your training course

Occupational therapist (level 6)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents
  • Identify the limits of own practice and when to seek advice or refer to another professional or service.
  • Recognise the need to manage own workload and resources safely and effectively, including managing the emotional burden that comes with working in a pressured environment.
  • Keep own skills and knowledge up to date.
  • Maintain high standards of personal and professional conduct.
  • Engage in safeguarding processes where necessary.
  • Promote and protect the service user’s interests at all times.
  • Respect and uphold the rights, dignity, values, and autonomy of service users, including own role in the assessment, diagnostic, treatment and/or therapeutic process.
  • Maintain high standards of care in all circumstances.
  • Exercise a duty of care.
  • Obtain valid consent, which is voluntary and informed, has due regard to capacity, is proportionate to the circumstances and is appropriately documented.
  • Apply legislation, policies and guidance relevant to own profession and scope of practice.
  • Recognise the power imbalance which comes with being a health care professional, and ensure it is not abused for personal gain.
  • Identify own anxiety and stress and recognise the potential impact on own practice.
  • Develop and adopt clear strategies for physical and mental self-care and self-awareness, to maintain a high standard of professional effectiveness and a safe working environment.
  • Recognise that they are personally responsible for, and must be able to, justify their decisions and actions.
  • Use own skills, knowledge and experience, and the information available, to make informed decisions and / or take action where necessary.
  • Make reasoned decisions to initiate, continue, modify or cease treatment or the use of techniques or procedures, and record the decisions and reasoning appropriately.
  • Make and receive appropriate referrals, where necessary.
  • Exercise personal initiative.
  • Demonstrate a logical and systematic approach to problem solving.
  • Use research, reasoning and problem solving skills when determining appropriate actions.
  • Respond appropriately to the needs of all different groups and individuals in practice, recognising this can be affected by difference of any kind including, but not limited to, protected characteristics, intersectional experiences and cultural differences.
  • Recognise the potential impact of own values, beliefs and personal biases, which may be unconscious, on practice and take personal action to ensure all service users and carers are treated appropriately with respect and dignity.
  • Make and support reasonable adjustments in owns and others’ practice.
  • Actively challenge barriers to inclusion, supporting the implementation of change wherever possible.
  • Adhere to the professional duty of confidentiality.
  • Respond in a timely manner to situations where it is necessary to share information to safeguard service users, carers and/or the wider public and recognise situations where it is necessary to share information to safeguard service users, carers and/or the wider public.
  • Use effective and appropriate verbal and non-verbal skills to communicate with service users, carers, colleagues and others.
  • Communicate in English to the required standard for the profession.
  • Work with service users and/or own carers to facilitate the service user’s preferred role in decision-making, and provide service users and carers with the information they may need where appropriate.
  • Modify own means of communication to address the individual communication needs and preferences of service users and carers, and remove any barriers to communication where possible.
  • Use information, communication and digital technologies appropriate to own practice.
  • Actively listen to a service user’s occupational narrative and analyse the content in order to plan for the future.
  • Keep full, clear and accurate records in accordance with applicable legislation, protocols and guidelines.
  • Manage records and all other information in accordance with applicable legislation, protocols and guidelines.
  • Use digital record keeping tools, where required.
  • Work in partnership with service users, carers, colleagues and others.
  • Contribute effectively to work undertaken as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
  • Identify anxiety and stress in service users, carers and colleagues, adapting own practice and providing support where appropriate.
  • Identify own leadership qualities, behaviours and approaches, taking into account the importance of equality, diversity and inclusion.
  • Demonstrate leadership behaviours appropriate to own practice.
  • Act as a role model for others.
  • Promote and engage in the learning of others.
  • Ensure intervention reviews are informed by changes in service user’s circumstances.
  • Recognise the involvement of public, private and voluntary sector providers in the delivery of health, care and other services which affect occupational performance.
  • Facilitate group work in order to maximise support, learning and change within groups and communities.
  • Work in appropriate partnership with service users in order to evaluate the effectiveness of occupational therapy intervention.
  • Recognise and evaluate the potential of occupational therapy in new and emerging areas of practice.
  • Engage in evidence-based practice.
  • Gather and use feedback and information, including qualitative and quantitative data, to evaluate the responses of service users to own care.
  • Monitor and systematically evaluate the quality of practice, and maintain an effective quality management and quality assurance process working towards continual improvement.
  • Participate in quality management, including quality control, quality assurance, clinical governance and the use of appropriate outcome measures.
  • Evaluate care plans or intervention plans using recognised and appropriate outcome measures, in conjunction with the service user where possible, and revise the plans as necessary.
  • Demonstrate awareness of the principles and applications of scientific enquiry, including the evaluation of treatment efficacy and the research process.
  • Apply the theoretical concepts underpinning occupational therapy, including concepts of:- anatomy- physiology- pathology- human development- ergonomics- biomechanics- psychology- sociology- occupational science.
  • Apply the theoretical concepts underpinning occupational therapy to inform the understanding of physical, emotional and mental health.
  • Analyse activity and occupation and their relation to and effect on, health, wellbeing and function as part of occupational formulation, diagnosis and therapeutic use of occupation.
  • Demonstrate awareness of physical, attitudinal, social, economic, educational, environmental and work-related policies and services and their effect on people within a diverse society.
  • Recognise the value of the diversity and complexity of human behaviour through the exploration of different physical, psychological, cognitive, environmental, social, emotional and spiritual perspectives.
  • Demonstrate awareness of the origins and development of occupational therapy, including the evolution of the profession towards the current emphasis on autonomy and empowerment of individuals, groups and communities.
  • Support others with the facilitation of teaching and learning including teaching self-management strategies to service users and carers.
  • Change own practice as needed to take account of new developments, technologies and changing contexts.
  • Gather appropriate information.
  • Analyse and critically evaluate the information collected.
  • Select and use appropriate assessment techniques and equipment.
  • Undertake and record a thorough, sensitive, and detailed assessment.
  • Undertake or arrange investigations as appropriate.
  • Conduct appropriate assessment or monitoring procedures, treatment, therapy or other actions safely and effectively.
  • Critically evaluate research and other evidence to inform own practice.
  • Engage service users in research as appropriate.
  • Select and use relevant standardised and non-standardised assessment techniques and observation to gather information about the service user’s functional and occupational abilities, occupational performance and participation, taking account of the cultural and environmental context.
  • Formulate specific and appropriate care or case management plans including the setting of timescales.
  • Select as appropriate, the specific occupations and activities for use as therapeutic media, taking into account the particular needs of service users.
  • Use the scientific theories, concepts, principles and professional frameworks underpinning occupational therapy practice.
  • Demonstrate awareness of the broad range of occupations and activities that can be used in intervention and how these should reflect the individual’s occupational needs and preferences.
  • Select or develop therapeutic media and environments, and adapt these as appropriate to meet service user’s needs, build on their abilities and enhance their occupational performance and participation.
  • Demonstrate awareness of relevant health and safety legislation and comply with all local operational procedures and policies.
  • Work safely, including being able to select appropriate hazard control and risk management, reduction or elimination techniques in a safe manner and in accordance with health and safety legislation.
  • Select appropriate personal protective equipment and use it correctly.
  • Establish safe environments for practice, which appropriately manages risk.
  • Apply appropriate moving and handling techniques.
  • Empower and enable individuals, including service users and colleagues, to play a part in managing own health.
  • Engage in occupational health, including being aware of immunisation requirements.
  • Identify the limits of own practice and when to seek advice or refer to another professional or service.
  • Recognise the need to manage own workload and resources safely and effectively, including managing the emotional burden that comes with working in a pressured environment.
  • Keep own skills and knowledge up to date.
  • Maintain high standards of personal and professional conduct.
  • Engage in safeguarding processes where necessary.
  • Promote and protect the service user’s interests at all times.
  • Respect and uphold the rights, dignity, values, and autonomy of service users, including own role in the assessment, diagnostic, treatment and/or therapeutic process.
  • Maintain high standards of care in all circumstances.
  • Exercise a duty of care.
  • Obtain valid consent, which is voluntary and informed, has due regard to capacity, is proportionate to the circumstances and is appropriately documented.
  • Apply legislation, policies and guidance relevant to own profession and scope of practice.
  • Recognise the power imbalance which comes with being a health care professional, and ensure it is not abused for personal gain.
  • Identify own anxiety and stress and recognise the potential impact on own practice.
  • Develop and adopt clear strategies for physical and mental self-care and self-awareness, to maintain a high standard of professional effectiveness and a safe working environment.
  • Recognise that they are personally responsible for, and must be able to, justify their decisions and actions.
  • Use own skills, knowledge and experience, and the information available, to make informed decisions and / or take action where necessary.
  • Make reasoned decisions to initiate, continue, modify or cease treatment or the use of techniques or procedures, and record the decisions and reasoning appropriately.
  • Make and receive appropriate referrals, where necessary.
  • Exercise personal initiative.
  • Demonstrate a logical and systematic approach to problem solving.
  • Use research, reasoning and problem solving skills when determining appropriate actions.
  • Respond appropriately to the needs of all different groups and individuals in practice, recognising this can be affected by difference of any kind including, but not limited to, protected characteristics, intersectional experiences and cultural differences.
  • Recognise the potential impact of own values, beliefs and personal biases, which may be unconscious, on practice and take personal action to ensure all service users and carers are treated appropriately with respect and dignity.
  • Make and support reasonable adjustments in owns and others’ practice.
  • Actively challenge barriers to inclusion, supporting the implementation of change wherever possible.
  • Adhere to the professional duty of confidentiality.
  • Respond in a timely manner to situations where it is necessary to share information to safeguard service users, carers and/or the wider public and recognise situations where it is necessary to share information to safeguard service users, carers and/or the wider public.
  • Use effective and appropriate verbal and non-verbal skills to communicate with service users, carers, colleagues and others.
  • Communicate in English to the required standard for the profession.
  • Work with service users and/or own carers to facilitate the service user’s preferred role in decision-making, and provide service users and carers with the information they may need where appropriate.
  • Modify own means of communication to address the individual communication needs and preferences of service users and carers, and remove any barriers to communication where possible.
  • Use information, communication and digital technologies appropriate to own practice.
  • Actively listen to a service user’s occupational narrative and analyse the content in order to plan for the future.
  • Keep full, clear and accurate records in accordance with applicable legislation, protocols and guidelines.
  • Manage records and all other information in accordance with applicable legislation, protocols and guidelines.
  • Use digital record keeping tools, where required.
  • Work in partnership with service users, carers, colleagues and others.
  • Contribute effectively to work undertaken as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
  • Identify anxiety and stress in service users, carers and colleagues, adapting own practice and providing support where appropriate.
  • Identify own leadership qualities, behaviours and approaches, taking into account the importance of equality, diversity and inclusion.
  • Demonstrate leadership behaviours appropriate to own practice.
  • Act as a role model for others.
  • Promote and engage in the learning of others.
  • Ensure intervention reviews are informed by changes in service user’s circumstances.
  • Recognise the involvement of public, private and voluntary sector providers in the delivery of health, care and other services which affect occupational performance.
  • Facilitate group work in order to maximise support, learning and change within groups and communities.
  • Work in appropriate partnership with service users in order to evaluate the effectiveness of occupational therapy intervention.
  • Recognise and evaluate the potential of occupational therapy in new and emerging areas of practice.
  • Engage in evidence-based practice.
  • Gather and use feedback and information, including qualitative and quantitative data, to evaluate the responses of service users to own care.
  • Monitor and systematically evaluate the quality of practice, and maintain an effective quality management and quality assurance process working towards continual improvement.
  • Participate in quality management, including quality control, quality assurance, clinical governance and the use of appropriate outcome measures.
  • Evaluate care plans or intervention plans using recognised and appropriate outcome measures, in conjunction with the service user where possible, and revise the plans as necessary.
  • Demonstrate awareness of the principles and applications of scientific enquiry, including the evaluation of treatment efficacy and the research process.
  • Apply the theoretical concepts underpinning occupational therapy, including concepts of:- anatomy- physiology- pathology- human development- ergonomics- biomechanics- psychology- sociology- occupational science.
  • Apply the theoretical concepts underpinning occupational therapy to inform the understanding of physical, emotional and mental health.
  • Analyse activity and occupation and their relation to and effect on, health, wellbeing and function as part of occupational formulation, diagnosis and therapeutic use of occupation.
  • Demonstrate awareness of physical, attitudinal, social, economic, educational, environmental and work-related policies and services and their effect on people within a diverse society.
  • Recognise the value of the diversity and complexity of human behaviour through the exploration of different physical, psychological, cognitive, environmental, social, emotional and spiritual perspectives.
  • Demonstrate awareness of the origins and development of occupational therapy, including the evolution of the profession towards the current emphasis on autonomy and empowerment of individuals, groups and communities.
  • Support others with the facilitation of teaching and learning including teaching self-management strategies to service users and carers.
  • Change own practice as needed to take account of new developments, technologies and changing contexts.
  • Gather appropriate information.
  • Analyse and critically evaluate the information collected.
  • Select and use appropriate assessment techniques and equipment.
  • Undertake and record a thorough, sensitive, and detailed assessment.
  • Undertake or arrange investigations as appropriate.
  • Conduct appropriate assessment or monitoring procedures, treatment, therapy or other actions safely and effectively.
  • Critically evaluate research and other evidence to inform own practice.
  • Engage service users in research as appropriate.
  • Select and use relevant standardised and non-standardised assessment techniques and observation to gather information about the service user’s functional and occupational abilities, occupational performance and participation, taking account of the cultural and environmental context.
  • Formulate specific and appropriate care or case management plans including the setting of timescales.
  • Select as appropriate, the specific occupations and activities for use as therapeutic media, taking into account the particular needs of service users.
  • Use the scientific theories, concepts, principles and professional frameworks underpinning occupational therapy practice.
  • Demonstrate awareness of the broad range of occupations and activities that can be used in intervention and how these should reflect the individual’s occupational needs and preferences.
  • Select or develop therapeutic media and environments, and adapt these as appropriate to meet service user’s needs, build on their abilities and enhance their occupational performance and participation.
  • Demonstrate awareness of relevant health and safety legislation and comply with all local operational procedures and policies.
  • Work safely, including being able to select appropriate hazard control and risk management, reduction or elimination techniques in a safe manner and in accordance with health and safety legislation.
  • Select appropriate personal protective equipment and use it correctly.
  • Establish safe environments for practice, which appropriately manages risk.
  • Apply appropriate moving and handling techniques.
  • Empower and enable individuals, including service users and colleagues, to play a part in managing own health.
  • Engage in occupational health, including being aware of immunisation requirements.

Your training plan

The apprenticeship consists of an occupational therapy programme in 3 levels:

At level 4 you are exploring occupation and yourself as an occupational being, whilst at the same time getting to grips with what it means to be in an academic setting.

At level 5 you are valuing occupation, developing an understanding of how to harness it therapeutically, and what it means to be a health and social care professional.

At level 6 you are promoting occupation and are developing a professional stance and understanding of the skill set of your profession, how to show this as a unique selling point in the field and how to use research to underpin this understanding of your skill set.

If you are successful, we will offer you dedicated study time and comprehensive support. You will spend at least 20% of your working hours on relevant academic learning with your training provider, which could involve attending university or be delivered online. 

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

Maths & English (grade C/4)

Other in:

Level 3 & 6 (grade PASS and above)

Let the company know about other relevant qualifications and industry experience you have. They can adjust the apprenticeship to reflect what you already know.

Skills

  • Communication skills
  • IT skills
  • Organisation skills
  • Customer care skills
  • Problem solving skills
  • Administrative skills
  • Team working
  • Initiative
  • Non judgemental
  • Patience
  • Work independently
  • Time management skills
  • Ability to work under pressure
  • Positive - can do attitude

Other requirements

•Total of 120 UCAS points. •Experience of working in a social care role for a minimum of one year. •Full driving licence and access to a vehicle due to the travel requirements of the role. •Willingness to undertake a health assessment and have routine immunisations required for working in health and social care settings.

About this company

"We empower our people to innovate and collaborate in order to build strong communities" Our core values support the delivery of this vision and underpin what we stand for and how we do things. 1. Trust and Respect 2. Responsibility 3. Excellence We have three main hubs, County Hall (Trowbridge), Monkton Park (Chippenham) and Bourne Hill (Salisbury).

https://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/ (opens in new tab)

Company benefits

One organisation, working together: that’s Wiltshire Council. We value our team’s work which is why we offer generous benefits. Join us and you’ll have access to everything, from flexible working to family-friendly policies.

Disability Confident

Disability Confident

A fair proportion of interviews for this apprenticeship will be offered to applicants with a disability or long-term health condition. This includes non-visible disabilities and conditions.

You can choose to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident scheme. You’ll need to meet the essential requirements to be considered for an interview.

After this apprenticeship

Upon successful completion, you will need to apply and succeed at an interview for a newly qualified occupational therapist position, with a current salary range of £36,124 to £37,938. 

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

Wiltshire Council

Apprenticeship Team

apprenticeships@wiltshire.gov.uk

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000321084.

Apply now

Closes in 13 days (Sunday 1 June 2025)

When you apply, you’ll be asked to sign in with a GOV.UK One Login. You can create one at the same time as applying for this apprenticeship.

After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.

Company’s application instructions

Head to our website to apply with a covering letter and your CV. Further details on the Council's application process are explained by clicking the link provided above. Job Reference: 4519