Job Advert
About the Organisation:
NHS Orkney is committed to delivering excellent care to our 22,000 residents. Whether you’re new to the NHS or bringing experience from elsewhere, your skills will make a real difference.
Our modern healthcare facility, The Balfour, brings together inpatient care, emergency services, outpatient clinics, diagnostics, GP practices and the Scottish Ambulance Service. We’re also investing in services across our outer isles, ensuring high-quality care reaches every corner of Orkney.
We are guided by our core values that shape everything we do – Open and honest, Respect and Kindness – from how we care for our patients to how we support each other as colleagues.
About Orkney:
With over 70 islands – 20 of them inhabited – Orkney offers a unique blend of natural beauty, close-knit community and an opportunity for adventure. From dramatic coastlines and rare wildlife to rich cultural traditions and active lifestyles, it’s a place where compassion thrives and every day brings something new. Regularly named one of the UK’s best places to live, Orkney offers a lifestyle that’s both fulfilling and inspiring.
The Position:
We are looking for an Occupational Therapist who makes person centred care their first priority and who thrives on working with a varied caseload to joint our Occupational Therapy Bank.
Working within a multidisciplinary team and interagency framework, our OTs manage a defined caseload using evidence based practice and client centred principles to assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions in both hospital and community settings.
The postholder will provide Occupational Therapy service cover as required within the service areas (ageing well (falls prevention); home first (discharge to assess); intermediate care, inpatient wards and the community) as detailed in the job description.
You will be required to answer a question relating to your experience of working as an Occupational Therapist which will be used as part of shortlisting.
The Candidate:
Candidate will have:
- BSc (Hons) or Diploma in Occupational Therapy
- Full HCPC registration
- Proven experience working with adults in an inpatient and community setting.
- Proven experience working with people who have a diverse range of medical and surgical conditions
- Proven experience as an autonomous practitioner, under the direction of a Senior Occupational Therapist and as a member of the multidisciplinary team.
- Full driving licence - It is essential that the post holder has access to transport and if driving themselves, should hold a full driving licence. If by virtue of a disablement, an applicant has the qualifications to perform the post but cannot drive, then the possibility of adjustments to arrange transport will be considered.
Location, Working Pattern and Contract Duration:
This post will be based at The Balfour or at Selbro Resource Centre – Base to be confirmed upon appointment
The successful candidate will work: on a Relief Basis
This post is Relief
It is a condition of this employment that you must live and remain a resident within the UK for the post in which you will be employed with NHS Orkney.
Benefits and Salary:
Did you know NHS Scotland salaries are higher than those in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland?
The salary for this post is Band 5 and if residing on Orkney, you’ll also receive a Distant Islands Allowance of £1,654 pro rata per annum, adding extra value to your rewarding career with us.
NHS Orkney also offers an attractive pension scheme, wide range of work life balance policies, employee assistance programme and various discounts to both local and national retailers.
Further Information:
If you share our vision and are ready to be part of Team Orkney, we’d love to hear from you. Your rewarding career starts here!
We are happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that candidates may need during the recruitment process, and you will be asked whether you require any during your application. If there are additional requirements you would like to request, please contact ork.recruitment@nhs.scot
For further guidance on the recruitment process and tips for creating a strong application, please refer to our Candidate Application Pack.
To find out more about this opportunity please contact:
Rona Harcus, Interim Occupational Therapy Lead, rona.harcus@nhs.scot Tel: 01856 888118
This post is subject to a Disclosure Scotland check.
AI tools like ChatGPT or Copilot can be great for planning and preparing your application - but your answers must be your own.
- Show us the real you: Your application should reflect your skills, experience, and motivations authentically.
- Use AI wisely: It’s fine to use AI for ideas or to check spelling and grammar, but don’t let it write your answers.
- Why this matters: Applications that rely on AI-generated content may be withdrawn. By applying, you confirm your responses are based on your own knowledge and achievements.
Tip: Think of AI as a helper, not a substitute. We want to understand you—not an AI tool.
Please note this advert may close early if sufficient applications are received.
NHS Orkney is an equal opportunities employer committed to advancing equality and particularly welcomes applications from groups of people currently underrepresented within the workforce. We are a committed participant in the Disability Confident Leader Scheme and guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for our vacancies.