Remuneration: $40.05 - $57.14 Per Hour + 12% Super + Salary Packaging
Employment Type: Permanent Part Time
Position Classification: Occupational Therapist Level 1/2
Hours Per Week: 20
Location: James Fletcher Hospital
Requisition ID: REQ687804
Applications Close: Sunday 20th September 2026

✨ About the Role

As an Occupational Therapist, you’ll play a key role within the Newcastle Community Older Persons Mental Health Service, delivering specialist occupational therapy assessment and intervention to older people experiencing mental health, cognitive and functional challenges.

Reporting to the Team Manager, you’ll be well supported by the Clinical Coordinator, senior clinicians and experienced Occupational Therapy colleagues, providing a strong network of clinical guidance, collaboration and professional support.

This is a diverse, autonomous and rewarding community-based role, offering the opportunity to combine clinical assessment, therapeutic intervention, care coordination and multidisciplinary collaboration. With no direct reports, you’ll have the freedom to focus on delivering high-quality, person-centred care and achieving meaningful outcomes for consumers.

What you’ll bring to the role:

- Conduct comprehensive functional, psychosocial, cognitive and environmental assessments across consumers’ homes and community settings.
- Identify and address barriers impacting independence, safety, meaningful activity and community participation.
- Design and deliver individualised occupational therapy interventions tailored to each consumer’s goals, strengths and circumstances.
- Support consumers to maintain or regain independence across everyday activities, routines and meaningful life roles.
- Provide care coordination for consumers experiencing complex mental health needs.
- Contribute to multidisciplinary assessments, case reviews, care planning and risk management
- Build strong partnerships with consumers, families, carers, GPs, residential aged care facilities and community service providers.
- Bring your specialist occupational therapy expertise to multidisciplinary clinical decision-making and holistic care planning.
- Contribute to service development, quality improvement and clinical governance, helping shape and strengthen the delivery of older persons mental health services.
- Make an impact beyond the clinic

This is far from a desk-based position. As an Occupational Therapist, you’ll have the opportunity to work directly with consumers in their homes and local communities, applying your clinical expertise in real-world environments and seeing firsthand the difference occupational therapy can make to independence, participation, wellbeing and quality of life.

It’s an opportunity to combine clinical autonomy with genuine connection - supporting older people to live as independently and meaningfully as possible within the communities they call home.

? Why You’ll Love This Role

Join a supportive and highly experienced multidisciplinary team where your expertise as an Occupational Therapist is valued, encouraged and integral to achieving meaningful outcomes for older people.

This is an opportunity to further develop your specialist skills in older persons mental health and community-based occupational therapy, while enjoying the professional autonomy and variety that comes with a dynamic clinical role.

Rather than being confined to an office-based environment, you’ll regularly connect with consumers in their homes and local communities, applying your occupational therapy expertise in practical, meaningful ways that promote independence, participation and quality of life.

Benefits include:

- A collaborative and supportive multidisciplinary team with a strong focus on shared expertise and high-quality care.
- Regular professional supervision and Occupational Therapy peer support, fostering continued growth and clinical confidence.
- Flexible, community-based practice, providing variety and the opportunity to work where your expertise can have the greatest impact.




- Ongoing professional development and education opportunities to support your career aspirations and clinical growth.
- Specialist skill development across older persons mental health, functional and cognitive assessment, and psychosocial intervention.
- A high degree of professional autonomy, backed by strong clinical support and an experienced multidisciplinary network.
- Access to the broader Hunter New England Mental Health professional and education network, opening the door to further learning and collaboration.
- The opportunity to make a genuine difference, with Occupational Therapy expertise playing a valued and influential role in holistic, multidisciplinary care.

? Join a Specialist Older Persons Mental Health Service

The Newcastle Community Older Persons Mental Health Service is a specialist community-based service dedicated to supporting older people experiencing mental health concerns, cognitive impairment and complex psychosocial needs across the Newcastle and Port Stephens regions.

Based at Watt Street, Newcastle, on the historic former James Fletcher Hospital site, the service forms part of the broader Hunter New England Mental Health network, providing a welcoming and connected environment in which clinicians can make a meaningful difference in the lives of older people and their families.

Working within a highly skilled multidisciplinary team, you’ll collaborate with nursing, medical, psychology, social work and occupational therapy professionals to deliver person-centred, evidence-based and recovery-focused care. The role offers the prospect to work beyond the traditional clinical setting, with regular engagement with consumers in their homes and within their local communities.

Our team prides itself on a strong culture of collaboration, clinical reflection, professional growth and mutual support. Every discipline is valued, with clinicians encouraged to share their expertise, learn from one another and work collectively towards achieving the best possible outcomes for consumers.

For an Occupational Therapist, this is an exciting opportunity to build specialist expertise in older persons mental health and community-based practice, while being supported by a cooperative team committed to professional development and high-quality care.

What we can offer you:

At Hunter New England Health, enjoy a career where you're challenged by interesting work and surrounded by spectacular locations. You'll contribute to the team enriching health in millions of ways every day. On top of this we also offer:

Supportive and collaborative team environment

Ongoing professional development opportunities across the administrative network

Career progression opportunities within NSW Health

Annual leave and paid parental leave for eligible employees

Salary packaging options to increase take-home pay

Fitness Passport and Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to support wellbeing

Essential Requirements:

- Occupational Therapist with current Authority to Practice with AHPRA.

?What You’ll Bring

We’re looking for a suitably qualified and registered Occupational Therapist who brings sound clinical foundations, strong clinical reasoning and a genuine interest in developing their practice within older persons mental health.

- A current Australian Drivers Licence is essential, with regular community outreach and home visits forming part of the role.
- Experience in community practice, functional or cognitive assessment, psychosocial intervention or care coordination is advantageous, but can be further developed with support.
- Knowledge of older persons mental health, mental health legislation, aged care and local community services will be valued, but isn’t essential.
- Clinical supervision,



mentoring and education will support your development of specialist skills and confidence in the role.
- Most importantly, you’ll bring a willingness to learn, grow and develop your specialist Occupational Therapy practice, alongside a commitment to person-centred care.

Additional information:

- An eligibility list will be created for future permanent part time and temporary part time vacancies.

- Hunter New England Health is dedicated to fostering a child-safe environment that respects and upholds the rights of children and young people, aligned with NSW Health’s commitment to implementing the Child Safe Standards. We aim to ensure that children and young people feel safe, supported, and included in their care. All current and prospective staff are expected to prioritise the safety, welfare, and well-being of children and young people, actively working to protect them from harm and abuse.

- At Hunter New England Local Health District, we are an inclusive employer dedicated to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and welcoming workplace. Our commitment to a workforce that reflects the community we care for is essential for delivering the highest quality healthcare to our community. We encourage people with diverse lived experiences to apply. If you require any accommodations or adjustments to the recruitment process please let us know when you apply or at any stage of the process. We will work with you to meet your needs and create the best possible experience. Please contact ***************@health.nsw.gov.au for confidential support.

- To be eligible for employment in this position you must be an Australian Citizen, or permanent resident of Australia, or a New Zealand citizen with a current New Zealand Passport, or hold an appropriate visa that allows you to live and work in Australia. Employment of a temporary visa holder will only be offered in line with the conditions and expiry date of your visa.

- We are unable to accommodate visa sponsorship for applicants requiring a visa for this position.

How to apply:
Click apply online, submit your information and resume, and address the criteria listed below providing examples that demonstrate your ability.

- Experience and/or knowledge in applying OT practice to a community mental health setting or working with an aged population experiencing mental health issues.
- Familiar with the use and interpretation of functional and psychosocial assessments and implementing individual and group based interventions.
- Demonstrated ability to effectively manage time and set priorities.

Need more information?

For role related queries or questions contact Ricci Berrie on ************@health.nsw.gov.au

Information for Applicants:

Applicants will be assessed against the essential requirements and selection criteria contained within the position description (link below). For assistance addressing selection criteria visit: https://bit.ly/3vL5fq2

Stepping Up Website is a resource designed to help indigenous job applicants apply for positions in NSW Health. For more information, please visit: https://bit.ly/HNEHealthSteppingUp

This is a Category A position. Recommended applicants will be reviewed for compliance with NSW Health policy directive PD2024_015: Occupational Assessment, Screening and Vaccination against Specified Infectious Diseases for Category A positions prior to offer. All new employees must agree to comply with the requirements outlined in the policy.

Salary Packaging: is beneficial to most Hunter New England Health employees and may increase your take-home pay! Salary package a range of personal expenses including novated motor vehicle leases, relocation expenses, and HECS/HELP debt. Find out more by contacting SalaryPackagingPLUS! via *********@salarypackagingplus.com.au or 1300 40 25 23.

Hunter New England Health employees may be eligible for a range of benefits such as allocated days off (ADO) for full time employees, long service leave, paid maternity leave, and salary packaging options including meal expenses.

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📌 Occupational Therapist - Older Peoples Mental Health Service (Fletcher)
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