Senior Occupational Therapist

We are looking for a Band 6 Occupational Therapist to join the team at Ashford & Canterbury CMHT MHT+ based at Eureka Place.

Community mental health services are going through a national restructuring, putting a new emphasis on delivering interventions, of which Occupational Therapy is identified as a key part. We have an established team of OTs and are looking to maintain and develop our current interventions in the new Mental Health Together and Together + services.

The role would include completing OT assessments and interventions. The intervention may be completed by the successful candidate, or by OT apprentices, support workers or junior team members under supervision.

We are also increasing our offer of group work looking at supporting complex service users to develop skills for daily living, and others to develop strategies to manage their mental health recovery.

As well as OT activity, the candidate will be involved in delivering core team functions such as trusted assessments and management of clinical pathways delivered by the service, working with a large and varied MDT.

Training and support would be offered to support the candidate with areas of working that are unfamiliar.

This post would suit an experienced band 6 looking to develop new skills, but also support can be given to the right candidate to develop from a band 5 post into this position.

Main duties of the job

1. To support the delivering of high quality mental health services to service users experiencing a variety of mental health difficulties.
2. To provide high quality and evidence-based occupational therapy assessments and interventions, both group and individual, to people who access services and their carers/supporters/family members, in line with the occupational therapy pathways.
3. To communicate effectively with people who access services, carers, the multi-disciplinary team, and when appropriate outside agencies.
4. To contribute to the generic functioning of the team.
5. To provide supervision and mentoring to more junior occupational therapists, occupational therapy apprenticeships, and support workers.
6. To provide occupational therapy student placements.
7. To contribute to service development and audits.
8. To take on the role of lead professional as appropriate.
9. The post holder must hold a full, valid, UK driving licence and have access to a car/vehicle to use for business purposes (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010).

About us

The CQC rates us as an Outstanding organisation for Caring with an overall rating of Good.

Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT) offer a range of ongoing benefits to our valued workforce across the Trust. From an active health and wellbeing programme to regular recognition events, we work hard to provide varied benefits that make a difference to your work-life balance.

Would you like to work flexibly? In the NHS, we are reminded every day of how important life is. As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us, for our patients, and for you.

Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement.

We use the Model of Human Occupation to guide all our occupational therapy assessments and interventions.

The occupational therapy leadership team is committed to an extensive, coordinated CPD program including a robust supervision structure, action learning sets, communities of practice, and core competence training and an annual conference. Staff are valued for their expertise in occupationally focused interventions and specialist group therapy. Opportunities to undertake further development such as enhanced practitioner apprenticeships, and other leadership programs and apprenticeships.

Job responsibilities

Our clinical pathways focus on interventions for people with complex mental health difficulties including personality disorders and interventions for people with enduring conditions. This is supported by our Allied Health Professions Strategy focused on enabling independence, transforming transitions, and influencing health and well-being in order to help individuals rebuild their lives. The care pathways will be delivered by various professionals, and it has been recognised that occupational therapists play a key part in this process. Interventions delivered include a range of occupational therapy groups and individual occupational therapy assessment and treatment. We have developed groups to support those develop skills and techniques in managing their emotions, others facilitating the development of life skills and to improve ADLs as well as supporting people to look past their diagnosis and reflect on their recovery journey and set goals to work towards their future aspirations. In addition to this, there has been a focus on occupational therapists joint working with support workers to facilitate transitions into other local services. As well as delivering one-to-one OT interventions there are opportunities to develop a range of skills and deliver focused interventions to individuals with personality disorders with support from colleagues in psychology.

The post holder will also be involved in the delivery of Trusted assessments and supporting the wider team with management and delivery of care through different pathways, including complex case management, Complex Emotional Difficulties, Urgent and Recovery Pathways.

Please see the job description for further details.

Person Specification

Qualification

Essential

1. Degree in Occupational Therapy
2. HCPC Registered

Desirable

1. Trained as a Practice Educator

Experience

Essential

1. Experience completing OT assessment
2. Experience working in the community
3. Experience of managing a caseload
4. Experience of working with service users with mental health difficulties

Desirable

1. Experience of delivering supervision
2. Experience in delivering group work

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

1. Team working and with other professionals
2. Knowledge and abilities to apply national policy and procedure including, but not limited to, confidentiality, consent, risk management, safeguarding.
3. Knowledge in the application of relevant OT theoretical models.

Employer details

Employer name

Kent & Medway NHS & Social Care Partnership Trust

Address

Eureka Place

Trinity Road

Ashford

TN25 4BY

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

380-EK254-A