Band 3 Occupational Therapy Support Worker - Bristol

Transformation Unit; West of England; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 27,000; Part time

Job summary

Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust in Bristol is recruiting a Band 3 Occupational Therapy Support Worker for a part-time role in secure services. You will work with service users to run 1:1 and group activities, under supervision, to support independence and recovery.

The post offers induction, regular supervision, and opportunities for ongoing training within a large, multidisciplinary team. Right to work in the UK is required.

Qualifications

• NVQ level 3 or above in a relevant subject.
• Understanding of how mental health issues affect people.
• Experience working as part of a team and using initiative.
• Basic IT skills including keyboard and word processing.
• Good organisational and time management skills.
• Flexible and adaptable to change.
• Practical occupational skills such as cooking, crafts, home management, gardening, IT, and leisure activities.
• Knowledge of the role of Occupational Therapists.
• Experience with people facing occupational challenges.

Responsibilities

• Plan and deliver 1:1 or group sessions under supervision.
• Promote recovery by engaging service users in meaningful activities.
• Receive induction, supervision and CPD opportunities.
• Support service users to develop life skills for independence.
• Work with a large, supportive multidisciplinary team.

Skills

NVQ level 3

Mental health understanding

Teamwork

IT skills

Time management

Flexibility

Occupational skills

OT role knowledge

Service user experience

Education

NVQ level 3 or above

Job description

Employer Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust Employer type NHS Site Wickham Town Bristol Salary £25,760 - £27,476 per annum pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 09/11/2026 23:59

Band 3 Occupational Therapy Support Worker - Bristol

Band 3

Job overview

We have a part-time opportunity within our Secure Services Occupational Therapy team, working with mental health service users in a secure in-patient setting.

Wickham unit is a 31-bedded low secure service, providing recovery-focussed care. Fromeside is a regional medium secure unit, which provides a service to 81 in-patient service users with mental health needs.

The occupational therapy team is a well-established, integral and valued part of the multi-disciplinary clinical team. The therapies team predominantly provide a Monday to Friday 9-5 service.

The person we recruit will have a broad range of ‘life skills’, and should be able to engage, motivate, and support service users with mental health needs in a wide range of activities. Ideally you will have some experience in running groups or 1:1 sessions in some capacity. In this post, you will work closely with qualified occupational therapists, but also have the opportunity to use your initiative and work independently. You will work to support service users in achieving their potential to function as independently as possible in all aspects of their life.

Right to Work in the UK This position is not eligible for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship. Applicants must already hold the legal right to work in the UK at the time of application, as the organisation is unable to support sponsorship for this post.

Main duties of the job

We promote recovery through engaging in meaningful activities to maintain or improve the service user's level of functioning and quality of life. Much emphasis is placed on providing service users with the opportunity to develop or adapt life skills. We aim to empower each individual to fulfil their maximum potential and independence, physically, psychologically and socially. We deliver a comprehensive programme of activities to inspire, encourage and support individuals who have mental health needs on their journey to recovery. As part of the team you will plan and deliver 1:1 or group sessions under the supervision of occupational therapists.

On joining the team, you will receive a comprehensive, structured induction package, you will have the chance to work with a supportive team in a unique and innovative environment. You will receive regular supervision and support in this post. We run monthly CPD (Continuing Professional Development) and have opportunities for engaging in ongoing training and development. Others who have worked within this role have gone on to carry out their Occupational Therapy apprenticeship alongside their post within the team.

The Occupational Therapy Team at this site work together to provide a comprehensive and inspiring service to all our inpatients. We are looking to recruit a Band 3 Occupational Therapy Support Worker who would like to work with our team, in this setting. We have a large and well-resourced department for the provision of activities (including 2 workshops, an art room, a café, gym, sports hall and a large garden)

For a full list of duties and responsibilities please see attached job description.

Working for our organisation

We are the lead provider of healthcare for people with serious mental illness, learning disabilities and autism across Bath and North East Somerset (BaNES), Swindon and Wiltshire, and Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.

We aim to provide High Quality, Compassionate Care everywhere, every day. This means our services will be safe, clinically effective and provide a positive all round experience for our patients, families and carers. And we believe passionately in treating everyone with kindness, respect and empathy.

Key to this is providing a supportive and safe environment for our 4,000 staff where we all feel welcome and able to do the best we can for those we support. Our staff and teams work incredibly hard delivering services across more than 90 locations, covering 2,200miles, to more than 1.8million people.

At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

1. Work in a collaborative and cooperative manner with service users, their families/carers and other health and social care professionals. Recognise and respect their involvement in the planning and delivery of care.

2. Assist in the maintenance of a safe therapeutic environment beneficial to the needs of the service users, relatives carers and others.

3. Contribute to the team approach, providing accurate and relevant feedback to registered staff: participate in team discussions and meetings regarding care of service users.

4. Develop a therapeutic relationship with service users to encourage and maximise their interest and participation in therapeutic activity.

5. Organise day to day activities for groups and individual therapy programmes including assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation under the supervision of the mental health professionals.

6. Play a part in preparation of risk assessments; CPA/SAP.

You should be an effective communicator who enjoys working alongside people and helping them achieve their goals. You will need experience of working with people with mental health needs, or personal knowledge of how mental health can affect people. We are a large welcoming supportive team, consisting of Occupational Therapists, Occupational Therapy Support Workers, Education and Active Life.

For a full list of duties and responsibilities please see attached job description.

Person specification

Essential experience, skills and qualifications

• NVQ level 3 or above in a relevant subject
• Demonstrates an understanding of how mental health issues can affect people
• Experience of working as part of a team and under your own initiative
• IT Skills basic keyboard and word processing
• Good organisational skills and time management ability
• Flexible and adaptable to change
• A range of practical occupational skills, competence and interest in, for example. Cooking, craft activity, home management, gardening, IT, community access, leisure pursuits
• Knowledge and understanding of the role of Occupational therapists
• Experience working with people who experience challenges to their occupational performance.

We are proud to be fostering a diverse workforce that reflects our communities. A key commitment to this is improving staff representation from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities, those from the LGBTQ+ communities, people with ‘lived-experience’ of mental health conditions and people living with disabilities,– we are a ‘Disability Confident Employer’ offering a guaranteed interview to Disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria. This includes people with a variety of disabilities and neurodivergent conditions (for example autism, ADHD, sensory, physical and learning disabilities).

We encourage applications from people who wish to work on a flexible basis, recognising that flexibility may mean a range of different working patterns and hours, we do our utmost to work with our staff to meet their needs and the needs of our service users.

Any personal details you supply to us are kept safe in line with the General Data Protection Regulations.

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Employer certification / accreditation badges

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Application numbers

Name Sian Heard Job title Lead Occupational Therapy, Education & Active Life Email address [e-mail] Telephone number 01173784086 Additional information