CAMHS Highly Specialist Occupational Therapist (N&S Orchids)

NHS; London; On-site; GBP 61,000 - 69,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS trust is seeking a Highly Specialist Occupational Therapist for their new Orchids Team, aimed at providing vital support to children with neurodevelopmental disorders in London. This role entails leading assessments and interventions, collaborating with multi-agency networks, and developing innovative occupational therapy practices in diverse settings.

Benefits

Flexible working hours

Professional development opportunities

Team supports and resources

Qualifications

• Substantial post registration experience as an occupational therapist.
• Experience working with Mental Health service users.
• Experience assessing and treating clients with complex occupational needs.

Responsibilities

• Lead occupational therapy input within the multi-disciplinary Orchids Team.
• Provide highly specialist assessments and interventions to young people.
• Contribute to service development and leadership within the team.

Skills

Supervision

Leadership

Communication

Risk Management

Analytical Skills

Education

Qualified and registered Occupational Therapist with HCPC

Job description

Go back South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

CAMHS Highly Specialist Occupational Therapist (N&S Orchids)

The closing date is 30 June 2025

The new Orchids Team, working in collaboration with the Autism and Intellectual Disabilities Intensive Intervention Team (AID-IIT) are seeking a Highly Specialist Occupational Therapist. The Orchids Team is a new and innovative multi-disciplinary team covering the whole of London and working in partnership with the AID-IIT. The team offer specialist multi-disciplinary outpatient support to children and young people up to the age of 13 years old with neurodevelopmental disorders or intellectual disabilities who are at high risk of inpatient admission or already admitted to one of the CAMHS under 13s inpatient units. The Orchids Team co-work with inpatient and local CAMHS teams across London to improve care and support for young people with a diagnosis of autism or intellectual disability and high-risk presentations. Staff working in the Orchids Team benefit from excellent team support and development opportunities. The Orchids Team work in close partnership with the AID-IIT and have links with the rest of the Service for Complex Autism and Associated Neurodevelopmental Disorders (SCAAND) and with other N&S CAMHS teams. As a new N&S CAMHS team we are at the forefront of the development of support, practice and interventions for children and young people with neurodevelopmental disorders or intellectual disabilities with high risk presentations. Clinical work in the team is diverse - including working into both inpatient and outpatient/community settings.

Main duties of the job

The postholder will work as a Highly Specialist Occupational Therapist in the Orchids Team to lead on occupational therapy input within the team, including offering highly specialist input into MDT assessments, occupational therapy assessment and interventions to young people and parents/carers and consultation, training and support to multi-agency local networks including staff from local and inpatient CAMHS settings, and supervision, line management and support to other occupational therapy staff within the Orchids Team. The role includes work across a range of settings - offering work in community settings, inpatient settings, working from home, and working from our clinic base, depending on the needs of the young person, family and network. The role will also involve contributing to service developments within the Orchids Team and across wider AID-IIT and SCAAND where appropriate. As Orchids is a new team funded by NHSE, the postholder will work closely with the Consultant Clinical Psychologist and the Consultant Psychiatrist from AID-IIT and other senior clinicians recruited to the Orchids Team to develop the new Orchids Team. This will include developing and evaluating the model of the Orchids Team, and presenting and disseminating this information to key stakeholders.

About us

About our locations:The Michael Rutter Centre is located on the Maudsley hospital sit and is located at Denmark Hill less than 5 minutes from the train station (zone 2). (Due to move to the Pears Maudsley Children and Young People (PMCYP) at the Maudsley Hospital in late 2025/early 2026)Maudsley Hospital (headquarters)Our Trust headquarters is located at Denmark Hill, 5 minutes from the train station (zone 2) and is within walking distance from the beautiful green spaces of Ruskin Park and the vibrant high-street that offers great shopping opportunities and with a wide range of restaurants.

Flexible working:As one of the few Trusts in London we are proud to offer flexible working as part of our new ways of working, and we are happy to talk flexible working at the interview stage. In this role you will be able to work Monday to Friday in the time frames from 9am to 5pm, giving you the very best of good work life balance. (This may include working early mornings, later evenings or Saturdays as part of the core working hours/working pattern for this post)

Job responsibilities

The postholder will work within the Orchids Team and in close partnership with AID-IIT to provide highly specialist occupational therapy assessments, interventions and support within the multi-disciplinary team including:

To lead a highly specialised Occupational Therapy service within the Orchids team, with close liaison with the AID-IIT team and SCAAND service. This would include the development of occupational therapy policy and practice within the Orchids team that reflects the needs of service users, implementing evidence-based practice, and contributing further to the knowledge base by evaluation of practice, and implementation of innovation. To contribute to the leadership of the team including service development/planning, having management responsibilities within the team and the supervision and recruitment of more junior staff within the Orchids team. To provide highly specialised occupational therapy advice/leadership on specialist occupational therapy and other CAMHS environmental/estate issues that concern the care of the young person at a Directorate/ departmental level, including specialist supervision and consultation to other areas of the directorate. To provide clinical and professional leadership for the Orchids Occupational Therapy team, occupational therapy students and other professions where needed through supervision and training. To lead on supervising and appraisal process for the occupational therapy team and occupational therapy students on practice placement. To contribute to the provision of strategic professional advice to senior leadership team by taking a leadership role within service development for the Orchids team, with close liaison with the AID-IIT team and SCAAND service. To lead on the planning, development and evaluation of occupational therapy services within the Orchids team using advanced clinical skills, clinical audit and research activities. To manage a highly complex caseload, using evidence based / client centred principles to assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions. To provide highly specialist advice on the assessment and intervention of occupational needs for children/young people with a neurodevelopmental profile. To develop highly specialised occupational therapy interventions in this specialty undertaking regular audit and R&D activities. To provide training and consultancy for occupational therapy within the specialty. To work flexibly as needed across settings offering outreach work when needed for example seeing young people in inpatient settings, family homes, community settings across London as required.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Qualified and registered Occupational Therapist with HCPC (A)

Experience

• Substantial post registration experience as an occupational therapist (A/I)
• Significant post registration experience working with Mental Health service users (A/I)
• Experience assessment and treatment of clients with a range of occupational needs of a complex nature in children with autism spectrum disorders and associated neurodevelopmental conditions, intellectual disabilities and comorbid mental health difficulties (A/I)
• Experience of supervising junior staff and students (A/I)

Knowledge/skills

• Theoretical knowledge of psychopathology and the evidence base for the relevant treatment of children with autism spectrum disorders and associated neurodevelopmental conditions intellectual disabilities and comorbid mental health difficulties (A/I)
• Specialist knowledge and application of occupational therapy assessments, interventions, and outcome measures for children and young people with autism and other neurodevelopmental difficulties (A/I)
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health issues, child and adult protection, and equalities (I) and lead on implementation in relation to occupational therapy agendas
• Extensive knowledge of the principles of risk management and risk assessment (I)
• To communicate skilfully, accessibly and sensitively complex and sensitive information with clients, carers and colleagues overcoming barriers to communication including, sensory and emotional difficulties, cultural differences and hostility to or rejection of information.(A/I)

Leadership

• Ability to contribute fully to the work of the executive team.
• Successful at building (selecting, training and developing) effective teams as well as leading them.
• Develops the potential of teams to do their best and to access opportunities for career development.
• Ability to make and implement autonomous decisions

Analytical and Judgemental Skills

• Strategic comprehension: ability to recognise key and underlying issues in complex situations, the immediate long term implications of decisions to make the interconnections.
• Analytical ability: capacity to process detailed information rapidly.
• Ability to translate complex issues into meaningful actions and to develop others to do so.
• Cultural flexibility: ability to develop an in-depth understanding of a wide range of organisational and community cultures, developing plans and strategies with all stakeholders.

Policy and Service Development

• Implements and suggests changes to policies and protocols relating to delivery of occupational therapy; develops policies and protocols related to neurodevelopmental specialist area

Result orientated and motivation

• Focused on improvement: acts to improve performance and establish high standards of quality.
• Strives for success and achievement of targets.
• Experience of setting objective measurements and developing and monitoring systems for performance management and improvement
• Displays initiative to improve performance and implement beneficial change.
• Has high capacity for concentration and activity, and is outcome-orientated.

Other

• Ability to work creatively as a leader or a member of a team with internal and external colleagues and stakeholders.
• Ability to relate to other people and bring the best out of them.
• Willingness to work flexibly (I)

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

£61,927 to £68,676 a yearper annum inclusive of HCAs