Occupational Therapist/Lead Practioner

NHS; Chichester; On-site; GBP 31,000 - 39,000; Full time

Job summary

NHS is seeking a Band 6 Occupational Therapist to join its Chichester Neighbourhood Assessment and Treatment Service. This role focuses on providing client-centered interventions in a dynamic community mental health team. The ideal candidate should have a degree in occupational therapy and experience in mental health.

Benefits

Flexible working hours

CPD opportunities

Regular supervision and mentoring

Qualifications

• Registered with HPC as an occupational therapist.
• Experience in community mental health required.

Responsibilities

• Manage a caseload of clients and provide occupational therapy interventions.
• Promote and develop the role of Occupational Therapy within the clinical area.
• Act as a care coordinator when appropriate.

Skills

Client-centred practice

Evidence-based practice

Communication

Education

Degree/Diploma in occupational therapy

Evidence of post-graduate level study/training

Job description

We look forward to welcoming you to the Chichester Neighbourhood Assessment and Treatment Service as a band 6 OT. Do you want to be part of a dynamic, supportive, friendly, and innovative community mental health team dedicated to providing exceptional care for people living with severe and enduring mental health problems? If so, we would like you to be part of the team. Collaboration and teamwork are at the forefront of everything we do. As an OT, you will provide OT-specific assessments, interventions, group work, occupational formulation, and OT consultation to the multidisciplinary team.

You will have a caseload of people who are cared for within a recovery-focused model of care designed to enable and encourage service users to develop positive coping strategies to maximise their quality of life and potential.

We are striving to establish clear OT pathways and processes in the new Community Mental Health Neighbourhood Teams, and to effectively articulate and communicate the unique contribution of OT in this setting. We are keen to continually develop and improve, and this role would suit someone who is motivated and enthusiastic to establish a strong OT offer in the team, and participate more widely to OT development and OT priorities in West Sussex.

We believe in a healthy work-life balance and offer flexibility to accommodate your personal and professional needs.

Main duties of the job

1. Provide occupational therapy interventions for service users using evidence-based, client-centred principles to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate interventions.
2. Promote and develop the role of Occupational Therapy within the clinical area.
3. Act as a care coordinator if appropriate and cover duty on a rota basis.
4. Work autonomously in the community and with our third sector partners and other organisations.

We can offer you development opportunities including group planning and facilitation skill development, experience using a range of OT standardised assessments, embedding occupational formulation, and training in specific intervention approaches. As your career develops, we can provide you with leadership experiences, and opportunities to develop specialist skills and interests (for example using sensory approaches, Recovery through Activity, and leadership skills training).

About us

Working for your organisation

The NHS is changing and with more emphasis on community-based care, there's never been a better time to join us. Over the next three years, community mental health services are going to be undergoing a real transformation and you could be part of these exciting developments. Our community mental health teams will become part of a much more integrated network of services and our mental health clinicians will be central in driving the changes, in close partnership with our primary and third sector colleagues.

We recognise that working in mental health can be stressful, so we prioritise staff welfare, providing regular supervision, reflective practice, mentoring, and any other support that our clinicians need to ensure their wellbeing. You will have access to other CPD opportunities including the Trust's AHP training offer and the West Sussex OT CPD community network and development hubs.

If you are an OT with previous mental health experience who has a desire to develop into a community mental health OT role, please contact us as we would be delighted to talk about any development opportunities.

To protect the health and safety of our staff/workers, patients, and those attending our sites, we encourage our workforce to get fully vaccinated against COVID.

Job responsibilities

1. Manage a caseload of clients.
2. Provide specialist clinical advice and input for clients with complex problems and needs.
3. Ensure occupational therapy contribution to the provision of quality clinical care and performance standards.
4. Participate in the planning, development, and evaluation of occupational therapy and local multi-professional services.
5. Operate as a senior occupational therapy practitioner and manage an appropriate complex clinical caseload.
6. Promote evidence-based practice in occupational therapy and the relevant mental health service/learning disability service.
7. Provide a specialised range of clinical interventions and demonstrate knowledge of models of practice.
8. Monitor, evaluate, and modify treatment to measure progress and ensure effectiveness of interventions.
9. Provide clinical assessment, formulation, intervention, review, and where appropriate CPA including care co-ordination for service users, their families, and carers.
10. Contribute to the development of multi-disciplinary best practice clinical guidelines and protocols.
11. Have a basic working knowledge of the medication prescribed for the persons in their care, including usual dosage, common side effects, and the need for any special monitoring. Any reported or observed side effects must be brought to the attention of the prescriber.
12. Supervise the work of more junior qualified staff and provide support and guidance.
13. Ensure that up-to-date written and electronic records and activity data are maintained in accordance with Professional and Trust standards and to provide specialist occupational therapy reports relevant to the practice setting.
14. Adhere to Trust risk management policies and procedures.
15. Champion occupational and recovery approaches within the service area.
16. Be aware of and able to use de-escalation techniques and physical breakaway techniques.
17. Ensure effective communication with all parts of the service, other agencies, and people who use services and their carers.
18. Develop and maintain effective communication structures, facilitating two-way communication on professional and Trust issues.
19. Provide advice to team members, clients, carers, and the wider network.
20. Lead and participate in the Trust's performance review and personal development planning process annually.
21. Supervise occupational therapy staff and ensure all staff receive a performance review and personal development plan annually.
22. Contribute to the occupational therapy development plan and regular training activities.
23. Participate in research and development activities, including practice development, evaluation, audit, and research relevant to occupational therapy.
24. Provide effective leadership and management to staff, promoting high performance standards and a positive team ethos.
25. Ensure compliance with equality, diversity, and human rights policies, promoting fair treatment and addressing discriminatory practices.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Degree/Diploma in occupational therapy
• Evidence of post-graduate level study/training
• Registration with the HPC as an occupational therapist

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975, and a Disclosure check will be required to ensure suitability for the role.