Occupational Therapist - Surrey Prisons

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

Greater London

On-site

GBP 42,000 - 62,000

Full time

3 days ago

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Job summary

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an Occupational Therapist to join the Health & Justice team delivering care across the Surrey Prisons Cluster. The role requires specialist OT knowledge in prison health care, working in a 7-day service with a multidisciplinary team to support recovery, rehabilitation and social inclusion.

You will contribute to assessment, treatment, risk management and care planning, with strong focus on person-centred recovery, safeguarding, and

Qualifications

Essential criteria include Degree in Occupational Therapy and HCPC registration.
Experience in mental health services and using standardised OT assessments is expected.
Demonstrates ability to work autonomously and as part of a MDT.

Responsibilities

Provide specialist OT assessment, treatment and evaluation for prison service users.
Carry out mental health risk assessments and monitor mental state.
Develop and deliver specialist programmes and support recovery goals.
Facilitate transitions between prison and community settings in collaboration with partners.
Promote personal recovery goals and trauma-informed care.

Skills

Clinical assessment

Mental health knowledge

Risk assessment

Multidisciplinary collaboration

Education

Degree in Occupational Therapy

HCPC registration

Job description

Job Overview

Make a Difference with CNWL Health & Justice

CNWL is a Top Employer Award Winner, delivering high-quality healthcare to diverse communities across London and beyond. We are looking for a motivated and compassionate Occupational Therapist to join our supportive Health & Justice team across the Surrey Prisons Cluster. This is a unique opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of people in secure settings, helping to improve health outcomes, promote wellbeing and reduce health inequalities.

Working within our prison healthcare service, you will be part of a forward-thinking multidisciplinary team providing high-quality care across a 7-day service. Guided by our motto, “Caring, Not Judging,” we work alongside the criminal justice system and partner agencies to deliver responsive, person-centred primary care and mental health services that support recovery, rehabilitation and social inclusion.

Join an award-winning team where your skills, compassion and expertise can have a lasting impact. Find out what it's like to work with us: Hear from our Health & Justice staff.

Why Join Our Team?

At CNWL, we are committed to supporting your wellbeing, development and career progression. You'll benefit from regular supervision, personalised development plans, specialist training opportunities, preceptorship programmes and revalidation support, helping you achieve your professional goals.

We value and celebrate our staff through initiatives such as our Hidden Gem Awards and annual staff recognition events. You'll also have access to a wide range of health and wellbeing services, ensuring you feel supported both at work and beyond.

Through MyTrustBenefits, you and your family can access over 1,400 discounts on shopping, travel, entertainment and dining, alongside free online learning resources to support your personal and professional development.

Staff based at our Surrey sites enjoy additional benefits, including free onsite parking and complimentary access to leisure facilities, making it easier to stay active, prioritise wellbeing and save money.

Join an award-winning organisation where you'll feel valued, supported and empowered to make a real difference every day.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

Clinical

To provide specialist OT clinical knowledge in the assessment, treatment & evaluation of people within prison. Applying an understanding of the effects of multiple, enduring & complex mental health needs on occupational performance.
To carry out mental health & risk assessment, for a caseload of service users & offer regular monitoring of mental state.
To work autonomously providing clinical professional judgement in clinical cases & referring to team members when necessary.
To contribute in the development of specialist individual & group programmes, supporting service users in achieving valued goals & satisfactory occupational performance outcome. Providing advice & support on lifestyle changes &d adaptations where necessary.
To select & use validated, evidence based standardised assessment tools (Occupational Therapy assessment, screening tools, sensory profiles etc) routinely &, exhibit, advanced clinical reasoning skills.
To monitor & evaluate the effectiveness of occupational therapy interventions & the agreed mental health interventions against clear aims.
To facilitate smooth transitions for service users between prisons & different service settings (i.e. prison to community). Establishing links & working in collaboration with partner agencies in order to contribute & manage aspects of an individual’s care plan.
To support service users & colleagues in ensuring care plans are developed in partnership with service users & that they reflect ‘personal recovery’ goals. These should be strengths-based & oriented towards reinforcing a positive identity and developing valued social roles.
To provide care which is culturally appropriate & sensitive, demonstrates trauma awareness & recognises the needs of the individual with regards to accessibility
To proactively undertake & ensure rigorous risk assessment & risk management strategies are applied. To ensure maximum ‘risk tolerance’ facilitates the individual’s recovery, in line with risk policies & local guidelines.
To be aware of & sensitive to safeguarding needs at all times, & knowledgeable both about potential indicators of abuse or neglect & about what to do if they had concerns about a persons welfare.
To facilitate the development of, & to work within, clinical pathways & protocols with particular reference to the CNWL Occupational Therapy care pathways & the Health and Justice OT pathway.
To be aware of medication issues in line with the CNWL OT Medication Management guidelines
To provide specialist OT input into the Neurodiverse pathway, working alongside CNWL colleagues & HMPPS Neurodiverse Service Manager for each site.

Communication

To demonstrate excellent communication skills with service users, forming positive therapeutic relationships, using warmth & empathy, enabling service user empowerment.
To develop & maintain effective professional communication structures with other professionals & agencies in order to ensure a comprehensive & consistent approach to client care.
To provide & receive highly complex, sensitive, condition related or distressing/unwelcome information to service users and carers demonstrating empathy and reassurance.
To ensure careful & efficient forms of communication skills when assessing & managing risk procedures within & beyond the prison service, inline with confidentiality agreements.
To demonstrate skills and resourcefulness in communication when barriers to understanding are present.
To promote the role of OT within services; representing an OT clinical perspective in all clinical meetings
To participate in OT, multi-disciplinary, clinical and business meetings
To ensure timely response to emails & requests for information.
To work in close co-operation with OT colleagues within the Trust contributing to relevant OT business/training meetings, both locally & trust-wide.
To provide feedback, to OT & MDT colleagues, from specialist interest groups & committees.

Documentation

To ensure that up to date, accurate, concise & informative records are written & maintained in the service user’s notes, on Prison & health care systems (CNOMIS and System One).
To attend & actively participate in relevant meetings, conferences & events, relating to patients health & care programmes.
To maintain accurate supervision records (junior staff & students) as defined in the Trust OT Guidelines, including the maintenance of a supervision record log.

Management And Leadership

To provide input into the recruitment of staff where appropriate.
To contribute to the writing of local protocols with regard to specialist OT knowledge.
To participate in OT & department specific training packages to promote awareness & understanding of health wellbeing within a prison population.

Personal and Professional Development

To keep abreast of changing clinical practice, new developments, evidence based practice & research
To contribute to activities, which continue to build on a culture of shared learning & evidence based practice
To undertake activities of Continuous Professional Development including identifying own learning needs & recording learning outcomes in a portfolio.
To assume personal responsibility for maintaining a working knowledge of new statutory guidelines that influence clinical practice.
To maintain a professional knowledge base & act as a resource to others regarding specialist areas of expertise i.e. occupational therapy, perinatal mental health conditions, parent infant interaction, child development, parenting skills assessment, health promotion, recovery & social inclusion.

Supervision and Appraisal

To review & reflect on own practice & performance; & that of others, through effective use of supervision, reflective practice, operational management supervision, CPD & appraisal
To participate in the Trust’s supervision and appraisal systems in conjunction with service managers/Head Occupational Therapist, ensuring that relevant training needs are identified and met through timely access/delivery.
To ensure a robust framework for the provision of regular and qualitative supervision and appraisal for students, junior staff, volunteers & sessional workers as required.
To offer learning and development opportunities to other professionals with regard to occupation within perinatal mental health, and other OT specialist skills
To be an educator for OT students on practice placement, in line with local guidelines, ensuring that practice placement educators facilitate placements for the required number of weeks as per the AHP fair share agreement.
To contribute to effective peer supervision if relevant
To ensure timely booking and attendance of mandatory and statutory training. Failure to do this may preclude further learning and development opportunities.
To contribute to multi-disciplinary training initiatives

Clinical Governance

To be knowledgeable about best practise for safeguarding, with support of supervision and the directorate Safegaurding lead and support forums
To apply national and Trust wide guidelines/standards of practice in line with Trust and the Royal College of Occupational Therapists’ standards and guidelines
To work as an autonomous practitioner, assuming accountability for own clinical practice
To maintain and observe confidentiality of all information relating to service users as laid down in the confidentiality and Caldecott principles.
To ensure compliance with relevant guidelines and policies e.g. safety and risk, DOLS, care act, Mental Health Act etc.

Service Development and Delivery

To contribute, as part of the MDT to new initiatives and service development
To ensure comprehensive knowledge of the service’s KPIs, quality and performance initiatives; ensuring timely response and contribution of the OT Service provision.
To ensure comprehensive knowledge of the Trust Recovery agenda e.g. Recovery and Wellbeing College
To contribute to defined projects as directed by the Health and Justice Lead Occupational Therapist
To contribute to and participate, as a member of the multi-disciplinary team, to the operational design and delivery of quality improvement initiatives within the service
To autonomously maintain a working knowledge of new statutory guidelines, particularly those relating to perinatal mental health
To take an active role in seeking user, carer and stakeholders feedback to help shape and influence the further development of the services.

Research And Development

To participate in local & Trust-wide OT service activities that promote & contribute to the building of knowledge & evidence base for the benefit of the professional body of occupational therapy.
To include making use of the support networks available throughout the Trust e.g. Special Interest Groups, forums and sub groups; & MDT team training sessions
To undertake, participate in & disseminate research & audit activities in line with local service priorities.
To participate in & implement service activities related to clinical effectiveness via evaluation, audit, research & evidence based practice; ensuring active participation of the OT Team in such activities.
To take a lead, within the MDT, in promoting a culture that focuses on all service users’ occupational needs, recovery principles & social inclusion

Professional Ethics

To adhere to the HCPC & RCOT Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct, demonstrating professional competence and fitness to practice
To maintain knowledge of legislation that affects clinical practice within prison health care such as MHA Act,

Emotional Effort

To provide care for service users who maybe come distressed or present with challenging behaviour.
To use available resources & protected spaces to support own wellbeing.

Work Conditions

To have the ability to work within an environment that may expose individuals to verbal & physical abuse.

Person specification

Education And Qualifications

Essential criteria

Degree or equivalent in Occupational Therapy
HCPC registered Occupational Therapist

Desirable criteria

Post graduate training specific to mental health
Qualifications/training in specialist skills eg. therapeutic/sensory interventions
Practice placement educators course

Previous Experience

Essential criteria

Post qualification experience working in mental health services
Experience in participating in audit / research projects
Experience in developing service activities
Experience in using a range of standardised OT assessments
Experience of effective partnership working, with external providers, in promoting socially inclusive opportunities for service users.
Experience in completing Risk Assessment Tools

Desirable criteria

Experience in prison and/or secure settings
Experience of supervising students/junior staff

Skills, Knowledge, Abilities

Essential criteria

Ability to deal with sensitivities and complexities, using interpersonal skills
Excellent communication skills i.e. written, verbal, listening and proficient use of up to date systems of communication i.e. IT systems, e-mail, fax, telephone etc.
Knowledge of personal recovery principles and their application to service delivery
Clear concept of Occupational Therapy and models of practice
Ability to work autonomously, on own initiative and under pressure to meet deadlines; & to make and action decisions independently within agreed time frames
Ability to regularly identify and undertake appropriate learning and development opportunities as part of ongoing CPD
Ability to determine the impact of mental and physical conditions on a service user’s functional ability and undertake assessment/make recommendations with regards to the provision of equipment/aids and adaptations

Desirable criteria