Occupational Therapy Assistant

Derbyshirehealthcareft; Hilcote; Remote; GBP 26,000 - 27,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual leave 27 days

Bank holidays

Training opportunities

Employee assistance program

Staff discounts

Wellbeing program

Networking access

Job summary

Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an enthusiastic Band 3 Occupational Therapy Assistant to join the Dementia Rapid Response Team covering South Derbyshire and Derby City. You will provide evidence-based mental health care and crisis intervention in home settings, supporting early discharge and preventing hospital admissions.

The role requires seven-day cover within 8am-8pm on weekdays and 9am-5pm on weekends.

Qualifications

• NVQ Level 3 or equivalent is required.
• Experience of working with Older People.
• Experience of working within Mental Health Services.
• Experience of working with people who have a Dementia.
• Knowledge of functional illness and holding a full UK driving licence.

Responsibilities

• Provide timely crisis response, including de-escalation and brief psychological interventions.
• Contribute to person-centred care plans and monitor changes in occupational functioning.
• Identify and act on safeguarding concerns following local procedures.
• Offer education, advice and emotional support to families and carers.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues to deliver an effective and safe service.
• Work independently and use initiative with support from the MDT.
• Support assessment and treatment processes for Occupational Therapy.
• Collaborate with the ward team to maintain patient and family safety.

Skills

Experience with Older People

Experience in Mental Health Services

Experience with Dementia

Knowledge of functional illness

Full UK driving licence

Education

NVQ Level 3 or equivalent

Job description

Please note, if a high volume of applications is received, this advert may close early so please ensure you submit your application without delay.

A fantastic opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic and motivated Band 3 Occupational Therapy Assistant to join our Dementia Rapid Response Team covering South Derbyshire and Derby City Area.

The Occupational Therapy Assistant in the Dementia Rapid Response Team will deliver evidence-based mental health care and crisis intervention for individuals in acute distress. The team provides intensive home-based support to prevent hospital admission, acts as a gatekeeper for inpatient care, and supports early discharge planning. The role promotes meaningful activity, independence, and social inclusion with patient/carers under supervision. The service focuses on building resilience and supporting recovery in home and community settings.

The Dementia Rapid Response Team operates 7 days a week (8am-8pm weekdays, 9am-5pm weekends and bank holidays).

The post holder must hold a full UK driving licence and have access to a vehicle to travel across the large geographical area within our specified 2 - 4 hour response time.

We offer a comprehensive and supportive induction and training programme for all new Occupational Therapy Assistants; plus regular clinical supervision.

Main duties of the job

We are looking for dynamic individuals with good interpersonal skills to enable engagement of service users and their carers.

• Provide timely crisis response, including de-escalation, brief psychological interventions, and support for service users and carers during acute mental health crises under support from the multi-disciplinary team.
• Contribute to person-centred care plans, monitoring changes in occupational functioning, and report findings to the Occupational Therapists and multidisciplinary team.
• Identify and act on safeguarding concerns, following local and national procedures to protect vulnerable adults.
• Offer education, advice, and emotional support to families and carers, acknowledging their role in recovery.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues to support the delivery of an effective and safe service.
• Work independently and have the ability to use initiative, seeking support as required from the multidisciplinary team.
• Support the Occupational Therapist with the assessment and treatment process.
• Work as a member of the ward team, supporting shared tasks when this is required to maintain the safety of our patients and families.

About us

Join 'Team Derbyshire Healthcare' and become part of a talented, compassionate and enthusiastic workforce committed to a vision of 'making a positive difference in people's lives'.

CQC rated us as 'GOOD' overall, commenting on how our colleagues "treated patients with compassion and kindness" and "felt positive and proud about working for the trust."

Benefits include:

• Commitment to flexible working where this is possible
• 27 days annual leave/year plus bank holidays, increasing to 29 days after 5 years & 33 days after 10 years' service
• Yearly appraisal and commitment to ongoing training
• Good maternity, paternity and adoption benefits
• Health service discounts and online benefits
• Incremental pay progression
• Free confidential employee assistance programme 24/7
• Access to our LGBT+ network, BAME Network and Christian Network
• Health and wellbeing opportunities
• Structured learning and development opportunities

Job responsibilities

Please refer to the full job description and person specification.

As an employer and sponsor licence holder, to be able to provide sponsorship to overseas nationals via the Skilled Worker route we must ensure that we adhere to the sponsorship requirements set by UK Visas and Immigration. After carefully reviewing this role, we do not believe that this position meets the requirements for sponsorship. For details on eligibility criteria for a Skilled Worker visa, please follow this link to the gov.uk website Skilled Worker visa: Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Person Specification

Qualifications

• NVQ Level 3 or equivalent

Experience and Interest

• Experience of working with Older People
• Experience of working within Mental Health Services
• Experience of working with people who have a Dementia

Skills and Knowledge

• Knowledge of functional illness
• Hold a full UK driving licence

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.

Employer name

£25,760 to £27,476 a yearper annum, pro rata