occupational therapy assistant

Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust; Tudhoe; On-site; GBP 18,000 - 21,000; Part time

Job summary

Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust invites applications for a part-time Occupational Therapy Assistant in the Community Adult Learning Disability Team. The role focuses on delivering evidence-based OT activities under qualified supervision, promoting independence and engagement within self-care, productivity and leisure domains.

You will assist with assessments and interventions, support families and carers, and contribute to governance, CPD and service development while maintaining

Qualifications

• Numeracy and Literacy level 2 (or above).
• Minimum of level 2 qualification related to occupational therapy practice (see gov.uk listings).
• If level 2 award is not health/social care, complete Senior Healthcare Support Worker Apprenticeship within 2 years.
• Care Certificate must be achieved within 12 weeks of commencement.
• Experience supporting people with mental health, learning disabilities or autism.
• Experience as a profession-specific assistant or similar role.

Responsibilities

• Work with delegated service users and contribute to assessments and interventions in self-care, productivity and leisure.
• Engage service users and carers in therapeutic programmes to achieve identified goals.
• Participate in clinical supervision and contribute to MDT work and safety/quality improvement.

Skills

Numeracy Level 2

Literacy Level 2

Care Certificate

MH/LD experience

Therapy Assistant experience

Education

Level 2 OT qualification

Job description

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a part time (22.5 hours) Occupational Therapy Assistant, within the Community Adult Learning Disability Team, based in Spennymoor, although all locality teams cover Durham and this can be discussed at interview. As an occupational therapy assistant in TEWV you will provide support to service users to engage in a therapeutic programme of care, as delegated by an occupational therapist, demonstrating adherence to the Trust Values at all times and operating as a member of the team, service and organisation. The successful applicant will work under the direction of qualified Occupational Therapists with a strong focus on delivering high quality evidence based services that directly support recovery, occupational formulation and occupational engagement delivered as 1:1 or group interventions. The post holder will support occupational therapists in the provision of evidence-based occupational therapy assessment and interventions as part of the OT Pathway and offer input to individuals, their families and carers. You must have the Right to Work in the UK in order to be successfully appointed to this role. Please note, due to the part time hours the starting salary for this role would not meet the required salary threshold for this post to be eligible for sponsorship under the Health and Care (Skilled Worker) visa. Health and Care Worker visa

Main duties of the job

The successful postholder will be responsible for working with delegated service users and contributing to assessments and interventions to address key occupational areas of self‑care, productivity and leisure. You will engage service users and their carers in therapeutic programmes of care, supporting them in achieving their identified goals and promoting independence and well‑being through a client‑centred approach. In addition to this, the postholder will participate in clinical supervision, contribute to multi‑disciplinary team working and contribute to safety and quality improvement activities as part of occupational therapy team. You will use the Trust / Local Authority electronic patient record system, abide by all Trust policies and procedures and be able to respond flexibly and creatively to challenges.

Please refer to the person specification within the attached job description to ensure you meet the essential criteria for the post prior to applying. Applicants must meet the shortlisting criteria to be considered for this post. You will access wider support from the occupational therapy network in Durham in supporting the delivery of a high quality, needs‑led OT service, utilising your technical and creative skills to engage service users in therapeutic activities and supporting service users/carers to achieve their identified goals. All team members must be committed to providing the best possible care for the people we work with and their families/carers. The ability to engage and communicate with service users as well as the parents/family/carers and system around them is essential. Clinical/Professional supervision is provided by the supervising Occupational Therapist as identified by the relevant Lead OT. The postholder will attend OT Learning and Governance Networks to ensure fidelity to core occupational therapy delivery, enhance CPD and contribute to the wider OT service developments.

You must be able to demonstrate experience of working alongside occupational therapists or experience of paid or voluntary work with people with mental health conditions or learning disabilities. And a keenness to continually develop yourself and others. We will support use of transferrable skills from a range of clinical settings.

• Numeracy and Literacy level 2 (or above)
• Minimum of level 2 qualification related to occupational therapy practice Examples of these qualifications are located on gov.uk website which lists qualifications at each level.
• If level 2 award (or higher) is not a health or social care related subject will complete Senior Healthcare Support Worker Apprenticeship (therapy support pathway) within 2 years of commencement in post.
• Care Certificate must be achieved within 12 weeks of commencement in post.
• Previous experience of supporting people with mental health, learning disabilities and/or autism including people with lived experience / carer.
• Previous experience working as a profession specific assistant or similar role e.g., nursing/care or AHP assistant.
• We are the Mental Health & Learning Disability NHS Trust for County Durham and Darlington, Teesside, North Yorkshire, York and Selby.

From education and prevention, to crisis and specialist care – our talented and compassionate teams work in partnership with our patients, communities and partners to help the people of our region feel safe, understood, believed in and cared for. We nurture the recovery journey of anyone in need of our help. In Our Trust, everyone has a say in how they are supported and treated because we listen to every person in our care until they feel understood. Our patients, their families and carers work together with us towards better mental health. We're committed to new thinking that improves the wellbeing of our region. We connect with our communities and partners to get mental health care right, in areas that really need it. We won't rest until everyone in our region has the mental health care they need, to lead their best possible life.