Occupational Therapy Assistant (Male only)

Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust; Retford; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 27,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in Retford is seeking a Band 3 Occupational Therapy Assistant to support occupational therapists in providing therapeutic interventions for patients. This role involves working with high-risk individuals and requires effective communication and collaboration with the medical team. The ideal candidate should possess NVQ Level 1 or equivalent in Maths and English, with relevant healthcare experience preferred. Competitive salary plus High Secure Allowance offered.

Qualifications

• Experience of working with individuals within a healthcare setting.
• Experience in team settings, liaising with colleagues, agencies, and services.
• Understanding working within Occupational therapy teams.

Responsibilities

• Assist in the delivery of Occupational Therapy assessment and treatment.
• Support in the treatment of individual patients.
• Manage and prioritise areas of responsibility.

Skills

Ability to motivate others

Basic IT skills

Ability to effectively communicate

Ability to identify own development needs

Ability to identify risk

Education

NVQ Level 1 or equivalent GCSE grades in Maths and English

Job description

Go back Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Occupational Therapy Assistant (Male only)

The closing date is 12 October 2025

The post is situated at Rampton Hospital, part of the Forensic Division within the Trust, one of three High Secure Hospitals in England.

We are the only Hospital in the country to provide High Secure care to patients who are women, who are deaf or who have Learning Disabilities, alongside our Mental Health and Personality Disorder treatment pathways.

We are looking to recruit a Band 3 Occupational Therapy Assistant who will be working predominantly to support Occupational Therapists in meeting the needs of patients. The position will be based in one of the four Day Units under management of Therapies and Education Service. The successful candidate will work closely with the Occupational therapists as well as the rest of the Day Unit staff, ward staff as well as Therapies and Education Service staff to engage patients in meaningful occupation based on assessment compiled by the Occupational Therapist and the identified needs of the individual patient. These posts play an important part to support clinical staff in providing a program of therapeutic interventions for patients across the service.

The post holder will work with patients who are at risk to themselves and others and require treatment in a high secure setting. The post holder will supervise, instruct and support patients in activities relating to their treatment programmes both within the unit and on the wards and within the workshops listed above.

Main duties of the job

• Contribute to and assist in delivery of a needs led Occupational Therapy assessment and treatment programme based on individual patient's required needs.
• Contribute to daily functioning of the designated area of work. Be actively involved in the treatment of individual patients. Working with Occupational Therapists and Technical Instructors to ensure full packages of care are delivered.
• Successfully time manage and prioritise areas of responsibility.
• Attend relevant departmental and wider meetings as required and appropriate.
• Communicate effectively within own service and with other colleagues.
• Accurately record statistical information.
• With support, keep accurate, appropriate and contemporaneous patient records in accordance with the Forensic Information Governance Group and Trust Policy.
• Provide verbal feedback about patient progress to appropriate colleagues.
• Undertake administrative tasks as required by the service and the Directorate.
• Contributes to ensuring that resources are available within the department to delivery the planned therapeutic activities.
• Working with other Technical Instructors and Occupational Therapists to ensure full packages of care are delivered.
• Successfully time manage and prioritise areas of responsibility.
• The post holder will be required to undertake other duties or tasks as required as consistent with the job role and grade. This could include supporting ward staff in the day to day running of the ward.

About us

#TeamNottsHC comprises over 11,000 dedicated colleagues who #MakeADifference every day. We deliver intellectual disability, mental health, community health, forensic, and offender healthcare services across Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, and South Yorkshire. Our care is provided from over 200 sites, spanning community locations, acute settings, and secure environments, including prisons.

We are one of the largest mental health and community Trusts in the East Midlands and one of Nottinghamshire's biggest employers. We also host national and regional services, such as the National High Secure Deaf Service and the Nottingham Centre for Transgender Health.

We offer a variety of employee-led staff networks, including Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) groups, the Green Champions network, the Freedom to Speak Up network, the Health and Wellbeing Champions network, and the Menopause Champions network. These networks play a vital role in supporting our diverse workforce and promoting a culture of inclusivity.

The health and wellbeing of colleagues is a top priority. We invest significantly in this through our in-house occupational health and staff counselling services, supported by a dedicated Health and Wellbeing team.

Job responsibilities

Please see the attached documents detailing the job description and person specification for this post.

Note: This post does not meet skill level required for a Skilled worker visa.

Successful applicants with no prior NHS experience would normally be placed at the bottom of the band in line with Agenda for Change. This salary is below the minimum salary required for sponsorship for a Skilled Worker/Health & Care visa. In these circumstances the Trust would not, therefore, be able to sponsor for a Skilled Worker/Health & Care visa.

Applicants requiring a Skilled Worker Visa can determine the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship against the relevant criteria here https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa

Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. The cost of the DBS application is £26.40 (standard) or £54.40 (enhanced), this cost will be deducted from your salary over the first 2 months of employment.

You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. An annual fee of £16 per year applies.

Person Specification

Physical Requirements

• Ability to undertake relevant mandatory training and engage in the management of violence and aggression, commensurate to the role.
• Occasional requirement to exert intense physical effort throughout the period of work to respond to incidents.
• The ability to undertake manual handling tasks in line with policy and procedures.

Qualifications

• Qualification in NVQ Level 1 or equivalent GCSE grades in Maths and English
• Qualifications relevant to what the Occupational therapy service offer.

Training

• Willingness to complete and engage in further training appropriate to the area of expertise.
• Training specific to mental health care.
• Training specific to the area of expertise (such as craft based / skill or Psychology)

Experience

• Experience of working with individuals within a healthcare setting.
• Experience and understanding of working in team setting, liaising with colleagues, other agencies and services.
• Experience of communicating with range of other agencies within healthcare setting.
• Experience of working within Occupational therapy teams.
• Experience of working within mental health or the forensic setting.

Knowledge

• Demonstrates an awareness of mental health and Learning disability services.
• Demonstrates an understanding of cultural and diversity needs of individuals.
• Has an awareness of health and safety issues within the work place.
• Has a basic understanding of the purpose and role of Occupational therapy within mental health care.
• Understanding of forensic high secure services.

Skills

• Ability to motivate others.
• Basic IT skills.
• Ability to communicate to a range of people on a range of matters, in a range of forms.
• Ability to identify own development needs with support of others.
• Ability to identify risk and to take responsibility for self and others in ensuring legislation, policies and procedures are followed in the work place. Ability to actively participate in development of the service.
• Ability to actively participate in development of the service.
• Ability to use own initiative up to the level of the post's responsibility.
• Ability to work without continuous direct supervision.

Contractual Requirements

• Ability to adapt to changing services and be flexible in approach.

Values and Behaviours

• All colleagues are expected to demonstrate that they act in line with Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Values: Trust Honesty Respect Compassion Teamwork
• All colleagues are expected to demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and how it applies to their role. The Trust's expectations are highlighted within our EDI Policy, and associated EDI and Human Rights legislation

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

Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

£24,937 to £26,598 a year per annum (pro rata for part time) + £7,000 High Secure Allowance