Occupational Therapy Assistant Practitioner

Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust; Norwich; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 31,000; Part time

Job summary

Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust is recruiting an Occupational Therapy Assistant Practitioner (OTAP) Band 4 for a 12-month fixed-term contract, 22.5 hours per week at Julian Hospital, Norwich. The post covers Sandringham ward, with county-wide travel expected.

You will work under an OT, delivering 1:1 and group therapy, supporting recovery goals and discharge planning within a MDT. A passion for older people’s mental health and flexibility to travel across Norfolk is essential.

Qualifications

• Foundation Degree in Health and Social Care or equivalent Level 5 qualification.
• Experience of working with groups and in mental health settings.
• Willingness to travel independently across Norfolk.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide 1:1 and group therapy interventions to support recovery and discharge planning.
• Work under supervision of a registered Occupational Therapist within the MDT.
• Engage with service users to promote independence and meaningful activities.
• Assist in assessments and contribute to care planning on Sandringham ward.

Skills

Group work experience

Independent travel

Mental health experience

Communication skills

Education

Foundation degree / HSC level 5 equivalent

Job description

Occupational Therapy Assistant Practitioner

Band 4

Main area Occupational Therapy Assistant Practitioner Grade Band 4 Contract 12 months (Fixed term: 12 months) Hours

• Part time
• Flexible working

22.5 hours per week Job ref 246-CEN8235260

Site Julian Hospital Town Norwich Salary £28,392 - £31,157 gross per annum pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 31/08/2026 23:59

Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust provides child and adult mental health services, learning disability, wellbeing, older people's and eating disorder services across Norfolk and Suffolk.

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and want to reflect the diversity of our local communities within our teams. We welcome applications from all talented individuals with the relevant qualifications, skills, knowledge and experience.

Please note due to the nature of our roles and patient demographic, you will be required to undertake physical intervention training and remain trained, as required by your role.

Job overview

Are you motivated and have the skills to build people's independence and support individuals to achieve their recovery goals?

The Allied Health Professionals Older Persons Team (AHP OP) in Central Norfolk OP Inpatient services are looking for an Occupational Therapy Assistant Practitioner (OTAP) to provide support for service users admitted onto one of our Functional wards to support them during their admission and preparation for discharge.

This role will be based on Sandringham ward at the Julian hospital and due to the nature of the role and the large county of Norfolk that we cover, having the ability to travel across the county independently will be considered a highly desirable skill.

Main duties of the job

Within this role you will be working under the supervision of a registered Occupational Therapist, and will be part of a wider AHP team consisting of other AP's, Technical Instructors, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, and supported by a band 7 Clinical Team Lead. You will work with service users at all stages of the Occupational Therapy process and would be expected to work closely with the wider MDT as part of the assessment and treatment process

You will provide 1:1 and group therapy interventions which support service users to work towards goals as part of their Recovery Journey. You will be expected to have excellent communication skills, both verbal and written. Within this role you will be instructing and guiding service users during therapeutic interventions. To enable you to provide high quality care you will build professional therapeutic relationships with service users and communicate in a way that respects their views, autonomy and culture.

If Occupational Therapy is new to you, and you have been working elsewhere as an AP under another profession, we encourage you to apply if you are interested! We are passionate about championing the role of OT and will support staff with less experience to feel confident within this role.

Working for our organisation

NSFT Older People's Inpatient Services have been rated "Good" by the CQC and we need you to join us on our journey to Outstanding. As a part of the wider NSFT AHP team, the post-holder will receive regular clinical and management supervision, and professional guidance from our knowledgeable, friendly and supportive team.

Here at NSFT we pride ourselves on being a welcoming, talented, friendly and supportive team who like nothing better than sharing experiences and learning from each other. In addition to ongoing training and development opportunities, we are committed to providing an environment in which you can thrive.

Why work for us? We have challenges as a Trust, but we have ambitious aspirations, and we need dedicated individuals to support us on our journey. We have strong, established professional networks coupled with an exceptional leadership team who will ensure you are truly cared for and cared about.

Why Norfolk and Suffolk?The people here are warm and welcoming, you'll never be far from the beautiful coastline or Broads National Park. We're an hour and a half away from London and have an international airport in Norwich too. Our villages, towns and cities are packed full of history, independent cafes, shops and theatres. We have excellent shopping, eating out, top ranking schooling and affordable house prices too.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Within the service, we follow a Recovery-based and trauma-informed approach, working alongside Service Users who have a mental health diagnosis. Your role would be to instil hope, inspire confidence, and work collaboratively with individuals to meet their goals and build on life skills. You will work alongside Service Users, an Occupational Therapist and the MDT.

We are looking for someone who ideally has experience of working within older people mental health service and/or can adapt their skills to work with our client group.

Please find attached our Job Description and Person Specification for more detail on your Key Accountabilities, then if you feel you have what it takes to make a difference in your local communities

Please visit our Facebook and Twitter page @NSFTjobs

Person specification

Qualifications

• Foundation Degree in Health and Social Care/mental health OR Apprenticeship in H&SC/mental health L5 OR Equivalent Qualification at L5 or above in a related subject

Experience

• Experience of working with groups of people
• Ability to work both independently and under supervision
• Experience of working within mental health

Knowledge

• An understanding of Occupational Therapy and the importance of functional independence and meaningful occupations.
• Health and safety risk awareness

Other

• Ability to travel independently (driving service users in pool cars and own car)

Please be aware that, due to the high number of applications for certain roles, this vacancy may close earlier than the advertised closing date. We encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible.

Your Application

We can provide all our job application materials in alternative formats so that these are accessible to everyone. Should you require any documents within this job pack in an alternative format, please do not hesitate to contact us at [e-mail].

PLEASE NOTE: If you use a hotmail, msn or yahoo e-mail account, you will need to check your "junk" mail regularly as these email providers will divert any communication from this Trust/NHS JOBS straight into your " junk" inbox.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES Apart from its legal duties in relation to equality and diversity, the Trust recognises and actively promotes the benefits of a diverse workforce and is committed to treating all employees with dignity and respect regardless of race, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief.

As a part of the Disability Confident Employer Guaranteed Interview Scheme we interview all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the job vacancy (outlined in the Person Specification).. We encourage you to indicate your eligibility through TRAC jobs when applying.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post may be 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 certification / accreditation badges

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Name Elizabeth Neocleous Job title Clinical Team Lead Email address [e-mail] Telephone number 01603978369 Additional information

Please contact Elizabeth Neocleous, AHP Clinical Team Lead, if you have any questions about the post.