Occupational Therapy Team Lead

Transformationunitgm; Bloxwich, Walsall; On-site; GBP 46,000 - 53,000; Full time

Job summary

An established healthcare provider is seeking a dedicated Occupational Therapy Team Lead to join their dynamic multi-disciplinary team. This role focuses on delivering exceptional care to older adults in mental health inpatient services. You will lead a team of allied health professionals, ensuring high-quality assessments and interventions while promoting recovery. With opportunities for professional development and a supportive work environment, this position is perfect for those passionate about making a positive impact in mental health care. Join a forward-thinking organization committed to improving the lives of the community.

Benefits

Flexible working policies

Career development opportunities

Supportive and inclusive work environment

Qualifications

• Significant experience as a band 6/7 occupational therapist in a relevant clinical field.
• Documented evidence of continuing practice development.

Responsibilities

• Provide operational and clinical leadership to the Older Adult Inpatient AHP Therapy Team.
• Ensure high standards of clinical care for patients and support junior staff.

Skills

Interpersonal Skills

Communication Skills

Leadership Skills

Budget Management

Clinical Supervision

Education

Diploma/Degree in Occupational Therapy

Masters level qualification relevant to post

Job description

Main area Older Adult Mental Health - urgent care services Grade NHS AfC: Band 7 Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week Job ref 285-0933-MH

Employer Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Bloxwich Hospital new build Town Bloxwich Salary £46,148 - £52,809 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 14/05/2025 23:59

Occupational Therapy Team Lead

NHS AfC: Band 7

Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust provides specialist mental health, learning disability, and community healthcare services for the population of the Black Country.

Across the whole of the region we provide:

• Adult and older adult mental health services
• Specialist learning disability services
• Mental health services for children and young people
• Community healthcare services for children, young people and families in Dudley

Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust was formed on 1 April 2020, with the merger of Black Country Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Dudley and Walsall Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust. Combining resources, strategies and talented workforce enables us to deliver a wider variety of outstanding services that are based on best practice and are continually improving.

We currently employ over 4,000 people and just like the population we serve, we are made up of diverse cultures and backgrounds. Whatever your role, working in a NHS Foundation Trust, like ours, is a demanding and extremely rewarding experience. Knowing that every day you can help to make a positive difference to someone’s life is a very powerful feeling. We know that our Trust runs on this desire to help and support people, and our Trust vision expresses this. Our vision is to improve health and wellbeing for everyone, especially our colleagues to achieve the best possible work/life balance.

We proudly offer supportive, inclusive and family friendly employment and flexible working policies. We have a wide range of professional services and employee networks to help our colleagues be at their best - and find support if they need it. To find more about our staff benefits, please visit our website: blackcountryhealthcare.nhs.uk.

Don’t meet every single requirement?Studies have shown that women and ethnic minority candidates are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Black Country Healthcare we recognise and value all forms of knowledge and expertise, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification or criteria in the job description/person specification, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

For further supporting information to help you apply for this role please see documents attached under ‘Additional documents’.

Job overview

Within Black Country Healthcare Trust , we have seen significant investment and improvements, including our new build Bloxwich hospital, based in Walsall. This is an exciting time to join our Multi-disciplinary team as an Occupational Therapy Team Lead, promoting recovery in mental health inpatient services, for our Older Adult population.

As well as delivering complex occupational therapy assessments and interventions to inpatient older adult service users, you will have responsibility for Clinical and operational management for an inpatient AHP Team. There will be ample opportunity to lead on quality improvement projects, and develop therapy services to meet the needs of older adults with mental health needs, within a state of the art hospital environment.

You will have designated responsibility for professional leadership and co-ordination of the Older Adult Inpatient Allied Health Professionals Therapy Team across Walsall and Wolverhampton, so will be required to be based across two inpatient sites, although this may be subject to future change.

The Allied Health Professionals therapy team comprises of Occupational Therapists, physiotherapist and speech and language therapist, including our support workers. This is a well respected therapy team that works closely with the wider multi-disciplinary team delivering evidence based therapeutic services.

Main duties of the job

This post provides operational and clinical leadership and co-ordinate the Older Adult Inpatient AHP Therapy Team within their clinical day-to-day activity.

Ensure that the Older Adult Inpatient AHP Therapy Team understands and
works to required performance expectations and to monitor and support
compliance as required.

Ensure the Older Adults Inpatient AHP Therapy team contributes as required to the delivery of performance development and quality and safety directives.

Ensure that the AHP team members receive appropriate professional and clinical supervision in line with the Trust’s Supervision Policy.

Ensure that the activity of the AHP Team supports efficient use of resource

Clinical duties include:
To have professional and legal responsibility and accountability for all aspectsof own work including the management of patients on your caseload.

To ensure a high standard of clinical care for the patients under your
management including the effective and efficient organisation of clinical
interventions and support junior staff to do likewise.

To communicate effectively with patients and carers to maximise recovery
potential.

To maintain accurate, comprehensive and up-to-date clinical or electronic
documentation/data in line with Trust, professional and Health and Care
Professions Council policy, standards and guidelines.

Working for our organisation

If you are passionate about developing therapy services and providing leadership within an Allied Health professional inpatient team, as part of the multi disciplinary team then this post will be for you. Working within the Older Adult Mental Health Division, you will be welcomed and supported by the wider MDT and AHP leadership team.

The post holder will be supported with career development opportunities, supervision and training, having opportunity to develop leadership practice, quality improvement initiatives within an organisational culture of learning and continual improvement.

We are dedicated to providing therapy that is person - centred, focused on recovery, holistic needs, health and wellbeing outcomes. If you are someone that wants to make a positive difference to Older Adult Inpatient mental health we would look forward to welcoming you !

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Main Duties/Responsibilities
• The post holder will work with other Trust Services and Agencies as required to ensure that the activity of their designated teams is co-ordinated to support effective and efficient inpatient care pathways.
• To ensure Team Activity supports efficient use of resources in line with theallocated budget.
• To ensure Team Activity is in line with required performance parameters and quality standards.
• To support business planning within the Older Adult Mental Health Division in line with their sphere of expertise and responsibilities
• The post holder will be an active clinical practitioner and will contribute directly to the clinical care activity of the Team
• To undertake any other duties of a similar nature consistent with the
responsibilities of this post in order to provide a quality AHP and OccupationalTherapy service.

Person specification

Education and qualifications

• Diploma/Degree in Occupational Therapy
• Masters level qualification relevant to post or relevant masters level clinical experienc

Experience

• Documented evidence of continuing practice development.
• Evidence of self-directed learning.
• Significant experience as a band 6/7 occupational therapist in a relevant clinical field or fields, including extensive mental health experience
• Extensive experience of supervision, appraisal and development of AHP staff
• Significant experience of multi-disciplinary working including development of effective networks/partnerships
• Active participation in audit, service evaluation and research
• Experience of involvement in quality improvement or service developments
• Experience of leading and supporting change and innovation.

Knowledge

• Excellent working knowledge of occupational therapy practice in adult mental health settings.
• Thorough knowledge of statutory and legal frameworks within which mental health services operate
• Thorough knowledge of the current management of mental health services
• Effective working knowledge of health and social care policy, including the social care context of mental health services.

Skills

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, applied in a variety of contexts, with a variety of people, including the communication of complex, sensitive or contentious issues.
• Effective and efficient use of resources, ie budget management
• Effective written and verbal communication skills and presentation skills
• Adaptable and flexible leadership style.
• Adaptable and flexible leadership style. Able to work collaboratively within the multidisciplinary team. Able to develop work partnerships and alliances.

Trust values and behaviours

• Be compassionate, empathetic and caring to everyone
• Be inclusive by understanding and valuing others to achieve the best results for everyone and everything we do
• Enable yourself and others to act with confidence and authority in order to achieve the best outcome for everyone
• Act with transparency and honesty; respect and value others to do the right thing at the right time for everyone.

** Please Note that Internal at Risk Employees will be given preference for this position**

We reserve the right to bring the closing date forward for this vacancy at any time should we receive an overwhelming response of applications. We therefore encourage applicants to apply early if you wish to be considered for this post.

If you do not hear from the recruitment 4 weeks within the advertised closing date please assume that you have been unsuccessful at the shortlisting stage. Please ensure that you check your emails on a regular basis for any recruitment updates regarding this vacancy. If you are not successful at the shortlisting stage and would like feedback, please contact the Recruitment Team directly for feedback.

The salary range quoted is as per NHS Agenda for Change pay structures. This is based on the number of years’ working directly within the NHS at the advertised pay band. Experience gained with other NHS Trusts will apply, but candidates without prior experience working direct for the NHS would normally be appointed at the lowest point unless they can demonstrate the equivalent experience and then be eligible for incremental increases in future years.

Successful applicants for clinical posts up to and including Band 4 are expected to hold the national Care Certificate qualification and will be supported to attain this once in post.

The Trust is committed to equal opportunities, providing opportunities for flexible working and is a non-smoking organisation.

As a Trust we are passionate about Anti-Racism, Disability Inclusion, and LGBTQ+ Equality, and are committed to diversifying our staff team in all areas and at all levels of seniority to better reflect the diverse communities we serve. Therefore, we particularly welcome and encourage applications from people who belong to a minority or marginalised community, including from Black and Asian, Disabled (including hidden disabilities such as Neurodiversity, Mental Health, etc), or Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans or Queer (LGBTQ+) people.

Furthermore, Disabled applicants have the option of requesting that their application is considered under our Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS). Please indicate your intention to apply under the GIS in the relevant section of your application. Regardless of whether you participate in the scheme or have shared a disability, you will be provided the opportunity to request reasonable adjustments to the interview process at each stage of the recruitment process.

Due to the nature of the work some posts may be subject to a Standard Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, through the Disclosure and Barring Service as stipulated under part V of the Police Act 1997. Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar you from working with us; this will depend on the nature of the position and the circumstances of your offences.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

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 Julie Bowater Job title AHP Lead - Older Adults Mental Health Division Email address [e-mail] Telephone number 07759910534