Rough Sleepers Mental Health, Occupational Therapist | East London NHS Foundation Trust

East London NHS Foundation Trust; Greater London; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A London healthcare provider seeks a band 7 occupational therapist to join the Rough Sleepers Mental Health Team. This role requires experience in bio-psychosocial assessments, trauma-informed care, and collaborating with various organizations. You will assess the mental and physical health needs of rough sleepers, advocate for their care, and contribute to a recovery-focused environment. Ideal candidates will be proactive and compassionate with strong communication skills, committed to making a positive impact in the community.

Qualifications

• Experience as an occupational therapist working with vulnerable populations.
• Understanding of relevant legislation including the Mental Health Act.
• Ability to provide person-centred care and recovery-focused interventions.

Responsibilities

• Undertake bio-psychosocial assessments for rough sleepers.
• Help coordinate care plans among various service providers.
• Provide support to multidisciplinary team in assessment and intervention.

Skills

Bio-psychosocial assessment

Safeguarding adults

Trauma informed care

Effective communication

Inter-agency collaboration

Education

Degree in Occupational Therapy

Job description

We have an opportunity for a band 7 occupational therapist to join the Rough Sleepers Mental Health Team, a London trust wide service covering City of London, Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Newham.

RAMHP is an assessment and liaison service that works with street outreach services to support people who sleep rough and help them get the right mental health care. We work with statutory and partner organisations supporting people in challenging circumstances. The role requires an understanding of the health needs of rough sleepers and the challenges homeless people face in health settings.

The team uses an assertive outreach approach, going out to see people where they are. We are looking for people who are trauma informed and creative in how they engage and support people with multiple needs.

Practitioners need expertise in bio-psychosocial assessment and liaison. The practitioner will be experienced in safeguarding adults and have a good working knowledge of relevant legislation including the mental health act, mental capacity act and the Care Act.

You will be an active member of the multidisciplinary team, provide bio-psychosocial assessments and support to rough sleepers referred by the street outreach teams. You will be expected to undertake occupational therapy assessments to understand the impact of mental health and physical health needs as well as social circumstances on the individual’s every day functioning.

• Be an active member of the ELFT Rough Sleepers Mental Health Project
• Help existing statutory and non-profit sector services to work together more effectively so that homeless people are identified, assessed, supported and directed so that their recovery is sustained.
• To undertake comprehensive assessments of mental health and social needs, including risk assessments, effectively and efficiently.
• To undertake occupational therapy assessments to understand the impact of mental health and physical health needs as well as social circumstances on the individual’s every day functioning.
• Provide and occupational therapy perspective to the mutli-disciplinary team members regarding assessment, intervention and management.
• To work in line with the principles of trauma informed care; including demonstrating an understanding of the impact that past traumatic events might have on service users, and a commitment to providing interventions that minimise the risk of re-traumatisation.
• To have an understanding of the challenges homeless people face in health settings.
• To promote a person centred service and maintain a recovery focused ethos. To formulate and agree care plans and safety care plans.
• Be flexible, working according to the needs of the service.
• Communicate across organizations using techniques such as negotiation, motivation and persuasion to ensure the role is effectively carried out.

Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive – so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.

1. To manage a complex client caseload as defined by the ELFT Rough Sleepers Mental Health Project (RAMHP)
2. To independently undertake bio-psychosocial assessment, including mental state and risk assessment.
3. To use advanced clinical reasoning to assess how a person’s mental health and physical health difficulties impact on their occupational performance.
4. To undertake assessment of daily living skills, risk factors and highlighting ongoing support needs in order to aid accommodation plans.
5. To plan intervention in conjunction with those involved in the person’s care (both professional and informal carers from statutory and third sector organisations) ensuring clear communication and regular evaluation of care plan.
6. To promote empowerment and education of people in relation to their holistic health, focussing on social inclusion, health promotion and relapse prevention.

This advert closes on Sunday 21 Dec 2025