Senior Occupational Therapist

Integrated Care System; Dunstable; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 39,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading community health service is seeking a Band 6 Occupational Therapist to join their Older Adults Community Mental Health & Memory Assessment Team. The role involves managing a community caseload, providing clinical supervision, and engaging in service development. The ideal candidate will have experience working with older adults and mental health diagnoses, alongside strong leadership skills.

Benefits

Employee Assistance Programme

Health & Well-being support

Specialist training opportunities

Qualifications

• HCPC Registration required.
• Experience in mental health and community setting.
• Ability to manage clinical risk.

Responsibilities

• Manage a community caseload in Older Persons services.
• Provide specialist bio-psycho-social assessments.
• Facilitate therapeutic 1-1 and group interventions.

Skills

Clinical assessment skills

Leadership

Time management

Organizational skills

Use of IT

Education

Degree or Diploma in Occupational Therapy

Job description

The Bedfordshire and Luton Occupational Therapy service are seeking an occupational therapist to join our Older Adults Community Mental Health & Memory Assessment Team as a Band 6, working within Luton and across South-Bedfordshire.

We are looking to recruit an OT with past experience of working with older people with a mental health diagosis and/or dementia. You will demonstrate sound clinical assessment skills and offer specialist OT interventions utilising assessment and evaluation tools drawn from the Model of Human Occupation.

We would consider applications from newly qualified/Band 5 OT's as we do offer a Band 5 development programme to support skill progression over an 18month period to progress to a Band 6.

Main duties of the job

Within the role, you will primarily manage a community caseload within the Older Persons Luton/South-Bedfordshire area as well as providing day-to-day management of junior staff within the team and supporting with service development. There may be times where you will be expected to support with clinical cases countywide (across Bedfordshire & Luton). The role will provide opportunity to work across both the community mental health teams and the memory assessment services.

We are a dynamic and forward thinking team that actively encourages and supports professional and service development. We are looking for a Band 6 Occupational Therapist who is enthusiastic about working in mental health, and can demonstrate sound clinical and leadership skills. We would require you to have the ability to work autonomously as well as part of a team, and to have good workload management skills and a compassionate approach to service users and staff.

About us

Regular managerial and professional supervision will be provided and we also provide monthly opportunities to participate in OT Service-wide CPD events. Professional development and training are actively encouraged through the appraisal process, and we also offer specialist training opportunities and a Band 6 Support and Development programme.

Benefits of working for the Trust include an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) and Health & Well-being support.

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.

Job responsibilities

To work as an integral member of the multi-disciplinary team for the Luton and Bedfordshire Older Peoples community mental health teams, supporting the teams to deliver and develop functional and organic services. There may be times were you will be required to work across Luton and Bedfordshire to support the wider OT Older Adult Team and service users.

The OT will provide specialist bio-psycho-social assessments and interventions to clients referred to the CMHT/Memory Assessment Service

To provide expert advice to the Community Mental Health Team on Occupational Therapy issues and to raise the profile of Occupational Therapy approaches to care within the Team.

To manage a caseload that reflects the need for specialist O.T skills. This may include supporting care coordinators in evidencing the need for social care packages.

To develop and facilitate, therapeutic 1-1 and group interventions within the community; according to the needs of clients and service.

To work in collaboration with the Head OT in the development of clinical and professional practice and support the implementation of research, evidence based practice, quality standards and audit within the OT service / MDT.

The post holder will provide leadership, advice, support and clinical supervision to the OT team.

To develop and maintain links with relevant, statutory and non-statutory agencies with particular reference to day care services, user led initiatives, voluntary bodies and Primary Care Providers

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Degree or Diploma in Occupational Therapy
• State HCPC Registration
• Full driving licence and access to a vehicle

Experience

• Experience of working in a mental health and/or community setting
• Experience of working with Older People with mental health and/or dementia diagnosis
• Experience of working as part of a MDT.
• Ability to undertake clinical risk - assess, manage and reduce potential risks
• Experience of assessing for physical health needs/equipment
• Experience of developing and facilitating groups

Skills/Knowledge

• Use of the Model of Human Occupation and/or other standardised assessments in practice
• Ability to manage a clinical caseload and work independently
• ability to use IT to support with role
• Good organisational and time management skills

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.