Senior Occupational Therapist

An exciting opportunity has opened up for a senior Occupational Therapist to join our Brent Mental Health Community Service. We will provide you with the opportunities to develop your skills, depending on your needs and goals. We are keen for people to develop in their area of interest to motivate and enrich our team. We are looking for people who are passionate about occupational therapy and want the opportunity to focus on their clinical OT skills, and who have ideas to grow and develop the occupational therapy provision within Brent Community services. Once in post you will be afforded the time and space to engage in specialised training and development opportunities to help you become a more enhanced practitioner.

Main duties of the job

Occupational therapists hold a key role within the Community Team providing occupational therapy service and expertise; which will include individual and group work, assessment, intervention and evaluation in accordance with the Royal College of Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics. You will be using MOHO and other evidence-based assessment tools in order to establish a baseline functional assessment from which recommendations can determine further ongoing care and treatment to enable optimum functioning. The role requires integrated evidence-based practice and skilful use of assessments & interventions with personal recovery principles, in order to improve the service users' quality of life and to support them to do the things they want to do and live the life they want to lead. You would need to be committed to working within recovery principles. The successful applicant will be self-motivated with a desire to work in mental health, and willing to learn and grow within the team. This post receives supervision from the Community Lead OT (Band 7) and in addition there is a great support network working alongside other OTs in the borough and across the trust. Opportunities for training, reflective practice, case formulation using Trauma Informed Approaches, skill sharing and several other projects are available ongoingly.

About Us

Specialised OT & Mental health training comprehensive offer of OT to OT training sessions, as well as specialised training depending on area of interest such as sensory integration and trauma informed care. Shadow and develop skills in our neighbouring services including HTT, EIS, the memory clinic and acute services allowing you to see the full circle of treatment for our patients. Mentoring and coaching sessions supporting you with your development and growth into the role, including a bespoke 1:1 induction by Head OT tailored to your specific needs. Monthly supervision from the lead OT for Brent Community Services. You will be supported in developing your management and leadership skills through supporting students and developing new initiatives for the service. Opportunities to get involved in the established Research and Development structures in Occupational Therapy, including specialist forums and valuable networks. A truly inclusive and diverse workspace. Nationally leading trust wide staff networks. Staff health and wellbeing schemes. QI training and support to bring your strengths and skills to service development. Flexible working.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Degree (or Diploma) in Occupational Therapy – both Diploma and Degree are accepted as the required level of qualification for all bands of qualified Occupational Therapists.
• Registration to practice in the UK – registration with the Health Care Professions Council is required and ongoing post-qualification CPD is mandatory.
• Evidence of post-registration training relevant to mental health practice and community OT.
• Training in the theory and application of the Model of Human Occupation.
• Practice Placement Educators Course / Development activities.

Desirable

• Leadership and/or management training.
• Training in motivational interview techniques.

Experience

• Experience of postgraduate working in a range of mental health settings.
• Experience of working within a multi-agency environment.
• Experience of leading, managing and running evidence-based group activities for service users with complex and diverse needs in a mental health setting.
• Experience of undertaking specialist OT assessments and writing specialist occupational therapy reports.
• Experience of being a practice placement educator.
• Experience of involvement in service change / development.
• Experience of maintaining a written record of continual professional development.

Desirable Experience

• Experience of using mental health services as a service user, or carer, relative, friend of a service user.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Communication - Highly developed interpersonal skills enabling therapeutic alliances to be developed & maintained with service users who have multiple & complex needs. Proficient in written and spoken English. Ability to promote & maintain the profile of OT within an MDT & the wider organisation.
• Personal and People Development - Ability to reflect upon and critically appraise own performance. Ability to role-model positive professional behaviour.
• Health, Safety and Security - Ability to identify and assess potential risks involved in work activities for self and others. Ability to monitor work areas & practices to maintain a healthy, safe and secure working environment.
• Quality - Applied knowledge of current national legislation, policies & guidelines relevant to clinical area. Good personal management skills in order to manage a clinical caseload & varied workload. Ability to work effectively within a team, understanding the importance of collaborative working in the delivery of good quality services.
• Equality and Diversity - Ability to apply equal opportunities & anti-discriminatory interventions that respect the service users' customs, values & spiritual beliefs.
• Health and Wellbeing - Skills in promoting recovery, social inclusion, health promotion & relapse prevention.
• General - Ability to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions in the context of best available evidence. Ability to deal with conflict and resolve difficulties with staff on an individual/team basis, seeking guidance from professional and clinical leads when needed.

Other

• Member of relevant specialist section.
• Member of the British Association of Occupational Therapy.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration.

Employer details

Employer name: Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Park Royal Centre for Mental Health, off Acton Lane, Harlesden, NW10 7NS