Senior Occupational Therapist in Exeter

Are you someone looking for a career in one of the UK's most respected mental health and learning disability trusts? Would you like to be part of a dedicated team committed to making a difference to people's lives and enjoy a better future? An exciting opportunity has arisen for a highly motivated Senior Occupational Therapist to join Coombehaven Ward at The Cedars. Your clinical work will involve taking a lead on working with service users with severe/complex mental health needs, using occupationally focused evidence-based assessment and skills to provide therapeutic interventions. You will be supported by an onsite Occupational Therapy Team Manager and part of this role will be to support junior members of the team. There are plenty of opportunities for professional development and quality improvement initiatives. Devon Partnership NHS Trust is growing as we establish ourselves as one of the leading providers of mental health services in the country. Working as part of Devon Partnership NHS Trust, you will make a difference to people's lives from the moment you start.

Main duties of the job:

• Assess and treat own specialist caseload of clients within identified settings.
• Act as clinical OT within the inpatient services, ensuring effective planning and delivery of the service and manage a small team ensuring effective planning and delivery of the service.
• To ensure supervision for all OT staff within the inpatient to ensure a high standard of client care.
• Contribute to the development of high-quality occupational therapy services through the professional clinical governance frameworks including audit.
• Provide professional advice and expertise to the urgent inpatient management team.
• Report to the OT Manager on professional issues and Ward Manager on operational issues.

About us:

We provide mental health & learning disability services, as well as a range of specialist & secure services for the wider south west region & nationally. We are passionate about promoting good mental health & wellbeing. We strive to use the expertise & resources within our organisation, and through our partnerships, to deliver high-quality services that are safe & focused on people's recovery.

Our values:

We not only recruit employees based on their qualifications & experience - we recruit individuals who possess and demonstrate the behaviours which underpin the core values of our organisation. These values include such attributes as showing a commitment to quality of care, improving lives of others, giving respect, dignity & compassion. We can bring those values to life in our everyday tasks by giving a smile; making time for people; challenging ourselves & others, & being open to new ideas. We are committed to being an inclusive employer & applications are encouraged & welcomed from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics as governed by the Equality Act 2010. Part-time & flexible working applications will be considered & supported, where possible. We particularly encourage applicants with lived experience of mental health & learning disabilities. We are a Disability Confident Employer.

Job responsibilities:

Communication and Working Relationships:

• To develop and maintain effective communication structures to facilitate communication on professional and Trust issues within the adult urgent care and inpatient care Network.
• To provide professional advice to the urgent inpatient management team and community team leaders, ensuring professional representation in the local decision-making process and an awareness of the contribution of OT in acute settings.
• To chair professional meetings as required.
• To receive, interpret and provide highly complex and sensitive information about and to: Patients and families/carers re-assessment, care planning, treatment and review where there may be significant distress, resistance and/or communication barriers to engagement.
• Multi-disciplinary teams to ensure the provision of consistent, well-coordinated care.
• Primary care teams regarding client care.
• External agencies also involved in the provision of care e.g. voluntary and private sector, employment agencies.
• Local service forums.
• Service user/carer groups.
• Inform OT manager on capacity, performance and development issues of the OT workforce within the urgent inpatient Services, working with others to acknowledge achievement and resolve identified problems.
• Ensure effective mechanisms are in place to advise the OT manager of OT activity.

Responsibility for Judgement / Analysis:

• To analyse individual patients' needs, make decisions and use initiative and professional judgement in evaluating and implementing individual care.
• To provide specialised assessments of people, in particular information regarding levels of functional performance in areas of self-care and activities of daily living. This will form part of the overall assessment, contributing to discharge planning and possible longer-term treatment.

Planning and Organisation:

• Organise and deliver effective professional governance.
• Plan, organise and maintain professional networks and interest groups within the network.
• Contribute to teaching and learning activities and provide mentoring/coaching and development activities for OTs.
• Work with the urgent inpatient team to plan and implement the OT service supporting the development of new roles in line with service developments.

Responsibility for Patient/Client Care, Treatment and Therapy:

• To undertake specialist clinical work.
• To maintain accurate and timely client records in accordance with professional and Trust standards.

Policy, Service, Research, Innovation and Improvement:

• Contribute to the development and ensure the maintenance of appropriate clinical and professional standards in line with national policy and guidance.
• To contribute to the development, implementation and evaluation of strategies and clinical policies relating to the profession ensuring the service continues to evolve to meet the needs of users and their carers.
• Contribute to service and policy changes within the urgent Inpatient service relating to wider service development in the network.
• Advise the OT manager on the local impact of local and national policies and initiatives in urgent Inpatient Care.
• Promote the use of evidence-based practice and the development of practice-based evidence.

Responsibility for Finance, Equipment and Other Resources:

• The post holder will be responsible for supporting the monitoring of Occupational Therapy non-pay expenditure.

Responsibility for Supervision, Leadership and Management:

• Provide leadership to OTs, working closely with clinical and management colleagues to ensure the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the service.
• Contribute to and support the development of new roles within the service.
• Provide leadership and supervision to OTs and other colleagues ensuring effective supervision arrangements, objective setting, appraisal and CPD.
• Engage and empower OTs in relation to the modernisation agenda.
• Ensure effective governance arrangements are in place for the OTs in urgent Inpatient and rehabilitation settings.
• Support students whilst on placement.

Information Resources and Administrative Duties:

• Ensure that administrative systems are in place to support professional governance.

Person Specification:

• Qualifications: Diploma / Degree Occupational Therapy. Evidence of further training, with particular emphasis on mental health. Short specialist courses to Masters equivalent level.
• Experience: Substantive post-graduate experience working in a range of mental health settings. Experience of supervising a range of people. Experience of leading service development. Experience of working in Urgent inpatient settings.
• Knowledge and skills: Evidence of ongoing professional development. Sound knowledge of current OT theory and practice. Highly developed communication/interpersonal skills including the ability to communicate clearly and confidently to a range of people. Ability to present information logically and concisely both verbally and in writing. Ability to deal with complex and emotionally charged situations. Be flexible and adaptable to change. Able to deal with unforeseen circumstances and remain calm under pressure. Sound impartial and objective judgement. Innovative and creative thinker. Ability to form positive relationships with staff at all levels, service users, partner organisations. Leadership skills. Ability to use a range of approaches. Ability to engage and motivate individuals who are experiencing an acute phase of mental illness in activities of daily living. Ability to plan and deliver service change and development. To be flexible and have the ability to respond quickly to patient need, change your work pattern and be responsive to the needs of the ward. Ability to be able to provide practical support with daily living activities, and physically perform required duties. To maintain confidentiality, empathy and patience towards individuals with mental health illness. Demonstrate thorough understanding of and adherence to Trust Visions and Values. Evidence of being able to think quickly and calmly in emergency situations.