Band 6 Occupational Therapist - Gravesham Community Hospital, Gravesend

We have an exciting opportunity for a motivated and dedicated Band 6 Occupational Therapist to join our new Early Supported Discharge service and work on Sapphire Ward, working with our dynamic team at Gravesham Community Hospital. As a member of the Early Supported Discharge Team for Stroke patients and other Neurological conditions, you will play a crucial role in delivering high-quality care within the community setting. This is an excellent opportunity for a passionate Occupational Therapist to make a real impact in the lives of patients and contribute to the ongoing development of our service.

Gravesham Community Hospital is located a short distance from St Georges Shopping Centre and is surrounded by well-known food establishments and local coffee shops making it an ideal location to be based from. This is a full-time position. The Early Supported Discharge service operates 8am - 4pm Monday - Saturday. A full driving licence and access to a vehicle is essential in order to carry out community visits to patients in their homes and visit other bases.

To provide and develop a high standard of Occupational Therapy (OT) services to the patients with a focus on Early Supportive Discharge for Stroke patients and other Neurological conditions referred to the Community Neuro Rehab Team (CNRT).

• To provide Occupational Therapy treatment within the community setting and in reaching into the inpatient setting (Sapphire Unit).
• To provide specialist, Neuro focused OT assessments, interventions and advice for patients and relatives, using evidence-based client-centred principles.
• To manage, supervise and develop junior therapists, rehab assistants, apprentices, and students.
• In conjunction with the Band 7 and all other OTs, actively monitor and develop the OT service within CNRT in line with best practice, continuously striving to improve quality of service.
• To maintain a high standard of care and clinical practice in Neurology through liaison with those working in the team and to maintain close working relationships with other senior Occupational Therapists to facilitate integrated and collaborative rehabilitation programmes.

The ideal candidate will have / be:

• BSc, MSc or Diploma in Occupational Therapy.
• A HCPC registration.
• A member of the Royal College of Occupational Therapy.
• Evidence of CPD maintained in a portfolio including attendance at recent postgraduate courses relevant to the clinical field.
• Experience in different specialist areas as a junior Occupational Therapist within the NHS, or equivalent.
• Knowledge of a broad range of assessments and therapy interventions relevant to a caseload of adults with acquired communication and swallowing difficulties arising from stroke.
• Up-to-date knowledge of research to inform evidence-based practice.
• Excellent understanding of relevant national guidelines around stroke care.

You will feel valued as a Band 6 Occupational Therapist within our newly developed Early Supported Discharge Service based on Sapphire Ward at Gravesham Community Hospital, receiving access to exclusive rewards and benefits including:

• £35,392 - £42,618 Band 6 Salary with NHS Pension and full Agenda for Change terms and conditions.
• 5% high cost area allowance.
• Membership of My Reward Hub, giving you access to discounts on everyday purchases like grocery shopping as well as cashback and voucher offers for treats for you and those special to you.
• Access to your wages as you earn them to help cover life’s emergencies and avoid overdraft fees or high interest rates.
• Online and face-to-face help with your mental and physical wellbeing – from healthy recipes and activity challenges through to post trauma support, legal, debt and life management help, as well as career coaching and counselling.
• Access to eLearning, bespoke career pathways and opportunities for continuing professional development through our ‘Outstanding’ learning and development team, The Learning Enterprise.
• An open, just culture where you’re encouraged to have and implement ideas which can help us deliver our purpose: changing lives through transforming health and care – backed up by at least £100,000 of ringfenced innovation funding each year.
• Free tea, coffee and milk at your base location.

We change lives by transforming health and care. Established in 2006, we are one of the UK's leading independent providers of community health and care services, working with health and care commissioners and communities to transform services with a focus on experience, efficiency and improved outcomes. We deliver and transform adult and children community health services, primary care services including urgent care, sexual health, dermatology and MSK services as well as adult social care and wellbeing services. Across England, we support communities of many millions and directly help more than half a million people each year - guided by our simple values: we care, we think, we do.

We’re committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from a broad, diverse range of people who want to join our team. We’re a Disability Confident Committed company, so we work to provide facilities, work environment adjustments and technical solutions to be as inclusive of everyone.

While it doesn’t happen often, sometimes a role is very popular, and we’ll need to close it earlier than the date we’ve shown here. If you’re keen to join our team, we’d love to hear from you so please apply as soon as you can.

As you’d expect, safeguarding and protecting the children, young people and vulnerable adults that we work with is of the utmost importance so we have policies and procedures in place to promote safeguarding and safer working practices and everyone who joins the team is subject to a safer recruitment process, including the disclosure of criminal records and vetting checks.

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