Occupational Therapist Band 5-6 Development Post

As a Band 5-6 development Mental Health Occupational Therapist, you will work as part of a multidisciplinary team to provide high-quality occupational therapy assessments and interventions for adults with mental health conditions. You will assess clients' functional abilities and needs, develop, and deliver evidence-based interventions to promote recovery, independence, and wellbeing, and work collaboratively with clients, carers, and other professionals to achieve shared goals.

Main duties:

• Provide occupational therapy assessments, interventions, and outcome measures for clients with mental health conditions, including anxiety and depression, psychosis, and personality disorders.
• Use evidence-based interventions and positive risk management approaches to improve clients' occupational performance and promote their recovery, independence, and wellbeing.
• Work collaboratively with clients, carers, other professionals, and partner agencies to develop individualised care plans that address clients' needs, goals, and preferences.
• Empower service users and their carers to develop relapse prevention and crisis plans, maximising their ability to resolve crisis and prevent hospitalisation.
• Support safe and effective discharge from inpatient and Home Treatment Team services by providing regular reviews and follow-up.
• Facilitate and lead therapeutic groups in collaboration with other Occupational Therapists in the team, including psychoeducation, life skills training, and vocational rehabilitation.
• Provide clinical supervision and mentorship to Occupational Therapy students and support staff.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date records of clients' assessments, interventions, and progress, in accordance with professional standards and service policies.
• Adhere to ethical and professional standards and promote the values and principles of the Occupational Therapy profession.

About us:

Our Values 2025 - 2030: Working with our colleagues, patients and carers we have co-produced three new values that we aim to embed within our culture here at NELFT. They are: We are kind. We are respectful. We work together with our communities. These three values help us to strive to provide the best care by the best people.

Probationary Period: This post will be subject to a probationary period.

Starting with Us: NELFT places great importance on new starters being properly welcomed into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks, including mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process, new starters will also have the opportunity to meet the executive team, senior managers, and attend several drop-in sessions focusing on engagement, health and wellbeing, and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Rainham, Essex.

High Cost Area Supplement - Outer London: This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 15% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £4,313 to a maximum of £5,436 p.a. pro rata for part time).

High Cost Area Supplement - Fringe: This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 5% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £1,192 to a maximum of £2,011 p.a. pro rata for part time).

Job responsibilities:

• Clinical Skills: Assessment: The ability to perform thorough assessments of clients' mental health and functional abilities, using a range of standardised and non-standardised assessments.
• Intervention planning: The ability to develop individualised intervention plans that are evidence-based, client-centred, and holistic.
• Intervention delivery: The ability to deliver interventions in a manner that is effective, safe, and engaging for clients.
• Therapeutic relationship building: The ability to build positive and therapeutic relationships with clients and their families, carers, and other professionals.
• Clinical reasoning and problem-solving: The ability to use clinical reasoning and problem-solving skills to identify and address barriers to clients' recovery and independence.
• Risk assessment and management: The ability to assess and manage clinical risks, such as suicide, self-harm, and aggression.
• Multidisciplinary working: The ability to work collaboratively with other professionals to ensure that clients receive holistic and coordinated care.
• Generic Caseload management: The post holder will have responsibility for coordinating the care of an identified group of service users on CPA or keyworking a caseload of clients.

Leadership:

• Supervision and mentorship: Supervise and mentor Occupational Therapy students and support staff.
• Service development: You will be involved in the development and implementation of service improvements and innovations under guidance from senior staff in the team.
• Clinical governance: Adhere to clinical governance to deliver safe, effective, and high quality care.
• Leadership and communication: You will be expected to provide leadership within the scope of your role.

Administration: To be proficient in the use of IT data-based information systems, spreadsheets and other IT packages as required by the Trust.

Communication:

• Active listening: The ability to actively listen to clients, their families, and other professionals.
• Clear and concise verbal communication: The ability to communicate clearly and concisely.
• Written communication: The ability to write clear and concise documentation.
• Non-verbal communication: The ability to use non-verbal communication effectively.
• Assertiveness: The ability to communicate assertively, while also being respectful and empathetic.
• Cultural competence: The ability to communicate effectively with clients from diverse cultural backgrounds.
• Collaborative communication: The ability to communicate collaboratively with other professionals.

Governance: To maintain effective consumer confidentiality, ensuring adherence to NELFT policies, Data Protection and Information Governance legislation.

Training:

• Continuing professional development (CPD): The post holder is expected to engage in regular CPD.
• Clinical supervision: The post holder will receive regular clinical supervision.
• Performance management: The post holder will engage in regular performance management activities.
• Research and service development: As opportunities arise, the post holder should engage in research review and service development activities.

Person specification:

• Qualifications: BSc or equivalent in Occupational Therapy, Current HCPC registration, Clinical Supervision training, Evidence of post qualification training.
• Experience: Assess, plan, implement, evaluate OT interventions, Facilitating/leading groups for service users.
• Values: Demonstrate NELFT values.

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.