Sports and Exercise Therapy Instructor

We are seeking a Band 4 Sport and Exercise Therapy Instructor to work across our Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit and Woodlands Inpatient Unit.

This role will work across The Tarn (Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit), Oxleas House and The Woodlands Inpatient Mental Health Unit. The post is embedded within the Occupational Therapy Structures of the Acute and Crisis Mental Health Directorate and has been designed to complement the therapeutic group work and interventions carried out by OT on the wards encouraging service user engagement with their own physical well being.

The post holder will work under the supervision of the Directorate Lead Occupational Therapist to deliver sport & exercise therapy, with support from the Trust Sport & Fitness Lead. This entails planning and implementing an evidence-based exercise prescription programme, tailored to the clinical conditions of the service user/s needs.

The Sport & Exercise Therapy instructor will work with both individuals and groups offering a range of sporting activities

We are looking for someone with experience of working in the field of exercise and fitness who has a passion for bringing these skills to our in-patient services.

Main duties of the job

• Facilitate sports and fitness programmes for service users across inpatient sites, offering a range of sports and fitness activities as well as encourage access to community sports programmes to promote socialinclusion.
• Manage own clinical caseload.
• Work autonomously under the supervision of the Directorate Lead Occupational Therapist.
• Apply evidence-based methods, experience and skill set to assist in providing therapeutic sport, exercise and physical activities for individuals/groups of service users.
• Communicate with service users/carers and MDT.
• Provide feedback on caseload and therapeutic activities at monthly supervision.
• Have an awareness of local sport, exercise and physical activity providers that will promote social inclusion and skills development for service users.
• Undertake additional delegated responsibilities as directed by the Directorate Lead Occupational Therapist.

Working for our organisation

Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children’s centres, schools and people’s homes.
We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.

Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:

• We Listen
• We Care

Clinical Responsibilities

• Work effectively as a member of the MDT in providing a programme of unit-based therapeutic activities.
• Apply experience, knowledge and skillset to engage service users in therapeutic activities whilst implementing exercise-based best practice.
• Facilitate planned group work and individual activities.
• Engage in the ongoing assessment and treatment of service users and adjust own clinical interventions based on the fluctuating needs of the service users.
• Undertake delegated tasks to contribute to the safe and smooth running of the service.
• Ensure service users health, social, cultural and spiritual needs areconsidered and respected at alltimes.
• Apply risk assessment and management principles in your practice.
• Adhere to Trust’s requirements for the prevention and management of violence and aggression training relevant to clinicalarea.
• To work with service users with mental health needs who may exhibit challenging behaviours.

Research

• Utilise evidence-basedpractice in your everyday work.
• Participate in audits and evaluation activities as agreed with your supervisor.
• Participate in clinical governance activities in own clinical area.

Communication

• Maintain good communication with other professionals working within the units to ensure integrated team working and improve the operational delivery of services.
• Communicate appropriately with service users, carers and colleagues.
• Use suitable communication methods to convey information effectively as required by your role.
• Report effectively to the MDT on service users’ progress/performance in areas of health, fitness and wellbeing.
• Ensure that up to date electronic and written records are maintained in accordance with Professional and Trust standards.
• Ensure all documentation is complete and entered on RiO.

Person specification

• Relevant Qualification in exercise or personal training
• Degree level training in Physical Education, Sports Science or relevant field
• 12 months experience of working at a Band 3 level or equivalent experience in relevant field
• Experience of group work
• Experience of working in a Occupational Therapy setting
• Ability to work as part of a team
• Good interpersonal skills
• Ability to teach others practical skills

We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that welcomes and supports individuals of all abilities. Remember, if you meet the minimum criteria for this role and you have a disability, you can be guaranteed an interview under the Disability Confident Scheme - Please ensure you select this on your application form. We would encourage you to be open about your needs so we can work with you to design a comfortable and accessible interview experience. Any information you provide regarding a disability or a need for adjustments will be treated in confidence and will only be shared with colleagues who are supporting this request.

If you require any adjustments to participate fully in the interview process, please let us know by adding the relevant details when scheduling your preferred interview date and time. Please feel free to contact the appointing manager to discuss your needs.

If you have declared you are part of the armed forces community, you may be asked to provide evidence during the recruitment process. If you misrepresent this information, your offer may be withdrawn. For Armed Forces specific support, see our webpage: https://oxleas.nhs.uk/armed-forces-community/

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

If you choose to use AI or other tools to assist in writing your application, it's essential to personalise this information, particularly your supporting information section. While AI can help streamline the writing process, these tools cannot fully grasp the context or requirements of the job you’re applying for. There is also a risk that it can generate false or misleading information. AI-generated job applications can often be generic, impersonal and may not accurately reflect your qualifications, knowledge, skills, and experiences. It is crucial that you personalise your supporting statement by articulating these in your unique voice. Relying solely on AI to write your application or supporting information section is not advocated by Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust and could negatively impact your chances of success in the application process.

We monitor applications for any behaviour that could create an unfair advantage, and we check all references carefully. You are likely to be tested on your experience at interview, so be honest and make sure all the information in your application is correct.Please note that the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is prohibited during the interview process.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Name Clare Forbes Job title Directorate Lead for Allied Health Professionals Email address c.forbes6@nhs.net Telephone number 07901186024

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