Occupational Therapy Assistant

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic Occupational Therapy Assistant who will support qualified Occupational Therapists to deliver high quality Occupational Therapy assessment and interventions within Acute Adult Mental Health inpatients. We are looking for an occupational therapy assistant who can work flexibly to meet service need and has the vision, energy and inspiration to support in the delivery of creative, imaginative solutions to delivering occupational therapy with adults who have an acute mental health need.

You will access support from the wider occupational therapy network in North Yorkshire in supporting the delivery of a high quality, needs-led OT service, utilising your technical and creative skills to engage service users in therapeutic activities, supporting the use of specialist equipment, and supporting service users/carers to achieve their identified goals.

As an occupational therapy assistant in TEWV, you will provide support to service users to engage in a therapeutic programme of care, as delegated by an occupational therapist, demonstrating adherence to the Trust Values at all times and operating as a member of the team, service and organisation. You must have the Right to Work in the UK in order to be successfully appointed to this role. Please note, this role does not meet the required eligibility criteria for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa and therefore the Trust is unable to offer sponsorship for this particular role.

Main duties of the job

The Occupational Therapy service in the team is well-established and aims to support individuals whilst an inpatient on an acute adult mental health ward. Foss Park hospital is 36 beds, 18 female beds and 18 male beds. The successful applicant will work under the direction of qualified Occupational Therapists with a strong focus on delivering high quality evidence-based services that directly support occupational formulation and occupational engagement delivered as 1:1 or group interventions.

• To be responsible for working with delegated service users and contributing to assessments and interventions to address key occupational areas of self-care, productivity and leisure.
• To engage service users and their carers in therapeutic programmes of care, supporting them in achieving their identified goals and promoting independence and well-being through a client-centred approach.
• To participate in clinical supervision.
• To contribute to multi-disciplinary team working.
• To contribute to safety and quality improvement activities as part of occupational therapy team.
• To use the Trust electronic patient record system.
• To abide by all Trust policies and procedures.
• To be able to respond flexibly and creatively to challenges.

About us

We are the Mental Health & Learning Disability NHS Trust for County Durham and Darlington, Teesside, North Yorkshire, York and Selby. From education and prevention, to crisis and specialist care – our talented and compassionate teams work in partnership with our patients, communities and partners to help the people feel safe, understood, believed in and cared for.

Job responsibilities

Please refer to the person specification within the attached job description to ensure you meet the essential criteria for the post prior to applying. Applicants must meet the shortlisting criteria to be considered for this post. The post holder will support occupational therapists in the provision of evidence-based occupational therapy assessment and interventions as part of the OT Pathway and offer input to individuals, their families and carers. All team members must be committed to providing the best possible care for the people we work with and their families/carers.

The ability to engage and communicate with service users well as the parents/family/carers and the system around them is essential. Clinical/Professional supervision is provided by the supervising Occupational Therapist as identified by the relevant Lead OT. The post holder will attend OT Learning and Governance Networks to ensure fidelity to core occupational therapy delivery, enhance CPD and contribute to the wider OT service developments.

You must be able to demonstrate experience of working alongside occupational therapists or experience of paid/voluntary work with people with associated mental health conditions. You need to demonstrate enthusiasm and a willingness to develop yourself and others. We will support use of transferrable skills from a range of clinical settings. There are varied opportunities for training and development, with CPD needs being identified and monitored through appraisal.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Relevant NVQ Level 3 in Care OR Appropriate AVCE in Health & Social Care OR Willingness to undertake within agreed timescale
• Numeracy, Literacy and ITQ level 2 (or equivalent)

Experience

• Experience of paid or voluntary work with people with mental health conditions or learning disabilities
• Experience working alongside occupational therapists

Knowledge

• Awareness of needs of service users with learning disabilities or a mental health condition.
• Awareness of the needs of individuals from diverse social, ethnic and cultural backgrounds
• Understanding of therapeutic terminology (within agreed timescale)
• Understanding of a variety of therapeutic approaches (within agreed timescale)
• Awareness of health & safety issues (within agreed timescale)

Skills

• Ability to communicate information (verbal and written) effectively in a manner appropriate to the individual and situation
• Record keeping (within agreed timescale)
• Time management and ability to prioritise effectively
• Breakaway techniques (within agreed timescale)

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.