Job summary
Are you passionate about working in acute mental health? If so, this may be the perfect role for you!We are excited to be recruiting into not one but TWO senior Occupational Therapist roles, to work on our male acute wards (Luther King and Leo Ward) in Lambeth. We are looking for someone who is dynamic, hard-working, dedicated, creative and person-centred, with excellent communication skills and a passion for working in acute mental health!
This role would be ideal for an OT who has solid experience working within mental health . The role will involve overseeing the group programme and supporting with the designing and facilitating of therapeutic groups to engage and support our inpatient service-users, as well as undertaking occupationally-focused assessments and interventions as needed to support with their everyday functional needs, maximising their independence and supporting their recovery.
The successful candidate would be joining an experienced and well-established multi-disciplinary team, and would play a key role in supporting the engagement and recovery of our service-users on the ward, as well as promoting a collaborative approach to the use of therapeutic activity. You would be supported by the clinical lead OT and a supportive team of OT's working across the site. The role is incredibly rewarding, giving you a chance to truly hone in on your holistic OT skills and make a meaningful difference to the lives of our service-users.
Main duties of the job
The acute hospital setting is a dynamic and exciting place to be, and as the ward's OT you will need to be enthusiastic, responsive, creative and adaptive! You will be responsible for facilitating a flexible and patient-centred activity programme, including a mixture of therapeutic groups and OT-focused sessions, as well as general recreation and leisure-based sessions. You will also be expected to offer 1:1 assessments and interventions as required for our service-users accessing the ward, to support with the development of individualised treatment / care plans. This may include conducting sensory or daily living assessments, and feeding these outcomes back to the team to inform a supportive and holistic MDT approach.
You will work closely with the nursing team and play a key role as a senior staff member within the MDT, as well as be supported by (and provide support to) the wider OT team working across our hospital wards. Your role will involve working closely with the ward team to help promote a shared culture of safety, recovery and person-centred practice.
About us
This is your chance to become a part of the internationally renowned South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, who provide the widest range of NHS mental health services in the UK and serve a local population of 1.3 million people in south London, as well as specialist services for children and adults across the UK and beyond.
We are also part of an academic health sciences centre called 'King's Health Partners', which is a collaboration with King's College London (KCL), and Guy's and St Thomas' and King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trusts. Our aim is to put research at the core of everything we do, so we can improve our clinical care and be a leader in improving health and wellbeing - locally, nationally and globally.
By joining our hard working and passionate team in Lambeth, you are joining a Trust who are dedicated to delivering high quality, person-centred care, and who are committed to embed and work alongside our Trust Values - Kindness, Respect, Together.
Your continuing professional development will be actively supported through supervision and clinical leadership from the inpatient band 7 OT as well as other senior members of the service, plus a range of additional opportunities such as OT peer support, CPD opportunities, and access to training from SLaM and the Quality Centre.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Main responsibilities of the job include, but are not limited to:
To work autonomously to coordinate and deliver therapeutic interventions on the inpatient ward, in collaboration with service users and the multi-disciplinary team, using technical and creative skills to engage service-users in individual and group therapeutic activities, utilising graded activity to help support their recovery
To demonstrate a good understanding of OT theoretical models and be able to select and undertake appropriate Occupational Therapy assessments and interventions for service-users on the ward caseload as required, addressing occupational performance and skill deficits, and enabling the client to maximise their performance in areas of self-maintenance, productivity and leisure.
To identify and address occupationally focused goals in collaboration with the service user, taking into consideration the mental, physical, spiritual, psychological and social needs of the service user and ensuring that they are sensitive to age, culture, race, gender, ethnicity, social class, sexuality and disability.
To hold a firm understanding and application of national guidance and legislation relating to Mental Health service provision in the context of well-being, recovery and social inclusion.
To work in collaboration with service-users on the ward to support their transition from the hospital and back into the community, maintaining a clear occupational focus to ones work for the benefit of the service user, and using graded activity as needed to achieve therapeutic goals
To monitor and evaluate interventions through the use of outcome measures that provide clear evidence that occupational therapy has made a difference to peoples occupations and ultimately, support social inclusion and promote recovery.
To play an active role in completing and contributing towards risk assessments within the multi-disciplinary team, including intervention planning, positive risk taking, discharge planning and making onward recommendations to support a persons recovery.
To be able to articulate the meaning and value of occupation in relationship to well-being, recovery and social inclusion to service users, carers, colleagues and external agencies, in order to represent, role model and be an ambassador for the OT profession
To be an integrated team member within the ward MDT, as well as within the Lambeth OT team, to contribute an occupational focus within patient care, including attending team meetings and working closely in collaboration with other key professionals within the setting such as clinical exercise team, smoking cessation, art therapies and the wider MDT.
To provide induction, leadership, training, monitoring, co-ordination, preceptorship and supervision (where applicable) to junior staff, students and volunteers within the setting
To support the development of student OTs by offering regular placements within the setting, as well supporting the learning of any other students who are part of the service
To work closely with discharge coordinators, families / carers, care coordinators, community teams, residential services and external agencies to ensure transition into the community / to another setting is done in the most effective, least restrictive and most person-centred way.
To demonstrate and apply a high level of understanding of the effects of ill-health / disability, and provide appropriate advice, prescription of small aids / equipment and making recommendations for necessary adaptations to the clients physical and social environment where applicable, to help support their independence
To display a high level of understanding of the potential for distress caused by, and social and personal consequences of mental illness for the service user, their families, carers and support networks, and be able to offer support and signpost to resources / information as necessary
To recognise and value our service-users as unique individuals, acknowledging the importance of maintaining their respect and dignity at all times and ensuring the care provided respects equality and diversity.
To utilise a variety of communication skills to communicate effectively, empathetically and appropriately with colleagues, service-users, family, carers and external agencies in order to build effective professional relationships that support collaborative working
To maintain clear, up-to-date and accurate electronic records for interactions and work completed within the service-users care, as per Professional and Trust standards / policies
To consistently demonstrate appropriate professional behaviours and adhere to the RCOT Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, as well as national and local trust policies.
To exercise good time management, punctuality and consistent, reliable attendance
To demonstrate a commitment to ongoing personal development (CPD) through participating in relevant training and internal / external development opportunities as identified in clinical/ professional supervision and appraisals
To demonstrate up-to-date knowledge and awareness of Safeguarding Principles and how to report any safeguarding concerns, as well as embed into practice the guidance from current trust, NHS and government infection control policies.
To ensure all occupational therapy equipment / materials / stock are maintained and stored responsibly, provide advice on resources needed to facilitate group and individual activities / interventions, and maintain responsibility for managing the ward petty cash allowance for OT / activities
To actively participate in local and trust-wide OT education / training, audits and service development, with the support of / in conjunction with senior staff / leads, to help contribute to the occupational therapy research agenda and embedding best practice
To demonstrate the ability to safely carry out restrictive interventions following Seni Lewis Training Programme.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered Occupational Therapist
Desirable
- Post-registration qualification / training relevant to Mental Health
Experience
Essential
- Clinical post-registration experience as an OT at Band 5 level
- Advising and supporting / supervising junior staff, volunteers and/or students
- Extensive clinical experience including individual and group work
- Experience of working with clients experiencing mental health difficulties and / or with behaviour that challenges
Desirable
- Working within an inpatient / hospital setting
- Experience of working within an inner-city, multi-cultural environment
- Experience working as part of a multi-disciplinary team
Knowledge & Skills
Essential
- High level understanding of Mental Health disorders and treatment models
- Working knowledge of the principles of CPA (Care Programme Approach) and relevant Mental Health legislation
- High level non-verbal, verbal and written communication skills
Desirable
- Specialist knowledge and application of OT assessments, interventions and outcome measures, relevant to the client group
- Good understanding and experience of supporting service user involvement
- Experience in service development and quality improvement
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 (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details
Employer name
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
Address
Lambeth Hospital
Landor Road
Lambeth
SW9 9NU
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://www.slam.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)
This listing was aggregated from publicly-available sources. The employer holds an A-rated sponsor licence at the time of this listing, but sponsorship of this specific role is not guaranteed — the employer's offer and UK Visas and Immigration are the final authority. Details may have changed since our last update — verify with the employer via the Apply link.