B7 Occupational Therapist

Job overview

This is an exciting opportunity to work in the HMP Aylesbury complex needs OPD service. The postholder will be working alongside an established B7 OT  and OT team to lead, develop and deliver the OT service on offer to the clients.

The service is part of the North London NHS Foundation Trust (NLFT).  To support and enhance the professional care of clients within the service, across all sectors of care. To provide occupational therapy and assessment according to needs of the client. To offer advice and consultation on clients’ OT care and well-being to non-OT colleagues. To work autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the team’s policies and procedures.  To contribute as a member of the Pathways Service to the development of effective and appropriate services for people who are screened into the Pathways complex needs service

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be working, in a prison that is part of the Category-C prison estate with offenders presenting with a range of sentence types who present with complex needs. This includes: complex trauma, neuro-developmental issues, attachment complications, emotional dysregulation and interpersonal problems. Thus specialist skills, ‘forensic awareness’ is required of all staff working in Pathways, this including vigilance at all times on issues of safety and security, the capacity to de-escalate risk of violence, and the ability and capacity to deliver clinical input in locked, sometimes volatile, and sometimes distressing circumstances.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To be responsible for the day to day operational management of the therapy programme, ensuring the service is appropriately focused on priorities, integrated with the multi-disciplinary teams and responsive to client needs.
• To regularly review the service, evaluating if it is responsive to need, achieves positive outcomes, is cost effective and is of value to those who use the service.
• To assist managers of the service to plan future treatment options within the Pathways Team.
• To work collaboratively with multi agency managers across the prison estate and the LPP to plan the continuity of services and work as a unified team for the benefit of inmates.
• To work collaboratively with all stakeholders in the establishment to support the overall pathways of residents’ into the community where appropriate.
• To work collaboratively with officers in the team and be responsive to the demands placed on prison staff to ensure and collaborate approach to service delivery.
• To take a lead role for service developments within Occupational Therapy and the Pathways Team.
• To provide joint professional leadership, supervision and guidance for staff in the team, keeping up to date regarding professional developments and guidance from the College of Occupational Therapists and cascading this information, integrating it into departmental practice.
• To advise the appropriate managers on the day-to-day running needs of the service highlighting any unmet needs in service provision.

This is not an exhaustive list, please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification for more information on the role requirements and duties.