Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist

Job overview

Are you an experienced Occupational Therapist, passionate about perinatal mental health?

Do you thrive on service development, clinical leadership, and making a difference where it matters most?

We’re looking for a dynamic Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist to lead and develop occupational therapy provision in our Mother and Baby Unit at the Bethlem Royal Hospital.

We have recently been accredited by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, making us the only MBU in London currently to have achieved these standards.

Our specialist unit supports women experiencing mental illness during pregnancy and the postnatal period, including postnatal depression, postpartum psychosis, and relapse of any and all serious mental illness. You’ll play a pivotal role in supporting recovery, attachment, and meaningful occupation for mothers and their babies.

This is a standout opportunity to:

• Lead high-quality OT practice in a specialist inpatient setting
• Shape and grow a vital service
• Share your expertise and influence practice within a multi-disciplinary team
• Lead with compassion, confidence and purpose

If you’re ready to lead, innovate, and make a lasting difference for mothers and babies, apply now and be part of something truly meaningful.

Main duties of the job

To provide a range of specialist Occupational Therapy assessments of antenatal and post-natal women.

To have specialist knowledge  to carry out OT assessments and interventions in both one-to-one and group sessions.

To manage a caseload of service users with complex needs

To lead on the planning, co-ordination, development and evaluation of Occupational Therapy provision on the Mother and Baby Unit.

To provide leadership for junior Staff, Students, Sessional Workers and Volunteers

• To lead on and hold responsibility for defined projects as agreed with the Ward Manager and/or Head of Therapies. ·

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical

• Provide a range of specialist Occupational Therapy assessment of antenatal and post-natal women in the perinatal period, including those with high risk diagnosis and multiple complex safeguarding needs, taking into consideration the service user’s physical/cognitive/perceptual skills to identify their abilities and areas of difficulty.
• Have specialist knowledge in order to carry out OT assessments and interventions in both one-to-one and group sessions, underpinned by relevant theoretical approaches whilst ensuring regular evaluation of the care plan.
• To be responsible for organising and prioritising own caseload in the day to day allocation of work, whilst being able to work flexibly to meet the needs of service users, their families and the service as a whole.
• To manage a caseload of service users with complex needs, using evidence based and person-centred principles to assess, plan, implement, modify and evaluate occupational therapy interventions.
• To work with service users in a way which actively promotes personal autonomy, social inclusion and recovery.
• To ensure accurate and timely documentation in accordance with Trust and RCOT/HCPC standards of practice.
• To lead on the planning, co-ordination, development and evaluation of Occupational Therapy provision on the Mother and Baby Unit.
• To provide leadership for junior Staff, Students, Sessional Workers and/or Volunteers through induction, co-ordination of activities, supervision, appraisal, informal and formal training.
• To regularly supervise Occupational Therapy Students on practice placement.
• To lead on and hold responsibility for defined projects as agreed with the Ward Manager and/or Head of Therapies.
• To demonstrate and apply an in-depth level of understanding of the effect mental ill health has on a person’s occupational functioning and recommend adaptations to the service user’s physical and social environment as required.
• To work effectively as a member of the multi-disciplinary team and actively contribute to and lead on service improvement and development projects.
• To actively participate in and be responsible for relevant planning, evaluation and audit of practice, clinical pathways and protocols across the perinatal pathways for the MBU and for OT, as required.
• Support the development of, and lead on the Neurodivergent pathway for the MBU client group and across the perinatal pathway as appropriate.
• Lead the development of a coherent therapeutic programme to ensure patients receive advice and develop practical skills
• To have organisational knowledge relating to Trust protocols and procedures and adhere to them.
• Act as a role model for Occupational Therapy, raising the profile and value on the profession within your role on the Mother and Baby Unit.
• To act as an autonomous, registered practitioner who is legally and professionally accountable for own unsupervised actions guided by the professional code of conduct and Trust guidelines and protocols.

Communication

• To be able to effectively communicate with colleagues, peers, senior managers and clinical leads within and outside of the Trust.
• To anticipate barriers to communications and resistance to change and to be able to manage these effectively, liaising and seeking appropriate support as required.
• To have a wide range of knowledge in approaches to communicating and managing service users’ care.
• Communicate agreed treatment/care plans to other colleagues and partnership agencies and liaise with them at formal and informal meetings as required.
• Provide written and verbal reports as per the Occupational Therapy Pathway or at any stage in the treatment process as required.

Continued Professional Development

• Evaluate the quality of own work and make improvements where necessary ensuring all issues and related risks are raised with Line Manager and Professional Supervisor
• To be responsible for maintaining own competency to practice through continuing professional development activities, maintain a portfolio which reflects personal development and encourage others to do likewise.
• To actively participate and undertake a regular appraisal, developing a personal development plan in conjunction with your supervisor.
• To ensure own continued professional development and support a culture of lifelong learning in self and others.