Occupational Therapist

Job overview

The vacancy is for an experienced Occupational Therapist to join the mental health and psychological therapies team at HMP Brixton. This is a new role as part of NHS England's re-role of prison mental health provision. The post holder will provide therapeutic input for the main prison population, with a primary role in the new inpatient unit (IPU) which is currently in development.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be expected to perform advanced Occupational Therapy assessment and intervention with prisoners presenting with complex psychological and neurodevelopmental conditions and presentations.

As part of the role, you will take on key responsibilities in the new inpatient unit at HMP Brixton. This unit is currently being developed and, on completion, will cater for prisoners who are experiencing acute episodes of psychological distress. As part of the multidisciplinary team you will be expected to have an active role in service development in the unit, shaping the Occupational Therapy provisions and pathways for patients. You will have direct support and supervision/line management from the lead OT and Therapies lead. You will also work across the wider HMP Brixton site with prisoners who would benefit from occupational therapy input as part of the team's wider mental health and neurodevelopmental pathways.

You will be responsible for managing your own caseload and work collaboratively within a diverse multidisciplinary team. You will supervise a Band 5 Grade Occupational Therapist, assistants, and Occupational Therapy students on placement, and provide specialised advice to other health care professionals across the prison.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To work as an autonomous practitioner, to assess and treat own caseload of patients, including those with complex presentations. Decisions will be underpinned by specialist knowledge gained from study of evidence-based treatments and from previous experience.

To quickly and accurately screen, establish priority for patient referrals for Occupational Therapy intervention some of which maybe complex and require a multi-disciplinary approach.

To take on key service development responsibilities in establishing provision and pathways in a new inpatient unit.

To carry out an assessment of patients, including those with complex presentations. Draw on a wide range of information sources and use clinical reasoning skills to determine an accurate diagnosis. To identify an appropriate Occupational Therapy care plan from treatment options available.

To formulate and deliver occupational therapy treatment programmes for a complex population (prisoners) who experience marginalisation and may be experiencing episodes of acute distress.

To provide general support for prisoners of the Neurodevelopmental Pathway, providing or participating in assessments for conditions such as Autism, Learning Disability, and ADHD, and making key decisions in diagnostic discussions and treatment plans.

To develop comprehensive discharge plans in conjunction with the multi-disciplinary team members.

To make recommendations to support a patients discharge including care support and rehabilitation opportunities.

Undertake referrals to internal and external services when deemed appropriate/of benefit to the support or progression of the patient. e.g. community rehabilitation, social services, voluntary agencies.

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