Occupational Therapist

Job overview

We are looking to recruit a motivated, and resilient Band 5 Occupational Therapist to join the team in Secure Services at Northside House on a fixed term basis for 12 months, or until June 2027

We are immensely proud that Secure Services has recently been rated as 'Good' by CQC, with some areas scored 'Outstanding', but we are always wanting to improve. Are you the right person to support this journey?

Although based at Northside House in Thorpe St Andrew, Norwich, you will be part of the well-established Occupational and Fitness Therapy Team working across Norfolk and Suffolk. You will receive regular clinical and line management supervision, and also professional and governance support from within our knowledgeable, friendly and supportive team. If you are newly qualified, you will be supported to complete your preceptorship.

Main duties of the job

Main duties

In this role, you would be aligned with Drayton ward, which is a 16-bed Medium Secure ward for men. This would be your caseload. However, as there are three other wards at Northside House, a second MSU (Catton) and an LSU (Blakeney), there will be opportunities to work with across the site, under the guidance of Senior Occupational Therapists.

Within this role you will be line managed by a highly experienced Senior Occupational Therapist and provide supervision for an Occupational Therapy Assistant Practitioner and Fitness Therapy Technical Instructor, with whom you will work closely day-to-day. You will play a key role in the wider multi-professional team, offering holistic and trauma-informed care on the Secure wards.

The right candidate will be able to work with minimal supervision, and be enthusiastic and proactive, putting the needs of service users first.

As a team we are proud of our record of co-production and positive risk management. We are always looking for ways to improve outcomes for our service users and encourage creativity and innovation in all our staff. We will work with you to ensure that you have all the skills you need for your role and to move forward in your career.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The post holder will undertake the planning/delivery of direct patient care with regular access to supervision, ensuring continuity of practice and working within a MDT/multi-agency environment.

• To oversee a caseload of individuals with diagnoses of mental health conditions such as personality disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar, depression, who have had contact with the criminal justice pathway
• Provide person-centred Occupational Therapy assessment and interventions, goal setting and treatment planning, with regular reviews.
• Lead on the planning, delivery and review of a 12-weekly Occupational and Fitness therapy Program across the ward.
• Attend and participate in MDT clinical reviews, CPA meetings, other professionals meetings as required.
• To work within local risk assessments, policies, procedures and security arrangements at all times.
• To identify risks and changes in the physical or mental health of service users, and escalate any concerns as required.
• To form partnerships with other care providers and third sector organisations as needed.
• To ensure service users/carer(s) are enabled and empowered to make informed decisions about their care and delivery of that care, working with agencies from within and outside the Multi-professional team.
• To offer opportunities for participation in service development and delivery for service users/carers, as the experts by experience.
• To provide caseload management supervision to junior staff under direction and supervision of the Senior Occupational Therapist
• To enable service users to gain and maintain independence, always promoting hope and reducing potential stigma.
• Identifying personal learning and training needs and undertake appraisal and personal development plans on an annual basis, reviewing these at each Line management supervision meeting.
• Support students that will be undertaking placements within the Team. If you have already completed your preceptorship year you will be supported to take your own student.

The Occupational and Fitness Therapy Team offers regular clinical and line management supervision with an emphasis on wellbeing, development and reflective practice. This is both 1:1 and in team group sessions. We hold a strong belief in team and individual development.  As well as the week-long NSFT induction for new starters to the Trust, we offer a comprehensive local Induction to the team and service, so you will feel supported in the transition to our team.

The Occupational Therapy team across the Secure wards use the Model of Human Occupation to guide practice. This is a widely adopted model and you will be supported to gain confidence in this, and the associated assessments, which form the basis of our interventions.

Please find attached our Job Description and Person Specification for more detail on your Key Accountabilities, then if you feel you have what it takes to make a difference in your local communities, click APPLY!