Occupational Therapy Assistant (FORENSIC)

Job summary

At Ashford, we are looking for a full-time (37.5 hours) Occupational Therapy Assistant to join our team.

Are you passionate about supporting service users to develop skills for everyday life? Do you want to empower individuals to reduce risk and increase independence? Are you motivated to help service users live safe, healthy, and meaningful lives? If so, this role may be for you.

Ashford is a low secure forensic hospital for 10 male patients aged 18-65. Ashford is a learning disability service but service users may present with complexities including the addition of a mental health diagnosis or substance misuse history. Staff work collaboratively to support service users using the Good Lives Model throughout their recovery pathway, from admission, through treatment and rehabilitation, and ultimately supporting their return to the community.

In this role, you will work under the supervision of an Occupational Therapist, using activity as a therapeutic tool to assess service users' levels of function and support them to achieve their individual, meaningful goals. Strong communication and interpersonal skills are essential, alongside motivation and enthusiasm.

Main duties of the job

Working closely within a Multi-Disciplinary Team to support the rehabilitation of service users is a key part of the culture at Ashford.

Working in secure services is rewarding but can also be challenging at times, so it is important for staff to be resilient and able to recognise the need to manage personal wellbeing. You will be supported to do this through a comprehensive induction programme, ongoing training, and monthly supervision.

There is an additional enhancement for working in secure care, which is paid as £1,400 per year, added to the salary in monthly increments.

You will also have opportunities to develop your skills and knowledge through training, shadowing, and ongoing professional development within the Occupational Therapy service.

You will be required to take part in PMVA (Prevention and Management of Violence and Aggression) training and will be part of the PMVA team responsible for maintaining safety within the service. This is a physical role, and a good level of mobility and physical fitness is required.

Holding a full driving licence is preferred, due to the need to support service users to access the community to develop skills and reintegrate into the local area.

For an informal discussion or to arrange a visit, please contact Becky Harding on 02382 310 932.

Job responsibilities

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust provides joined-up mental and physical healthcare for around two million people across our communities. With over 13,000 staff working in the community and local hospitals, we deliver care at every stage of life, helping people live their best and healthiest lives.

Our mental health services include community-based support and early intervention in psychosis (EIP) for both adults and young people, alongside a network of specialist inpatient wards covering forensic, learning disability, eating disorder and older person's care.

We deliver extensive physical health services too, from urgent community response teams helping frail and older patients remain safely at home, to hospitals at home teams providing acute-level care in familiar surroundings. Our neurological services offer rehabilitation and treatment for conditions including Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, Motor Neurone Disease, Head Injury, Cerebral Palsy and Stroke. Across Hampshire, our community hospitals provide inpatient rehabilitation as a step down from acute care, and our dedicated teams also staff Treetops Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Portsmouth, offering expert, compassionate support.

Everything we do is underpinned by our CARE values of compassion, accountability, respect and excellence