Senior Occupational Therapist

Job overview

Are you passionate about working in acute mental health? If so, this may be the perfect role for you! We are excited to be recruiting into not one but TWO senior Occupational Therapist roles, to work on our male acute wards (Luther King and Leo Ward) in Lambeth. We are looking for someone who is  dynamic, hard-working, dedicated, creative and person-centred, with excellent communication skills and a passion for working in acute mental health!

This role would be ideal for an OT who has solid experience working within mental health . The role will involve overseeing the group programme and supporting with the designing and facilitating of therapeutic groups to engage and support our inpatient service-users, as well as undertaking occupationally-focused assessments and interventions as needed to support with their everyday functional needs, maximising their independence and supporting their recovery.

The successful candidate would be joining an experienced and well-established multi-disciplinary team, and would play a key role in supporting the engagement and recovery of our service-users on the ward, as well as promoting a collaborative approach to the use of therapeutic activity. You would be supported by the clinical lead OT and a supportive team of OT’s working across the site. The role is incredibly rewarding, giving you a chance to truly hone in on your holistic OT skills and make a meaningful difference to the lives of our service-users.

Main duties of the job

The acute hospital setting is a dynamic and exciting place to be, and as the ward’s OT you will need to be enthusiastic, responsive, creative and adaptive! You will be responsible for facilitating a flexible and patient-centred activity programme, including a mixture of therapeutic groups and OT-focused sessions, as well as general recreation and leisure-based sessions. You will also be expected to offer 1:1 assessments and interventions as required for our service-users accessing the ward, to support with the development of individualised treatment / care plans. This may include conducting sensory or daily living assessments, and feeding these outcomes back to the team to inform a supportive and holistic MDT approach.

You will work closely with the nursing team and play a key role as a senior staff member within the MDT, as well as be supported by (and provide support to) the wider OT team working across our hospital wards. Your role will involve working closely with the ward team to help promote a shared culture of safety, recovery and person-centred practice.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Main responsibilities of the job include, but are not limited to:

• To work autonomously to coordinate and deliver therapeutic interventions on the inpatient ward, in collaboration with service users and the multi-disciplinary team, using technical and creative skills to engage service-users in individual and group therapeutic activities, utilising graded activity to help support their recovery
• To demonstrate a good understanding of OT theoretical models and be able to select and undertake appropriate Occupational Therapy assessments and interventions for service-users on the ward caseload as required, addressing occupational performance and skill deficits, and enabling the client to maximise their performance in areas of self-maintenance, productivity and leisure.
• To identify and address occupationally focused goals in collaboration with the service user, taking into consideration the mental, physical, spiritual, psychological and social needs of the service user and ensuring that they are sensitive to age, culture, race, gender, ethnicity, social class, sexuality and disability.
• To hold a firm understanding and application of national guidance and legislation relating to Mental Health service provision in the context of well-being, recovery and social inclusion.
• To work in collaboration with service-users on the ward to support their transition from the hospital and back into the community, maintaining a clear occupational focus to one’s work for the benefit of the service user, and using graded activity as needed to achieve therapeutic goals
• To monitor and evaluate interventions through the use of outcome measures that provide clear evidence that occupational therapy has made a difference to people’s occupations and ultimately, support social inclusion and promote recovery.
• To play an active role in completing and contributing towards risk assessments within the multi-disciplinary team, including intervention planning, positive risk taking, discharge planning and making onward recommendations to support a person’s recovery.
• To be able to articulate the meaning and value of occupation in relationship to well-being, recovery and social inclusion to service users, carers, colleagues and external agencies, in order to represent, role model and be an ambassador for the OT profession
• To be an integrated team member within the ward MDT, as well as within the Lambeth OT team, to contribute an occupational focus within patient care, including attending team meetings and working closely in collaboration with other key professionals within the setting such as clinical exercise team, smoking cessation, art therapies and the wider MDT.
• To provide induction, leadership, training, monitoring, co-ordination, preceptorship and supervision (where applicable) to junior staff, students and volunteers within the setting
• To support the development of student OT’s by offering regular placements within the setting, as well supporting the learning of any other students who are part of the service
• To work closely with discharge coordinators, families / carers, care coordinators, community teams, residential services and external agencies to ensure transition into the community / to another setting is done in the most effective, least restrictive and most person-centred way.
• To demonstrate and apply a high level of understanding of the effects of ill-health / disability, and provide appropriate advice, prescription of small aids / equipment and making recommendations for necessary adaptations to the client’s physical and social environment where applicable, to help support their independence
• To display a high level of understanding of the potential for distress caused by, and social and personal consequences of mental illness for the service user, their families, carers and support networks, and be able to offer support and signpost to resources / information as necessary
• To recognise and value our service-users as unique individuals, acknowledging the importance of maintaining their respect and dignity at all times and ensuring the care provided respects equality and diversity.
• To utilise a variety of communication skills to communicate effectively, empathetically and appropriately with colleagues, service-users, family, carers and external agencies in order to build effective professional relationships that support collaborative working
• To maintain clear, up-to-date and accurate electronic records for interactions and work completed within the service-user’s care, as per Professional and Trust standards / policies
• To consistently demonstrate appropriate professional behaviours and adhere to the RCOT Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, as well as national and local trust policies.
• To exercise good time management, punctuality and consistent, reliable attendance
• To demonstrate a commitment to ongoing personal development (CPD) through participating in relevant training and internal / external development opportunities as identified in clinical/ professional supervision and appraisals
• To demonstrate up-to-date knowledge and awareness of Safeguarding Principles and how to report any safeguarding concerns, as well as embed into practice the guidance from current trust, NHS and government infection control policies.
• To ensure all occupational therapy equipment / materials / stock are maintained and stored responsibly, provide advice on resources needed to facilitate group and individual activities / interventions, and maintain responsibility for managing the ward petty cash allowance for OT / activities
• To actively participate in local and trust-wide OT education / training, audits and service development, with the support of / in conjunction with senior staff / leads, to help contribute to the occupational therapy research agenda and embedding best practice
• To demonstrate the ability to safely carry out restrictive interventions following Seni Lewis Training Programme.