Specialist Occupational Therapist – Perinatal Mental Health

Job overview

The Mental Health division of Nottinghamshire Healthcare Foundation Trust comprises of three directorates; Adult Mental Health, Mental Health Services for Older People and Specialist Services. More than 2,800 dedicated staff provide vital and integral healthcare services for our patients in a variety of settings, ranging from community through to acute wards, covering a vast geographical area.

We’re investing heavily in our staff, facilities and patient care. As we move into this new chapter, we need a strong, motivated and compassionate workforce to reflect our core values of Honesty, Compassion, Trust, Respect and Teamwork. There has never been a better time to join our growing team.

We have exciting opportunities across different specialities and services, with an emphasis on career development and progression. We want to help our staff reach their full potential, and are committed to providing the support, skills and development needed to succeed.

Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. The cost of the DBS application is £26.40 (standard) or £54.40 (enhanced), this cost will be deducted from your salary over the first 2 months of employment.

You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. An annual fee of £16 per year applies.

Main duties of the job

The Community Perinatal Mental Health Team are part of the Specialist Services directorate and co-located on the Hopewood site with Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services. We are a Nationally Accredited Service with the Royal College of Psychiatrists.  We provide assessment and treatment to women with a range of mental health needs related to the perinatal period.  The Team provides a service to the City and County of Nottinghamshire and Bassetlaw with clinics located across this geography.

Our core purpose is to work with expectant mothers and mothers to address their mental health needs and mitigate any impact on the unborn baby and infant. We aim to improve the health outcomes for mothers with the provision of a timely, integrated, high quality, effective, multi-disciplinary interventions.

Although the Team covers the whole region, this post will be located to the Newark and Mansfield areas.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

This is an exciting opportunity to join the leadership team in the Perinatal Community Mental Health Team, with a specific focus on developing the offer of Occupational Therapy. This is a county wide service providing care to women and their families in the perinatal period.

We are keen to recruit people who enjoy working in multi-disciplinary teams and who are creative, adaptable and responsive to the needs of the service.   We are looking for someone who is passionate about working with women and their families and whose values and principles are aligned with the organisation, including compassion, and a person/ family-centred focus.

Within this role you will support the team to maintain the quality of the service in  line with NICE and RCPsych CCQI standards. You will be expected to further develop the OT offer within the service, utilising resources within the team, and with third sector organisations when appropriate.  The post will have management responsibilities for clinical staff working in the Perinatal CMHT.

You will work closely with the Consultant Psychiatrists, Psychology Lead and allied health professionals from Midwifery, Health Visiting and GP services to provide holistic packages of evidence informed care. The post holder will have an active role in training health colleagues in recognising mental health need and making appropriate referrals. The role will also involve supporting the Service Manager in reporting to NHS England, Commissioners and internal quality systems and governance.

This role will require being part of the First On Call rota for the Specialist Services Care Unit. You will be a car owner/driver and hold a current driving licence, unless you have a disability as defined by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. In return for your skills and commitment we offer investment in personal development, access to the NHS Pension Scheme, generous holiday entitlement and flexible working opportunities.

We would welcome informal visits and discussions.

A full UK driving licence and vehicle for business use is required for this post; however reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled individuals in line with the Equality Act 2010.