Senior Occupational Therapist

This job is brought to you by Jobs/Redefined, the UK's leading over-50s age inclusive jobs board.

West London NHS Trust provides a full range of mental health, community and physical healthcare services for children, adults and older people living in the London boroughs of Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham and Hounslow.

We also provide some specialist services that are commissioned regionally, such as our medium secure services; and nationally, such as the Cassel Hospital for people with complex and severe personality disorder and our high secure services at Broadmoor Hospital.

Job overview

West London Forensic Services have an exciting opportunity for a band 7 Occupational Therapist role within our Specialist Community Forensic Team. Within this service, you will have the opportunity to work closely with the inpatient rehab wards and support patient integration within their discharge period and patients currently discharged into the community from forensic services. As part of the OT and rehab team you will be leading a team of RSWs, peer support workers (PSW), and occupational therapists. You will also be a part of a multidisciplinary team for the specialist forensic community team holding a caseload.

This post allows the successful applicant to further develop and consolidate their skills in a supportive environment, whilst learning and advancing their skills within the forensic mental health field.

The areas the team cover consist of 8 Boroughs, split into 3 hubs. The Boroughs consist of Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster, Ealing, Hounslow and Hammersmith, and Brent, Harrow and Hillingdon.

The role will consist of supporting patients who are transitioning into the community and currently discharged with a range of activities including life skills, employment, education and building a routine.

We provide weekly professional development meetings which include clinical teaching, growing in leadership, and service development.

Main duties of the job

When service users are placed on the discharge pathway, Occupational Therapists begin working with them while they are inpatient and follow their journey as they transition into the community to ensure continuity of care and a strong rapport. The Occupational therapist will complete screenings to gather a sense of occupational needs and then base goals that relate to the social, recreational, physical, vocational, and spiritual needs, and support the achievement of these goals by liaising with the wider MDT, external stakeholders, and families and carers when needed.

You will receive a structured induction, active support, direction, and supervision from OT leadership team and have access to robust CPD opportunities.

We positively welcome applications from people with a lived experience of either mental health conditions or learning disabilities and people who represent diverse communities.

Working for our organisation

West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse providers of mental health, community and social care in the UK.

Our 3,982 staff care for people in hospital and in the community, helping them to recover and go on to lead full and productive lives. We aim to be the best organisation of our kind in the country.

We provide care and treatment for more than 800,000 people living in the Boroughs of Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster, Ealing, Hounslow and Hammersmith, and Brent, Harrow and Hillingdon Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham and Hounslow, delivering services in the community (at home, in GP surgeries and care homes), hospital, specialist clinics and forensic (secure) units.

We're rated good overall by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Together, we're committed to promoting hope and wellbeing, working with patients, service users, carers, families and partners across the communities we serve.

We are keen to ensure that our workforce reflects the community it serves, particularly in terms of ethnicity, gender, disability, LGBTQ+ and experience of mental illness.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Main duties of the job
• Use assessment tools, VDT screening tool and OT formulated tools for the community team
• Clinical assessments, Occupational therapy screenings and writing reports
• Tracking changes in these assessment tools/outcome ratings
• Liaising with staff and hostels to run groups and schedule appointments
• Running therapeutic groups in the community for discharged service users; providing transport support where necessary
• Running 1:1 session with service users who have specific goals or needs that require support. For example:

o Transport training

o Joining college

o Accessing community groups and pursuing existing interests/hobbies in the community

o Attending leisure centres

o Finding structure and meaningful occupations in the community during the week

o Volunteering and vocational goals

o Support in building healthy living skills

o Budgeting skills

See candidate pack attached for further information.

Person specification

-

Essential criteria

• -

As an employee of West London NHS Trust, you have a responsibility to maintain a sound understanding of, and a commitment to uphold the National Health Service values and principles set out in the NHS Constitution.

We reserve the right to close adverts prior to the closing date stated should we receive a high volume of applications.

By applying for this post you are agreeing to West London NHS Trust transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are offered a job, you will be required to undergo a pre-employment checks which can take between 4-8 weeks . After which your information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system (ESR ).

Please ensure you include email addresses for your referees which MUST be at supervisory or managerial capacity covering the last 3 years of employment to date to avoid delay in the recruitment process.

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

West London NHS Trust is committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

• Candidate Pack (PDF, 1.3MB)
• "How our Healthcare Support Workforce Makes a Difference (PDF, 291.6KB)