Senior Occupational Therapist - Brent Community

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Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen to work as one of our Senior Occupational Therapists for Brent Community Mental Health Team (CMHT). The role is a pure OT role with no generic component . We are looking for people who are passionate about occupational therapy and want to focus on their clinical OT skills and who have ideas to grow and develop the occupational therapy provision within Brent community.

Brent CMHT is an established team with a friendly, supportive culture. There is a visible and supportive management team and a strong emphasis on training and professional development opportunities. Support to prepare candidates for future interviews will be available if needed.

The team serves the diverse and vibrant population of Brent, named London Borough of Culture 2020 and 'Council of the Year' at the LGC Awards 2020. The team works flexibly, and staff can situate themselves across various sites within Brent, however the main base for the OT team will be in Harlesden, with excellent transport links close by.

The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.

Main duties of the job

Occupational therapists hold a key role within the Community Mental Health Team providing occupational therapy service and expertise; which will include individual and group work, assessment, intervention and evaluation in accordance with the Royal College of Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics.

You will need to be familiar with the MOHO and other evidence-based assessment tools in order to establish a baseline functional assessment from which recommendations can determine further on going care and treatment to enable optimum functioning.

The role requires integrated evidence-based practice and skilful use of assessments & interventions with personal recovery principles, in order to improve the service users' quality of life and to support them to do the things they want to do and live the life they want to lead.

You would need to be able to apply a high level of understanding of the effects of mental illness and physical conditions; providing training and advice on lifestyle changes and adaptations to the service user's social and physical environment. This will include undertaking assessments and making recommendations with regards to the provision of equipment/aids and adaptations.

You would need to be committed to working within recovery principles. The successful applicant will be self motivated, able to work to a high standard both autonomously and within a wide MDT.

About us

OT in CNWL is very fortunate in having a long-established professional structure and this includes an AHP director, Trust wide Professional Head of OT, borough and specialist Head OTs. This has the huge benefit of ensuring representation of our profession at all levels - both strategically and operationally.

Personal and professional development is a high priority for the profession and is underpinned by our OT R&D strategy, R& D specialist groups and OT clinical networks. This enables us to invest in the development of our staff by providing excellent internal training as well as commissioning specialised external training and providing quality supervision. This ensures all our OTs reach their full potential at every stage of their career. Our commitment to research, audit and EBP is made possible by our strong links with local universities.

We actively support the next generation of OTs through apprenticeships, student placements and the promotion of the profession as a career in schools. We are proud of the diversity in our workforce but have invested time in supporting and developing this further through our BAME OT group.

We recognise that Band 6's are often the backbone of our clinical teams and we will therefore support their development both clinically and managerially. You will have opportunities to supervise staff, be an educator and have access to both internal and external training.

Job description

Job responsibilities

If you are an OT who strives for excellent and wants to develop to your full potential then we would welcome your application.

Our offer to you:

• Receive monthly supervision from the lead OT for Brent Community Mental Health
• Great development opportunity the last 5 Band 6 OTs in Brent community have gone on to band 7 roles within 2 years.
• Exciting opportunities to develop a new community OT service working collaboratively with a multifarious MDT including in house third sector organisations.
• Get involved in the established Research and Development structures in Occupational Therapy, including specialist forums and valuable networks.
• A bespoke 1:1 induction by Head OT tailored to your specific needs.
• A truly inclusive and diverse workspace
• Nationally leading trust wide staff networks
• Staff health and wellbeing schemes
• QI training and support to bring your strengths and skills to service development
• Flexible workin

Thank you for reading this advert.

1. Clinical

1.1 To provide specialist, culturally appropriate, evidence based occupational therapy assessments for service users in order to establish and meet their occupational needs.

1.2 To provide full vocational needs assessment, advice and on-going intervention related to an individuals vocational needs.

1.3 To select and use validated standardised assessment tools routinely and in practice, exhibiting clinical reasoning skills; to include the Model of Human Occupation (MOHO) assessments.

1.4 To apply specialist clinical knowledge and skills to carry out evidence based occupational therapy interventions, both individual and in groups, which are underpinned by relevant theoretical approaches and in line with the Trusts Research and Development Strategy; to lead and supervise junior staff in this practice as required.

1.5 To plan, implement and review individually tailored programmes of intervention using individual and group work approaches.

1.6 To support service users and colleagues to ensure that care plans are developed in partnership with the individual and that they reflect recovery goals. These should be strengths-based and oriented towards reinforcing a positive identity and developing valued social roles.

1.7 To monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of occupational therapy interventions against clear aims, objectives and outcome measures in line with evidence-based practice and in conjunction with service users, carers and other professionals.

1.8 To establish links with the CNWL Recovery College as appropriate. To co-facilitate and deliver a minimum of one recovery college course per year.

1.9 To apply a high level of understanding of the effects of mental illness and provide training and advice on lifestyle changes and adaptations to the service users social and physical environment.

1.10 To determine the impact of mental and physical conditions on service users functional ability and undertake assessment/make recommendations with regards to the provision of equipment/aids and adaptations.

1.11 To be aware of medication issues in line with the CNWL OT Medication Management guidelines.

1.12 To follow local protocol and obtain recommended equipment and/or liaise with local providers of equipment to ensure provision as appropriate.

1.13 To proactively undertake and ensure rigorous risk assessment & risk management strategies are applied. To ensure maximum risk tolerance facilitates the individuals recovery, in line with risk policies and local guidelines.

1.14 To work in partnership with other agencies and offer supervision and guidance to external agencies as required.

1.15 For Practitioners to be aware of and sensitiveto the safeguarding needs of children and adults in their work, and knowledgeable both about potential indicators of abuse or neglect and about what to do if they had concerns about a child's or adult's welfare.

1.16 To identify carers needs in line with CPA policy and national requirements.

1.17 To support service users in relation to their physical health, employment, and housing and welfare benefits issues; referring to specialist provider services as necessary.

1.18 To provide OT consultation to other professionals within the team.

1.19 An understanding of the care co-ordination process in relation to OT referrals, assessment and intervention.

1.20 To provide Lead Professional Care (LPC) to service users whose needs are solely occupationally focused

2. Communication

2.1 To demonstrate excellent communication skills and form positive therapeutic relationships using warmth and empathy and enable service user empowerment.2.2 To establish and maintain effective communication networks with service users, with complex learning, emotional and behavioural needs, their carers, other professionals and agencies in order to ensure a comprehensive and consistent approach to client care.2.3 To provide and receive highly complex, sensitive, condition related or distressing/unwelcome information to service users and carers demonstrating empathy and reassurance.2.4 To demonstrate skills and resourcefulness in communication when barriers to understanding are present, including utilising interpreting resources.2.5 To promote the role of OT within the Community Mental Health Team, representing an OT clinical perspective in all clinical meetings.2.6 To develop and maintain robust partnership working within the Borough of Brent and other statutory and non-statutory providers.2.7 To confidentially handle and liaise regarding sensitive issues and information with other services such as GPs, CAMHS, Police, etc.2.8 To attend and contribute to OT specific meetings and Team clinical and business meetings.2.9 To work in close co-operation with OT colleagues within the Trust contributing to relevant OT business/training meetings, both locally and trust-wide.2.10 To provide feedback, to OT and MDT colleagues, from specialist interest groups and committees.3. Documentation

3.1 To ensure timely, accurate and informative records of clinical assessments, interventions and contacts are recorded on SystmOne which meet all standards, according to Trust policy and CQUIN targets.

3.2 To provide timely, comprehensive, clearly written occupational therapy reports on service users assessments and treatments.

3.3 To record the OT treatment plan within the service users care plan.

3.4 To maintain accurate supervision records (junior staff and students) as defined in the Trust OT Guidelines, including the maintenance of a supervision record log.

4. Leadership/Management

4.1 To provide leadership for junior staff as delegated by supervisor including OT students on placement.

4.2 To provide input into the recruitment and induction of new staff where appropriate.

4.3 To offer support and guidance to junior members of staff, in the absence of seniors, on a day-to-day basis and co-ordinate the day-to-day activities of junior staff, support staff and students as appropriate.

4.4 To take on projects under supervision to demonstrate basic leadership skills.

4.5 To be responsible for the effective use of physical resources and supplies.

5. Clinical Governance

5.1 To comply with and implement relevant national policy legislation and guidance taking a lead on translating such documents into occupational therapy practice.

5.2 To apply national and Trust wide guidelines/standards of practice; in line with Trust and the College of Occupational Therapists standards and guidelines.

5.3 To work with the Divisional / borough frameworks to implement the care quality agenda.

5.4 To act as an autonomous clinician, assuming accountability for own clinical practice.

5.5 To maintain and observe confidentiality of all information relating to service users as detailed in the Confidentiality Policy and Caldicott Principles; and to adhere to CNWL Information Governance Policy.

6. Service Delivery and Development

6.1 To ensure that all assessments and interventions comply with the OT identified package of care, for the individual care clusters.6.2 To safeguard the health, safety and welfare of service users at all times.6.3 To encourage and support MDT colleagues to practice within a personal recovery framework which supports social inclusion and self management.6.4 To contribute as a member of the multi-disciplinary team, to the delivery of operational service/team objectives. 6.5 To offer occupational therapy/professional advice to other MDT service colleagues as indicated.6.6 To participate in the operational planning and implementation of policy and service development.6.7 To contribute to the writing of local protocols and guidelines.6.8 To contribute to development of, review and implementation of policies impacting on the OT specific working practice within the community team.

Job description
Job responsibilities

If you are an OT who strives for excellent and wants to develop to your full potential then we would welcome your application.

Our offer to you:

• Receive monthly supervision from the lead OT for Brent Community Mental Health
• Great development opportunity the last 5 Band 6 OTs in Brent community have gone on to band 7 roles within 2 years.
• Exciting opportunities to develop a new community OT service working collaboratively with a multifarious MDT including in house third sector organisations.
• Get involved in the established Research and Development structures in Occupational Therapy, including specialist forums and valuable networks.
• A bespoke 1:1 induction by Head OT tailored to your specific needs.
• A truly inclusive and diverse workspace
• Nationally leading trust wide staff networks
• Staff health and wellbeing schemes
• QI training and support to bring your strengths and skills to service development
• Flexible workin

Thank you for reading this advert.

1. Clinical

1.1 To provide specialist, culturally appropriate, evidence based occupational therapy assessments for service users in order to establish and meet their occupational needs.

1.2 To provide full vocational needs assessment, advice and on-going intervention related to an individuals vocational needs.

1.3 To select and use validated standardised assessment tools routinely and in practice, exhibiting clinical reasoning skills; to include the Model of Human Occupation (MOHO) assessments.

1.4 To apply specialist clinical knowledge and skills to carry out evidence based occupational therapy interventions, both individual and in groups, which are underpinned by relevant theoretical approaches and in line with the Trusts Research and Development Strategy; to lead and supervise junior staff in this practice as required.

1.5 To plan, implement and review individually tailored programmes of intervention using individual and group work approaches.

1.6 To support service users and colleagues to ensure that care plans are developed in partnership with the individual and that they reflect recovery goals. These should be strengths-based and oriented towards reinforcing a positive identity and developing valued social roles.

1.7 To monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of occupational therapy interventions against clear aims, objectives and outcome measures in line with evidence-based practice and in conjunction with service users, carers and other professionals.

1.8 To establish links with the CNWL Recovery College as appropriate. To co-facilitate and deliver a minimum of one recovery college course per year.

1.9 To apply a high level of understanding of the effects of mental illness and provide training and advice on lifestyle changes and adaptations to the service users social and physical environment.

1.10 To determine the impact of mental and physical conditions on service users functional ability and undertake assessment/make recommendations with regards to the provision of equipment/aids and adaptations.

1.11 To be aware of medication issues in line with the CNWL OT Medication Management guidelines.

1.12 To follow local protocol and obtain recommended equipment and/or liaise with local providers of equipment to ensure provision as appropriate.

1.13 To proactively undertake and ensure rigorous risk assessment & risk management strategies are applied. To ensure maximum risk tolerance facilitates the individuals recovery, in line with risk policies and local guidelines.

1.14 To work in partnership with other agencies and offer supervision and guidance to external agencies as required.

1.15 For Practitioners to be aware of and sensitiveto the safeguarding needs of children and adults in their work, and knowledgeable both about potential indicators of abuse or neglect and about what to do if they had concerns about a child's or adult's welfare.

1.16 To identify carers needs in line with CPA policy and national requirements.

1.17 To support service users in relation to their physical health, employment, and housing and welfare benefits issues; referring to specialist provider services as necessary.

1.18 To provide OT consultation to other professionals within the team.

1.19 An understanding of the care co-ordination process in relation to OT referrals, assessment and intervention.

1.20 To provide Lead Professional Care (LPC) to service users whose needs are solely occupationally focused

2. Communication

2.1 To demonstrate excellent communication skills and form positive therapeutic relationships using warmth and empathy and enable service user empowerment.2.2 To establish and maintain effective communication networks with service users, with complex learning, emotional and behavioural needs, their carers, other professionals and agencies in order to ensure a comprehensive and consistent approach to client care.2.3 To provide and receive highly complex, sensitive, condition related or distressing/unwelcome information to service users and carers demonstrating empathy and reassurance.2.4 To demonstrate skills and resourcefulness in communication when barriers to understanding are present, including utilising interpreting resources.2.5 To promote the role of OT within the Community Mental Health Team, representing an OT clinical perspective in all clinical meetings.2.6 To develop and maintain robust partnership working within the Borough of Brent and other statutory and non-statutory providers.2.7 To confidentially handle and liaise regarding sensitive issues and information with other services such as GPs, CAMHS, Police, etc.2.8 To attend and contribute to OT specific meetings and Team clinical and business meetings.2.9 To work in close co-operation with OT colleagues within the Trust contributing to relevant OT business/training meetings, both locally and trust-wide.2.10 To provide feedback, to OT and MDT colleagues, from specialist interest groups and committees.3. Documentation

3.1 To ensure timely, accurate and informative records of clinical assessments, interventions and contacts are recorded on SystmOne which meet all standards, according to Trust policy and CQUIN targets.

3.2 To provide timely, comprehensive, clearly written occupational therapy reports on service users assessments and treatments.

3.3 To record the OT treatment plan within the service users care plan.

3.4 To maintain accurate supervision records (junior staff and students) as defined in the Trust OT Guidelines, including the maintenance of a supervision record log.

4. Leadership/Management

4.1 To provide leadership for junior staff as delegated by supervisor including OT students on placement.

4.2 To provide input into the recruitment and induction of new staff where appropriate.

4.3 To offer support and guidance to junior members of staff, in the absence of seniors, on a day-to-day basis and co-ordinate the day-to-day activities of junior staff, support staff and students as appropriate.

4.4 To take on projects under supervision to demonstrate basic leadership skills.

4.5 To be responsible for the effective use of physical resources and supplies.

5. Clinical Governance

5.1 To comply with and implement relevant national policy legislation and guidance taking a lead on translating such documents into occupational therapy practice.

5.2 To apply national and Trust wide guidelines/standards of practice; in line with Trust and the College of Occupational Therapists standards and guidelines.

5.3 To work with the Divisional / borough frameworks to implement the care quality agenda.

5.4 To act as an autonomous clinician, assuming accountability for own clinical practice.

5.5 To maintain and observe confidentiality of all information relating to service users as detailed in the Confidentiality Policy and Caldicott Principles; and to adhere to CNWL Information Governance Policy.

6. Service Delivery and Development

6.1 To ensure that all assessments and interventions comply with the OT identified package of care, for the individual care clusters.6.2 To safeguard the health, safety and welfare of service users at all times.6.3 To encourage and support MDT colleagues to practice within a personal recovery framework which supports social inclusion and self management.6.4 To contribute as a member of the multi-disciplinary team, to the delivery of operational service/team objectives. 6.5 To offer occupational therapy/professional advice to other MDT service colleagues as indicated.6.6 To participate in the operational planning and implementation of policy and service development.6.7 To contribute to the writing of local protocols and guidelines.6.8 To contribute to development of, review and implementation of policies impacting on the OT specific working practice within the community team.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Qualified Occupational Therapist
• Current registration with professional body
• Evidence of relevant Continuous Professional Development
• Evidence of post registration training relevant to mental health practice and community OT
• Training in the theory and application of the Model of Human Occupation

Desirable

• Experience of working in a CMHT team
• Mentorship qualification, Practice educator or related qualification
• AMPS
• Leadership and/or management training

Previous Experience

Essential

• Previous post-registration experience working in either a community or in-patient setting (2)
• Experience of leading, managing and running evidence based group activities for service users with complex and diverse needs in a mental health setting
• Demonstrates a knowledge and experience of working with service users with SMI
• Ability to express self clearly in writing
• Knowledge and experience using MOHO
• Significant years' experience of working within community mental health teams
• Has demonstrable experience of the assessment and management of risk in a community MH setting
• Experience of undertaking specialist OT assessments and writing specialist occupational therapy reports
• Has experience of working as a Care Co-ordinator and demonstrable knowledge of the CPA framework
• Experience of working in an inter-professional team
• Experience of working within a multi-agency environment.
• Experience of working in a multi-cultural context
• Experience of supervising junior staff
• Experience of maintaining a written record of continual professional development
• Experience of individual and groupwork
• Experience of involvement in service change/development

Desirable

• Development and facilitation of community groups

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• Communication (as on PS)
• Personal and People Development (as on PS)
• Health, Safety and Security (as on PS)
• Service Improvement (as on PS)
• Quality (as on PS)
• Equality and Diversity (as on PS)
• Health and Wellbeing (as on PS)
• Ability to deliver presentations (as on PS)
• General (as on PS)

Person Specification
Qualifications

Essential

• Qualified Occupational Therapist
• Current registration with professional body
• Evidence of relevant Continuous Professional Development
• Evidence of post registration training relevant to mental health practice and community OT
• Training in the theory and application of the Model of Human Occupation

Desirable

• Experience of working in a CMHT team
• Mentorship qualification, Practice educator or related qualification
• AMPS
• Leadership and/or management training

Previous Experience

Essential

• Previous post-registration experience working in either a community or in-patient setting (2)
• Experience of leading, managing and running evidence based group activities for service users with complex and diverse needs in a mental health setting
• Demonstrates a knowledge and experience of working with service users with SMI
• Ability to express self clearly in writing
• Knowledge and experience using MOHO
• Significant years' experience of working within community mental health teams
• Has demonstrable experience of the assessment and management of risk in a community MH setting
• Experience of undertaking specialist OT assessments and writing specialist occupational therapy reports
• Has experience of working as a Care Co-ordinator and demonstrable knowledge of the CPA framework
• Experience of working in an inter-professional team
• Experience of working within a multi-agency environment.
• Experience of working in a multi-cultural context
• Experience of supervising junior staff
• Experience of maintaining a written record of continual professional development
• Experience of individual and groupwork
• Experience of involvement in service change/development

Desirable

• Development and facilitation of community groups

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• Communication (as on PS)
• Personal and People Development (as on PS)
• Health, Safety and Security (as on PS)
• Service Improvement (as on PS)
• Quality (as on PS)
• Equality and Diversity (as on PS)
• Health and Wellbeing (as on PS)
• Ability to deliver presentations (as on PS)
• General (as on PS)

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Certificate of Sponsorship

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 .

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. .
UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see

Additional information
Certificate of Sponsorship

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 .

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. .
UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see

Employer details

Employer name

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
Address

27 - 29 Fairlight Avenue

London

NW10 8AL

Employer's website