Community Mental Health Occupational Therapist

Transformationunitgm; Greater London; On-site; GBP 30,000 - GBP 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider is seeking a Community Mental Health Occupational Therapist in Greater London. The role involves delivering support to individuals with mental health needs, contributing to their recovery and independence. Applicants should possess a relevant degree and be registered with HCPC, with an understanding of the occupational therapy process. This is a great opportunity for passionate therapists eager to make a difference in the community, supported by a structured CPD program and a collaborative team environment.

Benefits

Continuous professional development

Team collaboration

Supportive working environment

Qualifications

• Registered with HCPC.
• Experience in community working preferred.
• Ability to support individuals in achieving personal goals.

Responsibilities

• Conduct assessments for occupational therapy referrals.
• Develop care plans for service users.
• Facilitate clinical practice with individuals and groups.

Skills

Application of the OT process

Use of functional assessment and activity analysis

Knowledge of current best practice in OT

Education

Relevant degree or graduate diploma

Job description

Community Mental Health Occupational Therapist

Band 5

Job overview

We’re offering an exciting opportunity to be part of our redesigned psychosis service, delivering evidence-based pathways and support for Greenwich residents. This role is all about making a real difference—helping individuals regain independence and improve their quality of life through interventions that boost daily living, social engagement, and vocational skills. The role will involve working as an occupational therapist, within our multi-disciplinary team, alongside doctors, nurses, social workers, psychologists, employment workers and our admin team. The successful applicant will be working alongside our senior Occupational Therapist to support and further develop core interventions for our service users.

Applications are welcomed from newly qualified occupational therapists with an interest in mental health and community working. Although mental health experience may be beneficial, it is not essential. CPD for Band 5 occupational therapy staff includes Statutory Induction, Preceptorship programme, Band 5 support group and Occupational Therapy specific training days. There is an active CPD programme which includes regular professional supervision and appraisals and dedicated CPD time.

The West Locality Mental Health Team operates from its main base in Charlton which serves an identified catchment area within Blackheath, Eltham, Greenwich and Woolwich Our centre is staffed from 9am until 5pm Monday to Friday.

Main duties of the job

You will work with specific OT cases providing a high standard of service user focused assessments and interventions around occupational roles.

In applying occupational therapy models you will work from an evidence base and draw upon current developments in Recovery and Social Inclusion. You will need to be committed to a service user focus and be creative in finding ways to help people develop and achieve personal goals. You will also contribute to a forward thinking group programme and lead on implementing particular groups.

You will work alongside OT and multi-disciplinary colleagues, as well as working with a range of other agencies. The Oxleas Occupational Therapy Service is committed to the continuing professional development (CPD) of its staff. A well-developed supervision structure, CPD activities, and a variety of training opportunities underpin this.

Working for our organisation

Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children’s centres, schools and people’s homes.

We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.

Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:

• We Listen
• We Care

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To undertake occupational therapy assessments for referrals to the service, addressing occupational performance strengths and needs in relation to service user goals.
• To work with a designated caseload of service users to identify goals of OT care plans ensuring compatibility with the overall care plan.
• To carry out clinical practice in groups or with individuals using graded activity to achieve therapeutic goals, enabling the service user in areas of self‑maintenance, productivity and leisure.
• To carry out clinical practice in relation to best available evidence.
• To promote a recovery approach with service users and frame clinical work within this context.
• To monitor and evaluate treatment in order to measure progress and ensure effectiveness of the intervention.
• To implement risk management plans in accordance with Trust guidelines and completed risk assessments.

Person specification

Registration

• Are you registered with HCPC?
• Do you hold a relevant degree or graduate diploma as required by person specification?

Experience

• Application of the OT process
• Use of functional assessment and activity analysis

Skills

• Some knowledge and application of current best practice in OT

We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that welcomes and supports individuals of all abilities. Remember, if you meet the minimum criteria for this role and you have a disability, you can be guaranteed an interview under the Disability Confident Scheme — Please ensure you select this on your application form. We would encourage you to be open about your needs so we can work with you to design a comfortable and accessible interview experience. Any information you provide regarding a disability or a need for adjustments will be treated in confidence and will only be shared with colleagues who are supporting this request.

If you require any adjustments to participate fully in the interview process, please let us know by adding the relevant details when scheduling your preferred interview date and time. Please feel free to contact the appointing manager to discuss your needs.

We encourage applicants to contact the hiring manager before their interview, if they have any questions about the role or the process. This is a great way to get clarity and prepare effectively for the interview.

If you have declared you are part of the armed forces community, you may be asked to provide evidence during the recruitment process. If you misrepresent this information, your offer may be withdrawn. For Armed Forces specific support, see our webpage: https://oxleas.nhs.uk/armed-forces-community/

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

If you choose to use AI or other tools to assist in writing your application, it's essential to personalise this information, particularly your supporting information section. While AI can help streamline the writing process, these tools cannot fully grasp the context or requirements of the job you’re applying for. There is also a risk that it can generate false or misleading information. AI-generated job applications can often be generic, impersonal and may not accurately reflect your qualifications, knowledge, skills, and experiences. It is crucial that you personalise your supporting statement by articulating these in your unique voice. Relying solely on AI to write your application or supporting information section is not advocated by Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust and could negatively impact your chances of success in the application process.

We monitor applications for any behaviour that could create an unfair advantage, and we check all references carefully. You are likely to be tested on your experience at interview, so be honest and make sure all the information in your application is correct.Please note that the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is prohibited during the interview process.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.

Name: Annette Bolderstone
Job title: Senior Occupational Therapist
Email: [e-mail]
Telephone: [phone]

We welcome a visit or phone call if you would like to find out more or have any questions. Please contact Annette Bolderstone (Senior Occupational Therapist) on 0208 269 4110.