Occupational Therapist

Transformationunitgm; Greater London; On-site; GBP 37,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS organization is searching for an Occupational Therapist to join its mental health team at HMP Brixton. This role involves providing therapeutic input, managing a caseload, and participating in multidisciplinary service development. The ideal candidate will have experience in mental health and possess strong communication skills. Competitive salary range of £37,259 - £45,356 per annum, with opportunities for professional development. Applications are encouraged from all, particularly those from diverse backgrounds.

Benefits

Generous annual leave

NHS pension scheme

NHS Discounts

Health and wellbeing initiatives

Qualifications

• OT placement or postgraduate clinical experience in mental health/forensic settings.
• Understanding of, and direct reference to, work in forensic settings.
• Experience working with people in the criminal justice system.
• Experience working with people with ND needs (e.g. Autism, ADHD, learning disability).

Responsibilities

• Perform advanced Occupational Therapy assessment and intervention with prisoners.
• Manage own caseload and work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team.
• Develop comprehensive discharge plans in conjunction with the multi-disciplinary team members.

Skills

Ability to apply and develop core OT skills

Good written and verbal communication skills

Experience contributing to service development

Education

PgDip, BSc or MSc OT

Current Health Professions Council Occupational Therapy registration

Student with near completion of OT qualification

Job description

Employer North London NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site HMP Brixton Town London Salary £37,259 - £45,356 Per annum including HCAS Salary period Yearly Closing 16/01/2026 23:59

Occupational Therapist

NHS AfC: Band 5

Thank you for your interest in the North London NHS Foundation Trust (NLFT). This is an exciting time to join us and be part of our journey to improve mental health care across North London and deliver excellent services to our local people. We will achieve this through the North London Way, as we:

• Collaborate at every level by living our values to create the right conditions for us all to work together.
• Develop our new Trust culture, to help make our new Trust a great place to work and to receive great care.
• Empower our teams to lead the planned improvements in our services, by skilling them and giving them the tools to make the changes.
• Focus on delivering excellence at every level to improve our performance and ensure consistently high-quality care across all our services.
• Ensure that research, quality improvement, and technology lead the way and are embedded in our services.
• Take a trauma informed approach to everything we do

We proactively welcome diversity in our workforce and pride ourselves on being an inclusive employer. We aim to recruit from our local communities and provide opportunities to all including apprenticeships, veterans, care leavers and more.

The North London Way to deliver: Better Mental Health, Better Lives, Better Communities.

The vacancy is for an experienced or newly qualified Occupational Therapist to join the mental health and psychological therapies team at HMP Brixton. This is a new role as part of NHS England's re-role of prison mental health provision. The post holder will provide therapeutic input for the main prison population, with a primary role in the new inpatient unit (IPU) which is currently in development.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be expected to perform advanced Occupational Therapy assessment and intervention with prisoners presenting with complex psychological and neurodevelopmental conditions and presentations.

As part of the role, you will take on key responsibilities in the new inpatient unit at HMP Brixton. This unit is currently being developed and, on completion, will cater for prisoners who are experiencing acute episodes of psychological distress. As part of the multidisciplinary team you will be expected to have an active role in service development in the unit, shaping the Occupational Therapy provisions and pathways for patients. You will have direct support and supervision from the Band 6 OT, as well as line management from the lead OT and Therapies lead. You will also work across the wider HMP Brixton site with prisoners who would benefit from occupational therapy input as part of the team's wider mental health and neurodevelopmental pathways.

You will be responsible for managing your own caseload and work collaboratively within a diverse multidisciplinary team. You may be expected to supervise assistants and Occupational Therapy students on placement, and provide specialised advice to other health care professionals across the prison.

Working for our organisation

North London NHS Foundation Trust (NLFT) is committed to improving mental health care across North London to deliver excellent services to our local people.

• We will provide consistently high-quality care closer to home.
• With our partners in North London and each borough we will ensure equity of outcome for all
• We will offer great places to work, providing staff with supportive environment to deliver outstanding care.
• We will be more effective as an organisation by pioneering research, quality improvement and technology.

Why NLFT?

• We develop and retain our staff through leadership behaviours and managers programme and many more opportunities.
• We promote flexible working and support staff with a range of health and wellbeing initiatives.
• NHS Discounts, generous annual leave and NHS pension scheme
• Excellent internal staff network

In order to meet the needs of the Trust you may be required from time to time to work at different locations to your normal place of work. This may mean that you are required to work at any location that fall under Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey or Islington. The Trust reserves the right to require staff to work at such other places or locations as it considers reasonable and necessary on a temporary or permanent basis.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To work as an autonomous practitioner, to assess and treat own caseload of patients, including those with complex presentations. Decisions will be underpinned by specialist knowledge gained from study of evidence-based treatments and from previous experience.

To quickly and accurately screen, establish priority for patient referrals for Occupational Therapy intervention some of which maybe complex and require a multi-disciplinary approach.

To take on key service development responsibilities in establishing provision and pathways in a new inpatient unit.

To carry out an assessment of patients, including those with complex presentations. Draw on a wide range of information sources and use clinical reasoning skills to determine an accurate diagnosis. To identify an appropriate Occupational Therapy care plan from treatment options available.

To formulate and deliver occupational therapy treatment programmes for a complex population (prisoners) who experience marginalisation and may be experiencing episodes of acute distress.

To provide general support for prisoners of the Neurodevelopmental Pathway, providing or participating in assessments for conditions such as Autism, Learning Disability, and ADHD, and making key decisions in diagnostic discussions and treatment plans.

To develop comprehensive discharge plans in conjunction with the multi-disciplinary team members.

To make recommendations to support a patient's discharge including care support and rehabilitation opportunities.

Undertake referrals to internal and external services when deemed appropriate/of benefit to the support or progression of the patient. e.g. community rehabilitation, social services, voluntary agencies.

This is not an exhaustive list, please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification for more information on the role requirements and duties.

Person specification

Qualifications

• PgDip, BSc or MSc OT and current Health Professions Council Occupational Therapy registration (2) OR student with near completion of OT qualification (1)
• Additional courses or training relevant to specific service area

Experience

• OT placement or postgraduate clinical experience in mental health/forensic settings
• Understanding of, and direct reference to, work in forensic settings
• Experience of working with people in the criminal justice system
• Experience working with people with ND needs (e.g. Autism, ADHD, learning disability)

Skills

• Ability to apply and develop core OT skills
• Good written and verbal communication skills
• Experience contributing to service development

References will be required to cover your last 3 years of employment/training. One has to be from your current or most recent employer and the others from your previous employer. The references should be from persons with management responsibility or HR.

If you have been unemployed for a period of four years or more, please give the details of your last employer and one character referee of your choice (not members of your family). If more applicable, references will be requested from your teacher or head of faculty. Please ensure you provide full contact details.
Vacancies that are advertised as Fixed Term Contracts will also be available as secondment opportunities for substantive internal staff.

Please be aware that your documents eg. Passport/NI Card, will be electronically scanned using Home Office accredited Verification System.

Due to the high number of applications that are received for some posts, we will close vacancies before the stated closing date once the first 50 applications are received. Therefore, please apply as soon as possible.

All non-medical posts with the Trust are subject to a probationary period of six months, during which time you will be required to demonstrate to the Trust’s satisfaction, your suitability for the position in which you will be employed.

Should you not hear from us within three working weeks of the closing date for this post, then regretfully in this instance, you have not been shortlisted.

By applying for this role, you accept in the event you are successful that your personal data may be transferred from the Trust to another NHS organisation where your employment transfers within the NHS. This is in accordance with the streamlining programme which is aimed at improving efficiencies within the NHS both to make costs savings for NHS organisations but also to save you time when your employment transfers.

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.