Occupational Therapist

Transformationunitgm; Hailsham; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A mental health service provider in Hailsham is seeking a full-time Occupational Therapist to join their central therapies team. This pivotal role involves supporting service users to enhance their well-being and develop essential life skills in a secure mental health setting. The position offers flexible working arrangements and opportunities for professional development in a challenging but rewarding environment. Ideal candidates will hold a relevant degree and have experience in mental health settings.

Benefits

Flexible working options

Access to therapy facilities

Training and development opportunities

Qualifications

• Must be a qualified Occupational Therapist and registered with the HCPC.
• Experience working with people with mental health difficulties.
• Passionate about improving lives within the criminal justice system.

Responsibilities

• Support service users to enhance health and wellbeing.
• Manage a defined caseload of service users.
• Deliver occupationally-focused interventions tailored to individuals.

Skills

Compassion

Accountability

Optimism

Teamwork

Creativity

Communication Skills

Education

Degree/Diploma in Occupational Therapy

Registration with the HPC

Job description

We’re looking for people who share our values of compassion, accountability and optimism to help us provide high quality care for the patients, carers, families and communities we serve. We specialise in NHS mental health and learning disability services and we’re proud to make a difference every day.

At SPFT we put people first. We’ll do everything possible to help you feel respected, valued and included. You’ll have opportunities to learn, grow and gain new experiences to support your career, with access to lifelong learning and professional development.

We actively promote flexible working and understand how important work life balance is, especially in healthcare. Whether it’s part time hours, hybrid working or flexible start and finish times, we’ll explore what works for you and the role.

We recognise that AI is becoming part of daily life and you may choose to use it to help prepare your application. We welcome innovation but ask that anything you submit reflects your own abilities, experience and voice. AI can support how you describe your skills and experience, but it should never replace your own words as we want to get to know you.

We’re shaping a workplace where ideas are encouraged, technology supports you and everyone has a voice in how we improve. If that sounds like the kind of organisation you want to be part of, we’d love to hear from you.

Job overview

Are youkeen to worka fascinating and ever-changing environment?

Are you curious, creative and always looking for new learning opportunities and ways to implement this into practice?

We have a Band 5 Occupational Therapist vacancy in our central therapies team at the Hellingly Centre. This is a full time role supporting our varied occupational therapy provision.

Forensic mental healthcare is unique and fascinating which provides both challenge and opportunity in abundance.

The Hellingly Centre is a secure mental health hospital where we specialise in the assessment and treatment of people with complex and enduring mental health needs, who may have had contact with the criminal justice system.

Service users regularly experience stigma for mental health and / or offending history and our role is to develop trusting and safe relationships which balance being compassionate, collaborative and supportive with sound risk assessment and management skills.

Main duties of the job

As an Occupational Therapist at the Hellingly Centre you will play a pivotal role in supporting service users to enhance their health and wellbeing, develop valuable life skills and prepare for the next steps in their recovery through secure services and beyond.

You will have the opportunity to:

• Manage a defined caseload of service users, alongside other OT colleagues and robust multi-disciplinary teams.
• Support service users to establish helpful routines, maintain and develop roles, grow motivation and confidence and develop and improve skills across the domains of occupation (self-care, productivity and leisure).
• Use OT specific assessment tools (from the Model of Human Occupation; MoHO), to identify meaningful goals and areas of focus for individuals, informing treatment and care plans.
• Co‑ordinate and deliver a programme of occupationally‑focussed interventions (both individual and group sessions) tailored to meet the individual needs of service users and routinely evaluating the effectiveness of these through the use of outcome measures.
• Alongside the MDT, contribute to service users' risk assessment and management plans and care plans.
• Work alongside and provide supervision to Occupational Therapy support staff (post‑preceptee OTs).
• Support students on placement with the service as a practice placement educator (PPE), following completion of PPE training with the University of Brighton.

Working for our organisation

The Hellingly Centre is a purpose‑built secure hospital, comprising of three medium secure wards (Oak, Ash and Blossom) and one low secure ward (Elm).

We have access to a range of therapy facilities within the centre, including; a gym, shop, music, woodwork and art rooms and on‑site, Badger’s Café and allotment space (offering vocational and therapeutic horticulture opportunities).

Situated within the beautiful Hellingly Country Park and close to the Cuckoo Trail, we enjoy the benefits of both beautiful countryside and the nearby larger towns.

Facilities:

• There is a small gym on‑site, available for staff to use
• Badger's Café sells a good selection of hot drinks, meals and snacks
• We have a large car park and parking is free for staff.

Development and Training:

We are committed to investing in staffs' learning and development and offer:

• Regular supervision and reflective practice
• Quality training and development opportunities.
• OT‑specific training available includes: Occupational Formulation, Sensory Processing Theory into Practice, Solution‑Focussed approaches.
• Access to well‑established 'Communities of Practice' groups for evidence‑informed and based interventions (e.g. Sensory Processing, Recovery Through Activity, MoHO and Occupational Formulation).

Hellingly Centre is a member of Quality Network for Forensic Mental Health Services and there are opportunities for staff to become certified peer reviewers for nationwide forensic services.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To apply for this post you :

• Should be a qualified Occupational Therapist and registered with The Health Care and Professions Council (HCPC).
• Have previous experience working within a mental health setting, either as an OT or in another capacity (including as a student/in another role).
• Be passionate about improving the lives of individuals who are being held within the criminal justice system
• Understand that the secure inpatient setting is a challenging but hugely rewarding work setting.
• Have the intention and ability to establish therapeutic relationships with service, who are likely to have had adverse experiences of authority figures, based on trust and respect
• Work holistically and creatively with service users to improve occupational functioning and improved quality of life.

Please see the attached job description and person specification for full details of the role and requirements.

We support flexible working

We know that a positive work/ life balance brings about huge health‑related benefits, which has a positive impact on the care we provide. Although this role is advertised as full time (37.5 hours), we are open to conversations regarding flexible working (part time hours / working pattern). If it works for you and works for the role/service, we'll do our best to make it happen.

There may be an opportunity in the future for this post to be included in rotation

Please apply using the link in this advert.

For any further information, if you have any questions regarding the role, or if you would like to arrange a visit prior to making an application, please contact:

Amy Boot, Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist - [e-mail] / 07471034271

or Emily Barnard, Acting Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist - [e-mail].

Person specification

Qualifications

• Degree/Diploma in occupational therapy
• Registration with the HPC as an occupational therapist
• Evidence of successful completion of a COT standard preceptorship programme

Knowledge/Experience

• Experience of working with people with mental health difficulties
• Experience working as part of a team
• Experience running groups/activities
• Experience of being supervised

SPFT is committed to building a workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We particularly welcome applications from people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds and from disabled candidates, as these groups are currently underrepresented.

Successful candidates are normally appointed to the bottom of the pay scale unless previous NHS experience in a similar role can be evidenced.

SPFT takes its responsibilities for safeguarding children, young people and adults at risk very seriously. We expect all staff and bank workers to share this commitment and complete the relevant safeguarding training for their role.

If you have not heard from us within three weeks of the closing date, please assume your application has been unsuccessful. However, we’ll always do our best to keep you informed as we know how much time and care goes into applying for a role.

In the event of a high number of applications, we may close this vacancy early.

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.