Occupational Therapist

at  Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

Would you like to work in an innovative trauma informed team, where there is a strong focus on staff development and delivering high quality care?
An exciting and rare opportunity has opened up to join our Harrow Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) We are looking for a Band 5 Occupational Therapist (OT) to join our well-established, diverse team and supportive Community Mental Health team (CMHT) based in Harrow Wealdstone. We want you to bring your unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to our OT team as diversity makes us stronger. You will have the opportunity to specialise your skills in a number of areas, including :
Sensory integration for service users with complex emotional needs and neuro-diverse needs;
Regular Trauma Informed Approaches training and team formulation
Weekly In-service training covering a number of skills (Motivational Interviewing, Crisis Management, risk assessments, substance misuses, various psychological therapies and more.
Model of Creative Ability Training
Offering OT specific one-to-one and group interventions such as Recovery Pathway, Recovery Through Activity, Sensory Awareness
You will have an OT-specific caseload, consisting of assessment, groupwork and individual interventions as well as contributing towards our Community Psychosocial Therapies offer with our Psychology colleagues. We work within the Recovery Framework and Trauma Informed Approaches (TIA) encouraging independence, social integration and the achievement of personalised goals. You will have the opportunity to use your skills and creativity to contribute to the development and implementation of treatment programs, pathways and initiatives in order for us to deliver high quality, evidence-based interventions that improve service users’ functional abilities, independence and overall quality of life.
Applicants must have a qualification in Occupational Therapy and be HCPC registered in order to be considered for the post.
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
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 vast 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.
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 the step between student and professional needs support so we have invested fully in our Band 5s development through robust supervision, a preceptorship programme and internal training. Success at preceptorship enables them to then be an educator for OT students. Career development opportunities are available and many of our Band 5s chose to stay with us in senior posts.
Specialised OT & Mental health training including; how to undertake an effective assessment, use of outcome measures and application of MOHO, specialised training depending on area of interest such as sensory integration and trauma informed care and other forms of training.
To provide home assessments for adapted equipment, support recommendations and for accommodation needs.
To be name worker for the clients you are providing occupational therapy interventions
To provide evidence-based groupwork and one-to-one interventions.
To routinely complete Dialog +/ Risk assessments
Familiar with MaST for caseload management
To work within the multidisciplinary team and support the overall functioning of the team and attending senior meetings in developmental role along with projects, service improvement and evaluations.
To offer clinical placements to Occupational Therapy Students.
To provide informal support and build supervision skills as part of developmental programme to other staff as needed.
Opportunities to shadow our neighbouring services including HTT, EIS, the memory clinic and acute services allowing you to see the full circle of treatment for our patients.
Mentoring and coaching sessions with team leaders supporting you with your development and growth into the role, including a bespoke 1:1 induction by Head OT tailored to your specific needs.
Clear objectives and pathway to work towards Band 6 role including attending senior meetings and working with specialised cases.
Opportunities to get involved in the established Research and Development structures in Occupational Therapy, including specialist forums and valuable networks.
A truly inclusive and diverse workspace
Nationally leading trust wide staff networks
Staff health and wellbeing schemes
Training and support to bring your strengths and skills to service development
Flexible working
Person Specification
Education & Qualifications
Essential
Degree/Diploma in Occupational Therapy.
Registered with HCPC
Desirable
Practice education training
Previous Experience
Essential
Relevant work/voluntary experience in mental health or related setting.
Desirable
Experience of working in a multi cultural environment
Experience of working in a community mental health setting
Computerised data collection systems in a health setting
Planning, implementation & evaluation of group interventions
Experience of training others in technical, leisure or creative skills
Specialist Knowledge
Essential
Has knowledge of OT theory related to practice
Can demonstrate clear clinical reasoning skills.
Knowledge of mental and physical health conditions.
Awareness of local and national issues and relevant legislation.
Has a clear concept of clinical models of practice.
Demonstrates a clear understanding of Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.
Professional Conduct
Essential
Can work autonomously
Is able to take responsibility.
Has excellent team skills.
Has excellent time management and organisational skills.
Clinical skills
Essential
Application of OT process
Risk management
Reflective practice
Client-centred practice
Ability to prioritise work load and use own initiative
Ability to treat service users with respect and dignity at all times, adopting a culturally sensitive approach, which considers the needs of the whole person
Able to build constructive relationships with warmth and empathy, using good communication skills
Dialog+ care planning
Desirable
Able to delegate work to others in clinical team
Experience on attending senior meetings
Experience supervising students/staff as appropriate
Research and development
Essential
Experience of developing a basic research proposal or projects of service development.
Desirable
Interest in participating in evidence-based activities according to departmental need.
Non clinical skills
Essential
Verbal and written communication skills
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 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) .
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer name
Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trus

Please refer the Job description for details