Occupational Therapy Assistant

at  Sussex Partnership NHS FoundationTrust

Band 3 Occupational Therapy Assistant 1.0 FTE, permanent contract
We are looking for a committed Band 3 Occupational Therapy support worker to work as part of the Acute Day Service Team based at Langley Green hospital, Crawley.
The Acute Day Service is designed to support individuals experiencing an acute episode of mental illness of mental illness and run a six-week rolling programme, offering a range of practical, creative and psycho-educational groups delivered in both virtual and face to face settings
You will be responsible for delivering both group and individual therapeutic interventions to patients experiencing acute mental health difficulties. You will use specific psychosocial, occupational, and practical interventions to promote a patient’s recovery and wellbeing goals under the direction of an occupational therapist.
Relational support and understanding of a patient’s experience is essential and you will be expected to work with a range of diverse needs in a non judgemental, personalised way.
Skills and experience in planning and facilitating a range of groups is listed as desirable but essential for success in this environment.
We are a small dedicated team so the ability to work either autonomously or collaboratively and flexibly for the needs of the service is required.
You will need computer literacy for the administrative aspects of the role.
As a band 3 occupational therapy assistant, you will be expected to help support the occupational Therapy needs of the client group and deliver treatment programmes accordingly. The activities will involve both one to one work and groupwork, both within the hospital therapy environment and with individuals’ accessing community resources.
You will receive good support and supervision. Training will be actively encouraged to develop your skills and knowledge appropriately for the requirements of the post. Applicants should have previous experience working with people who have mental health needs either in a paid or voluntary capacity and an NVQ, technical skill or equivalent.
You will be working within a mental health setting and supporting individuals’ patients and their families/friend/carers. Your communication and organisational skills will be highly valued as will your experience in health or social care. You must possess the skills to work in a team and on your own. It is important that you have good written and verbal communication skills for liaison with colleagues, service users and external agencies. You will be self-motivated, keen to learn, and have a good understanding of how to support individual’s recovery to help aid discharge. There will be opportunities to develop your group facilitation skills working alongside the Occupational Therapist and MDT to develop evidence-based groups.
We provide mental health and learning disability care for children, young people and adults across Sussex and for children and young people in Hampshire.

IT WOULD ALSO BE ADVANTAGEOUS IF YOU:

Have experience working in an inpatient setting, although not essential
Experience working with individuals with mental health needs
You will be fully supported and empowered to make a difference to creatively develop new ways of working towards building safe and responsive quality mental health services fit for the future. We are currently undertaking a number of Quality Improvement projects to improve the service further
See attached Job Description and Person Specification for full details.
Please apply using the link in this advert, or for more information explore the attachments or contact :
Chantelle Martin
Team Lead, Acute Day Service
01293 59043

Health care or relevant NVQ level 3 or equivalent skills
Significant work experience in health/social care/teaching setting
Prior experience working with people with mental health difficulties
Experience of facilitating groups and range of activities