Job summary The North Somerset area of Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust (AWP) is now seeking an enthusiastic Occupational Therapist to work within a mental health inpatient ward setting, to use their skills to assess and treat people with both mental health and physical problems.
This unique opportunity will see you providing Occupational Therapy interventions across both adults of working age and later life.
This exciting opportunity will allow you to utilise your skills as a holistic, autonomous practitioner while also having the support from the multi- professional team and wider Occupational Therapy team.
Within this post you will work alongside your fellow Occupational Therapists at the Long Fox Unit.
You will complete comprehensive Occupational Therapy assessment which will be delivered through a combination of individual specialist assessments and group work.
The post holder will require excellent and adaptable communication skills and require a level of sensitivity and flexibility.
You are required to manage a complex caseload and be able to prioritise effectively to meet the demands of the service.
The post holder will be required to take students from the surrounding universities and provide regular supervision and training to support staff.
Within the trust there are excellent training opportunities and CPD development and you will be provided with regular supervision within Trust guidance.
Main duties of the job You will be providing Occupational Therapy assessments and interventions alongside the wider MDT to provide patient centred care.
You will work closely with the team in North Somerset and Bristol and across the geography of AWP with many well-established staff.
You will have a wide variety of skills and be able to adapt to the needs of service users.
About us We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust) a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care.
We provide services from a range of locations to approximately million people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, across the county of Wiltshire and in parts of Dorset.
Our outstanding people promote mental health and wellbeing.
The expertise and resources within AWP are dedicated to a person-centred approach for those who use our services and for all employees.
We recognise that happy and fulfilled employees give better care.
At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community.
We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.
Job description Job responsibilities Clinical Practice To provide high quality, evidence based occupational therapy assessments & interventions, treatment planning and continued patient-centred care.
We aim to enable service users to achieve their maximum level of function and independence in preparation for discharge.
This will include:- Undertaking comprehensive, person-centred OT assessment and interventions.
Preparing and implementing treatment plans and rehab programmes in consultation with the service users.
Reviewing the effectiveness of therapy provided in partnership with service users.
Ability to implement research based practice.
Provide leadership and guidance to registered and non-registered staff and students.
Ability to undertake risk assessment and develop risk management strategies for individual service users, groups and a variety of activities.
Have an understanding of the relevant mental health legislation and be able within practice.
To be able to provide advice on lifestyle changes and adaptations to the service users social and physical environment.
Communications and Working Relationships Establish and maintain effective therapeutic relationships with a client group that can be challenging due to their mental health issues eg dementia or acute psychosis.
Establish and maintain effective exchange of clinical information between relevant parties that may include MDT, carers, families, partner organisations or voluntary third section organisation.
To be responsible for communicating sensitive or complex information concerning service users to family and others involved in their care.
Provide professional advice and consultancy to the team manager, Multi professional team members, carers and other services.
Be aware of Trust developments through the use of intranet and e-mail.
Education and Health Promotion To use skills, knowledge and resources to provide learning opportunities for staff and promote positive attitudes towards mental health.
This will include:- Providing clinical supervision through 1:1 and group base for registered and unregistered staff.
Continued support of OT students on practice placements within the Trust.
Provide a positive learning environment for students, OT staff and the wider MDT.
There will opportunities for CPD development and training relevant to the role.
Continuing Professional Development Objective To maintain and develop professional knowledge, skills and expertise to ensure that therapy reflects best practice and remains evidence based ensuring it is current and responsive to meet service needs and NHS needs to include:- Abide by the Code of Ethics and professional conduct for Occupational Therapists and HCPC standards.
To take responsibility for post registration education and for continuing professional development as outlined in HCPC standards.
To provide and receive clinical/professional supervision in accordance with Trust supervision policy.
Most challenging part of this role Working with and motivating a patient group whose mental health problems can be challenging and emotionally draining for staff.
Work with distress, anxious and aggressive service users and carers.
Also dealing with emotional situations when the person may have barriers to their understanding.
Maintaining links with other Occupational Therapists in a geographically widespread Trust.
Promoting the responsibilities and duties of an OT within an acute mental health setting.
Person Specification shortlisting Essential Qualifications: BSc Hons Occupational Therapy or equivalent Registration: HCPC registered Knowledge: Understanding of Model of Human Occupation Experience: Experience of working in Mental Health Settings Clinical Reasoning: Evidence based and reflective practice Written Skills: Application content, organisation, relevance to post Desirable Knowledge of using the VTd Model of Creative Ability