About this role
Job summary
Are you passionate about helping others live meaningful lives?
Join CNWL as a Band 6 Senior Community Occupational Therapist at the St John's Wood Community Mental Health Hub, where we promote a supportive, inclusive and reflective workplace.
As part of a multidisciplinary team, you will deliver recovery-focused, person-centred care to adults with a range of mental health needs. You will manage a caseload, providing occupational therapy assessments, interventions and psychosocial support, while working closely with service users, carers and partner agencies to promote recovery, reduce risk and support independent living.
We are committed to staff wellbeing and professional development, offering flexible working, regular supervision and protected time for reflection and learning. Occupational Therapists have access to role-specific training, including psychosocial interventions, leadership development opportunities and pathways to broaden or specialise their practice in community mental health.
This is an excellent opportunity to work in a forward-thinking service that values clinical autonomy, multidisciplinary collaboration and high-quality care. You will play a key role in supporting people on their recovery journey while developing your own skills and career within a supportive organisation.
The service operates Monday to Friday, from 9:00am to 5:00pm.
Main duties of the job
Job Summary
As a Band 6 Senior Community Occupational Therapist, you will provide specialist occupational therapy assessment, intervention and advice within a multidisciplinary community mental health team. Using evidence-based and recovery-focused practice, you will support individuals to improve their occupational performance, independence, wellbeing and self-management skills.
You will manage a caseload of service users with identified occupational needs, delivering both individual and group interventions, conducting functional assessments and developing person-centred care plans. You will work collaboratively with service users, carers, partner agencies and community organisations to promote recovery and support people to achieve their goals.
The role requires a strong understanding of the impact of mental and physical health conditions on daily functioning, including providing advice on lifestyle adaptations, environmental modifications and equipment where appropriate. You will contribute to the wider function of the team, including duty responsibilities, and play an active role in service development.
In addition, you will support the learning and development of others through supervision of junior staff, appraisal processes and practice educator for occupational therapy students on placement. You will integrate evidence-based practice with recovery principles to deliver high-quality, person-centred care that enhances quality of life and community participation.
About us
Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust offers its staff ongoing career progression through:
Monthly supervision
Annual personal development plans/appraisals
Access to exciting internal and external training opportunities.
In House OT to OT Training
Excellent progression through various career pathway opportunities such as but not limited to:
Preceptorship Programme
Band 6 Development Programme
Hidden Gem and Annual Award Ceremonies
Excellent staff benefits, our benefit packages are amongst the best in London and include:
Health and wellbeing services
Season ticket loans
Cycle to work scheme
The trust also values its staff and you are entitled to become a member of MyTrustBenefits. MyTrustBenefits is an online portal for all CNWL staff, as well as their family and friends. It offers over 1400 discounts at hundreds of retailers nationwide. Save money on your weekly food shops, toiletries, cosmetics, cinema, meals out, holidays, travel and entertainment. You can also access free online courses on a variety of topics, professional and personal, ranging from business management, languages, law and teaching.
Job description Job responsibilities
Please see attached JD&PS for full details of duties and responsibilities
Clinical
To manage a caseload of service users with multiple,enduringand complex mental healthneeds through provision of therapeutic care and treatment in the individuals own home andothercommunityvenues. To provide specialist, culturallyappropriate, evidencebasedoccupational therapy assessments forserviceuserswithin thehubinordertoestablishandmeettheiroccupational needs. To provide full vocational needs assessment, advice and on-going intervention related to anindividuals vocationalneeds. To select and use validated standardised assessment tools routinely and in practice, exhibiting clinical reasoning skills; to include the Model of Human Occupation (MOHO) assessments. To apply specialist clinical knowledge and skills to carry out evidence based occupational therapy interventions, both individual and in groups, which are underpinned by relevant theoretical approaches and in line with the Trusts Research and Development Strategy. To lead andsupervisejuniorstaffinthispracticeasrequired. To plan, implement and review individually tailored program of intervention using individual andgroup work approaches. To develop, implement and review care plans using DIALOG + as a framework tocompletecollaborative careplans. To support service users and colleagues to ensure that care plans are developed in partnershipwith the individualand their support networkand that they reflect recovery goals.These should be strengths-based andorientedtowards reinforcingapositiveidentityand developingvaluedsocialroles. To be the allocated named worker for service users who have identified occupational performance needs or when occupational therapy is the main intervention. Tomonitorand evaluate the effectiveness of occupational therapy interventions against clear aims,objectivesand outcome measures in line withevidence-basedpractice and in conjunction withserviceusers,carers/supportnetworkand otherprofessionals. Toidentifyopportunities and needs for group work in the community and to plan, implement,facilitateandevaluatecommunitygroupswhich promotesocialinclusionfor serviceusers. To applya high levelof understanding of the effects of mental illness and provide training andadviceonlifestylechangesandadaptationstotheserviceuserssocialandphysicalenvironment. Todeterminetheimpactofmentalandphysicalconditionsonserviceusersfunctionalabilityandundertake assessment/make recommendations with regards to the provision of equipment/aidsandadaptations. To provide monitoring of medication, for all service users on caseload, in line withtheCNWLOTMedication ManagementGuidelines. To follow local protocol and obtain recommended equipment and/or liaise with local providers ofequipmenttoensureprovision asappropriate.
Person Specification
Education and Qualifications Essential
Degree/Diploma in Occupational Therapy. Health Care Professionals Council (HCPC) registered Occupational Therapist. Practice Educator training
Desirable
Post qualification training in relevant mental health therapeutic skills.
Previous Experience Essential
Extensive post qualification experience working in mental health settings as an Occupational Therapist. Experience of working with service users presenting with a wide range of complex mental health conditions. Experience of delivering healthy lifestyle interventions. Experience in assessment and interventions related to physical healthcare needs. Experience in using a range of standardised OT assessments. Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary team. Experience of working in a multi-cultural environment. Experience of drafting group protocols and setting up / facilitating groups / group programme. Supervision of OT students / non-qualified staff. Experience of partnership working in promoting socially inclusive opportunities for patients.
Desirable
Experience of working in adult mental health community team. Experience in audit / research projects
Skills and Knowledge Essential
Clear concept of Occupational Therapy and models of practice. Good communication skills written, verbal, listening and use of up to date systems of communication i.e. IT systems, e-mail, telephone etc. Ability to work autonomously, as well as part of an MDT. Individual/group work skills. Ability to prioritise workload and use initiative. Able to work creatively to engage patients. Timely reporting and record keeping. To actively supervise both OT students and unqualified staff. Regularly identify and undertake appropriate learning opportunities as part of ongoing CPD. Recovery focused approach to service delivery. Ability to treat service users with respect and dignity at all times, adopting a culturally sensitive approach that considers the needs of the whole person. Able to build constructive relationships with warmth and empathy, using good communication skills. To determine the impact of mental and physical conditions on service user's functional ability and undertake assessment/make recommendations with regards to the provision of equipment/aids and adaptations. Good understanding of the application of risk assessment and risk management strategies which facilitates a patient's recovery. Good awareness of the principles of safeguarding and how to implement this in practice.
Desirable
Research and development at graduate level. Knowledge of the theory underpinning the Model of Human Occupation. To have completed practice placement educators' course.
Attitudes, aptitudes and personal characteristics Essential
High level of personal motivation. Ability to work in a team setting i.e. collaborating/facilitating/directing and understanding diversity. Good organisational skills and ability to delegate effectively. Ability to encourage patient participation and ensure a high delivery of customer service. Flexible in approach. Demonstrate self-awareness and an ability to use initiative. Ability to manage conflict constructively Demonstrate a willingness to develop knowledge and skills. Ability to take on responsibility. To act as a positive role model for junior staff.
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 details Employer name Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
Address St Johns Wood Community Mental Health Hub
7A Woodfield Road
London
W9 2NW
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.cnwl.nhs.uk/work (Opens in a new tab)