About this role
Job summary
The post will involve leading on the delivery and implementation of the OT provision across the prison. This post is based within the Mental Health team and Therapies service at HMP Pentonville to provide support to the prison establishment for the management and treatment of men (aged 18+) with varying levels of mental health problems and neuro-developmental needs.The OT provision to a designated caseload, focusing on functional daily living skills and specific mental health and risk issues. This will include overseeing and reviewing the OT referrals process as well as the assessment, treatment and evaluation of clinical interventions, planning and running a range of therapeutic individual and group work, carrying out functional assessments and contributing to multidisciplinary team care planning and risk assessment. The patients are people with diverse needs and presentations, often with emerging mental health difficulties, including personality disorder and can exhibit impulsive behaviour. The post will also include providing consultation and input (including assessment and intervention) to the prison neuro-diversity pathway, working with men presenting with a learning disability, ASD, ADHD and/or acquired brain injury.
The post holder will work closely with the Multi-Disciplinary Team and relevant outside agencies, as well as with OT colleagues in other establishments to provide a quality service, which is responsive
to clients' needs.
Main duties of the job
Daily management of the Wellbeing Centre environment and processes, including risk assessment, timetable and service provision
To be responsible for the Occupational Therapy assessment, treatment and evaluation of an allocated clinical caseload, and in compliance with New Models of Care as Occupational Therapy Lead
To be responsible for planning and providing group and individual assessment and treatment sessions within the service, working with the team Psychologists and Speech and Language Therapist.
To carry out standardised assessments and provide detailed feedback to the multidisciplinary team about clients' abilities and also information about future plans and requirements for progress.
To communicate treatment plans and clinical reasoning for interventions to other members of the multidisciplinary team and to work in collaboration with other disciplines and staff in clinical work
To plan, run and evaluate treatment sessions on a group or individual basis, using graded activities to achieve treatment aims.
About us
North London NHS Foundation Trust (NLFT) is committed to improving mental health care across North London to deliver excellent services to our local people.
Our Five-Year Strategy:
We will provide consistently high-quality care closer to home. With our partners in North London and each borough we will ensure equity of outcome for all We will offer great places to work, providing staff with supportive environment to deliver outstanding care. We will be more effective as an organisation by pioneering research, quality improvement and technology. Why NLFT?
We develop and retain our staff through leadership behaviours and managers programme and many more opportunities. We promote flexible working and support staff with a range of health and wellbeing initiatives. NHS Discounts, generous annual leave and NHS pension scheme Excellent internal staff network The post holder will be aligned with our values:
We Are Kind We Are Respectful We Work Together We Keep Things Simple We Empower We Are Proudly Diverse In order to meet the needs of the Trust you may be required from time to time to work at different locations to your normal place of work. This may mean that you are required to work at any location that fall under Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey or Islington. The Trust reserves the right to require staff to work at such other places or locations as it considers reasonable and necessary on a temporary or permanent basis.
Job description Job responsibilities
SpecialistOTAssessment and Clinical Input
Demonstrate highlyspecialist knowledge of autisminformed occupational therapy practice underpinned by current evidence-based best practice.
Providespecialist sensory/environmental assessments and develop sensory profiles whereindicated, translating findings into practical ward/community adjustments.
Support assessment of occupational performance factors impacting engagement, regulation, independence, and participation in care planning.
To apply advanced clinical reasoning toidentifyoccupational therapy goals as part of the overall care plan.
To consider both physical and mental health needs as part of the occupational therapy process.
Monitor and manage OT assessment activity and waiting lists within the teams remit, ensuringprioritisationand risk considerations are applied appropriately.
Produce highquality written outputs from assessments, ensuring recommendations are practical,implementableand tailored to the relevant setting (inpatient or community).
To take a lead role in the education,supervisionand training of more junior members of staff, supportworkersand occupational therapy students
To ensure client needs and theircarersare central to service delivery, and that individual spiritual beliefs, customs and values are respected.
Consultative Advice and Guidance to Services
To provide consultation and liaison to other professionals working with autistic adults in the boroughs of Barnet, Haringey, Camden,Islingtonand Enfield, bothcommunity and inpatient services.
Provide specialist consultation and advice to inpatient and community teamsregardingsensory/environmental adaptations, occupationalfunctioningand practical strategies for autistic adults.
Support teams to adapt routines,environmentsand approaches to reduce distress, support regulation and improve engagement.
Providecase-basedconsultation to multidisciplinary teams,contributingto formulation and planning discussions where required.based consultation to multidisciplinary teams, contributing to formulation and planning discussions whererequired.
Support consistent implementation of occupationaltherapyrelated reasonable adjustments across services.related reasonable adjustments across services.
Work collaboratively whilemaintainingthe principle that ongoing clinical responsibilityremainswith the referring service (except where the team provides specialist assessment input).
To provide signposting to referred clients and their families, supporting clients to engage asrequired.
To liaise with professionals in locality mental health and learning disabilities teams involved with referred individuals /families.
Inpatient Arm Contributions
Contribute to reducing avoidable admissions and length of stay through early identification of sensory/environmental needs and consistent implementation of reasonable adjustments.
Provide specialist OT input to supportautism informedcare on inpatient wards, including environmental and sensory adjustments that improveday-to-dayexperience and reduce escalation.informed care on inpatient wards, including environmental and sensory adjustments that improvedaytodayexperience and reduce escalation.
Support72-hour admission formulation meetings for joined-up care planning.
Support ward teams to strengthen documentation that captures sensory needs, functionalconsiderationsand adjustments (e.g., passport content, sensory profile summaries, adjustment prompts/templates).
Support improved transitions between inpatient and community services by ensuring OT recommendations are clearly documented and shared appropriately.
Where relevant, support liaison/unplanned care interfaces through autism-informed guidance to staff when autistic people present in acute settings.
Advice on arrangingCeTRswhere needed
Community Arm Contributions
Provide consultation and guidance to community services to support earlier intervention by addressing sensory/environmental barriers, daily livingchallengesand functional needs.
Advise on adapting appointments, contact methods, careplanningand interventions to be moreautism inclusiveand functionally accessible.inclusive and functionally accessible.
Work with community teams to embed consistent occupational adjustments across boroughs.
Improve the understanding and skills of staff in working therapeutically with autistic adults.
Training, Workforce Development and Resources
Contribute to the design and delivery of autisminformed training for frontline staff, with a focus on sensory needs, environment, occupationalfunctioningand practical adjustments.
Support coproduced training and workshops in partnership with Autism Hubs and lived experience contributors, ensuring authenticity and relevance.
Develop practical resources and tools for staff (e.g., sensory/environment checklists, adjustment templates, deescalation/environment guidance).
Contribute to trainthetrainer approaches or internal championswhereused to sustain learning and practice changes in teams.
Provide presentations/workshops to varied audiences (staff groups and, whereappropriate, service users/carers) to support understanding and uptake of autisminclusive adjustments.
Documentation, Record Keeping and EPR Requirements
Ensure OT assessment findings and recommendations are documented in line with Trust and local processes, includingappropriate useof EPR systems.
Maintainhigh standardsof record keepingthroughtimely,accurate, professional documentation.
Support teams to record and implement OTrelated recommendations consistently within agreeddocumentation.relatedrecommendations consistently within agreed documentation.
Service Developments
Contribute to discussion on proposed local clinical guidelines, protocols, and service and strategic development.
Toadviselinemanager of anyservice delivery issues.
Data, KPIs, Outcomes and Service Evaluation
Contribute to activity monitoring and outcomes tracking relevant to OT input (e.g., number of specialist OT assessments,timeframes, themes/recommendations).
Support performance reporting by providing data and narrative input asrequested(e.g., access to assessments, impact themes, training activity).
Participate in audit and evaluationactivity, including capturing feedback from staff, serviceusersand carers to inform service improvement.
Governance, Risk, Safeguarding and Quality
Work within Trust governance frameworks and contribute to safe service delivery, including raising and escalating concerns in line with safeguarding policies and procedures.
Towork closely with other staff in the team to ensure that operational issues thatimpact onthe delivery of a quality service areidentifiedand addressed.
Participate in clinical supervision, reflectivepracticeand professional development in line with professional standards.
Contribute to quality assurance processes including peer review of work, audit, and development of safe, consistent practice across boroughs.
Promote inclusive, least restrictive, autisminformed approaches in line with best practice principles.
To complete complaint investigations and serious incident investigations whenallocated.
Partnership Working and Co-Production
Work collaboratively with Autism Practitioners,SaLTcolleagues, inpatient/community teams, AutismHubsand partner services to provide joinedup support.
Participationin coproduction activity to ensure service development and learning outputsreflectlived experience andimproveaccessibility.
Support effective communication with families and carers whereappropriate, in line with consent and governance procedures.
Professional Responsibilities
Maintain registration and practicein accordance withprofessional standards and Trust policies.
Maintain competence through CPD and ensure practiceremainsevidencebased, ethical and personcentered.
Deputisefor theServiceManager whenappropriate, including supervision of junior staff where necessary.
Undertake any otherdutiescommensuratewith the role and service needs.
Policy Development
Ensure compliance with local policiesincluding workingwithinallocatedbudgets and resources, ensuring value for money.
Tobe responsible forpolicy development to implement/adapt policies and practice as necessary to specialistarea.
Comply withTrust cost improvement plans and initiatives.
Information Management
Tooperatea laptop or desktop PC.
To have a working knowledge of the Data Protection Act, GDPR and its requirements, in respect to confidentiality for both patients andstaffand ensure that anycomputerisedinformation system ismaintainedas requested.
Tomaintainup to date andaccuratecase notes in line with Royal College ofOccupationalTherapists and Healthand CareProfessions Council professional standards and local Trust policies.
General
All staffare responsible forthe continual compliance with CQC standards and outcomes.
The postholder must be aware of, and work in line with, the Trusts Safeguarding Adults and Children procedures.
Person Specification
Experience Essential
Recognised degree or equivalent qualification in Occupational Therapy Health and Care Professions Council registration. Highly developed communication skills (written and verbal), with the ability to explain complex functional/sensory needs and recommendations clearly to service users, carers and professionals.
Desirable
Postgraduate training/courses relevant to autism, sensory integration/sensory processing, mental health, or neurodevelopment.
Experience Essential
Advanced clinical reasoning and decision-making skills, including the ability to assess, prioritise and manage risk within a specialist assessment pathway. Ability to produce high-quality written assessment outputs and practical recommendations suitable for implementation by multi-disciplinary teams. Clear evidence to demonstrate specialist experience and clinical skills for working with autistic people
Desirable
Knowledge of Autism Diagnostic Interview Revised (ADIR).
Experience Essential
Specialist knowledge of autism-informed practice and reasonable adjustments, including how sensory/environmental factors can impact distress, engagement and participation Experience of completing functional assessments. Experience of teaching and training others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within professional settings.
Desirable
Experience in developing online workshops and digital materials for families and carers
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 North London NHS Foundation Trust
Address HMP Pentonville
HMP Pentonville, Caledonian Road
London
N7 8TT
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.northlondonmentalhealth.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)