Senior Occupational Therapist
Our Vision is to provide the best mental health, learning disability, autism and community based services for the populations we serve.
As an integrated mental health, learning disability and community Trust, Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including:
- Primary and secondary mental health care for children and adults including specialist inpatient child and adolescent mental health provision, perinatal mental health, forensic services including low and medium secure care.
- Specialist community support for children and adults with learning disabilities and autism, including intensive support.
- Community physical health and well-being services for children and adults.
The Trust was first established in 2002 and employs approximately 7,000 staff who provide care from more than 400 sites. The organisation offers opportunities for medics, mental health and general nurses, allied health professionals, psychology, administration and clerical staff, apprentices and volunteers.
Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust supports flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as; term time, part time, compressed hours, home/remote working, and flexi-time.
For more information visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT.
Please note that further communication from Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (LSCft) will normally be to the email address given on the application form. You should also ensure that email addresses and telephone numbers are provided for your referees, to enable LSCft to contact them.
Job overview
Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust is an exciting place to be an Occupational Therapist and it is a highly valued role in our Trust’s approach to multi-disciplinary care. We have sound professional structures to lead and inspire our Occupational Therapy workforce.We are committed to delivering excellent services, putting occupation at the centre of our work and championing peoples’ rights for occupational needs to be recognised and addressed.
We are seeking a dynamic and enthusiastic Band 6 Occupational Therapist to work in the Acute Older Adult Inpatient Unit at the Harbour, Blackpool; delivering care to service users who are experiencing mental health problems. The successful candidate will be responsible for caseloads, assessing patients within the hospital and home environments and supporting with patient centred care and timely discharges to home or the most appropriate placement.
You will have the opportunity to further develop and enhance your skills and will be expected to provide professional supervision for our Band 5, Band 4 and Band 3 Occupational Therapy staff. You will receive regular professional supervision from a Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist and you will be supported and encouraged with your own professional development.We are looking for an enthusiastic OT who is keen to work with older adults in mental health and to develop their clinical skills in this exciting area.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will deliver a range of group and/or individual interventions drawn from relevant frames of reference, demonstrating sophisticated clinical reasoning skills. They will prioritise planning and delivering interventions for older adults whose mental health problems have a marked impact on their occupational functioning and who have complex occupational needs.This senior position requires achieving an appropriate balance between the provision of specialist occupational therapy and taking on shared roles that contribute to the efficient functioning of the team.
As an emergent leader and skilful communicator, the post holder will liaise and negotiate across service boundaries and in varied settings. They are research aware, and use evidence to support and develop practice. The post holder will provide regular fieldwork opportunities for occupational therapy undergraduates.
The post holder represents a specialist clinical resource with whom other team members can consult on the complex and very idiosyncratic impact mental health problems can have on peoples' occupational performance, and advises the team with regard to the relationship between mental health and occupation.They champion social inclusion and employment issues, and are a key contributor to meeting the team's objectives concerning promoting its service users' greater social inclusion, health promotion and quality of life
Working for our organisation
Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including secondary mental health care across this area. Specialist provision comprises inpatient child and adolescent mental health services, perinatal mental health and forensic services including low and medium secure care.
The Trust also provides a range of physical health and well-being services in the community alongside a range of partners in the Lancashire, Cumbria and Sefton area.
Lancashire & South Cumbria Foundation Trust encourages flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as; term time, part time, compressed hours, flexi-time and career breaks.We encourage applicants to state clearly on their application forms this request and discuss these options at interview.
For more information please visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see attached the job description and person specification for more information about this role.
Person specification
Education / Qualifications
Essential criteria- Diploma/BSC (Hons) in Occupational Therapy (OT).
- State registered with Health Professionals Council.
- Post Graduate training relevant to mental health work in appropriate speciality.
- Documented evidence of continuing professional development (CPO).
- Practice Placement Qualification (Undergraduate OT student educator) within 1 year of appointment.
- Demonstrable competencies in the delivery of assessment of and fitting of simple assistive equipment or the willingness to complete this training within 12 months of appointment.
Knowledge
Essential criteria- Detailed knowledge of how mental health problems impact on occupational performance and how occupational therapy theory informs practice within mental health settings with a focus on older adult mental health and the clinical needs of this population.
- Knowledge of current best practice in older adult inpatient mental health and awareness of relevant government directives and legislation.
- Specialist knowledge and application of OT assessments and interventions using expert level clinical reasoning.
Experience
Essential criteria- 2 years post registration experience with at least 1 years in mental health.
- Extensive clinical experiences including individual and group work in mental health specialties.
- Familiarity with audit processes.
Skills & Abilities
Essential criteria- Ability to work autonomously and set own and others priorities.
- Understanding of the different diagnoses of dementia, the impact on occupational performance and the use of occupational therapy assessment and intervention to support continuing independence and to promote the ability to live well with dementia.
- Literature reviewing skills and ability to prepare briefing papers and written reports cogently.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Please be aware, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) when submitting an application is monitored and if you have used AI to generate an application, you are required to declare this on your application form. Failure to do so, may result in your application being withdrawn.
We want to highlight the importance of integrity and authenticity in your application form, and ask you to use AI tools responsibly to ensure your application form is a true reflection of your skills, knowledge and experiences.
We are looking for you to demonstrate personal experiences of how you meet the essential criteria and as an NHS Employer, we value authenticity and honesty.
Please consider that AI-generated content may lack specificity and fail to address key criteria outlined in the job description providing impersonal and inaccurate information.
Please ensure that you read the person specification attached below as your application will be measured against this document.
Applications from job share partners are welcome and other forms of flexible working will be considered for all posts.
For all posts which require a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check please be aware of the Disclosure and Barring Service Code of Practice, a copy of which is available by logging on to the DBS website. If the post is subject to DBS disclosure, a charge will be made to the successful candidate(s).
You are advised to consider applying for LSCft vacancies as soon as possible as in some instances vacancies are closed as soon as a sufficient number of applications have been received. If you are not invited to interview within three weeks of the closing date then please assume that on this occasion you have been unsuccessful, as it is not possible to contact all unsuccessful candidates.
LSCft is committed to celebrating difference as an asset and we know that recruiting talent from diverse backgrounds helps to create a more flexible, creative and effective workforce. We actively challenge discrimination and welcome applications from people regardless of age, disability (particularly those with experience of accessing or caring for someone who has accessed mental health or learning disability services), ethnicity, gender, religion or belief or sexual orientation.
Our goal is for the Trust to be truly representative of the communities we serve so we are particularly keen to receive applications from people in under-represented groups. If there is anything you’d like to discuss in relation to your application then please ask.