Occupational Therapist Specialist (Mental Health Liaison Team)

We provide healthcare services to people living in Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil and Rhondda Cynon Taf county borough areas, serving a population of around 450,000. We are ideally situated between Wales’s capital city, Porthcawl to the west, and the stunning scenery in the Brecon Beacons.

Our vision is to care for our communities and patients by preventing ill-health, promoting better health, providing excellent services and reducing the need for inpatient care wherever possible through the provision of strengthened home, primary and community care.

We value the diversity of our staff and welcome applications from people from protected groups under the Equality Act 2010, this specifically includes age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/reassignment, race/nationality, religion/belief, disability, pregnancy and maternity and marriage and civil partnership.

Cwm Taf Morgannwg is a Living Wage Employer.

Please check your email account regularly. Successful applicants will receive all recruitment related correspondence via the email account registered on the application form.

All applicants are invited to apply in Welsh or English, and no preference will be given to applications submitted in either language.

Please be advised that there is a temporary top up for Bands 2 and 3 to reflect the incorporation of the top up to the living wage of £12.60 per hour - £24,638 per annum.

This temporary top up will be in place until the annual pay uplift for 2025/26 is confirmed

Job overview

The post holder will be required to work as a key member of the multi-disciplinary Mental Health Liaison Team providing a service for patients with mental health needs. The post holder will be required to provide assessment to patients referred.

Welsh Language skills are not essential however may be an advantage as this role involves direct contact with patients who's first language may be Welsh.

CTMUHB offer a variety of Welsh language courses at all levels.

Depending on the patient needs, the post holder but will also have access to the Health Board’s therapy departments if required. They will be required to carry out assessments in the community at the referring care homes within their role in the Mental Health Liaison Team in order to facilitate the well-being of patients and preventing inappropriate admission to hospital and enable early supported discharge from hospital.

The post holder will be required to deliver on a range of performance indicators including:

• Reduction in length of stay.
• Improving independence.

The post holder will assess the ability of patient to ensure safe discharge and promote independent and joint working for complex cases held by other members of the team. The post holder will liaise with families, carers and advocates as well as the Multi-Disciplinary Team (for example Primary Care, Discharge Liaison, Local Authority and third sector organisations).

Main duties of the job

Use the Occupational Therapy process autonomously in various settings, including lone working in the community in service users’ care home place of residence.

Manage a defined caseload in providing specialist mental health assessment, for people referred to the Mental Health Liaison Team.

Use evidence based practice/patient centred principles to assess, plan, implement and evaluate further intervention requirements in hospital and community settings.

Collaborate with the multi-disciplinary team involved with the provision of Mental Health Liaison Team patients. This will include hospital staff, intermediate Care Managers, care managers, Single Point of Access.

The post holder will work within a close multi-agency team to deliver assessment and discharge planning, within the hospital and community.

Use a range of verbal and non-verbal communication techniques to communicate effectively with individuals and/or their family or carers and care home staff in order to elicit co-operation and establish an appropriate intervention plan. This may include potentially difficult or stressful situations or where there may be barriers to understanding e.g. cognitive problems, hearing, visual, or speech impairment, confusion, anxiety, cultural, or language barrier.

Working for our organisation

Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board is part of the NHS Wales family. Our Health Board provides primary, secondary and community health and wellbeing services to around 450,000 people living in three County Boroughs: Bridgend Merthyr Tydfil, and Rhondda Cynon Taf.

We live by our core values:

• We listen, learn and improve
• We treat everyone with respect
• We all work together as one team

We are a proud local employer; around 80% of our 15000 workforce live within our region, making our staff not only our lifeblood of our organisation but of the diverse communities that we serve.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Use the Occupational Therapy process autonomously in various settings, including lone working in the community in service users’ care home place of residence.

Manage a defined caseload in providing specialist mental health assessment, for people referred to the Mental Health Liaison Team.

Use evidence based practice/patient centred principles to assess, plan, implement and evaluate further intervention requirements in hospital and community settings.

Maintain clinical records according to local and professional guidelines.

Develop expert skills and knowledge through an agreed personal development plan.

Provide leadership for junior and support staff through supervision and allocation of work.

Supervise students as an accredited practice educator who adheres to the requirements of the defined standards of practice and supervision.

Provide evidence based training and delivery of competency-based practice to the support staff.

Collaborate with the multi-disciplinary team involved with the provision of Mental Health Liaison Team patients. This will include hospital staff, intermediate Care Managers, care managers, Single Point of Access.

Contribute to the review and development of secondary and local authority physical and mental health therapy services.

Develop local networks with other teams providing similar services, contributing to the wider professional network.

The post holder will work within a close multi-agency team to deliver assessment and discharge planning, within the hospital and community.

Use a range of verbal and non-verbal communication techniques to communicate effectively with individuals and/or their family or carers and care home staff in order to elicit co-operation and establish an appropriate intervention plan. This may include potentially difficult or stressful situations or where there may be barriers to understanding e.g. cognitive problems, hearing, visual, or speech impairment, confusion, anxiety, cultural, or language barriers.

This includes education and behavioural change approaches using suitable media.

Communicate complex assessment and treatment plans to individuals and their family/carers; dealing sensitively with distressing or emotional issues which are potentially emotive and respecting the dignity and rights of the individual and their family/carers e.g. encountering resistance, anger or aggression from carers/family.

Establish and maintain excellent communication networks with members of the multiagency team, statutory organisations, private and voluntary sector as appropriate when assessing a patient’s safe discharge.

Be a point of reference for the team concerning complex patient cases within the specialised area.

Take a lead role in education and development of competencies of support staff via formal talks, on the job evaluation and competency-based assessments.

Contribute to educating individuals, carers, health professionals, about the management of health impairment and management within the patient’s social and physical environment.

Maintain good working relationships with individuals, their family/carers, colleagues, and personnel from statutory and non-statutory agencies.

Deal appropriately and professionally with general enquires regarding the rehabilitation programme in accordance with local authority and health board procedures and the operational policies: this may involve a pro-active approach to dealing with complaints.

Provide education/training to other health and social care professionals internal and external to the team; statutory and non-statutory agencies and the public.

Prepare presentations and handouts for these sessions.

Use supervision and/or consultation in order to promote personal effectiveness.

Utilise specific therapeutic communication strategies to maximise outcomes with patients.

Maintain the highest possible clinical and professional standards; abide by national guidelines and standards relevant to clinical caseload, and to take into account current evidenced based practice.

Take responsibility for maintaining own competency to practice through Continuous Professional Development (CPD), and maintaining a professional portfolio in accordance with guidelines from the HCPC, which is required for professional registration.

Develop specialist skills and expertise within the field of Mental Health Liaison.

Undertake reflective practice and to contribute to the debate on a range of clinical issues relating to the delivery of services for across organisation boundaries.

Contribute in the development of standards and outcome measurement for good practice for service users.

Proactively engage with other Occupational Therapists and staff of other professional groups to progress innovations and improvements in practice.

Be able to balance professional issues such as confidentiality and duty of care in a multi-disciplinary/agency setting in order to work effectively.

Promote professionalism for Occupational Therapy, both internally and externally.

Engage in regular supervision with the Clinical Lead.

Acknowledge limitations in own practice and seek help to develop professional competencies/practice.

Participate in performance appraisal reviews as an appraisee and appraiser.

Be actively involved in peer support, development groups and occupational therapy specialist sections for the defined clinical area and other professional development activities, as appropriate.

Identify and be responsible for own learning relevant to the clinical area and apply this specialist knowledge.

Be responsible for keeping up-to-date with own mandatory training.

Maintain and develop knowledge of evidence based practice in the areas of expertise, developing specialist knowledge of assessment, rehabilitation and discharge services.

Be an active participant in the in-service training programme including: tutorials, individual training sessions, journal clubs, external courses and peer review.

Contribute to the local training programme, demonstrating a willingness to learn.

Provide an effective and efficient discharge planning and rehabilitation programme.

Contribute to the development and planning of the multi-agency team.

Work jointly with the Clinical Lead in identifying methods or changes in practice to remediate deficiencies.

Be responsible for and facilitate a safe environment, recognising individual’s requirements for privacy and dignity.

Be responsible for organising and planning a frequently fluctuating clinical workload.

Contribute to planning and evaluation of the service through use of audit and research projects.

Use advanced clinical reasoning skills and assessment techniques to identify barriers to improved health status and functional independenc

Formulate individual discharge/ intervention plans for patients based on a sound knowledge of evidence based practice and intervention options using clinical assessment, reasoning skills and knowledge of treatment intervention

Use validated patient cognitive functional outcome measures e.g. LACL’s, RTI.

You will be able to find a full Job description and Person Specification attached within the supporting documents or please click “Apply now” to view in Trac.

Person specification

Qualifications/Knowledge

• Degree/Diploma in Occupational Therapy
• Post graduate training/ accreditation in fieldwork education
• Registered member of the Health and Care Professions Council
• Evidence of commitment to CPD

• Membership of professional body
• Post-graduate training in motivational interviewing, goal planning
• Management qualifications e.g. ILM

Aptitude/Abilities

• Able to present and interpret data
• Excellent interpersonal skills and communication skills
• Ability to reflect and critically appraise own performance
• Well developed written and verbal communication skills and the ability to communicate in a way which will neither offend nor antagonise
• Autonomous practitioner with excellent personal orgaisational skills for caseload management, including time management and prioritisation skills
• Ability to work independently with individuals
• Computer literate and able to use software packages/ internet
• Demonstrate clinical reasoning skills, and able to make effective clinical decisions following assessment of complex cases
• Ability to negotiate with others where opinions differ

• Evidence of effective teaching skills
• Evidence of delivering competency based learning

Experience

• Post graduate clinical experience with time within older persons mental health
• Evidence of service delivery in a variety of different clinical mental health settings
• Experience of effective one-to-one and group interactions
• Experience of research and audit
• Experience of delivering training and education to support staff
• Experience of applying professional theory to practice
• Experience of supervision

• Awareness of current professional issues
• Ability to use reflective practice based on current evidence
• Experience of advising/ teaching other professions
• Experience of presenting information to a variety of audiences
• Experience in an acute setting and/ or the community
• Experience of cross organisational working

Knowledge

• Knowledge of broad range of mental health conditions
• Knowledge and understanding of factors which can influence discharge planning including: cognitive, physical, psychological and cultural
• Knowledge and application of principles of clinical governance and risk management
• Knowledge of the roles and other professionals and the principles of partnership working
• Detailed knowledge and understanding of professional ethics/standards and code of conduct, and their application in practice
• Health and safety awarness
• Knowledge of issues relating to health records and the ability to apply this (e.g. Freedom of Information Act, Data Protection Act)
• Evidence of critical appraisal/ analytical thought
• Knowledge of graded therapeutic interventions

• Knowledge of standardised and non standardised assessments that can be used with service user group
• Knowledge of national drivers for health provision for service user group e.g Setting the Direction, Together for Mental Health, Living well with Dementia, Mental Health Measure, NICE Guidelines, NSF
• Interest and involvement in quality, audit and service evaluation
• Understanding of the theory and practical application goal orientated approach

English

• Ability to be mobile around geographical patch

Other

• Commitment to service user centered, non discriminatory practice
• Able to undertake duties e.g. moving service users/ equipment

Skills

• Willingness to embrace innovation working practices e.g. cross Organisational boundary working
• Ability to appraise own performance and identify areas for own personal development
• Able to make positive use of clinical supervison
• Professional confidence and ability to work autonomously
• Approachable and considerate
• Reliable, conscientious and hard-working
• Ability to establish rapport quickly with service users
• Embrace change and new developments
• Enjoys using own initiative and is self-motivated, innovated and creative
• Ability to work flexibly and respond to unpredictable, challenging work environments to help the needs of the service

If you are eligible for the Health and Care visa, application costs are lower and you do not need to pay the annual Immigration Health Surcharge.