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

Base: Balladen House, Union Road, Rawtenstall, BB4 6SL

Salary: Band: 5

Type of contract: Fixed Term

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a band 5 Occupational Therapist to join the East Lancashire Community Living Skills (CLS) Mental Health Team.

LSCFT Specialist Mental Health Rehabilitation is currently undergoing transformation across inpatient and community services in order to implement a robust pathway for people with complex mental health needs in the least restrictive and safest way, there is a need to develop the range of service provision that will enable this.

In order to achieve our aims LSCFT MH Rehab needs to standardise the approach to the provision of these services; to identify and reduce inequalities and improve quality, ensure services are safe, effective, evidence based and informed.

Main duties of the job

The MH Transformation programme of work ensures we are working towards an end to end service pathway that will support people with the most complex mental health needs at the right time and in the right place. Whilst the current role is assigned to CLS this role may change and form dependent on the new models of care and approach to the need in the service within the Rehabilitation Network.

This role is to work within an Occupational Therapy led service in delivering intensive rehabilitation to service users in the community. You will provide occupational therapy assessment and intervention to service users with complex needs and devise individualised rehabilitation plans to be delivered by our Support Time and Recovery workers.

We are looking to recruit an occupational therapist that has a keen interest and a passion for occupational therapy in mental health, with post registration experience and experience in a relevant mental health setting. You will have excellent communication skills, sound clinical reasoning and a strong understanding of the occupational therapy role within recovery.

You must have knowledge of current best practice in community mental health and awareness of relevant government directives and legislation.

You will receive regular supervision, access to CPD opportunities and be part of a supportive occupational therapy network.

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.

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.

DBS Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and an Enhanced DBS Clearance is required for this role.

Person specification

Education

• Diploma/BSC (Hons) in Occupational Therapy (OT)
• State registered with Health and Care Professions Council.
• Documented evidence of continuing professional development (CPD)

Knowledge

• Computer literate
• Detailed knowledge of the principles of clinical governance and its application
• Knowledge of evidence based practice relating to occupational therapy

Experience

• Application of the Occupational Therapy Process
• Use of evidence-based practice

• Clinical experiences including individual and group work in mental health specialties

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.