Rotational 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

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 currently have a vacancy for a full time Band 5 occupational therapist on our 12 monthly rotation. The rotational posts include:

• Secure services, in patients at Guild Lodge, Preston
• Older Adults Care Home liasion, Bamber Bridge
• Adult Mental Health in-patients, Chorley
• Community Physical placement in the Falls Prevention Service, Centurion Way, Leyland
• Adult Community Mental Health Team, Strand House, Preston

You will have the opportunity to develop and enhance your skills using preceptorship and will work with and receive supervision from experienced therapists. We are looking for a therapist who is enthusiastic, motivated and willing to learn. All areas offer different experiences We have clear clinical as well as an exciting range of vocational pathways- and focus very much on occupation.

Main duties of the job

So if you are someone that enjoys team work, occupations, is supportive of inclusion and diversity and enjoys having the chance to experience a broad and comprehensive range of opportunities and skills – come and join us! We are a warm welcoming and forward thinking profession!

Hours / sessions per week: 37.5 hours per week

• Under the supervision of a senior therapist, accept clinical responsibility for the management of a specific caseload, assessed by the supervisor as appropriate and of priority.
• Select, undertake and interpret the outcomes of occupational therapy assessments for people whose mental health problems impact on their occupational performance to explore strengths and deficits and establish appropriateness of intervention.
• Work collaboratively with service users to identify their occupational therapy goals as part of an overall care plan

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.

For more information please visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT

• In collaboration with the service user, plan, implement and modify where necessary individual and/or group interventions to promote their occupational performance, enhance ability to fulfill meaningful life roles, develop daily living skills, address occupational risk factors (e.g. occupational deprivation, imbalance, alienation) and promote inclusion in their local communities.
• Seek opportunities to deliver interventions in the most socially and culturally appropriate venues, in ordinary settings, to promote the person’s participation in everyday community activities, employment opportunities, and social and leisure activities.

• Demonstrate an understanding of the effects of mental illness on peoples’ day-to-day functioning and advice on strategies to reduce the impact of their disabilities through work with the individual, and through adapting their social contexts and environments.
• Fulfill shared team roles in responding to individuals’ ongoing and changing mental health needs, coordinating the input of other professionals and evaluating and monitoring risk factors, communicating all of above to the wider team as necessary.
• Delegate and supervise planned interventions to support staff where applicable.
• Through discussion with co-workers, contribute insights in respect of the impact of mental health problems on an individual’s occupational performance and opportunities for social inclusion.

Please see Job Description and Person Specification attached to this vacancy for the full responsibilities of this role.

Person specification

Education/Qualification

• Diploma/BSc//MSc in Occupational Therapy (OT)
• Ongoing registration with Health Professionals Council

Knowledge

• Some knowledge of current best practice in OT (including mental health).
• Understanding of professional ethics and their application in practice
• Basic knowledge of health legislation and current practice, including CPA and risk assessment and management
• Basic knowledge of the principles of clinical governance

Skills and Abilities

• Broad range of under graduate practice placement experience
• Use of functional assessment and the analysis of occupation
• Positive learning from experience gained in mental health setting pre or post qualification

• Documented evidence of continuing professional development (CPD)
• Positive personal learning through experience of mental health problems in self or family/friends
• Previous mental health work in paid or voluntary capacity

Other

• Commitment to client centred, non-discriminatory practice
• Mandatory Violence Reduction Training fitness
• Commitment to lifelong learning.
• Must have the Ability to travel throughout Lancashire and South Cumbria Foundation Trust Footprint

• Membership of relevant special interest group (e.g. RCOT Specialist Section – Mental Health)
• Membership of Professional Body (RCOT/BAOT)

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.