Occupational Therapist

Job overview
Would you like to be part of a forward-thinking Mental Health Inpatient Service? The Heather Ward Occupational Therapy Team is looking for an enthusiastic Occupational Therapist to join them.
As Occupational Therapists, we are positioned to shape the culture of inpatient settings to promote a therapeutic day that co-exists to enhance therapeutic interventions and a recovery-focused ethos on the units.
Kent and Medway Mental Health Trust offers an extensive preceptorship program for newly qualified staff. Our ward environments offer a unique opportunity to develop your Occupational Therapy skills within a supportive therapy and multi-disciplinary team.
The post holder must hold a full, valid, UK driving licence and have access to a car/vehicle to use for business purposes (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010).

Main duties of the job

• To assist in identifying, developing and providing the Occupational Therapy contribution within the multi-disciplinary service in accordance with the needs of service users and the requirements of the service.
• To assess, plan, deliver and evaluate therapeutic interventions for identified service users.
• To manage a defined caseload of service users with occupational needs using evidence-based, service user centred, hope and recovery, health promotion and relapse prevention orientated principles and practice.
• You must be able to complete Physical Interventions Training to work on the ward.

Working for our organisation
We are the Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust. We care for the mental health and wellbeing of people across Kent and Medway. Our teams support adults with a wide range of mental health needs. Because we cover the whole county and both hospital and community settings, we can make care more joined up and easier to access for the 1.8 million people of Kent and Medway. Rated 'Good' by the CQC, we care for over 2,000 people in our hospitals and 54,000 in the community each year.
Our vision is simple: We are here to help communities not just live with mental illness, but live well. It's why we're passionate about working with communities to make mental health care better for everyone. And everything we do is guided by our values caring, inclusive, curious and confident.
Join us - if you share our passion for better mental health care and want to be part of a team that's doing well together.
Take a look at our Occupational Therapist Video
Check out our Canterbury Site

Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see the attached job description for full details of the main duties and responsibilities of the role.

Person specification

Qualification

Essential criteria

• A recognised Occupational Therapist professional qualification
• Registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)

experience

Essential criteria

• Experience of individual & group work
• Pre-registration experience of mental health settings and or working with people with mental health conditions

Desirable criteria

• Experience in acute inpatient mental health setting
• Experience of caseload management

Knowledge and Skills

Essential criteria

• Evidence of working in a person-centred way
• Understanding of professional ethics and their application in practice
• Computer literate. Able to use e-mail, Word, Excel and access Internet resources

Desirable criteria

• Evidence of working in line with our Trust values
• Knowledge of and ability to apply national policies and procedures including, but not limited to confidentiality, consent, risk management, service user involvement.

Important Information:
In cases where we receive a high volume of applications for a post, it may be necessary to bring the closing date forward. Please submit your completed application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.
Due to the high volume of applications received, it is not possible to respond individually to your application. Should you not hear from us within six weeks of the vacancy closing, please assume that your application has not been successful.

Probation Period. New employees external to the trust are subject to a six-month probationary period.
To deliver an effective service it is essential in some of our roles that you are able to travel between work bases in a timely manner.
Production of false or forged documents/qualifications in order to obtain employment is a criminal offence and will be reported to the Police.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check.
Certain roles are subject to criminal record checks called Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks. Therefore, you will be required to submit a completed Disclosure form to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust are signed up to NHS England's Sexual Safety in Health Care Organisational Charter
The trust takes a systematic zero-tolerance approach to tackle any unwanted, inappropriate and/or harmful sexual behaviours within the workplace and in our care provision. We are committed to sexual safety which encompasses prevention, support and decisive action against perpetrators. We are committed to keeping you and our patients safe.

Use of AI when writing job applications
While AI tools can be helpful in generating ideas and drafting initial versions, they should never be the sole source for writing your job application.
AI cannot truly understand the specific job you're applying for or what makes you a good fit. Therefore, it's crucial to personalise any AI-generated content to accurately reflect your skills, experiences, and aspirations.
Relying solely on AI to write your application may result in generic, impersonal, and potentially inaccurate content. Always review and refine any AI-generated text to ensure it effectively communicates your experience, skills, accomplishments, and aspirations, and demonstrates your suitability for the position.