Occupational Therapist

Job overview
An exciting opportunity has come available to join the merging Occupational Therapy team at the Low Secure Services in Dartford within the Forensic directorate.
The Occupational Therapist role will involve working across the Low Secure and Step Down Learning Disability wards of Tarentfort and Brookfield Centres as well as working in the Low Secure Mental Health ward of Allington Centre.

Main duties of the job
We are looking for an Occupational therapist with experience, skills and an interest in working with service users;
• 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

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

Detailed job description and main responsibilities
• To adhere to and apply the current Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct of Occupational Therapists and HCPC Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics and Standards of Proficiency for Occupational Therapists.
• To effectively liaise with service users, family, carers, advocates and health and social care professionals regarding service user's assessment, treatment and care to ensure continuity of care and delivery of a coordinated service as a member of the MDT
• To assess capacity and obtain informed consent from service users and work within a legal framework with those service users who lack capacity to consent to treatment.
• To ensure service users are involved in the planning and prioritisation of their care plans wherever possible.
• In conjunction with colleagues to undertake, record, review and work within individual risk assessment and management plans in line with service and Trust policy.
• To support the implementation of the current and future Allied Health Professions (AHP) strategy
Please refer to the attached job description for full details and the main responsibilities of the role.

Person specification

Applicant form

Essential criteria

• relevant qualifications
• Pre-registration Experience of working with patients with autism and/or mental health conditions
• Registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)

Desirable criteria

• Experience of working with patients within forensic setting
• Experience of managing their own case load

application form

Essential criteria

• Experience of working within NHS

Desirable criteria

• Membership to relevant professional body or interest group
• Experience of supporting students or supervising junior staff

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.