Senior Occupational Therapist

Job overview
We are Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust. A united mental health service for Kent and Medway.
We believe communities live well when better mental health care is a part of everyday life.
We have a bold vision, to create communities where mental health care helps people not just live with mental illness, but live well.
The senior occupational therapist is an experienced occupational therapist within the multi-disciplinary care team.

Your role will be to:
Identify, develop and provide the Occupational Therapy contribution within the multi-disciplinary service in accordance with the needs of service users and the requirements of the service.
Assess, plan, deliver and evaluate therapeutic interventions for identified service users.
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.

Main duties of the job

• Assessment & Planning: Conduct complex service user assessments to create evidence-based, goal-oriented recovery plans.
• Intervention: Deliver and adapt therapeutic interventions that maximize independence while managing risk.
• Collaboration: Work within a Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) to coordinate care with families, carers, and external agencies.
• Ethical Practice: Ensure informed consent, assess mental capacity, and uphold service user rights and diversity.

• Compliance: Maintain HCPC registration and strictly adhere to RCOT Code of Ethics, NICE guidelines, and Trust policies.
• Leadership: Lead quality improvement (QI) projects, manage resources/equipment, and represent the service in clinical forums.
• Accountability: Take full legal and professional responsibility for a personal caseload and delegated tasks.

• Staff Oversight: Provide clinical supervision, appraisals, and preceptorship for junior staff and return-to-practice clinicians.
• Education: Act as a Practice Educator for students and maintain a robust CPD portfolio through research and audit

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

• Provide supervision to designated junior staff and students.
• Demonstrate ability to work as a team member as well as autonomously.
• Manage a case load of service users who have complex needs.
• Balance all aspects of the job role.
• Be flexible and responsive to competing demands.
• Promote Occupational Therapy in the service and keeping an occupational focus at the centre of practice.
• Demonstrate an ability to apply increasingly complex skills and knowledge commensurate to a higher level of professional practice.

Please refer to the attached job description for the full details on the responsibilities and person specification

Person specification

Training, Qualifications and Registration

Essential criteria

• A recognised Occupational Therapist professional qualification
• Registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
• Trained as a Practice Educator with experience of managing learners in the work place
• Hold a full UK driving license and owns a vehicle suitable for work

Desirable criteria

• Registered member of the relevant professional body and / or special interest group
• Evidence of post graduate development through formal postgraduate courses or experience

Experience

Essential criteria

• Experience in clinical practice, holding a range of experience within a variety of settings
• Support the team in managing a defined caseload of clients with occupational needs using evidence based, client centred, health promotion and relapse prevention orientated principles and practice.
• Experience of delivering clinical and/or operational supervision
• Experience of developing learners and staff in the work place

Desirable criteria

• Experience of being involved in service developments or audits

Knowledge and Skills

Essential criteria

• Knowledge in the application of relevant OT theoretical models, and approaches relevant to service user group.
• Ability to make decisions and work co-operatively as part of an inter-professional team
• Knowledge of and ability to apply national policies and procedures including, but not limited to confidentiality, consent, risk management of patients in crisis, and service user involvement
• Supervisory and appraisal skills
• An ability to communicate clearly both verbally and in writing
• Computer literate. Able to use e-mail, Word, Excel and access Internet resources
• Ability to prioritise own work effectively and to be able to guide others

Desirable criteria

• An understanding of the broad aims of current national and local healthcare policy and an appreciation of the implications of this on clinical practice
• Data literacy: An understanding of the clinical use and application of outcome measures and data.

Personal Qualities, Values and Behaviours

Essential criteria

• Ability to work as a team member as well as autonomously
• Adaptability, flexibility and resilience
• Professional, calm and efficient in manner
• Actively develops themselves and others
• Values diversity and operates with integrity and openness
• Self-awareness in managing own wellness at work and confidence to seek support when required

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 clos