Senior Occupational Therapist

Job overview
Please note, at this stage, the role is open only to internal staff. Any individual who is at risk of redundancy will be given priority, provided they meet the essential criteria.
Ready to elevate your clinical leadership? You will bridge the gap between complex client needs and innovative recovery plans.
We offer a space where you can work autonomously, advocate for your profession, and develop staff-all while evolving your own specialist skillset in a fast-paced, rewarding environment.

The senior occupational therapist is an experienced occupational therapist within the multi-disciplinary care team, bringing holistic, occupation and recovery focussed perspectives to an exciting MDT.

Main duties of the job

• 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.
• 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.
• To provide supervision to designated junior staff and students.
• Demonstrates ability to work as a team member as well as autonomously.
• Managing a case load of service users who have complex needs.

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

• Balancing all aspects of the job role.
• Being flexible and responsive to competing demands.
• Promoting 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.
• To ensure assessment of service users and analyse and interpret information gained to form an accurate formulation of function, strengths, capabilities and occupational needs.
• To work collaboratively with service users, staff, and carers to identify goals to determine and deliver an appropriate intervention/recovery plan which maximises occupational engagement and performance whilst balancing risk, and promoting choice and independence.
• To monitor, evaluate and modify therapeutic interventions in order to measure progress and increase efficacy for the best possible service user outcomes and experience.
• To act as an experienced clinician supporting best practice in line with NICE guidance and professional standards
• To demonstrate clinical leadership skills through the management of dedicated projects and approved quality improvement initiatives

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

Person specification

Experience

Essential criteria

• Registration with HCPC
• Recognised Occupational Therapist Professional Qualification
• Ability to work as a team member as well as autonomously

Desirable criteria

• Knowledge in the application of relevant OT theoretical models, and approaches relevant to service user group.
• Experience in clinical practice, holding a range of experience within a variety of settings
• Experience of being involved in service developments or audits

Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Ability to make decisions and work co-operatively as part of an inter-professional team
• Ability to prioritise own work effectively and to be able to guide others

Desirable criteria

• Ability to use technology such as Teams, Email, BI and RIO
• Experience of supervisory practices including OT students, junior staff, and group supervisions

Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Ability to make decisions and work co-operatively as part of an inter-professional team
• Supervisory and appraisal skills
• 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
• Computer literate. Able to use e-mail, Teams and RIO, and to access Internet resources
• Experience of use of outcome measures and data to demonstrate efficacy to an MDT

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.

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