Specialist Occupational Therapist

Job Summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a 12-month fixed term maternity cover post within the Occupational Therapy Older Adults team. The post will involve be working in the Bedfordshire & Luton Older Adults Community Mental Health Teams and Memory Assessment Services. Within the role, you will manage a community caseload within both CMHT and Memory Assessment services, providing a variety of assessments, 1-1 interventions and groups for service users, as well as supporting the Head OT in the management and leadership for the wider older persons OT community and Inpatient service.

Main Duties of the Job
The role of the Specialist Occupational Therapist involves working alongside the Head Occupational Therapist to maintain and develop a robust, high-quality Occupational Therapy service for Older Persons within the Bedfordshire & Luton directorate.You will be responsible for managing a clinical caseload in the community, working across both the memory assessment teams and older persons community mental health teams, which includes conducting assessments, providing one-on-one therapy and possible group sessions. Additionally, you will collaborate with junior Occupational Therapists within the team to prioritise tasks and identify service needs.Your time will be divided between your clinical responsibilities and Occupational Therapy management duties. You will work closely with the wider multidisciplinary team, attending MDT meetings, sharing relevant information, promoting the Occupational Therapy Service, and collaborating within the OT management team. As part of the OT management team, you will also be responsible for staff supervision and supporting service development within the older person's team. Furthermore, you will be expected to contribute to and lead OT service-wide projects. As an ELFT employee within Luton and Bedfordshire, you may need to be allocated to different locations within the service based on service need.

About Us
Regular managerial and professional supervision will be provided and we also provide regular opportunities to participate in OT Service-wide CPD events. Professional development and training are actively encouraged through the appraisal process, and we also offer specialist training opportunities and a Band 7 Support and Development programme. Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive - so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.

Job Responsibilities
Please see the Job Description and Person Spec attached for detailed information. To provide a Specialist Occupational Therapy (OT) assessment and treatment service to clients under the care of Older Persons CMHT & Memory Assessment Service, as well as support other Older Persons OT teams when the need arises. To co-ordinate with other members of the multi-disciplinary and OT team and provide clinical supervision as required.

Person Specification
Education/Qualification/Training

• Degree or Diploma in Occupational Therapy
• State HCPC Registration
• Fieldwork Educator Training
• Full driving licence and access to a vehicle

Experience
Essential

• Experience of working in a mental health and/or community setting
• Experience of managing a clinical caseload and work independently
• Experience of working as part of a MDT.
• Experience of supervising and managing OT staff and students.

Desirable

• Experience of working with older people with mental health and/or Dementia
• Knowledge and experience of assessing clients to further inform a diagnosis of dementia.
• Experience of assessing for physical health needs/equipment
• Experience of developing and facilitating groups

Knowledge and Skills
Essential

• Use of the Model of Human Occupation and/or other standardised assessments in practice
• Ability to organise own time and plan tasks
• Ability to undertake clinical risk - assess, manage and reduce potential risks
• Ability to plan, prioritise and coordinate clinical service provision
• Ability to work collaboratively as part of a multi-disciplinary team
• Knowledge and confidence of using IT systems

Desirable

• Previous service development activities and role development
• Basic understanding of Dementia

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.