Camden RAS - Senior Occupational Therapist

Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen to join CNWL NHS Foundation Trust's innovative Rapid Access Services (RAS) team. This role offers the chance to develop advanced clinical and leadership skills within a dynamic multidisciplinary service delivering integrated community healthcare.

RAS works closely with acute hospitals, social care and third-sector partners to provide high-quality acute care in the community, helping people remain at home, reducing avoidable hospital admissions and supporting timely discharge from hospital.

The service includes three key pathways:

• Discharge to Assess (D2A): Supporting medically optimised patients to leave hospital safely through urgent therapy assessment and intervention at home.
• Urgent Community Response (UCR): Providing rapid assessment and treatment for patients to prevent hospital admission and clinical deterioration.
• Camden Hospital at Home (View email address on meeveem.com): A Consultant-led service delivering hospital-level care in patients' homes following early discharge or step-up referrals from UCR.

Main duties of the job
The Band 7 Occupational Therapist role within Camden Rapid Access Services is focused on providing advanced occupational therapy assessment and intervention for clinically frail adults, working closely within a multidisciplinary team to support admission avoidance, timely discharge, and community-based care. Key responsibilities include assessing functional ability, falls risk, cognition, mental capacity, and deteriorating health needs; developing and implementing rehabilitation plans; coordinating care with primary, community, and acute services; supervising and supporting junior staff and students; contributing to service development and quality improvement initiatives; maintaining accurate electronic patient records; and providing leadership within the team. The role requires strong clinical reasoning, autonomous decision-making, effective communication, and a commitment to evidence-based practice, patient safety, and continuous professional development.

About us

• Shift work (earlies, lates and long days) as well as flexible working opportunities
• Buy & Sell Annual Leave
• NHS Pension Scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme: A free and confidential service to help with personal life
• Structured induction process using the New Starter Roadmap throughout the first 12 months and beyond
• A range of staff networks: The View email address on meeveem.com Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and other sexual and gender minorities (LGBT+) Network; Disabled Employees Network;Lived Experience of Mental Health Staff Network;Carers at Work Network; Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Network (BME)
• Discounts and savings at hundreds of retailers nationwide with My Trust Benefits: You can save money on your weekly food shops, household bills, toiletries, and cosmetics, cinema tickets, meals out and holidays or weekend breaks.
• Salary sacrifice scheme via VIVUP platform

Job responsibilities
Central andNorth WestLondon NHS Trust is committed to providing safe, effective services and providing patients and families with a positive experience.

Patient Safety
TheSenior OccupationalTherapistcontributesto the provision of safe and reliable services by:

• Using their clinical judgement and risk assessments to keep the people using our services as safe as possible
• Safeguarding people by recognising and responding when an adult or child might be at risk from abuse but also recognising their own limits and asking for help and escalate concerns when necessary
• Escalating safety concerns and by doing so acting as effective advocates for those who use our services
• Being open and transparent about their own practice
• Supervising the work of others
• Reflecting on everyday practice toidentifyareas where improvements in safety or quality can be made
• Working with others to create a culture of continuous improvement
• Maintainingaccurate, legible, comprehensive records
• Maintainingcompliance with their mandatory training requirements

As the regulatory body, theHealth and Care Professions Council (HCPC)playsan important rolein safeguarding the public by regulating the work ofboth occupational therapists and physiotherapists. Alltherapistsmust beregisteredwith theHCPCand adhere to therelevantProfessional Standards andCode of Conduct.

Clinical Outcomes
TheSenior OccupationalTherapistwilloften work with people who have complex needs and contribute to the effectiveness of services by:

• Being confident, autonomous practitioners who take responsibility for the care they give to patients but also take responsibility for overseeing the work of others in the team including less experiencedtherapistsand staff without a professional qualification
• Providing skilled, evidence-based care which adheres to agreed policies and procedures
• Working with patients and families in all stages of the care planning process including assessing risks and needs
• Acting as patient advocates in the multi-disciplinary team and overseeing the work of others to ensure that they are also responding to the needs of patients and providing clinically effective care
• Working as autonomous practitioners and taking responsibility for the care they give to patients but also work as team members

Contributing to creating andmaintaininghigh performing teams by:

• Communicating well with all members of the team
• Understanding their role in the team and how they help the team achieveitsobjectives
• Reflecting on their own practice regularly and encouraging the whole team to reflect on their practices in handovers and team meetings
• Encouraging the team to learn from adverse events or respond to data analysis from audits or benchmarking exercises and implement sustainable initiatives which improve clinical outcomes

Patient Experience
TheSenior OccupationalTherapistwillcontribute to the people using our services feeling respected and empowered to make decisions about their health and wellbeing by:

• Working in partnership with patients and their families and carers
• Gaining consent and, as far as possible, involving people in all decision making
• Signposting patients and carers to the courses provided by the Recovery and Wellbeing College or services provided by the local authority or voluntary sector
• Reassuring people by being professional, responsive,knowledgeableand confident
• Demonstrating clinical leadership and challenging any poor behaviour to patients, families or other staff members and creating a positive, inclusive culture in which everyone is treated with kindness andrespectand the trusts values are embedded in all practice
• Responding to complaints or concerns effectively and quickly in line with the Trust policy.

Supporting yourself and others
All services and teams in the Trust should be able todemonstratethat they are meeting the Care Quality Commission (CQC) standards of care.TheSenior OccupationalTherapistisexpected to beaclinicalleaderplayingan active role in ensuring that the team understands the CQC standards and what individual team members do to help achieve those standards by:

• Taking a lead role in gathering and recording evidence whichdemonstratesthatCQC and locally agreedstandards are beingmet:assessing the performance of the whole team by using audit and benchmarking exercises and often contribute to the implementation of quality improvement initiatives
• Contributing to the performance management of teams and creating a positive culturein which the team can learn from mistakes and is enthusiastic to improve
• Deputising for theTherapy Leadand ensuring that there is no fall in performance in their absence. This may include managing the team and coordinating shifts.
• To undertake the role of PracticeSupervisor

Engaged staff are more productive andtheSenior OccupationalTherapistwillplay a role in engaging in other staff members in thetrust and the work we do by:

• Providing supervision and annual appraisals to individuals and giving constructive, regular feedback which helps those individuals reflect on their work, understand theirobjectivesand the CQCstandardsandmonitortheir progress towards achieving them
• Participating constructively in their own supervision and annual appraisal processes
• Using continuing professional development funds to develop a relevant clinical specialism, gain sign-off mentorship skills or undertake accredited leadership modules.

Service Specific Responsibilities

• To provide supervision, annual appraisal andmonitoringthe work of RAStherapists(Band5 &6),therapyassistantsand students.
• Complete DATIX investigationsandInitialManagement Reviews (IMRs), as delegated by the service leads.
• Activelyparticipate/ lead in clinical handover.
• UsingHealthRoster,participatein rota planning;finalise day to day bank/agency shifts; book temporary workers asrequired.

Leadership and Management

• To contribute to the recruitment andselectionof staff for the team and toparticipatein induction and orientation programmes
• To manage and co-ordinate the work ofoccupational therapistsandtherapyassistants,monitoringand appraising their performance, offering support,developmentand training asappropriate.
• To take responsibility for ensuring own mandatory training is up to date and those of the team members are similarly.
• Monitoring Statutory and Mandatory training compliance forsupervisees, ensuring where staff are not compliant, there is a plan in place to become compliant.
• Tobe able toidentifyand implementformal processes such as capability management; disciplinary action etc.
• To contribute to the successful implementation of organisational directives within the team and the achievement of annual team aims andobjectives.
• Tocontinually look for andidentifyopportunities for improvingthe service andvalue for money,so that the overall aims andobjectivesof the service are achievedwithoutimpactingon patients quality of care.
• To improve access to services by ensuring that service provision and delivery is culturally appropriate for the targeted client group.
• Support, teach and assess the developing clinical skills of junior team members in response to the changing needs within the localities.
• Promoteevidence-basedpractice that responds to local and national service standards, and to act as a resource to colleagues.
• Maintain an oversight of the weekly / monthly allocations, ensuring staffing isoptimalor sent to bank/agency asappropriate.
• Deputise forTherapyLead when they are unavailable / otherwise engaged / on leave.

Person Specification
Other
Desirable

• Full and valid UK driving licence

Education and Qualifications
Essential

• Degree / Diploma Occupational Therapy
• HCPC Registration
• Evidence of continued professional development
• Evidence of working in a multi-disciplinary team
• Practice Educator training

Desirable

• Member of RCOT
• Post-Graduate OR Master's Degree (MSc) degree
• Membership and/or involvement in special interest group
• Leadership / Management courses

Previous Experience
Essential

• Previous experience of working in the UK or a similar health economy as an Occupational therapist.
• Previous experience at Band 5/6 to include the following: Older people/elderly rehab
• Previous experience at Band 5/6 to include the following: Medicine (including emergency medicine) & general surgery (including orthopaedics)
• Previous experience at Band 5/6 to include the following: Falls
• Previous experience at Band 5/6 to include the following: Community working
• Previous experience at Band 5/6 to include the following: Neurology
• Previous experience at Band 5/6 to include the following: Dementia
• Previous experience of supervising students and junior staff
• Understanding of the role of Primary care in admission prevention and supporting a timely discharge

Desirable

• Previous experience to include the following: Rapid Response/Urgent Community Response
• Innovative Working
• Experience of working as an autonomous practitioner in a community setting

Skills and knowledge
Essential

• Excellent communication and IT skills, including maintaining electronic patient records and producing professional reports, presentations, and correspondence
• Strong clinical reasoning and autonomous decision-making, with the ability to identify risks, recognise deterioration, escalate appropriately, and solve complex clinical problems
• Experience of multidisciplinary working, demonstrating collaborative practice and an understanding of integrated health and social care services
• Comprehensive knowledge of occupational therapy practice, including frailty, disability, delirium, Mental Capacity Act, Health and Safety, and evidence-based practice
• Commitment to quality improvement, patient safety, and service development, with an understanding of clinical governance and improving patient outcomes and experience
• Demonstratable leadership and professional development skills, including supporting the learning and development of colleagues and contributing to a positive team culture
• Commitment to working with clinically frail adults in community and urgent care settings, demonstrating flexibility, initiative, and person-centred practice.

Attitudes, aptitudes, personal characteristics
Essential

• Demonstrates CNWL values and behaviours, maintaining professionalism and a patient-centred approach
• Works effectively within multidisciplinary teams, contributing positively and performing to a high standard within a collaborative framework
• Committed to continuous personal and professional development, actively seeking learning opportunities and reflective practice.
• Contributes to service improvement, responding constructively to feedback and implementing changes to enhance quality of care
• Demonstrates effective leadership skills, supporting colleagues and promoting positive team performance

Other
Essential

• Awareness of NHS polices in respect to primary care and reducing hospital admissions (including the NHS Long Term Plan)

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
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.

Certificate of Sponsorship
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 (Apply through our website).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Apply through our website).

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust