Specialist Occupational Therapist in Mental Health

To support the delivery of high-quality specialist Occupational Therapy assessment and intervention in the continuous development of effective clinical services to meet the complex needs of people with psychosis or who have experienced a psychosis in a community setting. To carry a small care coordination caseload of those with functional needs.


Main duties of the job

To utilise developed specialist knowledge to provide the professional contribution within designated Occupational Therapy Services and to assist in the organisation, development, co- ordination and evaluation of the Occupational Therapy Service in conjunction with the Clinical Principle Occupational Therapist and relevant Team/Service Manager.
The post holder will contribute to an environment that works with local services to provide evidence based assessment and delivery of care, using the Model of Human Occupation, and within the context of Effective Care Coordination. They will continue with their own professional development and assist with that of other OT staff. They will be required to have a flexible approach to working hours to ensure that the needs of their clients are met.

Working for our organisation

Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 11 million people.

We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.

At the heart of all we do is our commitment to ‘perfect care’ – care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We’re currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

CLINICAL – Shared Team
Work in a professional and collaborative manner with the multi-disciplinary team.
Where required, to be involved in the multidisciplinary team duty system and undertake duty assessments as necessary.
Fulfil the care-coordinator role under ECC framework, including planning and coordinating Case Conferences/Reviews.
Ensure intervention is provided in a range of settings suitable to meet the needs of clients.
Provide information, education and support for family members, carers and other relevant professionals
Participate and promote positive intra-agency working.
Participate in case load supervision to monitor the standards of service user care and ensure record keeping is in accordance with Professional and Trust standards.
Participate in regular clinical supervision with Clinical Lead Occupational Therapist, as per Trust policy.
Contribute to the development and implementation of integrated care pathways, including appropriate service user assessments/referrals and models of care.
Contribute to client related developments and therapeutic interventions carried out by the whole team e.g. cognitive behavioural therapy, psycho-social interventions.
Compile and maintain effective client records and record outcome measures in conjunction with clients and in accordance with Professional and Trust policies, procedures and standards.
Participate in the induction, training or education of a variety of staff, students or volunteers attached to the team/service.
CLINICAL – Occupational Therapy Specific
Undertake occupational therapy assessments, addressing occupational performance and skill deficits in areas of self-care, productivity and leisure.
Plan and implement individual and/or group interventions, using selected and graded activity to develop the client’s skills in identified areas of deficit. Undertake comprehensive risk assessment with clients, and record the rationale for therapeutic risk taking in the OT care plan.
Provide specialist reports to inform statutory bodies i.e. Mental Health Act Commission.
Undertake specialist assessments, and compile OT reports, on behalf of the MDT to inform interventions, diagnosis and outcomes for clients with complex needs.
Contribute to ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the occupational therapy process in line with sound evidence based practice.
Provide advice on issues related to ADL for other professionals and carers.
Work closely with OT colleagues from other clinical settings / teams, providing individual and peer group support.

MANAGERIAL / PROFESSIONAL LEADERSHIP
Assist in the organisation and planning of OT service delivery e.g. OT recruitment panels, ensuring OT staff/service cover
Provide professional advice as required, for performance management of OT staff e.g. competency monitoring.
Participate in Serious Untoward Incident investigations/reviews as required Deputise for the Clinical Lead Occupational Therapist, as required.
Contribute to the writing and implementation of practice guidelines, policies and procedures, and use specialist knowledge to propose service changes.
Contribute to staff participation in the formulation of new ideas/suggestions to improve service user care and service delivery.
Ensure the principles of Clinical Governance are incorporated in service delivery by maintaining a high quality service based on agreed clinical standards.
Contribute to the strategic development of the OT services
Manage and prioritise designated occupational therapy referrals according to need, risk and service capacity.
Provide specialist professional/clinical leadership to occupational therapists and support staff
Liaise with and develop effective working links with the wider multi-disciplinary team. Attend professional meetings as required.
Maintain an effective supervision structure, and provide professional supervision for designated OT staff, addressing clinical, personal and professional issues.
Assist in the induction of OT staff to the service.
Participate in the performance monitoring of services in accordance with national and local targets.
Provide statistical information on workforce and service user activity as required.

Be responsible for the care, maintenance and monitoring of equipment used by clients and bring any defects or deficits to the attention of the appropriate authority. E.g. ADL equipment
Ensure requirements for health and safety and safe working practice are met through formal and regular risk assessments and communications as required. E.g. Cascade of HSA alerts.
Assist in the maintenance and updating of the unit’s equipment inventories and service schedules. Ensure regular servicing, maintenance, repair or replacement as required adhering to Health & Safety, COSHH and Medical Devices Agency regulations
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria

Relevant professional OT qualification
Current HPC registration

Desirable criteria

Fieldwork Educators certificate
Post graduate accredited study e.g. PSI, CBT, MSc in relevant health studies.

Knowledge/Experience
Essential criteria

Previous experience in relevant health settings
Supervision of staff
Effective team working within a multi-agency framework
Experience of service development
Experience using both group and individual treatment skills
Demonstrate experience of problem solving approaches
Audit and research practices relevant to clinical area
Assisting with effective budgetary management
Evidence based and experience of reflective practice
Recovery Model of Care
Model of Human Occupation
Safe Guarding Children
Mental Health Act 1983
Mental Capacity Act
Effective Care Coordination
Relevant national policies and guidance
Up to date clinical knowledge relevant to the care environment
Audit and research methods
Vulnerable adults guidelines
Able to discuss/explain specialist OT role
Awareness of own strengths and limitations

Desirable criteria

Post graduate clinical experience, within mental health services
Wider range ofstatutory and non-statutory services
Risk management training

Skills
Essential criteria

Ability to utilise assessment skills and tools effectively
Ability to communicate in a variety of settings
Ability to formulate relevant reports
Delegation and coordination
Ability to prioritise and work to deadlines
Mentorship skills
Accurate Record keeping
Flexible approach/ creative thinking
Able to move and handle clients
IT skills

Desirable criteria

Effective leadership qualities
Presentation skills
Ability to network and influence decision making
Team Building skills

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We celebrate diversity and promote equal opportunities; we are committed to challenging and eliminating racism and other forms of discrimination and advancing and promoting equality of opportunity in the provision of services and creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We believe that everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect.

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All information regarding your application will come from apps.trac.jobs not NHS Jobs. Only those applicants who demonstrate clearly how they meet our person specification will be shortlisted for interview.

Should you require a reasonable adjustment to our recruitment process please contact the recruitment team to ensure that measures can be put in place to support you.

We reserve the right to close any vacancy earlier than advertised in exceptional circumstances once we have received a high volume of applications.

The Trust expects all post holders who require an enhanced DBS for their role subscribe to the DBS Update Service. You will be required to enrol for this service for a fee of £13 per year and maintain registration. Trans applicants who require a DBS check and do not want to reveal details of their previous identity can contact the DBS Sensitive Applications Team (01516761452 or email sensitive@dbs.gsi.gov.uk) with their application number once they have completed their DBS application form. The team is able to prevent any previous identity showing on the DBS Certificate, unless the applicant has a conviction under their previous details in which case this will need to be disclosed.