Lead Occupational Therapist (Acute Mental Health)

Job summary

32 hours per week

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced Therapist to join and lead our Therapy team. Do you want to be part of an outstanding team in Devon?

We need an innovative and enthusiastic team player to join our team in the Glenbourne Unit based in Plymouth, Devon. The Glenbourne Unit has two wards (19 bedded) for single sex occupancy for adults over 18 and was awarded an Outstanding rating at its last CQC inspection. The Unit offers high quality interventions to patients and support to families / carers.

As the team lead, you will also be responsible for supervision, training and development of the therapy team, as well as contributing to departmental and organisational improvements. Service development and audit to evidence efficiency and efficacy are essential and as such experience in this field crucial.

You will need to have experience in managing a designated caseload using theoretical and practical experience, completing assessments, planning, implementing interventions, and evaluating outcomes aligned to care plans.

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate will be highly motivated, enthusiastic, creative, flexible and resourceful at encouraging patients to make positive changes in their life. The successful candidates will have skills and interests in supporting professional colleagues to develop. To use psychological thinking in their work and in contributing psychological perspectives to patients care plans and for the team remain healthy and compassionate. Our interventions are occupation focused and provide the opportunity to work creatively and flexibly to ensure a wide range of patient needs are met, with a focus on identifying patients strengths and needs to support safe and timely discharges from hospital.The team has developed and enhanced over the years and works closely with Psychology and other staff members to provide a range of interventions such as groups, individual, direct and indirect work. The Unit has a keen focus on health and wellbeing including smoking cessation, well man and well women groups. We have a highly motivated collaborative can do attitude.

We are committed to supporting our staff by providing regular support and supervision and encouraging relevant training and professional development opportunities.

If this role sounds exciting, and you are a motivated senior therapist keen to work within and develop an established and supportive team, we encourage you to apply for this position.

About us

Livewell Southwest is an independent, award-winning social enterprise providing integrated health & social care services for people across Plymouth, South Hams & West Devon, as well as some specialist services for people living in parts of Devon & Cornwall. With teams in community hospitals, GP practices, sports centres, health & wellbeing hubs.

As an organisation with a strong social conscience, we always value being kind, respectful, inclusive, ambitious, responsible and collaborative. Transforming services to make them sustainable, ensuring that we value, support & empower each other.

We are committed to involving the people we care for, families & carers in everything that we do, working towards co-production where we can. Helping us to deliver the right care for people, in the right place & at the right time. By putting people at the centre of what we do, we ensure to support people to lead, healthy independent lives & be the very best at helping people to live well.

Valuing our employees making an investment in their development a priority. We offer:

Protected CPD time for registered staff

Various development pathways and ongoing regular training packages for all staff

Leadership & mentoring programmes

Access & funding for training including Care Certificate, Assistant Practitioners Course & Scholarship Into Nurse Training

A Robust Preceptorship

A bespoke induction programme

Existing members of the NHS Pension Scheme can continue their membership when they join the organisation.

Date posted

17 May 2023

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£41,659 to £47,672 a year pro-rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time, Job share, Flexible working

Reference number

B9832-2023-PTA-1275-3

Job locations

Glenbourne Unit

Derriford

Plymouth

Devon

PL6 5AF

Job description

Job responsibilities

Clinical / Operational

To be responsible for the planning and delivery of occupational therapy within the adult inpatient service, prioritising clinical needs to provide an effective service.

To ensure that the occupational therapy service delivered to patients is client-centred, needs-led, evidence- based and non-discriminatory.

To undertake audits and risk evaluation as directed by Lead therapist or modern matron including ligature audits, risk register updates, undertaken Serious case reviews or internal reviews.

To assist the unit with implementing and sustaining projects regarding physical health and wellbeing (smoking cessation, well man and well woman clinics)

To assess the occupational needs of a defined client group and establish and develop appropriate treatment programmes commensurate with local/patient needs as identified in the care treatment/care programme approach, in collaboration with the clinical team.

To ensure patient/group treatment programmes are monitored, evaluated and modified as required on a regular and systematic basis to measure progress and ensure effectiveness of intervention.

To carry an identified caseload of patients with complex needs. This may include clients with additional physical health needs, physical disability, behaviours that challenge and learning disability needs.

To be responsible for assessing, planning and implementing, monitoring and evaluating patient centred individual and / or group interventions using specialised occupational therapy assessments / approaches and graded activity to achieve therapeutic goals.

To develop individual therapeutic programmes, working with the patient carers and other members of the multi-disciplinary team; use patient centred principles to ensure the patient is as fully involved as possible and be responsible for co-ordinating care where appropriate.

Participate in the Glenbourne wide response team which responds to any untoward incident and undertake associated training.

To order stock and maintain appropriate materials / equipment when necessary. Demonstrate and teach the safe use of materials / equipment in an appropriate manner to clients and / or carers. THIS IS TO ENCLUDE THE SINGLE POINT OF ORDERING

To support the delivery of the departmental Occupational Therapy programme as appropriate /at times of staff shortage and participate in clinical review and discharge planning meetings as required.

To provide direct knowledge of a given patient, as appropriate, to facilitate the procedure for second opinions in liaison with Second Opinion Appointed Doctor (SOAD) Mental Health Act 1983.

To facilitate staff and service user participation in local and national events to promote mental health and well-being through activity.

Documentation

To ensure that contemporaneous, written and electronic records, specialist occupational therapy reports and activity data are maintained by all occupational therapy staff in accordance with professional and Trust standards.

To provide specialist occupational therapy functional ADL reports relevant to the practice setting.

Professional Ethics

To adhere to the Royal College of Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct and facilitate compliance of occupational therapy staff with local and national standards of practice.

Leadership, Supervision and Appraisal

To provide professional leadership and line management of occupational therapy staff within mental health services including the identification and addressing of training and developmental needs as part of the annual appraisal process

To establish and maintain an effective supervision framework for inpatient occupational therapy staff and others as appropriate

To be responsible for and effectively manage the allocated non-pay budget on a day-to-day basis.

Training Staff and Students

To identify training needs of staff to facilitate the development and delivery of inpatient mental health occupational therapy services and occupational therapy training plans therein.

To contribute to the induction and training of students, staff and volunteers, including any assessment procedures as appropriate.

To ensure that occupational therapy staff receive the relevant mandatory and continuing professional development training as per Trust policy.

Service Development and Delivery

To work effectively as a member of the multidisciplinary team to support the planning and achievement of local service objectives.

To promote awareness of the role of occupational therapy across the organisation and externally as appropriate.

To lead on specific tasks to meet local service objectives.

Work with the Glenbourne management team to plan and develop the inpatient service in order to make the best use of available resources.

To work with the therapy lead and senior occupational therapists to contribute to the delivery of the organisations development plan for occupational therapy.

Liaise with the professional leads and clinical leads regarding professional issues associated with the occupational therapy service at Glenbourne and across the organisation as appropriate.

TO PROVIDE QI LEADERSHIP AND USE METHODOLOGY

Professional Development

To demonstrate ability to review and reflect on own practice and performance through effective use of both managerial and clinical supervision and participation in the organisations appraisal and personal development procedures.

To ensure specialist skills and knowledge are updated in order to establish professional competence and fitness to practice as the Inpatient Head Occupational Therapist.

To ensure professional and clinical knowledge and skills are kept up to date and shared with others, through participation in internal and external developmental opportunities.

To demonstrate on-going professional development through participation in internal and external development opportunities, recording learning outcomes in a portfolio.

Clinical Governance and Quality Standards

To contribute to the development of clinical governance and the quality agenda for the service and lead on specific projects as agreed.

To maintain an occupational therapy service by developing appropriate local quality standards in liaison with the occupational therapy team and professional and clinical lead occupational therapists and the senior management team at Glenbourne. (MH & LD).

To work with other inpatient heads of service to ensure that occupational therapy is responsive to service developments in line with local and national agendas.

Line Management and Staff Budgets

To be responsible for the recruitment and selection of staff and line management of allocated staff including appraisals, disciplinary matters, sickness monitoring and other issues as required.

To hold a budget and authorise financial payments as appropriate for the effective management of pay and non pay budgets for the inpatient occupational therapy service, including the management of petty cash.

To ensure that staff adhere to Health and Safety guidelines and maintain safe working environments and working practices.

To provide practice supervision of staff across the organisation, in line with current policy

Research and Development

To co-ordinate and support research activity within the department.

To actively engage in practice development, evaluation, audit and research activities relevant to occupational therapy and / or service areas to promote evidence based practice.

Notes

The responsibility for engaging in continuing professional development (CPD) activity and for producing and maintaining a professional portfolio ultimately lies with the individual. The line manager and professional lead have a responsibility to ensure that occupational therapists have the opportunity to undertake CPD activities and document them effectively. The organisation will support the occupational therapy profession with their continuing development activity through the professional supervision and appraisal process.

Although the post holder is an inpatient based member of staff, they will be expected to travel around Plymouth and the wider catchment area in the course of their duties as appropriate.

The post holder may be exposed to unpleasant working conditions including exposure to vomit, sputum and body fluids.

COVID GUIDELINES _ INFECTION CONTROL MEASURES

The post holder will be exposed to emotionally distressing situations on a frequent basis, as many people with mental illness have complex needs and presentations including challenging and unpredictable behaviour, physical and learning disability issues. Also there is a need to develop rapport and effective therapeutic working in a pressured environment with a high turnover of patients whose needs are many and varied.

The postholder will be exposed to a working environment that is challenging because of systems and procedures that are in place to protect both patients and staff. The postholder may be exposed to the risk of physical assault and injury and will have to carry an alarm with them at all times and work within the constraints of the safety procedures in the unit.

The post holder may, on occasions, be required to assist with other duties to cover periods of staff absence.

This job description is a guide to the main duties and is not exhaustive. These duties may change as services develop and the job description will be reviewed annually as part of the post holders performance review.