Welcome from our Chief Executive

Our organisation is expanding and we're looking for people with the right values, skills and/or potential to join us. We need people with energy, expertise, enthusiasm to help us provide the very best possible specialist NHS mental health and learning disability care. This involves helping us achieve our strategy to improve the quality of life for the communities we serve through People, Prevention and Partnerships.

So what can we offer you in return?

We're an organisation which puts people first. We'll do everything possible to help you feel respected, valued and included. We'll help you learn, acquire new skills and gain further experience to support your career development. And we'll provide the opportunity for you to bring your fresh ideas to work about how we can do things differently and continue improving.

You will also be joining a health and care system committed to working together to do the best we can for the communities we serve. Above all, at Sussex Partnership you'll have the chance to make a difference to the lives of the patients, carers and families across our communities.

If you like the sound of that, then come and join our team.

Job overview

Are you passionate about Occupational Therapy? Are you interested in Rehabilitation? If yes then we have the job for you!!

We have an exciting opportunity to join the new Enhanced Community Rehabilitation Service for West Sussex. This is a perfect opportunity for Band 5 Occupational Therapists looking to develop their skills and be part of an exciting movement in the transformation of mental health services for people who experience psychosis.

The Enhanced Community Rehabilitation Service will operate a 7-day working week. Though advertising to full time positions, we would welcome applications from therapists seeking part time hours and are open to discussing flexible working requirements to ensure we best support both the recruitment and future retention of our staff.

To protect the health and safety of our staff/workers, patients, and those attending our sites, we encourage our workforce to get fully vaccinated against COVID

Main duties of the job

The Community Rehabilitation Service is a new, exciting and innovative service in West Sussex. You will hold a small caseload of people within an MDT who are cared for within a recovery focused model of care.

There will be excellent opportunities for staff to utilise and develop their core Occupational Therapy skills, contributing to the planning, development and facilitation of evidence based and occupation focused group work, delivering standardised Occupational Therapy assessments and contributing an occupational perspective to multi-disciplinary discussion and treatment planning.

You will work in partnership with a diverse team of clinicians and support staff including Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Nurses and our third sector partners. In line with our Trust value of 'People First', evidence shows that people who are treated in community and in the least restrictive manner, have better outcomes. In this role you will work collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team, to help us provide this opportunity for the people of West Sussex in line with national agenda of The Getting It Right First Time a whole system approach to recovery from mental ill health, maximising an individual's quality of life and social inclusion.

Effective communication skills, a good clinical knowledge base, and a commitment to caring for patients in the community must be demonstrated. You must be enthusiastic, self-motivated, flexible and able to work as part of a multidisciplinary team.

Working for our organisation

Over the next five years, community mental health services are going to be undergoing a real transformation and you could be part of these exciting developments. Our community mental health teams will become part of a much more integrated network of services and our mental health clinicians will be central in driving the changes, in close partnership with our primary and third sector colleagues.

This post will provide the right candidate with the opportunity to develop their career. This is a supportive team where you will be offered mentorship and supervision from senior colleagues and management support. The community rehabilitation service will actively support your continuing professional development and the implementation of the AHP strategy

We recognise that working in mental health can be stressful so we prioritise staff welfare, providing regular supervision, reflective practice, mentoring, and any other support that our clinicians need to ensure their wellbeing.

Our vision is to provide outstanding care and treatment; the people that we employ are at the heart of making this vision a reality. If you've got the passion, the belief, the drive and the talent to help us achieve our vision then we would like to hear from you.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities
What you will receive from us:

• A robust induction and early planning to discuss development needs, preceptorship and career aspirations
• Regular Line Management and Professional supervision
• Access to a wide range of Training and CPD opportunities including; A programme of AHP specific training. (Please make contact for further examples of the AHP Training Prospectus and Training newsletter we have for our AHP staff on the details provided)

• • You are encouraged to have booked on to a minimum of one internal AHP Course in a Training Year
  • Quarterly Occupational Therapy CPD Hubs
  • Communities of Practice (AMPS and Sensory Strategies)
• The opportunity to participate in a range QI work and service innovations
• Varied leadership development opportunities
• Opportunities to co -facilitate groups in Recovery College

This is an excellent time for Occupational Therapists to be joining Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust as we have just launched our AHP Strategy

Look at our AHP strategy and view our film at https://www.sussexpartnership.nhs.uk/AHP

Person specification

Qualifications
Essential criteria

• Degree/Diploma in occupational therapy
• Registration with the HPC as an occupational therapist

Knowledge/Experience
Essential criteria

• Experience of working with people with mental health difficulties
• Experience working as part of a team
• Experience running groups/activities
• Experience of being supervised

Sussex Partnership NHS FT is committed to supporting a diverse workforce that reflects our communities. Our workforce is currently under-represented from Black and Minority, Ethnic and disabled communities and we would welcome applications from these communities.

We regret that we are unable to advise candidates if they have not been shortlisted. If you have not heard from us within three weeks of the closing date please assume that you have been unsuccessful on this occasion.

In the event of an excessive number of applicants the Trust reserves the right to close this vacancy earlier than indicated.

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust takes its responsibilities for the safeguarding and protection of children and young people and vulnerable adults very seriously and expects this of all its employees and bank workers. The Trust works with adult and children's social care to ensure that the integrated service has systems in place to equip staff and bank workers with the knowledge and skills to recognize abuse, and take action to safeguard and protect vulnerable adults and children and young people. It is expected that all staff and bank workers familiarise themselves with the appropriate structures and policies and with the Sussex child protection and safeguarding procedures and the Sussex multi-agency policy and procedures for safeguarding vulnerable adults and undertake the relevant essential training and further training appropriate to their role.

Successful candidates are normally offered salaries at the bottom of the relevant salary range. However, where previous or equivalent NHS experience in a similar role can be demonstrated and evidenced, this may be taken into consideration when setting the starting salary.