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

New Opportunity!

We have an exciting opportunity for a Band 6 Occupational Therapist for our Home First pilot project on Jade Ward at Langley Green Hospital. This is a pilot on one of our adult wards following the award-winning Home First pilot. This is an innovative, new occupational therapy led scheme, designed to help people to return safely their homes at the earliest opportunity.

The role provides a great career development opportunity. You will be closely involved in developing this new role and evaluating its impact.

Main duties of the job

The role is focussed on using the skills of occupational therapy staff to support the service user to get home at the earliest opportunity to prevent loss of skills, confidence, support the person and their family/ carers with the transition from hospital and continued recovery in the community. You will be working with the service user, ward and the community teams to identify those patients who are mentally stable for discharge, where care and assessment can safely be continued in a non-acute setting, to get them home as effectively and safely as possible. You will work with the patient on the acute ward and in the community providing timely assessment and interventions. The Home First team will work alongside the already established Discharge to Assess (D2A) model, support to optimise the step-down model in the city and they will work closely with the patient and their support network for up to 4 weeks post discharge to support the transition.

You will need to effectively manage your time, own caseload and be confident to work autonomously through the O.T. process. You will be expected to carry out specific occupational assessments and recovery-based interventions for individuals with a range of mental health needs, including activities of daily living, community access and relapse prevention. You will need excellent communication skills and work closely with the persons support network and ideally be a car driver as Home First outreach work involves home visits.

Working for our organisation

You will be joining a friendly OT team with opportunities to work in close collaboration with colleagues, including an OT clinical support worker, medical staff, nursing colleagues, psychology and community practitioners.

• Regular Professional supervision
• Access to a wide range of Training and CPD opportunities including:
• A programme of AHP specific training
• Quarterly Occupational Therapy CPD Hubs
• Communities of Practice (AMPS, Sensory Strategies and Recovery Through Activity)
• The opportunity to participate in a range QI work and service innovations.

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

Please see attached Job Description and Person Specification for full details. For further information please contact:

Claire Michie, Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist claire.michie@spft.nhs.uk

Sofia Ivarsson, Lead Occupational Therapist sofia.ivarsson@spft.nhs.uk

Detailed job description and main responsibilities
- Operate as a senior occupational therapy practitioner and manage an appropriate complex clinical caseload.
- Promote evidence based practice in occupational therapy and the relevant mental health service/ learning disability service.
- Provide a specialised range of clinical interventions and demonstrate knowledge of models of practice.
- Monitor, evaluate and modify treatment in order to measure progress and ensure effectiveness of interventions.
- Provide clinical assessment, formulation, intervention, review and where appropriate CPA including care co-ordination for service users, their families and carers.
- Contribute to the development of multi-disciplinary best practice clinical guidelines and protocols.
- Have a basic working knowledge of the medication prescribed for the persons in their care.
- Supervise the work of more junior qualified staff and provide support and guidance.
- Ensure that up to date written and electronic records and activity data are maintained in accordance with Professional and Trust standards and to provide specialist occupational therapy reports relevant to the practice setting.
- To adhere to Trust risk management policies and procedures.
- To champion occupational and recovery approaches within the service area.
- Be aware of and able to use de-escalation techniques and physical breakaway

Please refer to attached JD for full information

Person specification

Qualifications
Essential criteria

• Degree/Diploma in occupational therapy
• Evidence of post graduate level study/training
• Registration with the HPC as an occupational therapist
• Practice Education training
• Training in the use of standardised occupational therapy assessment tools

Knowledge
Essential criteria

• Experience as a qualified occupational therapist in mental health
• Broad experience of working with clients with a range of mental health problems
• Experience of both group and individual work
• Experience of multidisciplinary working
• Experience of supervising staff and students
• Experience as a Care Coordinator
• Experience in a clinical area related to the post
• Leadership experience
• Experience in applying a range of assessment tools

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.