Senior Occupational Therapist

Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is growing and changing. We provide specialist mental health, learning disability and community services across Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton, and we're hiring people who want to shape what comes next.

Formed on 1 April 2020 through the merger of Black Country Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Dudley and Walsall Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust, we're now focused on the future with a new Trust Strategy and our Best for the Black Country programme.

What we do

·       Adult and older adult mental health

·       Children and young people's mental health

·       Specialist learning disability services

·       Community healthcare for children, young people and families in Dudley

Why join now

·       We've got real momentum right now. New strategy, clear priorities and our Best for the Black Country work mean things are moving in the right way, fast.

·       Our values aren't just posters. People are genuinely compassionate, take responsibility, treat you with respect and help you feel confident and empowered.

·       You'll be looked after. Flexible working, family-friendly policies, supportive teams, proper wellbeing support and chances to learn with coaching and development.

·       There's room to grow. Loads of services to explore and real space to try ideas and be heard.

·       It's a good place to live. Friendly diverse communities, easy transport, good schools and colleges, shopping, food, lots to do, plenty of green space and a lower cost of living than many other city regions.

What it's like to work here

You'll join friendly, skilled teams who look out for each other. We plan together, share caseload pressures, and celebrate wins. New starters get a warm welcome and clear induction; early careers colleagues have preceptorship and buddying; experienced staff can lead, teach and innovate. You'll have space to do good work, speak up, and see the difference you make.

Who we are

We're 4,000+ colleagues from many backgrounds, committed to improving health and wellbeing for our communities and for each other. If you're excited about the role but don't tick every box, please apply. We value potential and transferable experience.

We have an exciting opportunity for a motivated Occupational Therapist (OT) to join our community mental health team. We are looking someone who has a passion for mental health and wishes to develop their skills and knowledge. You will be part of a dynamic, supportive and diverse multi-disciplinary team (MDT).

This is a great opportunity to join a team of highly skilled clinicians working to make a difference in our community.

This is an exciting time to join our Black Country Healthcare Foundation Trust to be part of the Community Mental Health Transformation. We are looking for enthusiastic and committed individuals to join our Sandwell North Community Mental Health Team.

You will be a qualified Occupational Therapist who has an enthusiasm for working in mental health. You will be responsible for an allocated caseload of OT specific patients, for some you will be the lead professional. You will have a combination of one to one and group work as part of your role.

You will be supported to develop your skills and knowledge of mental health services and the role of the Occupational Therapist within the community mental health team and the wider MDT. We currently use the Model of Human Occupation and associated assessments within our service.

Within the team we have a robust Occupational Therapy leadership and provide peer support, you will also have the opportunity to provide supervision and development to Occupational Therapy Assistants. You will have regular caseload supervision from an Occupational Therapy Team Lead. We have regular opportunities to develop clinical and professional practice in line with service user needs and organisational values.

The team is committed to providing safe, sound and supportive services.

As a trust we are committed to ensuring staffs wellbeing, providing access to various networks, trust wide mindfulness groups, self-referral physio services, staff counselling. In addition to this you will have access to the Vivup services, Car lease schemes and other benefits.

Main Duties/Responsibilities

To work effectively as a member of the community team as an autonomous practitioner in providing a range of therapy interventions (individual and group) using graded activity to achieve therapeutic goals, in collaboration with multidisciplinary team members

To manage a clinical caseload of adults with mental health needs requiring occupational assessment and treatment interventions with clients in the 
community as well as within their home environment.

To undertake occupational therapy assessments/treatment interventions
based on the model of human occupation, with designated service users, 
utilising investigative and analytical skills to formulate individualised treatment plans.

To work collaboratively with service users to identify occupational therapy goals as part of the overall recovery care plan.

To utilise standardised and non-standardised occupational therapy 
assessment tools as part of the assessment process.

To actively engage and motivate service users in the occupations of self-care, productivity and leisure.

To establish effective communication with service users, carers, and other health workers and agencies both internally and externally.

To ensure that electronic records are maintained in accordance with trust and professional standards and provide specialist OT reports 

To monitor, evaluate and modify treatment in order to measure progress to ensure effective intervention.

To work collaboratively with multi-disciplinary team members providing 
occupational therapy specific contributions to the care and treatment process of patients.

To utilise clinical reasoning skills, demonstrating critical thinking, reflection and analysis from which to inform practice.

To apply an experiential understanding of the effects of functional, cognitive and physical impairment related to mental health needs in the therapeutic process of treatment planning and intervention

To be responsible for the planning and delivery of occupational therapy 
interventions in a variety of environments, according to service user need.

To undertake any other duties of a similar nature consistent with the 
responsibilities of this post in order to provide a quality occupational therapy service.

Applying and timelines
We may close this advert early if we receive a high volume of applications, so please apply soon. We shortlist after the closing date and will contact shortlisted candidates usually within two weeks. If you haven't heard by then, you haven't been shortlisted. Please check your email for updates and contact Recruitment for feedback.

Pay and contracts

Most NHS roles are paid under NHS Agenda for Change. With us - your starting point is set against the advertised band and your relevant NHS service, with progression through annual increments.

Medical and Very Senior Manager roles follow separate national pay frameworks, not Agenda for Change. Details are provided in each advert and during recruitment.

Standards and checks

·       Clinical posts up to and including Band 4 are expected to hold the Care Certificate. If you don't have it yet, we'll support you to complete it in post.

·       Some roles require a Standard or Enhanced DBS check under part V of the Police Act 1997. Having a criminal record won't automatically prevent employment. We consider the role and individual circumstances.

·       We are an equal opportunities employer, offer flexible working, and are a smoke free Trust.

Inclusion, equality and adjustments

·       We are an equal opportunities employer and offer flexible working.

·       We are an anti-racist, disability-inclusive and LGBTQ+-inclusive Trust.

·       We welcome applications from under-represented groups and people with lived experience relevant to our services, including Black and Asian colleagues, Disabled people (including non-visible disabilities such as neurodiversity and mental health) and LGBTQ+ people.

·       Disabled applicants can request consideration under our Guaranteed Interview Scheme where essential criteria are met. You can ask for reasonable adjustments at every stage of the process.

Our culture and values
Best for the Black Country is our improvement journey. We share a clear vision and values, lead with compassion and visibility, listen to every voice, keep improving what we do and take ownership for delivery. You'll feel it in how teams support each other and in the impact your work has on local people. If you want to contribute, learn and progress, this is a great time to join us.