Occupational Therapist

**Are you looking to join a highly motivated, knowledgeable and innovative OT team?**

**Occupational Therapist
Location: Northampton
Medium Secure Division

**Salary**: From £26,428
Hours: 37.5 hours per week**

**Mackaness Ward
Mackaness is a male acute medium secure ward that will provide care and treatment for working age males with mental illnesses. You will work closely with the other male wards and clinical teams to ensure the pathways between the wards/services are maximisedand meet patients’ needs as they progress through treatment and recovery.

When patients have made progress and their risk has decreased the MDT work closely with commissioners to facilitate the safe transfer to the least restrictive environment; these will be step-down units either within St Andrew’s hospital wards, or to lowsecure wards in their home area, depending on the needs of the individual.

There are a range of diagnoses which will be encountered on the unit including but not limited to mental illness such as schizophrenia, personality disorders, schizoaffective disorders, bipolar affective disorder, depression and delusional disorders.

Patients are detained under the mental health act and have varying degrees of mental illness which may or may not be associated with the offending behaviour.Motivation, organisational skills, concentration and use of initiative are some of the main problemareas of these patients. Therefore a number of patients require a structured therapeutic programme of activities to address these areas alongside forensic risk.

**You should have**:

- An interest to work within a secure setting.
- An interest, knowledge, and understanding of a range of theoretical frameworks and approaches which guide practice and clinical reasoning. For example Model of Human Occupation, occupational science, occupational diagnosis, and sensory approaches.
- Knowledge and experience in using occupational assessment tools to support clinical reasoning, treatment planning, and evaluation of interventions.
- Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to develop good professional relationships with members of the MDT and patient group, and the ability to liaise with a variety of outside agencies (within and outside of the hospital).

As a registered OT you would be joining a highly motivated, knowledgeable, and innovative team.Experience will be gained as part of a multi-disciplinary team, taking responsibility for a clinical caseload, and offering OT-specific assessment and treatmentto groups and individuals within your care.Strong communication skills are essential, both written and verbal, with the ability to develop good professional relationships with members of the MDT.

You will have the opportunity to undertake a comprehensive OT induction package, as well as a full preceptorship program through your first 12 months.Our staff also benefit from regular supervision from a registered OT.Continued professional developmentis encouraged, with access to a range of in-house CPD events, as well as an expectation to support the development and training of OT students.Further opportunities include networking opportunities with colleagues of the same and different grades withinthe service and The Charity.This all adds to the extensive grounding you would receive here to launch your OT career.

**Reward**

**We offer an excellent benefits package including**:

- Excellent professional and career development and training opportunities
- ‘Transform’ our Leadership development program
- Access to the Blue Light Card and Health Service Discounts schemes
- Pension and life assurance
- Sickness policy on par with the NHS
- 35 days annual leave, increasing further after service (including bank holidays)
- Electric Car scheme
- Cycle to work scheme
- Healthcare cash plan
- Free parking