Occupational Therapy Assistant

The Older People Community Mental Health is part of the Bexley Care Directorate of Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust. The post holder will work with the Occupational Therapists in the Bexley Older People Community Mental Health team to deliver interventions recommended after an Occupational Therapy assessment. They will also work as part of the multi-disciplinary teams, to facilitate the implementation of a comprehensive service to the clients. The post holder will be involved in planning and running groups, assisting in discharge planning, and supporting community-based activities to facilitate social inclusion. All clinical work will be carried out under the supervision of a senior occupational therapist.
To manage own workload
To work under the supervision of a registered Occupational Therapist as a member of the Multi-Disciplinary Team and OT team.
Use technical, creative, and psychosocial skills to assist in providing therapeutic activities for individuals/groups of service users.
Have an awareness of social inclusion and skills development and ensure activities used focus on these objectives.
To develop an awareness of and utilize to the benefit of clients, resources available to Older people within the Bexley Locality.
To liaise and link with resources and services within Bexley in regard to mental health needs.
To undertake additional delegated responsibilities as directed by Occupational Therapy supervisor.
Communicate with service users/carers.
Provide feedback on therapeutic activities to supervisor, Occupational Therapy colleagues and MDT.
To actively support volunteers working within the service.
Good computer literacy skills.
Sustained level of mental and emotional effort required to meet the demands of the client group and adapt to a variety of situations.
Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children’s centres, schools and people’s homes.
We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.
Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:
We’re Kind
We’re Fair
We Listen
We Care
Management responsibilities
- To exercise good personal time management, punctuality, and consistent reliable attendance.
- To assist in being responsible for equipment and supplies and where appropriate the handling of petty cash.

Leadership
- To review and reflect on own practice and performance through effective use of professional supervision and appraisal guided by the Knowledge Skills Framework.
- To participate in the induction, training, and education of students [both OT and other professions] and other staff in clinical area.
- To participate in and contribute to the development of the service locally.
- To attend all relevant mandatory training as directed by the Trust.
- To contribute to CPD through participation in training and development opportunities.
- To develop and maintain a CPD portfolio of evidence for annual performance development reviews (PDR).
- To attend the Trust wide OT Support Worker’s Development group.
- Participate in activities in your own clinical area, which supports the quality agenda.
- To have knowledge of risk assessment and management and incorporate these principles into your practice.

Clinical
- To manage own workload.
- To work under the supervision of a registered Occupational Therapist as a member of the Multi-Disciplinary Team and OT team.
- Use technical, creative, and psychosocial skills to assist in providing therapeutic activities for individuals/groups of service users.
- Have an awareness of social inclusion and skills development and ensure activities used focus on these objectives.
- To develop an awareness of and utilize to the benefit of clients, resources available to Older people within the Bexley Locality.
- To liaise and link with resources and services within Bexl