Band 6 Specialist Occupational Therapist - Bristol

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced and enthusiastic Occupational Therapist to join the Eating Disorder Inpatient Unit at Blackberry Hill. STEPS EDU is a 10 bedded stand alone unit which accommodates 10 inpatient beds. The Inpatient Unit also works closely with our community team to establish all aspects of a clear pathway for all service users.

As the Specialist Occupational Therapist on an inpatient unit, you will be responsible for carrying out Specialist Occupational assessments and delivering care accordingly, also being a part of delivering therapy to the service users on the unit. Assisting the patient to complete graduated discharge planning and then hand over care the patients OT goals to the community OT.

You should have significant post-qualification experience and be confident working as an autonomous practitioner. You need to be enthusiastic and interested about working with Eating Disorders and be keen to continue your professional development.

The unit will provided excellent training and supervision opportunities within this exciting and challenging role. You will receive management supervision from the team manager as well as clinical supervision from an identified supervisor. You will be supported from the local Occupational Therapy team as well as a national group of specialists.

Main duties of the job

Evidence-based occupational therapy interventions for individuals
Liaison with carers and other agencies, including social workers and accommodation providers
Home assessments for leave and discharge, sensory awareness, and sensory interventions for patients on the unit
Facilitating and co-facilitating groups with the MDT
Skills training for staff
Assessing patients for equipment
Addressing the physical health needs of patients
Working with the MDT to determine the best pathway for patients on the unit
Supporting patients on leave to achieve goals, including managing eating outside of hospital and engaging in activities

Please see the  description for a full list of duties and responsibilities.

About us

We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust):a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care.

We provide services from a range of locations to approximately 1.8 million people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, across the county of Wiltshire and in parts of Dorset.

Our outstanding people promote mental health and wellbeing. The expertise and resources within AWP are dedicated to a person-centred approach for those who use our services and for all employees. We recognise that happy and fulfilled employees give better care.

At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Manage a complex/specialist OT caseload from assessment to discharge from therapy. Service users may have multiple needs, including a combination of physical and mental health conditions or learning disabilities. Service users may demonstrate challenging behaviours or have difficult family situations of relevance.
Ensure the highest professional standards and attitudes towards the care of service users are maintained at all times, and that care is delivered in accordance with evidence-based practice by all staff for whom the postholder has designated responsibility.
Undertake complex occupational therapy assessments and develop complex therapy programmes.
Assess and manage risk effectively in clinical and community settings, including the service users own home.
Work with service users and carers to identify occupational therapy goals as part of the overall multidisciplinary team plan.
Develop and implement specialist interventions for individuals or groups, in collaboration with the service user(s) and MDT, to achieve therapeutic goals.
Use technical and creative skills to engage service users in therapeutic activities and encourage service users/carers in a compassionate manner to support them in achieving their identified goals.
Monitor and evaluate occupational therapy treatment to measure progress and modify treatment plans to ensure the effectiveness of clinical interventions.
Provide reports and make recommendations on service user progress at clinical meetings, and participate in the clinical decision-making process regarding service user care programmes as part of the multidisciplinary team.
Provide specialist clinical advice to other healthcare professionals, including those in the acute hospital sector with limited mental health or learning disability experience.
Provide professional advice, as requested and where appropriate, in relation to subject access requests.