Options for Care is looking to recruit an exceptional Occupational Therapy Assistant who is passionate about working with individuals with severe and enduring mental health diagnoses.
We are specifically seeking a self-motivated and caring individual who has an interest in occupation and will make a positive contribution to the well-being of our patients through the delivery of high-quality rehabilitative care. We are keen to meet candidates with a recovery-focused ethos, who are willing to commit to building and sustaining good therapeutic relationships and positive engagement with patients, to support individuals in achieving their recovery goals. The role will include working as part of a wider multi-disciplinary team with opportunities to bring new ideas to develop the delivery of occupational therapy for service users.
The successful candidate will be based at Stanford Court, our new mental health inpatient unit, located in Highgate, Birmingham. It will be a 23-bed male mental health inpatient unit, consisting of 19 high dependency beds and four self-contained recovery flats to enable assessment of daily living skills in preparation for discharge.
Main duties of the job
To provide support to occupational therapists through contributing towards the assessment process and analysing the strengths and needs of patients with severe and enduring mental health needs.
To provide and deliver occupation-focused interventions on an individual and group basis, as directed by the occupational therapist, and report on progress.
To support individuals in our care to achieve their personal goals and aspirations.
Job responsibilities
Job Title: Occupational Therapy Assistant
Location: Stanford Court, Highgate, Birmingham
Hours: 37.5 hours Mon-Fri (Occasional weekend work may be required)
Job Type: Permanent
Professional Practice:
* Assist the occupational therapists in building a structured routine for patients through the implementation and facilitation of occupation-focused intervention.
* Prioritise the delivery of a therapeutic timetable based on promoting occupational balance with a view to improve/maintain patient skill base.
* Provide a motivational and flexible approach to supporting patients to improve their independence in activities of daily living and overall quality of life.
* Understand the importance of the patient as the centre of the healthcare system, demonstrating that you consult and involve patients in decisions about their treatment, care and well-being.
* Deliver culturally sensitive, respectful, non-judgemental patient care.
* Complete elements of the occupational therapy process under the supervision and direction of an occupational therapist.
Support in the application of grading and adaptation of activities to suit individual strengths and needs. To contribute to evaluation and modification of therapeutic interventions under the supervision of an occupational therapist.
Work with a degree of autonomy and as part of a team, completing specific activities, set out by established protocols and within your scope of practice.
Communicate and share information effectively, timely and concisely in a range of situations, including documentation, handovers and MDT meetings, depicting the level of engagement during intervention.
* Monitor patients' physical, mental health and cognitive functioning and feedback to the occupational therapist/clinical lead occupational therapist any notable changes in presentation.
Facilitation of Learning:
Identify own learning needs through active participation in regular supervision and annual appraisals.
Be open to guidance from more experienced colleagues to identify and act on own learning needs.
Actively seek out opportunities to learn from and with others. Contribute to a culture in which everyone is encouraged to constantly learn (including from mistakes), to receive and give constructive feedback, and learn from and with each other.
Engage in, apply and record relevant learning and development activities, and identify the impact and benefit of own learning for self and people who access services, their families and their carers.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* Completed NVQ Level 2 in Health and Social Care or Care Certificate.
* Completed, or working towards, NVQ level 3 in Health and Social Care or a relevant qualification at an equivalent level.
Experience
* Experience of working within mental health services.
* Experience of planning and running activity groups and 1:1 work.
* Observation of functional ability, including the use of aids and adaptations as recommended by the MDT.
* Understanding of the roles of individual members of the clinical multi-disciplinary team.
Skills
* Effective communication, both verbal and non-verbal.
* Able to work with/without direct supervision.
* Able to prioritise and organise own work, whilst also supporting others.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
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