Main area Occupational Therapy Grade NHS AfC: Band 7
Contract Fixed term: 12 months (Contract ends 31/12/25)
Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Monday to Friday mainly 09.00-17.00)
Job ref 334-CLI-6708393
Employer South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type NHS
Site Jeanette Wallace House, Croydon
Salary £51,883 - £58,544 per annum Incl. of HCAs
Salary period Yearly
Closing 11/02/2025 23:59
Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist (Community Mental Health)
NHS AfC: Band 7
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has a rich history, well-established community links and an international reputation. We deliver specialist services in the London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Wandsworth and Richmond.
We are committed to providing high quality and specialist care to our service users and we are recognised for the care and treatment we provide. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as ‘good’.
We launched our five-year strategy, Aiming High; Changing Lives in 2021 together with Our Care Improvement System as our quality management system methodology to make a positive impact on patient care, outcomes and staff experience. By joining SLaM, all staff will get the opportunity to be part of this exciting improvement journey supported with learning and development to harness everyone’s potential as change makers.
The trust recognises the unique and valuable contribution that people with lived experience of mental illness can bring to a role. We therefore welcome applications from people with lived experience and consider them as an asset to the Trust.
Our Values
We take pride in providing specialist care to our service users where our Trust values and our promise to be caring, kind, polite, prompt, honest, listen and do what I say I’m going to do is at the heart of everything we do. When you join us, you’ll be part of something special.
As a Trust, we are happy to talk flexible working.
Job overview
We have an exciting opportunity for a year-long fixed term contract to cover the Clinical Specialist OT Lead post within Croydon Community Adult Mental Health Services.
It is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Band 6 OT who wants career progression, or a Band 7 OT who wants to gain more community-based clinical experience. This is a role which combines OT clinical work with community service users and the opportunity to get more involved with service development and grow leadership and supervision skills.
Each Locality Team has two OT posts working together. The caseloads cover working aged adults aged 18-65 with a mixture of mental health conditions needing secondary care level mental health support.
Main duties of the job
Some community experience is desirable as this role directly supports Band 5 and 6 OT practitioners and OT apprentices/students.
* Provide professional oversight, supervision and practice/service development with the other OTs within the community teams.
* Work within community redesign, development projects and governance activities as part of the senior leadership group across the community services.
* Provide direct clinical OT assessment and interventions for a caseload (not Care Co-ordination) in a locality CMHT caseload. This can involve 1:1 and group work, and working in service users' homes, with families and in other community environments where appropriate.
* Work with Care co-ordinators and other MDT colleagues to support needs-led care planning and provide a more comprehensive range of interventions to support service user’s recovery. Contribute towards Care Act Assessments and work to support successful community living.
* Link with inpatient and HTT OT colleagues, and liaise with external providers in the voluntary and social care sector to ensure smooth transition of service users into and out of the CMHT.
* Link with OT colleagues in the Borough working in Primary Care and physical health teams and grow connections with these networks to support meeting service users' physical health and social care needs.
Working for our organisation
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) provide the widest range of NHS mental health services in the UK as well as substance misuse services for people who are addicted to drugs and alcohol. We work closely with the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London and are part of King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre. SLaM employs around 5000 staff and serves a local population of 1.1 million people. By coming to work at SLaM, you will gain experience of being part of an organisation with a rich history and international reputation in mental health care. You will have access to professional development and learning opportunities, and have the chance to work alongside people who are world leaders in their field. SLaM delivered more than 14,000 training experiences in 2014; providing an extensive range of learning opportunities for staff at all levels. In addition, our working relationship with King's Health Partners allows those working at the Trust to get involved in academic research.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
* To lead on the planning, co-ordination, delivery and evaluation of high quality evidence-based and person-centred Occupational Therapy provision for people with complex mental health issues who require assessment and/or treatment by an Adult Community Mental Health Team.
* To manage a complex OT caseload of Community Locality Team clients, using evidence-based/client-centred principles to assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions.
* To provide specialist advice on the assessment and intervention of clients’ occupational needs and specialist Occupational Therapy advice to the wider Community Mental Health Teams to promote Occupational Therapy approaches to care.
* To provide clinical leadership for Community OT staff through professional supervision and provide training and consultancy for OT within the specialty (Community Practice).
* To be an active member of the Community Management Team and participate in the planning, development, evaluation and governance of clinical services using advanced clinical skills and knowledge.
* To work in collaboration with the Professional Head OT Croydon Directorate in the development of the OT service, clinical and professional practice in line with best available evidence, quality standards and guidance.
* To regularly supervise OT students on practice placement and provide oversight for OT students and OT Apprentice co-ordination with Croydon Community OTs.
* To develop and maintain community links relevant to service users and carers supported by the Adult Community Mental Health Teams.
Person specification
Qualifications
* Qualified OT
* HCPC Registered
* Post-graduate training relevant to specialist area
* Leadership qualification and/or formal training
Experience
* Extensive post-qualification experience working in clinical mental health settings
* Experience of staff and student supervision.
* Experience of continued professional development.
* Experience of working in an inner city, multicultural environment.
* Leadership and/or line management experience.
* Experience of working in community settings
Knowledge
* Specialist knowledge and application of Occupational Therapy and other generic assessments, outcome measures and interventions relevant to service user group
* Detailed knowledge of legislation relevant to mental health
* Extensive knowledge of the principles of risk assessment and risk management
* Understanding of the principles of collaborative working with service users and their supporters
* Understanding of and commitment to social inclusion, health promotion and rehabilitation
Skills and abilities
* Ability to independently manage/care co-ordinate a complex clinical caseload (OT specific and generic cases).
* Ability to manage and de-escalate emotionally charged situations whilst maintaining safety of self, service user and member of the public.
* Ability to respond effectively to complex information within tight deadlines
* Ability to work autonomously and prioritise effectively.
* Ability to communicate complex and specialist information to service users, carers, colleagues and relevant others.
* Training, facilitation and presentation skills
* Research and auditing skills
The Trust is committed to providing services which embrace diversity and that promote equality of opportunity. We are a Disability Confident Employer, we welcome applicants from all sections of the community and people of all protected characteristics. We provide reasonable adjustments for candidates with a disability and are committed to treating people fairly with compassion, respect and dignity and in promoting equality and human rights.
Please note:
* All applications for this post will need to be made online
* Read and understand the Job Description and Personal Specification attached to the role. Your Statement in Support should reflect the requirements specified as your application will be judged against these criteria
* The closing date listed is a guide only and that the vacancy may close earlier should sufficient number of applicants have been received. We advise that you submit your application as early as possible
* Once you have submitted your application, you agree to your application being transferred to a 3rd party e-recruitment system. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs
* If you have not heard from us within three weeks from the closing date, your application has not been successful
* Priority consideration for applications may be given to at-risk NHS employees
* Should you be successful and appointed, you authorise South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust to confirm your previous NHS service via an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) process
* We are a smoke-free Trust
SLaM is a Stonewall Diversity Champion, Stonewall is the largest Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Trans (LGBT) rights charity in Europe.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
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