Welcome from our Chief Executive - Samantha Allen

Our organisation is expanding and we're looking for people with the right values, skills and/or potential to join us. We need people with energy, expertise, enthusiasm to help us provide the very best possible specialist NHS mental health and learning disability care. This involves helping us achieve our strategy to improve the quality of life for the communities we serve through People, Prevention and Partnerships.

So what can we offer you in return?

We're an organisation which puts people first. We'll do everything possible to help you feel respected, valued and included. We'll help you learn, acquire new skills and gain further experience to support your career development. And we'll provide the opportunity for you to bring your fresh ideas to work about how we can do things differently and continue improving.

You will also be joining a health and care system committed to working together to do the best we can for the communities we serve. Above all, at Sussex Partnership you'll have the chance to make a difference to the lives of the patients, carers and families across our communities.

If you like the sound of that, then come and join our team.

Samantha Allen

Chief Executive

Job overview
Are you an enthusiastic band 6 occupational therapist with experience working within acute adult mental health? If so, you may like to consider an exciting opportunity to work on the bank across all Trust sites.This occupational therapy post aims to support people having experienced an acute mental health crisis to safely return home; avoiding lengthy hospital stays, helping reduce delays in discharge and preventing re-admissions.

Main duties of the job
You will assess the occupational therapy needs of the client group and deliver programmes accordingly. This will involve a recovery focused approach using both one to one interventions aimed at developing independent living skills and a variety of groupwork. You will work as part of a team and support senior staff in contributing to service development.

Working for our organisation

You will receive good support and supervision and access to apply for courses in our Allied Health Professionals training prospectus as appropriate to your role.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities
To provide occupational therapy interventions for referred clients using evidence based, client centred principles to assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions.

To promote and develop the role of Occupational Therapy within the clinical area.

To provide specialist clinical advice and input for clients with complex mental health needs

To ensure occupational therapy contribution to the provision of quality clinical care and performance

To participate in the planning, development and evaluation of occupational therapy and local multi-professional services.

Person specification

Qualifications
Essential criteria

• Degree/Diploma in occupational therapy
• Evidence of post graduate level study/training
• Registration with the HPC as an occupational therapist
• Practice Education training
• Training in the use of standardised occupational therapy assessment tools

Knowledge
Essential criteria

• Experience as a qualified occupational therapist in mental health
• Broad experience of working with clients with a range of mental health problems
• Experience of both group and individual work
• Experience of multidisciplinary working
• Experience of supervising staff and students
• Experience as a Care Coordinator
• Experience in a clinical area related to the post
• Leadership experience
• Experience in applying a range of assessment tools and a comprehensive knowledge of occupational therapy clinical approaches used in mental health Research experience

Sussex Partnership NHS FT is committed to supporting a diverse workforce that reflects our communities. Our workforce is currently under-represented from Black and Minority, Ethnic and disabled communities and we would welcome applications from these communities.

We regret that we are unable to advise candidates if they have not been shortlisted. If you have not heard from us within three weeks of the closing date please assume that you have been unsuccessful on this occasion.

In the event of an excessive number of applicants the Trust reserves the right to close this vacancy earlier than indicated.

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust takes its responsibilities for the safeguarding and protection of children and young people and vulnerable adults very seriously and expects this of all its employees and bank workers. The Trust works with adult and children's social care to ensure that the integrated service has systems in place to equip staff and bank workers with the knowledge and skills to recognize abuse, and take action to safeguard and protect vulnerable adults and children and young people. It is expected that all staff and bank workers familiarise themselves with the appropriate structures and policies and with the Sussex child protection and safeguarding procedures and the Sussex multi-agency policy and procedures for safeguarding vulnerable adults and undertake the relevant essential training and further training appropriate to their role.

Successful candidates are normally offered salaries at the bottom of the relevant salary range. However, where previous or equivalent NHS experience in a similar role can be demonstrated and evidenced, this may be taken into consideration when setting the starting salary.