Job summary
- Main area
- OT
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 7
- Contract
- Permanent: n/a
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Monday - Friday -covering 9am -5pm)
- Job ref
- 364-A-9887
- Employer
- Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Brockfield House
- Town
- Wickford
- Salary
- £47,810 - £54,710 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 03/04/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Clinical Lead Occupational Therapist
NHS AfC: Band 7
Our Trust cares for more than 100,000 patients at any one time across our community health, mental health and learning disability services across Essex and parts of Bedfordshire and Suffolk.
We want you to be part of our journey of transformation, where our patients and their families are at the heart of everything we do and to achieve our vision to be the leading health and wellbeing service in the provision of mental health and community care.
You’ll be part of a Trust where you will be supported to be your authentic self and be the best you can be, where we will help you to grow, develop and thrive.
The Trust is recognised by the University of Essex and is a top provider of apprenticeships for people looking to be an assistant practitioner, senior health care support worker (CAP). Our trailblazing CAP apprenticeship won a national HSJ Award.
We are also recognised as a Veteran Aware Trust and holder of gold accreditation from the Ministry of Defence Employment Recognition Scheme. Our services are highlighted as an exemplar of good practice, producing the best care for more than 3.500 armed forces veterans in the past seven years.
We have been shortlisted and won national awards. We are an inclusive organisation and Level 3 Disability Confident Leader Trust.
We are constantly innovating and looking for new ways to deliver care, such as using technology to enhance patient care and working with partners to launch new services such as the Basildon Mental Health Urgent Care Department, virtual hospitals and falls response cars.
Join us and you’ll do the best work of your life – and make a difference to other people’s lives. What we do together, matters.
Job overview
We have an exciting opportunity for a Band 7 Clinal Lead Occupational Therapist to join our Forensic Mental Health Services for adults detained under the Mental Health Act or Court Order.
The team offers a regional Secure Service covering the demographic area of South and Mid Essex, Luton and Bedfordshire, providing interim services for male/female recovering from severe and enduring mental illness within a secure environment
Our multidisciplinary teams includes nurses, psychiatrists , support workers, psychologists , art/drama therapists , activity coordinators, pharmacists and social workers.
As Lead Occupational Therapist, you will be an expert practitioner, passionate about delivering care within this setting. You'll lead and supervise staff, drive service improvements, and manage a complex caseload including mental health needs, physical disabilities, sensory processing difficulties and supporting patients to develop skills following their discharge to enable integration into a community living.
You will provide an occupational therapy focus within the wider multi-disciplinary team and play a key role in the senior leadership team, delivering an effective, evidence-based service. Responsibilities include leadership of OT staff and activity coordinators, clinical supervision, appraisals, recruitment, and professional development, as well as supporting practice placements for pre-registration OT students.
Main duties of the job
To provide clinical leadership for Occupational Therapy across the wards aligned to the secure services within the specialist services care unit.
• To be clinically responsible for the day-to-day running of the Occupational Therapy service including assessment and treatment pathways, within the Team.
• To be clinically responsible for OT's OTA's and Activity Coordinators aligned to the secure services.
• To develop, lead and maintain relationships with community providers including education and employment sectors.
• To lead on discharge planning in collaboration with community teams to ensure that the skills needed by the service users are being delivered.
• To manage a defined highly complex caseload, and carry out Occupational Therapy assessments, identify treatment goals, implement and evaluate treatment programmes.
Working for our organisation
Valuing you. Recognising your dedication. At EPUT, we look after you.
- Receive supervision and support to help you fulfil your potential.
- Join an inclusive EPUT community and connect with others through engagement events and equality or champion networks.
- If you need help, we provide mental health and wellbeing services, occupational health advice and counselling.
- We run recognition awards to recognise staff's hard work and dedication.
Benefits
- 27 days holiday, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days after 10 years’ service.
- Excellent pension of up to14.5% of your pensionable pay.
- Staff discounts include Blue Light Card, NHS discount offers, and staff benefits.
- £8K relocation package if you move to Essex to join us
- Season ticket loans are interest-free to cover the cost of travelling to and from work via tram, rail, or bus.
Work that wraps around your needs
- Flexible working: available from day one for most roles.
- Job share: Applications for job shares are welcomed.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
- To work with service-users using a Recovery based approach, implementing a range of interventions to support the service-user in developing independent living skills.
• To attend, contribute and where relevant, facilitate all relevant clinical meetings, report on service user progress and discuss treatment provision with other professionals. To work closely with other professionals, to provide a multi-disciplinary approach to service user care.
• To actively contribute to effective crisis and risk management plans by developing protective factors that can reduce the length of admission in secure inpatient settings and support them from re-offending.
• To work with supporting stakeholders, family and carer’s where relevant.
• To oversee and complete, when appropriate, mobility assessments in collaboration with physiotherapy.
• To provide adaptive equipment to support service users to independence in accordance to their risk management plans. .
• To have a good understanding of the Mental Health Act, taking into account the complexities of working with service-users whom have a Forensic history combined with a Mental Health and/or Learning Disability diagnosis.
• To represent Occupational therapy within the Multi-disciplinary team, wider Service, Trust and Profession specific meetings and forums, where required.
Person specification
Education
Essential criteria
- Degree or Diploma in Occupational Therapy
- HCPC Registration
- Evidence of continuing professional and personal development.
- Postgraduate training in Occupational Therapy
Desirable criteria
- Additional relevant qualifications, e.g. Sensory Integration, counselling, CBT, etc.
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- In-depth knowledge of mental health conditions and treatment available including a range of evidence based treatment techniques
- Understanding of recovery process Knowledge of Occupational Therapy Models of Practice Knowledge of relevant legislation relating to mental health
- Knowledge of Safeguarding issues and child protection requirements/legislation and how these apply to the role
Desirable criteria
- Knowledge of VdTMoC
- Awareness of current legislation affecting Mental Health Services.
Experience
Essential criteria
- Significant experience of working in Mental Health and/or a Forensic setting
- Group-work skills. Writing group protocols, group planning, group evaluation
- Ability to work collaboratively as part of a multi- disciplinary team.
- Clinical risk assessment and management
- Experience of leading or assisting in the management of service change projects
Desirable criteria
- Specialist assessment or intervention skills and training.
- Experience in participating in research and or auditing.
Personal Qualities
Essential criteria
- Shares the Trust’s Beliefs and models this in their attitude and behaviour:
- Appreciation of the many aspects of diversity amongst people who work within and use services, and of how structural inequalities affect life experiences, with the ability to adapt your own practice so as to challenge discrimination, reduce inequalities, and promote inclusion.
- Ability to contain and work with organisational stress and ability to contain and hold the stress of others.
Additional Qualities
Essential criteria
- Awareness of level of professional competence
- Full UK Driving Licence
- Able to demonstrate a strong professional identit
- Ability to travel independently across sites as required
- Ability to take responsibility and demonstrate reliability
- Self-Motivated
Applicant requirements
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.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Gemma Robertson
- Job title
- AHP Lead for Specialist Services Care Unit
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07725227845
- Additional information
If an applicant would like to visit the team prior to applying or interview- this would be welcomed.
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