Job summary
- Main area
- Community MH Lead Occupational Therapist
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 7
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 333-J-BR-0737
- Employer
- Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Park Royal Centre for Mental Health
- Town
- London
- Salary
- £51,883 - £58,544 per annum inc HCAS
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 11/07/2025 23:59
- Interview date
- 22/07/2025
Employer heading
Lead Occupational Therapist
NHS AfC: Band 7
Job overview
Come and join us and be one of the friendly and supportive 350+ Occupational Therapists in CNWL. We work in many different teams in both physical and mental health, as well as a number of specialist areas. You could have a career for life with us & maintain your dual skills.
OT's in CNWL are very fortunate in having a long-established professional structure & this includes an AHP director, Trust-wide Professional Head of OT, borough and specialist Head OTs.
Personal and professional development is a high priority for the profession and is underpinned by our OT R&D strategy, R& D specialist groups and OT clinical networks. This enables us to invest in the development of our staff by providing excellent internal training as well as commissioning specialised external training and providing quality supervision. This ensures all our OTs reach their full potential at every stage of their career. Our commitment to research, audit and EBP is made possible by our strong links with local universities.
The ideal candidate:
- Wants to work in a managerial role whilst continuing to develop their clinical expertise
- Has an interest in service development
- Demonstrates good leadership skills
- Committed to CPD for themselves and their team
- Experienced & motivated Band 6 or 7
- Work autonomously & manage their workload effectively
- Likes working in an environment of change & the opportunities that bring for improvement and development
Main duties of the job
We actively support the next generation of OTs through apprenticeships, student placements and the promotion of the profession as a career in schools. We are proud of the diversity in our workforce but have invested time in supporting and developing this further through our BAME OT group.
If you are an OT who strives for excellent and wants to develop to your full potential then we would welcome your application.
Band 7 OTs enrich teams and the service with their managerial and clinical expertise. We recognise this and therefore view them as staff we are committed to fully supporting in their clinical and managerial development. There will be opportunities to lead on trust wide OT projects, shadow senior managers and become a clinical specialist through an ACP programme.
The post holder will oversee the Occupational Therapy provision across 3 Community Mental Health Teams and our Early Intervention in Psychosis Service.
This is a great time to join our team as there are exciting development plans in process, providing loads of opportunity to hone skills and gain experience in service development and improvement. Whilst leading and supervising a team of OTs and providing expert clinical provision to people in the community.
Working for our organisation
Our offer to you:
- Receive monthly supervision from the Head OT for Brent Mental Health
- Exciting opportunities to develop a new community OT service working collaboratively with a multifarious MDT including third sector organisations.
- Get involved in the established Research and Development structures in Occupational Therapy, including specialist forums and valuable networks.
- Represent OT and the trust by attending conferences and relevant opportunities or events.
- Experience organising and chairing OT meetings that include CPD activities such as reviewing new research/articles, sharing best practice, reflective space
- A bespoke 1:1 induction by Head OT tailored to your specific needs.
- A truly inclusive and diverse workspace
- Nationally leading trust wide staff networks
- Staff health and wellbeing schemes
- QI training and support to bring your strengths and skills to service development
- Flexible working
The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see the job description for full details on the role.
- The Band 7 Specialist OT will sit within Brent Community Mental Health Service. They will develop, deliver and oversee the provision of Occupational Therapy across the three community hubs and EIS.
- To provide professional and clinical leadership, and expertise to the occupational therapists working within Brent Community.
- To work effectively in partnership and collaboration with a range of agencies and community providers that support service users in their recovery.
- To ensure that all interventions amplify an individual’s self-management skills in line with the principles and ethos of recovery and social inclusion.
- To be involved with the development and implementation of psychosocial pathway, including facilitation of groups and our step 2 and 3 offer.
- To manage a defined complex occupational therapy caseload using evidence based and person-centred principles to assess, plan, implement and evaluate specialist OT treatment.
- To work in conjunction with the Borough Head OT and other Lead OTs in the Trust to support the development of and promote evidence-based OT within the community roles.
- To work in conjunction with senior staff in the MDT and our community to support the development of services in Brent Community Mental Health.
To provide training and education to occupational therapists and other professionals with regard to how occupation may assist the recovery of service users across community services. - To jointly work with other Lead OTs in community services in CNWL to develop services including specific projects, audit and research
- To act as an educator to students on practice placement.
- To act as mentor for OT apprenticeships as required
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- 1. Degree/Diploma in Occupational Therapy.
- 2. HCPC registered Occupational Therapist.
- 3. Practice Placement Educator’s Course.
- 4. Mental health specific workshops and short courses
Desirable criteria
- 1. Post graduate training specific to clinical specialty
- 2. Management & Leadership training.
- 3. PSI Training.
Experience
Essential criteria
- 1. Significant post qualification experience working in mental health services.
- 2. Experience working in trauma informed services
- 3. Experience in participating in audit / research projects.
- 4. Experience in leading and/or developing a service/component of a service
- 5. Experience in using a range of standardised OT assessments including MOHO assessments
- 6. Experience of supervising and appraising staff / unqualified staff; recruitment and workforce planning
- 7. Experience in managing resources e.g. financial, stock, equipment etc
- 8. Experience of effective partnership working, with external providers, in promoting socially inclusive opportunities for service users.
- 9. Experience in completing Risk Assessment Tools
- 10. Experience in partnership working with external agencies.
- 11. Experience in managing a complex caseload
Desirable criteria
- 1. Experience in managing complex HR issues with staff e.g. the management of performance / long term sickness.
- 2. Experience in budget management
- 3. Experience in supporting young people in CAMHS or paediatric services
- 4. Experience in a variety of mental health settings
- 5. Experience in completing Root Cause Analysis investigations.
Skills, Knowledge & Abilities
Essential criteria
- Individual and group work assessment and intervention skills.
- Ability to deal with sensitivities and complexities, using interpersonal skills
- Effective leadership skills through the management of designated projects, audits and research.
- Skills in producing timely, accurate and informative reports and notes
- Presentation skills
- Excellent communication skills i.e. written, verbal, listening and proficient use of up to date systems of communication i.e. IT systems, e-mail, fax, telephone etc
- Knowledge of personal recovery principles and their application to service delivery
- Clear concept of Occupational Therapy and models of practice.
- Ability to work autonomously, on own initiative and under pressure to meet deadlines; & to make and action decisions independently within agreed time frames.
- Ability to deputise in the absence of the Head OT
- Ability to prioritise workload, delegate effectively and to support junior staff to do so.
- Ability to regularly identify and undertake appropriate learning and development opportunities as part of ongoing CPD.
- Ability to ensure the application of risk assessment and risk management strategies which facilitates a service user’s recovery.
- Ability to identify and effectively manage performance of self and others.
- Ability to determine the impact of mental and physical conditions on a service user’s functional ability and undertake assessment/make recommendations with regards to the provision of equipment/aids and adaptations.
Desirable criteria
- R&D experience at post graduate level.
- Delivery of formal presentations and teaching sessions.
- Chairing of senior meetings.
- Training in psychological therapies e.g. DBT, CBT
- Membership of RCOT and Specialist Sections.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
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
- Aila Bruce
- Job title
- Head OT Brent MH and LD
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Additional information
If you have any more questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. I would encourage informal chats or visits prior to application and I am happy to offer further information. Please email me to arrange a convenient time.
List jobs with Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust in Allied Health Professions or all sectors