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Job summary

Main area
Occupational Therapy
Grade
Band 5
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
334-CLI-7129402-A
Employer
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Powell Ward
Town
London
Salary
£29,970 - £36,483 per annum plus HCAs
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
29/06/2025 23:59

Employer heading

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust logo

Occupational Therapist (Rotation)

Band 5

 

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 provide a high quality and specialist care to our service users and we are recognised for our 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

It is a perfect time for those finishing their university courses or those who want a change to apply for our popular Band 5 occupational therapy rotation at the South London and Maudsley. Our current Band 5s has just rotated, and we have a number of vacancies we are recruiting to as people have left or got senior posts in the organisation. We have variety of practice settings for you to build your skill set in mental health. The Trust covers most of Southeast London and the Band 5 roles range from inpatient to community to specialist services.

We offer a regular development and preceptorship programmes to support you in your role as a mental health occupational therapist. It provides a supportive and extensive networking system for all our band 5s. We have an excellent track record of staff starting off on the rotation and growing their careers in the Trust moving on to a variety of senior roles in the organisation.

We have great professional development programmes for OTs and our Band 5s take advantage of a range of these opportunities to build their skill and competence in mental health practice. We work closely with service user and cares not only in clinical settings but as they help us develop our services. See the attached film

SLaM Service User Involvement film 2025 v7

vimeo.com

It’s a great place to work! Come and join us!

Main duties of the job

The post holder will oversee and provide occupational therapy assessment, planning, intervention and evaluation to a designated group of people accessing the local team the Band 5 is working in, to promote well-being, recovery and social inclusion. To achieve this, the post holder will hold and integrate both the occupational therapy specific and generic elements of their job, whilst complying with the College of Occupational Therapists Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.

 The rotation covers settings from inpatient acute care, forensic, community and specialist settings such as eating disorders and perinatal services.

Working for our organisation

The South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust provides comprehensive, complex mental health services both locally and nationally. The Trust has approximately 4,000 staff and a budget in excess of £330 million. It is part of Kings Health Partners, the Academic Health Sciences Centre, and (AHSC) we have established with Kings College London, Kings College Hospital and Guys and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trusts.

Directorates are structures which bring together clinical services, education and training and academic activities within a series of single managerial units.

The occupational therapy workforce and associated Allied Health Professions workforce consists of approximately 200 staff based in all the Trust Directorates.

The Band 5 rotation consists of more than 30 posts in a mix of locally based and national specialist units with each rotation period being one year in length.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

  • To undertake occupational therapy assessments for a designated caseload, assessing health and well-being from an occupational perspective. To contribute to assessing and completing risk assessments within the multi-disciplinary team to support a persons recovery. To hold an up to date knowledge of a range of occupational therapy standardised assessments, the models on which they are based and how to carry these out. To develop a working knowledge and use of sensory assessments and interventions in practice. To identify occupationally focused goals taking into consideration the mental, physical, spiritual, psychological and social needs of the service user and that it is sensitive to age, culture, race, gender, ethnicity, social class, sexuality and disability.
  • In collaboration with the service user, to plan and implement individual or group therapeutic interventions using graded activity to achieve therapeutic goals which support their recovery. To use outcome measures that give clear evidence that occupational   therapy has made a difference to peoples occupations and ultimately support social  inclusion and promote recovery. To hold an up to date knowledge of safeguarding principles and know how to respond to any safeguarding concern related to the service. To display an understanding of the potential for distress  and trauma caused by, and social and personal   consequences of mental illness for the service user, their families, carers and support networks.
  • To interact with service users, families, carers and support networks in an empathetic fashion and demonstrate a clear understanding of the effects of disability in the areas of productivity, leisure and activities of daily living. To apply a high level of understanding of the effect of disability and provide training and advice on lifestyle changes and adaptations to the service users social and physical environment. To assess and prescribe small aids and equipment and recommend adaptations to maximise independence for service users in home and community environments, where appropriate. To analyse, grade and adapt individual and group activities to meet the occupational performance and participation, environmental and vocational needs of service users.
  • To routinely implement occupationally focused pathways that clearly identify what service users can expect from their occupational therapy interventions whilst working collaboratively with individuals to ensure treatment is targeted to their specific needs. To ensure all occupational therapy equipment and materials are maintained and stored responsibly and advise on resources needed to carry out group and individual treatments including financial.

Person specification

Qualification

Essential criteria
  • Registered Occupational Therapist
  • HCPC Registered Occupational Therapist
Desirable criteria
  • Membership of occupational therapy professional body and special interest group

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Previous mental health practice placement experience
  • Experience of occupational therapy assessment and models on which these are based
  • Experience of delivering group interventions
  • Experience of delivering individual interventions
Desirable criteria
  • Experience of inner city, multicultural environments
  • Experience of working with service users with complex or challenging behaviours
  • Experience of working with mental health service users in other contexts

Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • Good understanding of mental health conditions and treatment models and approaches. Demonstrate understanding of the purpose and value of clinical, professional and managerial supervision
  • Basic knowledge of legislation and current drivers relevant to mental health. Demonstrate commitment to evidence base practice
  • Basic knowledge of the principles of CPA (Care Programme Approach). Understanding of Occupational Therapy Professional Code of Conduct
  • Basic knowledge and understanding of risk assessment and management principles
  • Demonstrate understanding of the importance of service user involvement and client centred practice
Desirable criteria
  • Knowledge and understanding of the concepts of recovery and social inclusion
  • Training and presentation skills

Skills and Abilities

Essential criteria
  • Good communication skills, both verbal and written, IT literate
  • Ability to reflect on and appraise own performance
  • Ability to organise own workload and manage time effectively
  • Ability to work effectively as a member of a team

Other

Essential criteria
  • Willingness to develop and advance own learning and understanding of mental health and occupational therapy, and to contribute to research, clinical effectiveness measures and audit

Employer certification / accreditation badges

London Healthy workplaceCapital Nurse, LondonNo smoking policyLondon Living Wage is a voluntary commitment made by employers, who can become accredited with the Living Wage FoundationImproving working livesMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Stonewall Silver 2022Disability confident employerStonewall equality policy. Equality and justice for lesbians, gay men, bisexual and trans people.Armed Forces Covenant Bronze AwardHappy to Talk Flexible WorkingArmed Forces Covenant

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

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Chikaodili Obi
Job title
OT Services & Development Manager
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
07814732696
Additional information

Can be contacted between 09:00 - 17:00 Monday to Friday

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