Job summary
- Main area
- Occupational Therapy
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 6
- Contract
- 12 months (Fixed term: 12 months)
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 294-CAMHS-7454857-FZ
- Employer
- South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Springfield Hospital
- Town
- Tooting
- Salary
- £46,419 - £55,046 per annum inclusive of Inner London HCAs
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 17/09/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Occupational Therapist (Avalon Ward)
NHS AfC: Band 6
South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust has a rich history, well-established community links and an international reputation. We provide a full range of local mental health services to the Kingston, Merton, Richmond, Sutton and Wandsworth London boroughs, as well as specialist forensic mental health services, including specialised services such as national deaf adults and CAMHS inpatients and OCD.
We are committed to providing high quality integrated health and social care for local people with mental health problems in South West London and more specialist mental health services for people throughout the UK. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as ‘good’ however we aim to be ‘outstanding’.
Our Values
We take pride in providing specialist care to our service users where our Trust values; being consistent, compassionate, collaborative, respectful and open is at the heart of everything we do. Our mission is "making life better together".
When you join us, you’ll be part of something special – an innovative and rapidly growing organisation that is helping to redefine the Mental Health, education and social care landscape in the UK.
As a Trust, we are happy to talk flexible working.
Job overview
An opportunity has arisen for a dynamic, forward-looking Band 6 occupational therapist to join our Adult Eating Disorders Inpatient ward working alongside and occupational therapy apprentice. You will have experience in mental health and occupational therapy and whilst desirable, eating disorder experience is not necessary as full support will be given to develop expertise in this area. This is a great opportunity for as existing Band 6 looking to widen their skills or a Band 5 OT looking to progress their career.
You will be part of a wider occupational therapy team within the eating disorder service and provide specialist assessments and plan and implement treatment for people with severe eating disorders which will include eating with clients on the unit and the community.
Main duties of the job
· To manage a caseload of clients with complex psychological and physical needs, using evidence based/client centred principles to assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions.
· To provide outcome-oriented group and individual occupation-focused interventions including community work.
· To provide safe, effective, quality OT interventions that ensure positive client experience.
· To provide generic keywork or hold a link worker role for a specified number of clients.
· To provide carer interventions.
· To work within other parts of the service as required.
· To participate in the planning, development and evaluation of OT services within the eating disorders service, leading on delegated projects.
· To act as the designated ‘Disability Champion’ leading the multi-disciplinary team in Disability Equality matters within your area and other areas as required.
· To contribute to the maintenance and development of the Trust OT Service
· To support OT students on practice placement.
· To promote recovery and social inclusion.
· To take responsibility for managing clinical risk and single-handedly implementing OT treatment
Working for our organisation
We are Proud to Belong at South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust.
We have expert services, a rich history and a clear commitment to providing the best quality care for those with mental ill-health. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as ‘good’ - we aspire to be ‘outstanding’.
This is a great time to join us. We are transforming the way we care for our communities to support our mission of Making Life Better Together. We have built two brand new mental health facilities at Springfield University Hospital, which are amongst the best in the world. More developments are planned across our sites and services.
We are inclusive and diverse and strive to be actively anti racist. We want to attract people from all backgrounds and experiences to enrich the work we do together. We are proud to co-produce and involve our local communities in all that we do.
We offer flexible working, career development and a variety of benefits to enable a positive, welcoming environment in which our people and their careers can thrive.
About our locations:
Springfield University Hospital, Tooting
Our largest, 19-ward site is in Springfield Village, created following our £150m investment into two new world class mental health facilities. A 32-acre public park, shops and cafes are coming soon. Close to shops, cafes and Tooting Bec on the Northern Line plus Earlsfield and Tooting rail stations and bus routes.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
- To apply a high level of understanding of the effects of disability on occupational performance and provide training and advice on lifestyles changes and adaptations to the client’s social and physical environment.
- To promote equality of outcome for service users that reflect their mental health needs and those of ethnicity, gender, culture physical health and age.
- To promote social inclusion and physical and mental well-being using evidence-based practice. This is underpinned by the principles of hope and recovery, health promotion and relapse prevention.
- To independently manage a clinical caseload of service users with complex mental health needs, taking on the role of keyworker and/or vocational lead where relevant.
- To identify occupational therapy goals as part of the overall care plan, using specialist mental health and occupational therapy assessments, including Model of Human Occupation tools.
- To exercise clinical professional judgement in complex clinical cases and difficult clinical situation, referring to senior staff when necessary.
- To consider both physical and mental health needs as part of the occupational therapy assessment.
- To plan and implement specialist individual and/or group interventions collaboratively, to enable service users to achieve valued goals and satisfactory occupational performance outcome. To use psychological interventions in conjunctions to occupation-focussed interventions (e.g. CBT, DBT, MBT etc)
- To identify any significant risk factors in line with local policies, with support from senior staff.
- To contribute to and work within clinical pathways and protocols.
- To evaluate effectiveness of therapy interventions and quality of clinical decisions in conjunction with service users/carers, other professionals etc.
- To fully adhere to defined OT care pathways or protocols
To work flexible hours according to the requirements
Person specification
Education, Training & Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Diploma or degree in Occupational Therapy
- Registration to practice in the UK
- Evidence of post registration training relevant to mental health practice
Desirable criteria
- Practice placement educators course within one year of appointment
- Training in the theory and application of the model of human occupation
- Training in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
- Training in Dialectic Behaviour Therapy
- Training in Mentalisation Based Treatment
- Training in other psychological interventions
Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience of carrying a caseload in a mental health setting
- Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary team
- Demonstrable post qualification experience in mental health
- Experience of individual and groupwork
- Experience of writing specialist occupational therapy reports
Desirable criteria
- Experience of working in a range of mental health settings
- Experience of working in eating disorders service
- Experience of supervising junior staff
- Successful completion of preceptorship
- Experience of being a practice placement educator
- Experience of using mental health services as a service user, or carer, relative, friend of a service user.
- Experience of participating in a service development project
- Experience working with severely psychologically disturbed clients
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
- Abby Jelley
- Job title
- Ward Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Additional information
Please do contact Abigail Cardwell, Lead OT for Eating Disorders, [email protected], or Abby Jelley, Ward Manager, [email protected] to discuss and / or to arrange a visit to the service.
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