Job summary
- Main area
- Mental Health
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 6
- Contract
- 12 months (This can be Fixed Term contact or secondment with agreement of current line manager)
- Hours
- Full time
- Flexible working
- Job ref
- 354-AN-20813
- Employer
- Sussex Partnership NHS FoundationTrust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Langley Green Hospital
- Town
- Crawley
- Salary
- £37,338 - £44,962 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 10/06/2025 23:59
Employer heading

Senior Occupational Therapist - Home First
NHS AfC: Band 6
Come and join us
We're looking for people who share our values (compassion, accountability and optimism) to help us provide high quality care to the patients, carers, families and local communities we serve. We specialise in providing NHS mental health and learning disability services.
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.
As a Trust we are committed in making a difference. Your development is important to us, so don't forget to ask us during interview what opportunities we can offer. We can offer fully funded lifelong learning opportunities such as an apprenticeship from GCSE to Masters level.
If you like the sound of that, then come and join our team.
Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a band 6 Home First Occupational Therapist to work on our later-life ward at Langley Green Hopsital, Crawley. The role will involve managing a case load, identifying barriers to discharge and offering a range of Occupational Therapy assessments and interventions to support the transition from the ward back into the community.
The Home First, occupational therapy, transitional model teams are now a core part of our later-life ward model of care, across the trust. Home First colleagues describe this work as highly rewarding and satisfying due to the ability to fully utilise OT skills and knowledge in a service user centred way. The model has been highly successful in supporting safe and timely discharges and reducing readmission to hospital and receives overwhelmingly positive feedback from patients, carers and staff.
This is a fantastic development opportunity both for band 6 OT's who wish to broaden their expert knowledge in a clinical specialism and we would also welcome experienced band 5 OT's who have completed their preceptorship and feel ready to increase their level of challenge and responsibility.
We welcome candidates with effective communication and organisation skills, a compassionate, person-centred approach, able to demonstrate confidence and self-awareness and above all a caring attitude and desire to make a difference.
Main duties of the job
To provide specialist occupational therapy interventions for referred clients using evidence based, client centred practice. Based on your assessment, you will tailor your interventions to meet their need. This may include graded exposure, improvement in the home environment, cooking skills practice or building social links with the community. You willwork with clients on the ward and up to 6 weeks in the community, post discharge. You will liaise closely with carers and other professionals involved in the clients care, to ensure joined up, collaborative working.
Working for our organisation
In return for your skills and expertise we can offer you challenging and highly rewarding work within an established, innovative, forward thinking occupational therapy team that prides itself on being supportive, providing regular learning and development opportunities and clinical supervision. The organisation has regular CPD events and networks, and excellent training opportunities, with a professional structure in place.
You will also have access to our fantastic AHP training prospectus and communities of practice including sensory processing, Recovery through Activity, Research and Innovation and Occupational Formulation.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
To enable patients on later life wards to be discharged home safely and effectively and at most optimal time to support their ongoing recovery To prevent loss of skills through long stays and DTOCs To work alongside the wider system (acute in-patient staff, CRHT, community staff and discharge teams/co-ordinators) to facilitate timely discharge from later life wards To enable more timely discharge through provision of follow up Occupational Therapy assessment and re-ablement focussed interventions in the community for up to 4 weeks To enable more assessment and intervention to occur in the individual's own home and social network To ensure patients and their families are engaged in discharge planning as early as possible To provide advice and guidance to community care providers to ensure appropriate individualised care packages are in place To provide advice and guidance to family, friends and carers. To ensure environment is safe and supportive for discharge and any necessary equipment or TEC is provided. To support re-integration into community activities and networks which will further support recovery and reduce likelihood or re-admission To minimise unnecessary stay in acute environments and provide knowledge to staff for effective planning for discharge and move on. This will include the early setting of discharge dates
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
- Management/Leadership training
- Training in the use of standardised occupational therapy assessment tools
Knowledge/Experience
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
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
- Evelyn Assiak
- Job title
- Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07471032024
- Additional information
For an informal chat or to visit the ward please contact Evelyn Assiak - Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist at [email protected]
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