Options for Care is looking to recruit an exceptional Occupational Therapist - Fixed-Term Contract (6-months Maternity Cover) who is passionate about working with individuals with severe and enduring mental health diagnoses.
We are specifically seeking a self-motivated and caring individual who will make a positive contribution to the well-being of our patients through the delivery of high quality evidence based care. We are keen to meet candidates with a recovery focused ethos, who are willing to commit to building and sustaining good therapeutic relationships and positive engagement with patients.
You will focus on occupational performance, complex mental health presentations, risk management and evaluating outcomes aligned to personalised care plans. A therapeutic programme of individual and group interventions will be delivered in collaboration with OT assistants, activity workers and the multi-disciplinary team for effective recovery and discharge. The role will also provide opportunities to bring new ideas to develop the delivery of occupational therapy for service users.
Our two established hospitals, Montague Court and Dartmouth House, have successfully supported the needs of individuals with mental health diagnoses. We also have Orchard House, our recovery home, which provides a safe and supportive environment for individuals on their journey to mental health recovery. Furthermore, we have recently opened Stanford Court, a male high dependency rehabilitation unit.
The successful candidate will work at Dartmouth House, based in Handsworth Wood, Birmingham.
Dartmouth House is a 16-bed male long-term complex care mental health rehabilitation unit based in Handsworth Wood, Birmingham.
Montague Court is an 18-bed male long-term complex care mental health rehabilitation unit based in Edgbaston, Birmingham.
Stanford Court will be a 23-bed male mental health inpatient unit based in Highgate, Birmingham. This will consist of 19 high dependency beds and four self-contained recovery flats to enable assessment of daily living skills in preparation for discharge.
Orchard House is an 8-bed residential step-down service based in Erdington, Birmingham, which allows extension of the long-term complex care pathway.
Overview of main duties
To contribute to the maintenance and development of the Occupational Therapy department for service users in a complex care rehabilitation setting. To provide assessment and treatment of occupational needs, under the supervision of a more senior Occupational Therapist whilst working as an integrated member of the multi-disciplinary team. To promote enabling service users to achieve their aspirations through understanding and implementing the mission, vision and values of the organisation.
About us
Options for Care provides mental health recovery services in Birmingham. Our primary objective is to empower service users and help them realise their full potential through progressive improvements in their quality of life and a steady progression towards recovery, culminating in successful discharge. We are proud to share our unwavering commitment to our mission, vision, and values.
Mission
· Realising Potential
Vision
· We offer best-practice interventions to enable personal recovery and well-being.
Values
· The individual is at the heart of everything we do.
· We inspire, stimulate and empower people to achieve and grow through compassionate, supportive and protective relationships.
· We deliver and continuously evaluate high-quality service whilst respecting differences, promoting dignity and supporting the privacy of others.
At Options for Care, we understand the importance of delivering tailored and holistic support to our service users. Our dedicated team is committed to providing relationship-centred interventions that are grounded in evidence-based practices. We strongly believe that our approach helps individuals lead fulfilling lives and attain their personal objectives. To ensure that we consistently meet our service users' needs, we use recognised assessment tools to track outcomes and make adjustments as needed. Our goal is to empower our service users to live in the least restrictive setting feasible while maintaining their dignity and independence.
Job Description
Job Summary
To contribute to the maintenance and development of the Occupational Therapy department for service users in a complex care rehabilitation setting. To provide assessment and treatment of occupational needs, under the supervision of a more senior Occupational Therapist whilst working as an integrated member of the multi-disciplinary team. To promote enabling service users to achieve their aspirations through understanding and implementing the mission, vision and values of the organisation.
Principle Responsibilities
The post holder will be responsible for the following:
Professional Practice:
· Complete the occupational therapy process with indirect supervision but to seek direct support where required.
· To hold a caseload and maintain occupation at the centre of practice through using effective clinical decision-making and clinical skills in order to assess, treat and evaluate care that meets the service users needs in a timely manner.
· Complete full and holistic assessments of service users occupational performance including areas of self-care, productivity and leisure.
· Facilitate a range of group and individual interventions to meet the needs and therapeutic goals of service users within the unit and local community. These interventions may also be delivered across other aspects of the service.
· Implement practices that promote participation, inclusivity and the rights of people who access occupational therapy services, their families and their carers, in line with their choices.
· Exercise professional judgement to manage risk, including positive risk-taking.
· Ensure service users, carers and colleagues as appropriate receive education, advice and support, within the professional remit of Occupational Therapy.
· Complete all necessary clinical documentation in accordance with relevant organisational policy and professional standards, thus contributing to effective communication i.e. clinical notes, care plans, care plan evaluations, MDT summaries, CPA reports.
Facilitation of Learning:
· Reflect on own practice and be proactive with continuous professional development.
· To record relevant continuing professional development to identify the impact and benefit of your learning for yourself and those accessing your services.
· Consolidate own knowledge, skills and attitudes and identify learning needs of self and others, through proactive participation in regular professional supervision/annual appraisal and reflective practice.
· To work towards/support/offer practice education placements for Occupational Therapy students.
· To contribute to the development and evaluation of educational resources for students, service users, staff etc.
· Contribute and participate in professional networks to promote development, exchange of knowledge, skills and resources.
· Promote the role and value of Occupational Therapy within Options for Care in order to support and inspire people to teach and learn about the value of occupations for health and wellbeing.
· Encourage learning by appropriately challenging complacency, actions and ways of thinking that may not be in the best interests of service users.
Leadership:
· Be responsible and support with the supervision of the Occupational Therapy Assistant and/or Activity Worker, ensuring compliance with company policies and procedures, and reporting any relevant issues to the Clinical Lead OT, including sickness and time management.
· To support in the induction process of new staff within the occupational therapy department.
· To ensure safety, compliance and quality is maintained through adherence to the Royal College of Occupational Therapists Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, and the HCPC standards of proficiency.
· Work in accordance with legislation and organisational guidelines regarding the Mental Health Act (1983), Mental Capacity Act (2005) and Care Programme Approach.
· Manage a designated workload autonomously under the supervision of a more experienced Occupational Therapist; identify priorities, and manage time and resources effectively, within changing and complex environments.
· Contribute to reviewing and developing services as part of a team, and evaluate the effect and outcomes of change, recognising and influencing a change in culture where needed.
· Use a range of communication styles and, where necessary, adapt professional language to influence, advocate for and promote occupational therapy to different audiences within and beyond the profession.
Evidence, Research and Development:
· To deliver an evidence based and occupational focussed service with recognised measurable outcomes in order to demonstrate the value and impact of occupational therapy.
· Acknowledge and respond where appropriate to service users’ feedback regarding the service in order to develop practice. To co-design and co-produce aspects of service development with service users and the support of more experienced colleagues.
· Take part in pre-designed audit, quality improvement and service evaluation projects.
· Contribute to the collection of data for audit purposes as required.
· Develop and maintain professional links within the area specialism of complex care rehabilitation in order to develop and implement best practice, e.g. peer reviews, conferences, RCOT specialist section.
· Keep records of statistical information regarding service user contacts and ensure this is provided to the Clinical Lead Occupational Therapist.
Additional responsibilities:
· To maintain registration with the Health Care Professions Council as an Occupational Therapist.
· Promote, develop and maintain collaborative working relationships with Options for Care colleagues and outside agencies.
· Contribute to the care of equipment and maintenance of stock.
· Ensure resources are available to deliver planned therapeutic activities.
· Partake in daily departmental and service routine procedures such as therapeutic kitchen management etc. and any other duties deemed appropriate to the role.
· Participate in relevant clinical, team, professional and service meetings, to contribute to quality care for service users. Work as a member of the MDT and to utilise skills of other MDT members.
· Ensure effective communication with other members of the clinical team and external agencies. This will include discharge planning.
· Attend statutory and mandatory training as necessary as specified by Options for Care Ltd.
· To support in providing occupational therapy cover across the Options for Care sites as and when deemed necessary, as a means to sustain service provision for the benefit of service users within our care.
Essential Job Requirements
Training and Qualifications:
· BSc hons in Occupational Therapy or a Diploma in Occupational Therapy
· Registration with HCPC
Knowledge and Experience:
· Sound theoretical knowledge of OT
· Awareness of the importance of group work and a range of interventions
· Awareness of current issues and legislation relevant to Mental Health
· Ability to use assessment and OT process
· Able to demonstrate use of OT interventions relevant to inpatient rehabilitation – group and individual work
· Ability to use reflective practice
· Awareness of risk assessment and risk management
Skills:
Communication/Relationship skills:
· Strong interpersonal skills with an ability to communicate with tact and diplomacy to all relevant professionals, patients, relatives and carers.
· Excellent team working skills
· Willing to participate in the education of others i.e. nurse and OT students
Planning & Organisational skills:
· The ability to prioritise work to meet legal and local deadlines.
· Ability to work alone and a committed team member and prioritise own workload.
· Ability to work alongside junior and new members of staff, allocating tasks as appropriate and playing a supportive role in their knowledge, skills and development IT skills:
Use of computer based systems and programmes – Microsoft Word, email. Physical skills:
· Accurate data entry and high quality typing and report writing skills.
· Commitment to accuracy – must have an eye for detail
Mental Effort:
· Ability to be able to concentrate on specific activities
· Ability to be able to deal with conflicting demands
· Ability to work to deadlines
Emotional Effort:
· Ability to deal with distressing or emotional circumstances.
Approach and Values:
· Respect and understand the need for confidentiality
· Self motivated, adaptable and flexible with a conscientious approach to work
· A level of empathy for people with mental health problems and appreciation of their right
· Flexible across hours of work when required
· Able to identify individuals’ potential
· Must be able to work innovatively
Other desirable:
· Food Safety Level 2
· Member of Royal College of Occupational Therapists
· 6 months experience working in mental health
· Experience working in inpatient rehabilitation and recovery settings
In return, at Options for Care, we recognise the immense value of our team members. Our staff is the foundation of our success, and we appreciate their exceptional dedication to our clients. We prioritise employee development and are committed to supporting our staff in every stage of their career journey. Our workplace is warm and welcoming, with necessary assistance and supervision to ensure a positive work environment.
Our comprehensive staff health benefits package further demonstrates our commitment to the well-being of our staff. Our commitment to staff well-being is further evidenced by our individual well-being risk assessments, which are utilised to create personalised support plans for each employee. We take all necessary steps to ensure that our staff are well taken care of, both professionally and personally.
At Options for Care, we pride ourselves on creating a safe and healthy work environment that promotes staff productivity and longevity. That is why we offer competitive compensation, including an annual cost of living pay increase for all our staff members, in addition to an incremental pay system tied to our appraisal process, which is our way of showing gratitude for their exceptional dedication to our service users. This incremental pay pathway includes the first pay rise following the successful completion of a six-month probation period, ensuring that our staff are rewarded for their hard work and commitment to quality care.
We are passionate about creating a positive work environment that fosters growth, development, and well-being. Join us at Options for Care and be part of a team that is dedicated to your success!
If you are interested in applying for the role or wish to have an informal discussion, please email [email protected]
Pay: From £30,357.00 per year
Experience:
- Occupational Therapists: 1 year (preferred)
Licence/Certification:
- HCPC registration (preferred)
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (preferred)
Work Location: In person
