Job summary
Are you passionate about the needs of autistic people? Are you looking for a new challenge which enables you to develop skills in a supportive environment?
We are seeking a dynamic, highly motivated Occupational Therapist who is committed to supporting in the delivery of autism services.
The post holder will contribute to the development and delivery of a care pathway, providing a 1:1 and group programme under the leadership of an experienced and established Band 7 Occupational Therapist.
The post holder will be required to work autonomously and within professional guidelines whilst providing specialist interventions for individuals with a diagnosis of Autism.
Career Progression pathways and development opportunities:
This is an exciting opportunity for a skilled Occupational Therapist.
The post holder will build on experience of offering clinical interventions to autistic people. The post holder will develop skills in the delivery of group sessions and individual 1:1 assessments and sessions, both face to face and virtually.
Main duties of the job
- To work collaboratively alongside the lead Occupational Therapist and Merton and Sutton Autism Team to implement and evaluate post diagnostic support for individuals with Autism.
- To support the delivery of a clinical pathway for individuals with autism requiring post diagnosis intervention.
- To provide specialist Occupational Therapy and to be responsible for implementing and evaluating time limited post diagnostic interventions.
- To audit, review and report on outcomes against set key performance indicators.
- To provide leadership to junior staff involved in the autism service.
- To liaise with colleagues internal and external to the team to ensure referrals and discharges are effectively co-ordinated and any risks are appropriately communicated and managed.
- To attend and contribute to relevant clinical meetings.
- To develop and maintain professional practice within the field of Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Agile and flexible working:
As one of the few Trusts in London we are proud to offer flexible working as part of our new ways of working, and we are happy to talk flexible working and how the 0.4WTE (2 days a week) role will be offered at the interview stage.
About us
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 ofbenefits to enable a positive, welcoming environment in which our people and their careers can thrive.
Come and join our inclusive teams and help our patients on their recovery journey.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To promote equality of outcome for service users that reflect their mental health needs and those of ethnicity, gender, culture, physical health and age ensuring all OT interventions are fully accessible.
To promote social inclusion and physical and mental well-being using evidence-based practice underpinned by the principles of hope and recovery, health promotion and relapse prevention.
To independently manage a clinical caseload of service users.
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 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 identify and manage risk factors in line with local policies, with support from senior staff.
To contribute to and work within identified clinical pathways and protocols.
Person Specification
Qualitification
Essential
- Diploma or degree in Occupational Therapy
- Registration to practice in the UK
- Evidence of post registration training relevant to mental health practice
- Commitment to participate in training in the theory and application of the model of human occupation within the first 4 months of appointment
Desirable
- Practice placement educators course within one year of appointment
- Apple registration
Experience
Essential
- Experience of carrying a caseload in a mental health setting
- Experience of working in a multidisciplinary team
- Experience of maintaining a written record of continual professional development
- Experience of participating in a service development project
- Experience of writing specialist occupational therapy reports
- Experience of individual and group-work
Desirable
- Experience of working in a range of mental health settings
- Experience of supervising junior staff
- Experience of undertaking and/or involvement in audit
- Experience of being a practice placement educator mentor in OT
Knowledge & Skills
Essential
- Developed interpersonal skills enabling therapeutic alliances to be developed & maintained with service users who have multiple & complex needs
- Basic word processing and IT skills
- Proficient standard of written communication skills
- Ability to reflect upon and critically appraise own performance
- Ability to work in a way that minimises risks to health, safety & security of self, service user & members of the public
- Ability to monitor work areas & practices to maintain a healthy, safe and secure working environment.
- Ability to apply equal opportunities & anti-discriminatory interventions that respect the service users' customs, values & spiritual beliefs
- Good personal management skills in order to manage a clinical caseload & varied workload
Desirable
- Audit skills
- Working knowledge of model of human occupation tools
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website .
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants .
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website .
Employer details
Employer name
South West London and St Georges Mental Health NHS Trust
Address
Jubilee Health Centre
Shotfield
London
SM6 0HY