Occupational Therapist

You will be working closely with the Occupational Therapy team to provide OT support on the wards. Our interventions, both individual and group, are guided by the VdT Model of Creative Ability. This includes undertaking initial assessments, treatment planning and implementation, and providing ADL assessments as required. The acute inpatient service in Chelmsford provides 24-hour treatment and care in a safe and therapeutic setting, actively engaging and involving people who are experiencing an acute mental health episode. Patients receive individual care and treatment based on Care Programme Approach (CPA)., Clinical Duties:
1. To assess clients referred to the service.
2. To utilise specialist assessments when presented with complex cases.
3. To make decisions on the level of treatment intervention required.
4. To undertake treatment planning, communicating and negotiating treatment plans and clinical reasoning for intervention with clients and their carers.
5. To liaise closely with community Occupational Therapy Department as required.
6. To communicate agreed treatment/care plans to multi-disciplinary team colleagues and partnership agencies and liaise with them at formal and informal meetings.
7. To work in collaboration with others to modify aspects of the environment in order to empower clients and facilitate optimal functional performance.
8. To liaise with Social Services and Housing Organisations concerning provision of equipment and home adaptations.
9. To manage a complex caseload.
10. To apply a variety of treatment modalities to meet the needs of clients in individual or group format, utilising clinical reasoning processes to determine the most appropriate setting for intervention.
11. To make clinically informed decisions in order to delegate aspects of client care to assistants, junior staff, students, carers and statutory or non-statutory bodies.
12. To regularly review clients' progress in order to evaluate and interpret effectiveness of treatment plans, and amend treatment or discharge clients accordingly.
13. To ensure that treatment offered is based on the best available evidence for effectiveness in the specialist area where it is applied.
14. To develop and initiate interventions based on the integration of theoretical knowledge in order to meet unique client needs.
15. To keep up to date clinical records in line with professional standards and local record keeping policies.
16. To provide written and verbal reports as required at any stage in the treatment process in line with Occupational Therapy Clinical Governance Standards.
Indirect Clinical Duties:
1. To attend clinical case discussions at meetings or ward rounds
2. To utilise evidence based practice.
3. To undertake day to day clinical prioritisation and work planning, supported by Head/Senior Occupational Therapist.
4. To promote the roles and skills of Occupational Therapy to other professionals.
5. To contribute constructively to multi-disciplinary team working.
6. To complete necessary statistical records and documentation as required.
Profession Specific Duties:
1. To attend professional Occupational Therapy meetings as required.
2. To attend appropriate training events as appropriate to support continuing professional development.
3. To complete Preceptorship programme in the first year.
4. To maintain a continuing professional development portfolio identifying learning objectives
5. To undertake annual appraisal.
6. To contribute constructively to the weekly supervision process.
7. To comply with agreed policies for annual leave, sickness and time owing
8. To attend Basic Grade Support Groups.
9. To promote and maintain high standards and professional behaviour in Occupational Therapy as stated in the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct for Occupational Therapists.
Any other duties as delegated by your Director or Chief Executive commensurate with the responsibilities of this post.
Please note - staff who are formally at risk within the organisation will be given priority in securing alternative employment. Should it come to light that a post being advertised by the Trust is considered 'suitable alternative employment' to an individual who is at risk, the recruiting manager will be advised and the post will be withdrawn from NHS Jobs.
Important Professional References
Make sure that as a part of your application you have professional references with business contract information covering your last three year employment history. We are unable to accept personal or character references.
As a newly appointed employee you are responsible for incurring the cost of your initial DBS check relevant to your post, the amount will be deducted from your first salary with the Trust.
Applications for Job Share are positively welcomed.

This post will particularly suit a motivated, experienced, treatment focussed and skilled Occupational Therapist, who is competent in case management with a focus on utilising Occupational Therapy approaches and interventions that support recovery. A knowledge of VdTMoCA is desirable but not essential as in-house training will be available. We are seeking a resilient enthusiastic individual who is committed to the provision of therapy within the inpatient service. You will be working as part of a multi-disciplinary team, including nurses, support workers, psychiatrists and psychology. It is important that you are able to work autonomously whilst adopting a flexible and positive approach.

EPUT provides community health, mental health and learning disability services to support more than 3.2 million people living across Bedfordshire, Essex and Suffolk. Also:
+ We are among the largest employers in the in the East of England region, with more than 10,000 staff working across more than 200 sites.
+ We run the COVID-19 vaccination programme across mid and south Essex and Suffolk and north east Essex.
EPUT was formed on 1 April 2017 following the merger of North Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (NEP) and South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (SEPT). A new leadership team was established at the Trust in 2020.

Our vision and values
Our Vision
"To be the leading health and wellbeing service in the provision of mental health and community care".
Our Purpose
"We care for people every day. What we do together, matters".
Our Values
+ We Care
+ We Learn
+ We Empower
Our strategic objectives
+ We will deliver safe, high quality integrated care services.
+ We will enable each other to be the best that we can.
+ We will work together with our partners to make our services better.
+ We will help our communities to thrive.
Our services
+ Mental Health Services
+ Community Health Services
+ Learning Disabilities Services
+ Social Care
Find out more about the services we offer in our service directory., If you are looking for an exciting new challenge this could be the opportunity you are looking for. A vacancy has arisen for a Band 5 Occupational Therapist working within the mental health inpatient team, based at the Linden Centre in Chelmsford. This team provides support across four wards: Finchingfield, a male-only ward; Galleywood, a female-only ward; Topaz, a mixed-gender ward; and The Christopher Unit, a mixed-gender psychiatric intensive care unit. The acute inpatient service in Chelmsford provides 24-hour treatment and care in a safe and therapeutic setting, actively engaging and involving people who are experiencing an acute mental health episode. Patients receive individual care and treatment based on Care Programme Approach (CPA).
The AHP leadership is committed to provide ongoing and continuous professional development for all staff. We offer exceptional education, training and development opportunities as well as a wide range of benefits, which include salary sacrifice schemes and the opportunity to buy or sell up to 1 week of annual leave to support a healthy work-life balance., The Trust has the right to expire vacancies prior to the closing date if they so wish. The Trust makes every attempt to contact all applicants and we strongly advise that you check the email account which is registered with NHS Jobs regularly, we would advise however due to the high number of applications we receive that if you have not heard from us within three weeks of the closing date your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults, and expect all staff to undertake this commitment. Applicants will be subject to robust safer recruitment processes.
Covid Vaccination
Although Covid vaccinations are no longer a mandatory requirement within the NHS we continue to encourage and support the vaccination uptake as this remains the best line of defence against Covid19. The safety of our staff and patients is a top priority for us at EPUT.
If you would like to book a Covid vaccination or would like more information please contact us by emailing [email protected].

EPUT are looking for motivated staff who shares our Trust values of Care, Learn and Empower. In return, EPUT can offer you a range of benefits and development including;
+ Season Ticket Loans
+ NHS discounts for staff
+ Excellent Training facilities and opportunities
+ Buying and Selling annual leave scheme
+ The opportunity to work bank shifts and expand knowledge and experience in other areas
+ Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars and Cycle to Work
+ Day One Flexible Employer
The Trust supports and actively encourages flexible working for all employees. We offer many options and you are encouraged to ask the recruiting manager what is possible for this role. If appointed, you will have the opportunity to apply for a flexible working request from the first day of your employment
Join our Staff bank
What is Staff Bank?
Our EPUT NHS staff bank is an entity managed by the trust that hires clinical and non-clinical healthcare professionals to take on shifts at our trust hospitals and community settings. Here at EPUT we maintain our own bank of specialist staff to ensure that we are able offer safe and effective care at all times.
All our permanent staff are automatically enrolled onto the staff bank however this does not mean you have to work any additional shifts, but the option is there for you if you wish.
If you are joining our Trust in a fixed term role, please indicate on your New Starter Paperwork that you wish to join our staff bank.