Occupational Therapy Assistant

Are you passionate about enabling older adults to achieve their best quality of life and assist the occupational therapist in completing assessments to identify individual's needs and then implementing treatment plans then this is the job for you., To support the delivery of occupational therapy interventions for older adults with mental health conditions. The role is primarily focused on the assessment and treatment of individual's functional needs in order to promote independence, enhances quality of life, and supports mental health recovery., To work as part of the Occupational Therapy Service implementing Occupational Therapy programmes under the direction of qualified staff.
· Following in-house training carry out functional assessments to determine individuals occupational performance in activities of daily living
· Carry out delegated targeted interventions on a 1:1 or group basis as directed by the Occupational Therapist.
· Carry out delegated treatments to remove barriers to discharge and enable individuals to be discharged to least restrictive accommodation
· Provide a range of wellbeing interventions to aid recovery and improve health and function
· Provide a range of wellbeing interventions to gain coping skills and promote health
· Carry out targeted interventions on a 1:1 or group basis
· To utilise therapeutic strategies to engage patient to maximise function and limit the loss of independence
· To develop rapport with patients to encourage their interest and develop/maintain skills.
· To be aware of individual patients' needs and risks through communication with Occupational Therapy and Nursing staff.
· To gather information on patient's function both through reading through records and direct patient contact and report to the Occupational Therapist to support recovery and discharge.
· To observe general behaviour, ability and response of patients to engagement in interventions
· To have an awareness of the situations that may make patients vulnerable or at risk.
· To report any concerns immediately to qualified staff.
· To respect patients choices and confidentiality at all times.
· To record interventions in an agreed format.
· Any other tasks delegated by qualified staff as appropriate to grade and experience.
· To support the administration of the team as required.
· To complete necessary statistical information, e.g. daily diary sheets.
· To note any faulty equipment and inform qualified staff.
· To ensure work areas are kept clean and tidy.
· Attend professional Occupational Therapy meetings as required.
· To undertake annual appraisal and to contribute constructively to the supervision process.
· To comply with policies and agreed procedures for annual leave, sickness and time owing.
· Any other duties as delegated by your Director or Chief Executive commensurate with the responsibilities of this post.
In addition to the above duties you will also be expected to perform the below key activities in line with your job role;
- Complete mandatory training in line with Trust policy and procedures
- To participate in the staff appraisal process and proactively participate in supervision
- To keep yourself updated on all matters relating to Trust policy
- To keep up to date clinical records in line with professional standards and local record keeping policies.
- To undertake any other ward-based activities as required
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.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Applications for this role should be written by the applicant. If artificial intelligence (AI) programmes are used then the application may be rejected due to this document being an important part of the assessment process. This does not prevent applicants seeking appropriate support with applications should they need to for the purposes of any declared disability.
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.

If you are ready to make a difference and grow your career with a supportive team - we want to hear from you. We provide in-house training and will consider applicants that are thinking about our EPUT apprenticeships.

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., 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.