General Practice Occupational Therapist with mental health experience

Job description

Job responsibilities

Primary Care Occupational Therapist Band 7 with strong Mental Health Care Focus

Hope Farm Medical Centre is a general practice with an appetite for innovation and creativity which is underpinned by a strong belief in traditional primary care values. We nurture a culture which is modern, vibrant and forward-thing, and an exciting new opportunity has arisen for an experienced Occupational Therapist in Primary Care. This innovative role will be a developmental post, enabling the successful applicant to help develop and embed the role into primary care and enhance the mental health support and wellbeing service offered to patients at Hope Farm Medical Centre.

The successful applicant will be dynamic, innovative and motivated with an understanding and passion for multi-disciplinary team working, taking a lead role in the development of collaborative working between mental health services across primary, secondary and tertiary care partnerships. Excellent communication, relationship- building and team work skills are therefore vital for this role.

The post holder will be pivotal in driving change for the delivery of occupational therapy services in primary care at Hope Farm Medical Centre for people experiencing mental health difficulties, drawing on and increasing the strengths and capacities of local communities.

Job Summary

You will be enhancing the service delivered by the multidisciplinary team at Hope Farm Medical Centre by supporting patients to help better manage their own self-care, keep them well, and reduce visits to the practice the patient may otherwise have needed to make. You will be helping to develop an innovative service in a primary care setting, focusing on early intervention for individuals with complex needs, preventing escalation of mental health problems, and wider deterioration of the individuals we support in practice.

In your role, you will be promoting the value of physical and mental health needs equally, for our patient population, the multi-disciplinary team, and the wider care community. You will be helping to upskill other primary health care professionals at Hope Farm Medical Centre, and support their understanding in delivering more collaborative and coordinated self-care and environmental adjustment advice to benefit patient care. Following an assessment you will focus on resolving health and social issues at an early stage, helping to minimise crisis situations that result in appropriate presentation or admission to residential or hospitalised care.

You will contribute to the development of new and innovative concepts, models, methods and practices in order to support/deliver new and improved proactive general practice and primary care services at Hope Farm Medical Centre. You will have the autonomy to deliver a new service that you will help design to holistically assess the patients needs in a person centred manner, with your training and experience in addressing both mental health and physical health needs simultaneously.

Rationale for Creating the Post

We have a focus on enhancing the mental health support and wellbeing services that we offer in practice. Our team need a professional with the skills to support a cohort of patients with complex needs who will benefit from person-centred care planning.

• It is estimated that 9 out of 10 adults with mental health needs are supported in primary care. Occupational therapy has been identified as one of the five key professions for mental health. Your knowledge and experience will help to reduce pressure on primary care services by ensuring timely interventions that will prevent peoples mental health problems from escalating.

• For example, supporting frail and vulnerable elderly patients who do not require secondary services, but are high risk of needing increased levels of support in the future if a proactive approach is not taken.

• Those who are off work on long-term sick, or may need support in returning to work

• Those with mental health issues that need a higher level, or more immediate support than what is provided by IAPT services, but do not meet the threshold for support under secondary mental health care services.

• For those patients presenting with co-morbidities or complex needs, your contribution to the Multi-disciplinary team, will free up GPs to review medical needs whilst you address extrinsic environmental risk factors and reduce behavioural risk factors.

Job Responsibilities

Overall

• Autonomously manage a caseload of clients using evidence based/patient-centred principles to assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions.

• Work closely with the social prescribing team to sign-post patients to the appropriate support services available to continue to promote their long-term recovery

• Acting within your professional boundaries, you will provide intervention for the presenting patient from initial history taking, clinical assessment, diagnosis, treatment and evaluation of their care within set parameters.

• Assist the Multidisciplinary team in reducing inappropriate interventions, crisis interventions, and secondary care referrals by helping patients maintain their health and wellbeing through better self-care, patient independence and necessary environmental adjustments

• Teach and inform the public and health professionals about occupational therapies to improve their health outcomes and ensure they live well. Delivering health promotion initiatives to the local community

• Work to ensure occupational therapy is included as a priority in ongoing patient self-care and condition management

• Improve the independence, self-care skills, of patients

• Assess, plan, implement and evaluate treatment plans, with an aim to increase patients productivity and self-care

• Work with patients through a shared decision making approach to plan realistic, outcome-focused goals

• Undertake both verbal and non-verbal communication methods to address the needs of patients that have communication difficulties

• Involve MDT colleagues, other professionals, carers and family members in treatments plans to aid rehabilitation

• Work closely with Social Prescribing Link Workers and wider wellbeing team to overcome barriers to engaging with these services.

• Critically analyse, undertake appraisal and synthesis of current research outcomes and relevant literature in order to maintain expert levels of knowledge and practice.

• Support the ongoing re-design of the Occupational Therapy service to achieve a community based integrated structure and roles.

• Undertake promotional activities i.e. presentations at conferences and courses, including teaching other professionals with regards to Occupational Therapy in General Practice.

• Participate in the planning, development and evaluation of the Occupational Therapy Service.

• Participate in CPD, including audit and research.

Mental Health Specific Responsibilities

• Lead and deliver an innovative service that improves access to mental health support in primary care, and supports individuals with mental health problems to achieve their full potential.

• Provide access to mental health advice and promote holistic wellbeing and coping strategies to support individuals to get the help they need at the right time and closer to home.

• Carry out mental health risk assessments

• Work with individuals presenting with personality disorder traits that may be inappropriate for primary care referrals, support with emotional regulation, design personalized plans and support them to then engage with Social Prescribing Link Workers and other local groups

• Teach coping strategies and support adaptation to manage long-term conditions for physical and mental health needs

• Work directly with our youth social prescribing link worker to support young people with mental health problems transition well into adulthood by helping them achieve their full educational potential.

• Assess and generate plans to address employment needs for those working with mental health problems.

• Develop plans to improve the physical health of people with serious mental health problems, incorporating and promoting independence in activities of daily living and healthy occupations, including interventions that tackle diet, smoking, alcohol consumption and encourage exercise.

• Build working relationships with other services within our care community, such as leisure centres and sports clubs to ensure accessibility to physical activity for people with serious mental health problems

• Conduct assessments of both mental health and social needs and make relevant referrals to appropriate services.

Physical Health Specific Responsibilities

• Provide compensatory techniques to improve an individuals ability to complete self-care tasks following a change in functional abilities by improving strength and endurance

• Caregiver training and advice

• Periodically review, evaluate, and change rehabilitation programmes to rebuild lost skills and restore confidence

• Where appropriate, advise on home, school and workplace environmental alterations such as wheelchair access adjustments, technological needs and ergonomic support

• Teach coping strategies and support adaptation to manage long-term conditions for physical and mental health needs

• Advise on specialist equipment and organisations to help with activities of daily living

• Provide expert advice in adaptive equipment and home modifications, eg through home evaluations

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• BSc in or pre-reg MSc in Occupational Therapy under a training programme approved by the Royal College of Occupational Therapists
• Registered member of the Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC)
• GCSE Grade A-C in English and Maths

Desirable

• Evidence of attendance on relevant courses/advanced training in Mental Health care
• Member of Royal College Occupational Therapists

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working at AfC Band 7 in previous role
• Able to operate at an advanced level of practice
• Experience working of working within mental health care settings
• Evidence of continuous professional development and the practical application of new skills to the work place
• Evidence of supporting service compliance with clinical governance requirements.
• Extensive experience in managing a complex caseload.
• Displays inter-professional and multi-agency team working
• including direct involvement with carers and families.
• Evidence of ability to negotiate service development.

Skills, capabilities and behaviours

Essential

• Strong Computer Literacy and IT skills and working in an IT-dependent environment with Information system Management
• Ability to manage time and workload effectively and able to prioritise, organise and manage workload, identifying and addressing matters which require urgent attention, maintaining focus over a period of time.
• Competent in conducting mental health risk assessments
• Excellent attention to detail
• Self-motivated and able to work independently and autonomously
• To use adapted manual handing techniques to incrementally improve client capacity to be independent.
• To be able to assess complex presentations and co-ordinate community resources to meet identified needs.
• Autonomous practitioner with self-management skills.
• Proven clinical reasoning/problem solving skills within practice.
• Planning and prioritisation of workload.
• Communicate complex information to a wide audience and adapt approach accordingly.
• Knowledge of current health and social care policies and application in clinical area.
• Organisational skills e.g. initiate multi-agency/ professional home visits.
• Evidence of critical appraisal/analytical thought
• Mechanisms of Audit and research methodology
• Inspirational, with ability to motivate a team
• Flexible, positive, problem solving approach
• Ability to work autonomously and within a team
• Able to work and remain calm and polite under pressure
• Approachable
• Highly motivated
• Open and honest
• To strive for excellence and effectiveness at all times

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Hope Farm Medical Centre

Address

Hope Farm Road

Great Sutton

Ellesmere Port

Cheshire

CH66 2WW

Employer's website

https://www.hopefarmmedicalcentre.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)