Job summary
This is an exciting opportunity to join the South West London and St George's Perinatal Mental Health Service.
We are looking for an enthusiastic and passionate Band 6 Perinatal Occupational Therapist to join our specialist Perinatal Community Service. Reporting to the Band 7 Specialist Occupational Therapist, the post-holder will work together within our highly skilled multi-disciplinary service comprising of Medics, Nurses, Social Workers, Nursery Nurses, Psychologists, Peer Support Workers, Psychotherapists and administrators.
Main duties of the job
As a Specialist Perinatal Occupational Therapist within the Perinatal Mental Health Service, you will provide a high standard of evidence-based assessment, formulation, and intervention for women experiencing complex and enduring mental health difficulties during the perinatal period.
You will utilise specialist occupational therapy frameworks, including the Model of Human Occupation, to evaluate occupational performance and support women to engage in meaningful self-care, productive, leisure, and mothering roles. Your interventions will promote recovery, wellbeing, and the development of positive mother-infant relationships.
The post holder will manage a defined caseload, undertake comprehensive risk assessments, and contribute to diagnostic and multidisciplinary care formulations. You will also participate in duty and triage functions, supporting the team to meet clinical and performance targets while ensuring safe and effective care.
You will actively contribute to service development and quality improvement initiatives within the team and wider service. The role includes providing clinical supervision, mentoring and training to students.
Collaboration with partner agencies is central to this role, and experience of inter-agency working and child protection procedures is desirable.
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 as we invest a further £120m to upgrade and modernise our estate by 2027.
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 of benefits 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 user with complex mental health needs. 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.
To evaluate effectiveness of therapy interventions and quality of clinical decisions in conjunction with service users/carers, other professionals using outcomes measures etc.
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 user with complex mental health needs. 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.
To evaluate effectiveness of therapy interventions and quality of clinical decisions in conjunction with service users/carers, other professionals using outcomes measures etc.
Person Specification
Training and Qualifications
Essential
- Diploma or degree in Occupational Therapy
- Registration to practice in the UK
Desirable
Knowledge and skills
Essential
- Developed interpersonal skills enabling therapeutic alliances to be developed & maintained with service users who have multiple & complex needs
- Ability to promote & maintain the profile of OT within an MDT & the wider organisation
- Ability to work in a way that minimises risks to health, safety & security of self, service user & members of the public
- Ability to work effectively within a team and understanding of the importance of collaborative working in the delivery of good quality services
- Ability to apply equal opportunities & anti-discriminatory interventions that respect the service users' customs, values & spiritual beliefs
Desirable
Experience
Essential
- Experience of carrying a caseload of service users with complex and diverse needs in a mental health setting
- Experience of working in an inter-professional team.
- Experience of working in a range of mental health settings
- Experience of individual and groupwork
Desirable
- Experience of supervising junior staff
- Post-registration research activity
Person Specification
Training and Qualifications
Essential
- Diploma or degree in Occupational Therapy
- Registration to practice in the UK
Desirable
Knowledge and skills
Essential
- Developed interpersonal skills enabling therapeutic alliances to be developed & maintained with service users who have multiple & complex needs
- Ability to promote & maintain the profile of OT within an MDT & the wider organisation
- Ability to work in a way that minimises risks to health, safety & security of self, service user & members of the public
- Ability to work effectively within a team and understanding of the importance of collaborative working in the delivery of good quality services
- Ability to apply equal opportunities & anti-discriminatory interventions that respect the service users' customs, values & spiritual beliefs
Desirable
Experience
Essential
- Experience of carrying a caseload of service users with complex and diverse needs in a mental health setting
- Experience of working in an inter-professional team.
- Experience of working in a range of mental health settings
- Experience of individual and groupwork
Desirable
- Experience of supervising junior staff
- Post-registration research activity
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 (Opens in a new tab).
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 (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
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 (Opens in a new tab).
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 (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
