Occupational Therapy Assistant

Job Overview An exciting opportunity has arisen for a motivated and enthusiastic Band 3 Occupational Therapy Assistant to join the Occupational Therapy team within Acute Adult Mental Health Inpatient Services at Rochford Hospital. You will play a key role in supporting service users on their recovery journey by delivering meaningful therapeutic activities, facilitating groups, and promoting engagement, independence, and wellbeing. Working alongside Occupational Therapists and the wider multidisciplinary team, you will contribute to a compassionate, recovery-focused service that makes a real difference to people's lives every day.

Main duties of the job

• Support Occupational Therapists in the assessment, planning, and delivery of therapeutic interventions.
• Facilitate and co-facilitate a range of therapeutic groups and activity programmes.
• Encourage and motivate service users to engage in meaningful activities that promote recovery, independence, and wellbeing.
• Assist service users in developing daily living, social, and vocational skills.
• Monitor, record, and report service users' progress and participation in therapeutic activities.
• Maintain accurate and timely clinical records in line with Trust policies and professional standards.
• Work collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team to deliver person-centred care.
• Contribute to the development of individual treatment plans and recovery-focused goals.
• Promote a safe, supportive, and therapeutic ward environment.
• Support risk management processes and follow safeguarding procedures where appropriate.
• Assist with the organisation and preparation of therapeutic resources and activity materials.
• Participate in supervision, training, service development, and continuous professional development activities.
• Uphold Trust values, policies, and procedures at all times.

Working for our organisation Valuing you. Recognising your dedication. At EPUT, we look after you.

• Receive supervision and support to help you fulfil your potential.
• Join an inclusive EPUT community and connect with others through engagement events and equality or champion networks.
• If you need help, we provide mental health and wellbeing services, occupational health advice and counselling.

Benefits

• 27 days holiday, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days after 10 years’ service.
• Excellent pension of up to 14.5% of your pensionable pay.
• Staff discounts include Blue Light Card, NHS discount offers, and staff benefits.
• Season ticket loans are interest-free to cover the cost of travelling to and from work via tram, rail, or bus.

Work that wraps around your needs

• Job share: Applications for job shares are welcomed.

Please be aware that, due to current allocation constraints, Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) are being prioritised for registered roles at this time. Important note: please ensure that as part of your application, you include professional references with business contact information covering your last three years of 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.

Our Trust is an Equal Opportunities Employer. We particularly welcome applications from people with experience of using mental health services. We also hold the Disability two tick symbol and have made the pledge to commit to employing more people with learning disabilities, we encourage people with a disability to apply. If you require this application form in another format i.e. Braille or audio tape etc, please contact the Recruitment Department on 01375 364513 or email [email protected] and we can arrange for this to be dispatched to you.

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.

Important Notice: Recently the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2021 (the Regulations) which amended on 22 July 2021 and come into force on 11 November 2021 that anyone directly employed to work in a Care Home or who are required as part of their role to be deployed to a CQC registered care home are required to have had both their COVID vaccinations, unless they are exempt. This is therefore a requirement of this role and will form part of our pre-employment checks.

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.