Occupational Therapist

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a band 6 Occupational Therapist to join the Learning Disability Intensive Support Team at Leeds and York NHS Partnership Foundation Trust. The intensive support team works alongside the community learning disability teams (CLDT) to provide intensive support to people with a learning disability who may have complex mental health or behavioural needs. The overall aim of the intensive support team is to keep people with a learning disability out of hospital.

We are looking for a dynamic Occupational Therapist who is passionate about working with people with a learning disability to join our forward-thinking team. The team consists of Specialist LD nurses, health support workers, speech and language therapist and psychologists.

You will receive clinical supervision from the clinical lead occupational therapist for the Learning Disability service, and management supervision from the Intensive Support Team Clinical Team Manager. You will be part of the Occupational Therapy team and AHP community across Learning disability services (including IST, CLDT and respite services) and will have the opportunity to attend regularly CPD and training opportunities. You will have the opportunity to complete specialist training such as Sensory Integration (modules 1-3) and inhouse training about Positive Behaviour Support.

Main duties of the job

• You will be a valued member of our highly supportive multi-disciplinary intensive support team for people with a learning disability. You will be able to develop your skills though MDT meetings, occupational therapy practice development meetings and the AHP forum.
• You will manage an identified caseload of clients with a range of clinical needs, using evidence based and client centred principles. You will lead the delivery of occupational therapy within the intensive support team and work collaboratively with the MDT and external agencies to develop and embed meaningful care plans.
• You will be able to demonstrate your core occupational therapy skills as well as be creative in your approach to deliver high quality occupational therapy interventions for people with a learning disability. 
• You will have the opportunity to develop your assessment skills and knowledge in clinical interventions and in providing training regarding functional skills, engagement and equipment needs to support the individual’s health and wellbeing.
• You will also be invited to consult on challenging cases and contribute the occupational therapy perspective to formulations.

Working for our organisation

The Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LYPFT) is the main provider of Mental Health and Learning Disability services in Leeds. We also provide specialist inpatient services in York and some highly specialised services across the country. As a teaching trust with strong links to local universities, we are a centre of excellence for teaching, research and development.

There are many benefits of working for LYPFT including fantastic employee wellbeing support, 27 - 33 days annual leave, flexible working and remote working arrangements, the NHS Pension Scheme, coaching, support and opportunities for career development and training and education support alongside a range of exclusive discounts and payment schemes including for cars, extra leave days and more NHS Discount Offers.

We also have an incredible bank department, offering variety of roles in nursing, allied health professions, healthcare support worker and administration clerical. Permanent employees are automatically added to bank.

Applicants should be aware that for any individual who requires a visa to work in the UK, the Trust provides sponsorship for registered healthcare practitioner roles only. This is an essential requirement of the role, and the Trust is unable to offer you a role if you are unable to meet Trust requirements for sponsorship and Home Office requirements for a visa.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To work as a member of a multi-disciplinary Intensive Support Team offering a comprehensive service to service users who require specialist health interventio
• To develop collaborative relationships with service users and their carers to promote engagement in the therapeutic process, adapting to barriers in communication which service users may present with e.g. emotional, psychological, physical, and always ensuring they are involved in and aware of their current care plan
• To ensure effective communication and collaboration with others involved in a service users care
• To manage a clinical caseload and engage in caseload (managerial) supervision with Clinical Team Manager (CTM) effectively and efficiently
•  To maintain links with primary care and advise on mental health issues and support as necessar
• To embrace health promotion initiatives and always encourage a positive attitude to working with people with a learning disability
• To support and guide junior staff members and participate in the education and supervision of a range of students
• To maintain clear links with your profession’s structures and your profession’s lead within the Trust.0
• To utilise your core occupational therapy skills to provide high quality occupational therapy interventions to people with a learning disability treatment.
• To engage in peer support with other occupational therapists from across the Learning Disability Service 

If you are a confident and enthusiastic occupational therapist interested in working with people with learning disabilities who may be experiencing complex mental health difficulties or challenging behaviour, this may be the post for you! You will have autonomy over your own caseload in assessing and planning occupational therapy specific interventions. This post will provide you with great opportunities to bring your previous knowledge and experience to this exciting post to further develop the role of occupational therapy in the intensive support team, along with opportunities to be creative and innovative, and contribute to exciting service development projects across the Learning Disability Service.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Professional Qualification BSc/Dip/MSc OT

Experience

Essential criteria

• At least 2 years’ experience of occupational therapy in a mental health / learning disability setting

Skills

Essential criteria

• Good understanding of the difficulties experienced by people with Learning Disabilities and challenging behaviour
• To be a car driver and have access to a car for work purposes

Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Knowledge of processes E.G of Care programmer Approach and Mental Capacity Act, Transforming Care Agenda, Care and Treatment Reviews

Applications are welcomed from candidates who wish to apply for a position on the basis of a smarter (Hybrid) or flexible working arrangement – please contact the Recruitment Team if you have any queries regarding this in terms of your initial application.

Where candidates are successful at interview, flexible working arrangement requests will be taken into consideration and may be accommodated where the needs of the service allow.

Please note that from 1st July 2018, all new employees are required to subscribe to the DBS Update Service, DBS checks for volunteers remain free of charge.