Job Summary
This role forms part of the Rehabilitation and Recovery service in North Devon which meets the needs of a cohort of people with complex psychosis.
We are looking for an enthusiastic and motivated Band 4 Occupational Therapy Assistant Practitioner to join our team.
Main duties of the job
The Occupational Therapy Assistant Practitioner will work to design and provide a flexible range of therapeutic activities for individuals and/or groups of service users within the rehabilitation ward and hospital setting.
The Post holder will work closely with the Occupational Therapist on complex assessments and assist to provide interventions to minimise risk and enable service user independence.
The successful post holder must have a passion for working with adults with mental health conditions, whilst being flexible, motivated and a team player.
The post holder will be required to have a high level of adaptable communication skills, be compassionate, respectful and value individual patient needs. They will have the ability to recognise and manage challenging situations in a calm and professional manner, be resilient and emotionally intelligent and engage positively with service users and their families and carers.
The post holder will be working in a friendly and supportive environment, with a focus on providing the very best patient care in a locality combining sea, moor, history and opportunity.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Extensive and varied experience working with groups and individuals in a facilitating role and at Band 3 or equivalent level.
- Experience of working with adults and/or older adults experiencing mental health problems.
- Proven ability to support patients to engage in a range of therapeutic activities.
Desirable
- Experience of working within a rehabilitation environment particularly within mental health.
- Previous care experience with people who have mental health difficulties.
Qualifications
Essential
- Good general education (GCSE level or equivalent)
- Relevant level 4 qualification e.g. Foundation Degree, City and Guilds, HNC, NVQ 4 or equivalent (and experience)
- Ability and desire to gain more understanding about mental health recovery and Occupational Therapy.
Desirable
- Other relevant training or development relevant to working within Mental Health Settings.
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Good communication skills, both written and verbal
- IT Skills suitable for inputting accurately into an electronic patient record, word processing
- Knowledge of mental health and basic understanding of physical health presentations.
- Ability to plan and facilitate group activities and individual work with minimal supervision.
- Ability to manage own workload and time effectively.
- Understanding of how occupational therapy works for patients in a mental health setting.
- Understanding of the issues around risk management, confidentiality and safeguarding principles.
- Understanding and commitment to working within the multi-disciplinary team.
- Ability to work flexibly in an unpredictable environment.
- Knowledge and experience of the supervision process as a supervisee.
Desirable
- Knowledge and experience of the supervision process as a supervisor.
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).
Closing Date: 09 May 2025
