Occupational Therapist – Surrey Prisons: Sponsorship Available

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

Job summary

Make a Difference with CNWL Health & Justice

CNWL is aTop Employer Award Winner, delivering high-quality healthcare to diverse communities across London and beyond. We are looking for a motivated and compassionateOccupational Therapist to join our supportive Health & Justice team across the Surrey Prisons Cluster.

This is a unique opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of people in secure settings, helping to improve health outcomes, promote wellbeing and reduce health inequalities. Working within our prison healthcare service, you will be part of a forward-thinking multidisciplinary team providing high-quality care across a 7-day service.

Guided by our motto,”Caring, Not Judging,”we work alongside the criminal justice system and partner agencies to deliver responsive, person-centred primary care and mental health services that support recovery,rehabilitationand social inclusion.

Join an award-winning team where your skills, compassion andexpertisecan have a lasting impact.

Find out whatit’slike to work with us:Hear from our Health & Justice staff

Main duties of the job

The Occupational Therapist (OT) will oversee the development and implementation of occupational therapy within the mental health serviceswithin their location(s) of work. They will be supported by a Band 7 OT who will be overseeing the growth of OTservicesin our Surrey prisons.

They will manage a caseload ofpatientsin prison with complex, severe and enduring mental health needs, providing interventions which support and promote improved health. The caseload will be OT specific work, utilising an effective referral process. They will also provide input into the Neurodiverse pathway of care.

The post holder will work in conjunction with the multi-disciplined team to promote the understanding of the OT perspective and its application to working with this client group.

The post holder will workalongsidesenior staff in the MDT to support the development of services. They will also support directorate wide development of OT as part of a supportive and friendly Health and Justice OT network.

The post holder will provide an Occupational Therapy perspective whilst engaging and contributing to professional meetings such as CPA, multi-agency case reviews, risk management meetings, and any other meetings related to the care and treatment of the prisoners in our care.

The post holder will also act as an educator to students on practice placement, as part of the AHP fair share agreement.

Person Specification

EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS

Essential

  • Degree or equivalent in Occupational Therapy
  • HCPC registered Occupational Therapist

Desirable

  • Post graduate training specific to mental health
  • Qualifications/training in specialist skills eg. therapeutic/sensory interventions
  • Practice placement educators course

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE

Essential

  • Post qualification experience working in mental health services
  • Experience in participating in audit / research projects
  • Experience in developing service activities
  • Experience in using a range of standardised OT assessments
  • Experience of effective partnership working, with external providers, in promoting socially inclusive opportunities for service users.
  • Experience in completing Risk Assessment Tools

Desirable

  • Experience in prison and/or secure settings
  • Experience of supervising students/junior staff

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, ABILITIES

Essential

  • Ability to deal with sensitivities and complexities, using interpersonal skills
  • Excellent communication skills i.e. written, verbal, listening and proficient use of up to date systems of communication i.e. IT systems, e-mail, fax, telephone etc.
  • Knowledge of personal recovery principles and their application to service delivery
  • Clear concept of Occupational Therapy and models of practice
  • Ability to work autonomously, on own initiative and under pressure to meet deadlines; & to make and action decisions independently within agreed time frames
  • Ability to regularly identify and undertake appropriate learning and development opportunities as part of ongoing CPD
  • Ability to determine the impact of mental and physical conditions on a service user’s functional ability and undertake assessment/make recommendations with regards to the provision of equipment/aids and adaptations

Desirable

  • Delivery of formal presentations and teaching sessions

ATTITUDES, APTITUDES PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS

Essential

  • Demonstrates a commitment to personal development
  • Demonstrates an enthusiasm for the post
  • Ability to work independently and is self motivated

OTHER

Essential

  • Ability to promote anti-discriminatory and anti-racist practices

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).

Closing Date: 31 October 2026

To apply for this job please visit apps.trac.jobs.