Mental Health Occupational Therapist

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Professional Leadership and Development To be responsible for maintaining own competency to practice through Continuing Professional Development activities and to participate in the review and appraisal process. To adhere to the individual Professional code of conduct and practice at all times. To reflect on own practice individually and/or through regular clinical supervision. Provide clinical education, training, and evaluation of clinical competence of team and multidisciplinary team staff, providing support and guidance. To maintain, develop and disseminate specialist knowledge of evidence-based practice. To critically evaluate own work using evidence-based projects, audits, and outcome measures. To work autonomously as an Occupational Therapist within professional and PICS guidelines, policies, and procedures. Communication and Relationships Demonstrate advanced communication skills in providing advice, empowerment, facilitation, influence, motivation, and counselling. Be able to provide concise summary of appointments, raise any concerns to appropriate professionals, communicate treatment plan and request additional support or requirements from GP or other Healthcare Professional. Manage complex communication issues that may arise between differing health and social care professionals including de-escalation skills when working in highly antagonistic, hostile, and emotive clinical areas. Demonstrate an understanding of the need to involve patients and carers in decision making, offering them informed choices, respecting their views. Demonstrate the ability to recognise barriers to understanding that can be encountered with those without English as their first language, patients with disabilities and those with mental health difficulties such as anxiety, clinical depression, or personality disorders. Seek out different styles and methods of communicating to assist longer term needs and aims. The nature of some communication can be unpredictable and can be of an urgent high priority nature: this can therefore be responsible for impacting into time allocated towards other necessary tasks. Provide and receive complex and sensitive information in relation to patient care and will have the ability to advise and support others to communicate information in an understandable, empathic, and reassuring way to adults with Mental Health and/or Learning Disabilities and/or Cognitive difficulties and their family and carers. Utilise communications in accordance with Caldicott Principles, Data Protection, Freedom of Information Act and Trust Policies and procedures. Knowledge, Skills, Training and Experience Occupational Therapy qualification HCPC registered occupational therapist. Post graduate degree or equivalent qualification or experience. Highly developed specialist knowledge of meeting the health needs of Adults with Mental Health underpinned by theory and experience. A teaching qualification (e.g., ENB 998/P126/127) or a proven track record in occupational therapy education is desirable but not essential. In depth knowledge of National and HCPC policies, procedures, code of conduct and standards of care in relation to service provision for adults with mental health. Post qualification experience of working collaboratively with statutory partners, third sector partners and families/carers. Knowledge of safeguarding adult and childrens procedures and the ability to take on a lead role in strategy meetings as and when required. Developed skills from a wide and variant background, experience and a broad yet deep knowledge base underpinned with a proven track record and/or an academically scrutinised knowledge base. Proven professional development, a profile that demonstrates, advanced clinical occupational therapy practice. Systematic understanding of how to manage a designated, complex, occupational therapy caseload (relative to primary care) using theoretical and practical experience, completing assessments, planning, implementing occupational therapy interventions, and evaluating outcomes aligned to care plans. Offer advanced consultation skills and developed specialist and generic knowledge to undertake comprehensive assessment of health and psychosocial care needs of patients with complex disease, including holistic assessment, gathering and interpreting information, performing tests and analysing results. Analytical judgement underpinned with specialist knowledge and experience is used to develop evidenced based holistic personal care plan with patients, carers, relatives and health care professionals based on a full assessment. Provide evidence based written information, ensuring easy access to advice and information for patients and their carers. Working knowledge of Microsoft and GP practice data monitoring systems. Ability to write comprehensive clinical notes, implement and evaluate care plans. Provides specialist education and training to other professionals involved in patient care Participate in the education, induction programmes and support meetings for other professional staff. Monitor own performance by reflective practice and identify training and educational needs. Regular self-direction of learning needs. Maintain up to date mandatory training records. Identify the potential benefits of, and participating in, educational programmes for patients and their relatives/carers. Address specific health targets e.g., NHS Plan, National Service Frameworks related to own area of practice through education Ensure own compliance and compliance of others with regard to mandatory training and individual health professional requirements. Analytical and judgment skills Ability to analyse and interpret complex, dynamic, and incomplete information, pre-empt and evaluate issues, and recommend appropriate course of action to address emergency issues in unfamiliar contexts. Demonstrate a high level of reflective practice and competence in clinical reasoning and decision making based on evidence-based OT practice. Analysis of and ability to work across organisational boundaries within health and social care and with wider community partners. Make a judgement on whether clients have the capacity to give informed consent seeking additional advice when necessary. It is desirable to have extensive risk assessment experience including use of the Mental Health or Mental Capacity Act. Planning and organisation skills Responsible for planning and managing their own workload. Work independently as an Enhanced Practitioner to manage own complex caseload. Plan and organise specialist occupational therapy provision and adjust as required. Promote, develop, and implement clinical standards and good practices both in care delivery and appropriate record keeping. Represent in the absence of the Clinical Team Lead as appropriate. Responsibilities for patient/client care Following the completion of a comprehensive core assessment, develop and provide an individualised, evidence-based programme of care based on formulation, including to those with complex needs/challenging behaviours. At all times work in collaboration with patients and carers ensuring that the patient is treated with compassion, respect and dignity. Manage distress and conflict in the day-to-day work with patients who, as an expression of their condition/ diagnosis, may at times be difficult to engage and/or demonstrate significant risk behaviours. Provide effective care and therapeutic interventions to patients presenting with a range of difficulties. To engage in active relapse prevention planning with patients and carers, contributing to their recovery and/ or wellbeing and discharge planning. Provide specialist advice and guidance to patients/carers and practitioners of other professional disciplines, less experienced staff, voluntary organisations and the public. Recognise and anticipate situations that may be detrimental to the health and wellbeing of patients and their carers and advise and treat on the promotion of health and the prevention of physical/mental and behavioural deterioration. Assist patients to develop Wellness Recovery Action Plans (WRAP), or equivalent, including determining problems, identifying goals and setting individual objectives. Work flexibly to meet the needs of the PCN which may regularly include working extended hours. This is pre-agreed with the surgeries if you require to work Enhanced Access. Demonstrate flexibility in the role. This may involve working across clinical pathways to support the needs of the service, whilst ensuring the delivery of high-quality care at all times. Policy and Service Development Adhere to policies, procedures, protocols and standards and be instrumental in embedding these in service provision. Adhere to professional code of conduct and standards, and requirements of other legislation. Understand, contribute and advise on statutory issues which impact on patients and carers. Perform statutory duties and seek advice where necessary. Ensure Implementation of National, Trust and Local Service Legislation, Policies, Procedures and Guidelines for Health and Social Care and be involved in their development where appropriate. Report any deficiencies within the clinical environment or equipment. Actively participate in service developments and improving the quality of the delivery of evidence-based Treatment Interventions by others, ensuring a consistent and standardised approach across the Pathway. Participate in the effective monitoring, review and evaluation of the service provided Please see the supporting documents for further information.

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