Job summary
We are seeking to recruit a passionate, committed occupational therapist to join our well-established and innovative community learning disability team.

As a learning disability occupational therapist, you will use your specialist skills and understanding of the relationship between the individual, their environment and their occupations to support people with complex health needs to live well with their learning disability. You will support the team's core business which includes assessing people's mental and physical health, including attention to risk management and care planning, and working with families, paid carers and the wider systems that support people.

You will be joining a friendly, supportive and creative multi-disciplinary team, dedicated to achieving great outcomes for adults with learning disabilities. We are a service that has clear agreed objectives linked to the latest national policies and are dedicated to delivering the highest quality care through evidence-based care pathways. We are co-located with our social work colleagues and work closely in partnership with them.

Main duties of the job
As an occupational therapist in our team you will provide specialist occupational therapy assessments and interventions for people referred to the service as well as contributing to the core tasks of the team.

Contributing to the management of a team caseload of individuals with complex needs, you will assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions, which will be delivered in a variety of community settings, including family homes, residential and supported living services, day services and community facilities.

You will have the flexibility to manage your workload in the community, however you will be expected to spend some time working from the central team base in Uckfield.

The successful candidate will have a passion for improving the lives of adults with learning disabilities, collaborating with colleagues and across services to deliver results, and be passionate about developing their own skills and those of colleagues. You will need to be able to manage your own diary with the ability to adapt and be flexible to suit the needs of the service.

About us
We provide mental health and learning disability care for children, young people and adults across Sussex and for children and young people in Hampshire.

Working in Sussex:

• Travel easily between coast and countryside, with a blend of picturesque villages and seaside towns there's always new experiences to be enjoyed
• Embrace the city life with great access to visit Brighton and London
• With easy access to Gatwick and Heathrow and excellent railway links across the UK there is plenty of opportunity for adventure

We'd love you to join our organisation that is rated 'good' overall and 'outstanding' for caring by the Care Quality Commission. Our staff agree, with 82% of people in our recent staff survey telling us that they recognise that care for patients is our top priority.

Other key staff survey results include:

• 70% highlighting flexible working opportunities as a key point for satisfaction at work
• 79% reporting feeling able to make suggestions to improve the work within their team
• 77% identifying the opportunities to show initiative in their roles

Salary: £39,959 to £48,117 a year Pro rata
Band: Band 6 (Agenda for change)
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Part-time, 28 hours a week
Location: Bellbrook Centre, Uckfield, TN22 1QL

Requirements
In order to be a successful specialist occupational therapist in our team you will be:

• Registered with HCPC as an occupational therapist
• Comfortable working in a complex and varied role
• Experienced working within a relevant clinical area
• Keen to develop your specialist skills to support adults with learning disabilities with their mental health, physical health and behaviour support needs

It would also be advantageous if you have:

• Experience working with people with learning disabilities

This post will be based in Uckfield and will primarily cover Eastbourne, Downs and Weald. However, a willingness and ability to travel across East Sussex (and sometimes further) will be needed, as required to meet the needs of the service. SPFT staff have the capacity to work from home remotely where applicable and in agreement with your line manager.

Main duties

• To provide occupational therapy interventions for referred clients using evidence based, client centred principles to assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions
• To manage an appropriate complex clinical caseload
• To complete initial assessments on behalf of the team
• To participate in the team triage rota
• To act as a lead practitioner for designated clients
• To promote evidence-based practice in occupational therapy and the relevant learning disability service
• To contribute to the development of multi-disciplinary best practice clinical guidelines and protocols
• To contribute to the provision of high-quality practice placements

Person specification
Essential qualifications:

• Degree/Diploma in occupational therapy
• Registration with the HPC as an occupational therapist

Essential knowledge/experience:

• Experience of multidisciplinary working

We believe our service will be the best it can be if we have a diverse workforce and one that reflects the population we serve. Our workforce is currently under-represented from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic and disabled communities and we would greatly welcome applications from these communities.

Please apply using the link in this advert, or for more information contact:

• Diane Chandler - Diane.chandler7@nhs.net - Professional lead for East Sussex occupational therapy
• Sophie Gill - Sophie.gill8@nhs.net - Clinical Team Lead, Eastbourne, Downs and Weald CLDT
• Stuart Heaton - stuart.heaton1@nhs.net - OT Lead - 03003040313

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and requires a Disclosure and Barring Service check. Applicants requiring Skilled Worker sponsorship are welcome to apply. Applicants must have current UK professional registration.