Are you a proactive and motivated individual keen for a career working with occupational therapy?  Are you keen to learn more about the role of Occupational Therapy in Mental Health and to support individuals within this service line? Would you like to be part of a pioneering Occupational Therapy service to embed co-production at all levels of care?

We are currently recruiting for an Occupational Therapy Assistant to join our Occupational Therapy Team at Cygnet Hospital Bierley. The role is for a permanent position, working 37.5 hours a week on the male Low Secure Ward.

A career at Cygnet comes with excellent benefits. Whether it’s saving you money on the high street, with healthcare, holidays & leisure – or securing your future with professional development and a pension – we support you to be happy both in & out of work.

Apply now to enjoy excellent career prospects while reaping the rewards of making a difference to others – every day.

Post:    Occupational Therapy Assistant

Salary: £20,000

Base: Cygnet Hospital Bierley – Bierley Lane, Bierley, Bradford BD4 6AD

Responsibilities: To work with the qualified occupational therapist on the ward to provide professional practice skills - care pathway assessments and therapy and education programme for the ward.

Responsible to: Specialist Occupational Therapist, Hospital manager

Hours: 37.5 hours per week 

Job Summary:

Within this role as an occupational therapy assistant you will work under the guidance of an occupational therapist to complete elements of the occupational therapy process. This may include interventions in a group or individual one to one sessions within the hospital and in the community. You will also be part of MDT daily risk assessments and support to grade and adapt activities to suit individual strengths and needs. You will have the support of Qualified Occupational Therapists, fellow Occupational Therapy Assistants as well as Activities Coordinators who will provide therapeutic interventions and meaningful activity engagement for each patient.

At Cygnet, we have a strong occupational focus through support and direction from Clinical Leads and our Occupational Therapy Directors. 

We use evidence-based practice within each of our service lines, as defined by our clinical steering groups, of which Occupational Therapists play a key role.  

Main duties

Within this role you will be supporting Occupational Therapists to perform their role in the assessment, treatment and development of individuals in our care including through the following tasks:

• Assist the OT in the day to day duties and running of the department
• Attending and participating in daily risk assessments with the MDT
• Undertake assessment and intervention programmes with clients as delegated by an OT underpinned by appropriate experience / knowledge
• Implement individual care plans

This role includes opportunities for learning, development and research, supported by a robust appraisal and supervision structure based on RCOT’s Career Development Framework. You will also have the opportunity to be involved in service development through participating in the Secure Services Cygnet service line groups.

Service Description

Cygnet Hospital Bierley provides a range of low secure, specialist and psychiatric intensive care services for men and women, including a specialist personality disorder service for women. The hospital is set across four wards offering single-sex male and female specialist mental health services in low secure and locked environments.

Shelley Ward is our 16 bed male low secure service, providing recovery based treatment for men whose mental health needs result in continuing and ongoing disturbed or challenging behaviour and who may have a dual diagnosis.

The aim of Shelley Ward is to support individuals to transition towards independent living, or the least restrictive environment. The teams on our secure wards monitor, manage and reduce risk, whilst balancing therapy and security and preparing service users to lead full and independent lives.

The occupational therapy department currently consists of 3 qualified OTs, 4 OTAs, 4 activity coordinators, 1 involvement lead and 1 healthy lifestyle adviser. The therapy department consists of a fully equipped gym, sensory room, activities of daily living (ADL) kitchen and a variety of activity rooms including an art room. Service users also have access to a secure courtyard.

The occupational therapy team works closely with the multi-disciplinary team to support service users throughout their hospital admission. The team consists of; psychiatrists, nurses, psychologists, social workers and health care support workers.

With over 150 Occupational Therapists, we work together as a large team providing support to each other across the group, with the opportunity to be part of specialist

Five reasons why you should apply

• We care about people in our services
• Career pathway progression to support your development and skills, including professional practice skills training, OTA assistant practitioner apprenticeships (level 3 and level 5 which contributes towards UCAS points)
• You will be an integral part of a well-established MDT with extensive experience
• Direct guidance of a qualified occupational therapist
• Be part of a large national professional network of over 150 OTs

The Successful Candidate should be/have:

• GCSE Maths and English
• An understanding of Occupational Therapy
• Experience of teamwork – health care preferable.
• Excellent communication and organisation skills
• Creativity & problem solving skills

In return we will offer you:

• A competitive salary of £20,000 per annum
• Clinical supervision from an Occupational Therapist
• Free parking and free meals for staff on duty
• Employee referral scheme: recommend a friend to us and claim a cash reward for their successful hire.
• Group pension: a generous pension plan helping you save for your future.
• NHS Discount Cards & Blue Light Card – includes big brand discounts.
• Wellbeing centre with exercises, recipes, financial and mental health advice.
• Plus much more…

The successful candidate will be required to undergo an enhanced DBS and reference check and an offer of employment will be subject to successful clearance.