Occupational Therapy Associate PractitionerNHS

Job summary

We are seeking a motivated and compassionate Occupational Therapy Assistant to join our community team, supporting individuals to maximise their independence and quality of life within their own homes.

Working under the supervision of a registered Occupational Therapist, you will deliver person-centred interventions to individuals with a range of physical, cognitive, and functional needs. Your role will involve implementing treatment plans, supporting rehabilitation programmes, and enabling people to safely carry out activities of daily living such as washing, dressing, meal preparation, and mobility.

You will work closely with multidisciplinary teams, including Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, nurses, and social care professionals, to support timely discharges, prevent hospital admissions, and promote independence in the community.

The role requires strong communication and organisational skills, as well as the ability to work both independently and as part of a team. You will be responsible for monitoring and reporting on patient progress, identifying changes in need, and ensuring interventions are delivered safely and effectively.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone with experience in health or social care who is passionate about rehabilitation, independence, and delivering high-quality, person-centred care.

Please note this post is part time 22.5 hours per week.

Main duties of the job

*Undertake evidence based Occupational Therapy assessments and interventions with patients, as agreed with an Occupational Therapist, to ensure good clinical outcomes. The post holder will be required to work with the patient to gather information, highlighting the need for further assessment, and completing a clinical record of the intervention including the outcome.

*Actively promote recovery-focussed care with patients, in conjunction with other health professionals, including achievement of set goals.

*Support patients with their rehabilitation and recovery, respecting them as individuals, supporting them and understanding their right to express their needs.

*Facilitate and lead patient-focus groups and activities.

*Use appropriate approved conflict resolution and management of aggression techniques (e.g., PMVA), to de-escalate challenging situations as required for the role.

*Undertake clinical and environmental risk assessments and document key risk areas, seeking guidance from more senior staff when dealing with cases indicating a high level of risk.

*Plan safe and effective discharge at an appropriate time

*Contribute to, and attend as sole practitioner, board rounds, MDT meetings and patient planning meetings

*Assess and order equipment to meet the needs of the patient

*To raise incidents appropriately via the reporting system in an accurate, objective, and concise manner.

*Provide information on improving health and wellbeing and signposting to other agencies as appropriate.

Job description

Further information about the Trust and this role can be found on the Job Description and Person Specification document attached. It is important to us that we ensure our recruitment processes are accessible and inclusive to everyone - if as a potential candidate you are concerned a person specification may prevent or restrict your application for employment as a result of unintentional barriers on the grounds of your sex, race, age, sexual orientation, religion/belief or disability please initially contact the Trust's Recruitment team - detailed in the advert. The Trust will seek to resolve this issue wherever possible.

We are happy to talk Flexible Working - all requests for flexible working options can be discussed as part of the interview process.

About us

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust provides joined-up mental and physical healthcare for around two million people across our communities. With over 13,000 staff working in the community and local hospitals, we deliver care at every stage of life, helping people live their best and healthiest lives.

Our mental health services include community-based support and early intervention in psychosis (EIP) for both adults and young people, alongside a network of specialist inpatient wards covering forensic, learning disability, eating disorder and older person's care.

We deliver extensive physical health services too, from urgent community response teams helping frail and older patients remain safely at home, to hospitals at home teams providing acute-level care in familiar surroundings. Our neurological services offer rehabilitation and treatment for conditions including Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, Motor Neurone Disease, Head Injury, Cerebral Palsy and Stroke. Across Hampshire, our community hospitals provide inpatient rehabilitation as a step down from acute care, and our dedicated teams also staff Treetops Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Portsmouth, offering expert, compassionate support.

Everything we do is underpinned by our CARE values of compassion, accountability, respect and excellence