The post holder will work as part of the Occupational therapy team which are an integral part of a large health and wellbeing team at HMP Pentonville. The team includes psychology and occupational therapy staff, substance misuse workers and specialist tutors. The team contribute to the overall healthcare provision within the prison, working across the healthcare department to provide comprehensive OT input across the Inpatient ward, the Wellbeing Centre, neurodiversity unit and across the wider prison

The post holder will work within the wellbeing service, a day service providing an Occupational therapy service to those with complex mental health problems, personality disorder, mood disorders, PTSD, trauma, and ADHD, as well as those on the autistic spectrum. The role will also have input to other elements of the healthcare services such as the inpatient unit, the in reach team and the health and wellbeing team.

Main duties of the job

To carry out standardised assessments, interventions and provide detailed feedback to the therapies and multidisciplinary teams about clients' abilities, and also information about future plans and requirements for progress within a mixture of settings including but not limited to; the Wellbeing Centre, Neurodiversity unit, inpatient ward

To actively contribute to the multidisciplinary team's risk assessment process and obtain agreement from the team before engaging service users in any activity that may require therapeutic risk taking.

To work in collaboration with other members of the multidisciplinary team to provide a coordinated care package.

To regularly review each service user's progress in order to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment interventions and modify treatment plans accordingly.

To ensure that the OT package of care is being followed for all service users that postholder is responsible for including those of whom they supervise.

To work in accordance with professional guidelines issued by the College of Occupational Therapy which are relevant to the field of Forensic Psychiatry.

To be a self-directed practitioner, with effective time management skills, able to manage a varied caseload and demands around regular duties.

To pursue own continuous professional development and to record this through a CPD portfolio.

About us

The Occupational Therapy service within HMP Pentonville was established 7 years ago, and is one of the largest OT teams within a prison nationwide. This role provides opportunity to work within a diverse and interesting service for prisoners with increased support needs, including those with mental health issues, learning disabilities, personality disorders and physical health concerns.

The post holder will receive regular individual supervision to support their practice, as well as opportunities to engage in reflective practice groups with the wider healthcare team at HMP Pentonville. The team has a strong emphasis on support and training with regular in-house training opportunities as well as from external providers. Recent external trainings received by the team have been in hearing voices, working with trauma, mindfulness teacher training and personality disorder.

Job description Job responsibilities

Please refer to the attached Job description and Person Specification for main responsibilities of the role.

Person Specification EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS Essential

• Dip. COT or BSc OT
• Registered with HCPC
• Evidence of Continuous Professional Development

Desirable

• Evidence of CPD, undergraduate study/ specific interest in this service area.

EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE Essential

• OT placement or post graduate clinical experience in forensics / mental health / prison settings
• Experience of group-work
• Experience of working in an MDT
• Experience of relating to people from a range of social and ethnic backgrounds
• Knowledge of developments in O.T. adult mental health, and prison settings.
• An understanding of forensic issues
• Demonstrates professional approach, including boundary keeping, to relationships with staff and patients.
• Knowledge of clinical conditions within mental health including, developmental disorders, neurological disorders, personality disorders, mood disorders and psychosis
• Awareness of the impact of the restrictions of security on the therapeutic process
• Awareness of risk issues with this client group
• Knowledge of O.T. models of practice, e.g. MOHO
• Knowledge and understanding of the care programme approach

Desirable

• Post graduate experience of working with people with mental health problems in the criminal justice system
• Experience of carrying out functional assessments
• Experience of using electronic patient records
• Experience supporting students
• Experience or knowledge of substance misuse and social issues
• Understanding of the principles and implementation of the Recovery Model/ enablement approach and its application to Occupational Therapy

SKILLS AND ABILITIES Essential

• Working knowledge of the occupational therapy process
• Ability to apply and develop core OT Skills
• Willing to contribute towards OT service development
• An ability to recognise how previous experience and learning is transferable to the forensic and prison population
• A demonstrated ability to understand clinical needs of the forensic / offender client group
• Ability to relate to people from varied social backgrounds
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Maintains professional standards of communication
• Proactive team member who is willing and able to learn
• Effective time management skills
• Ability to laterally think and problem solve
• Ability to act on constructive criticism
• Good IT skills

Desirable

• Experience of using MOHO assessments i.e. MOHOST, ACIS etc.
• Negotiation skills
• Critical Appraisal Skills
• Understanding of desistance theory and occupational deprivation in relation to the prison setting.

PERSONAL QUALITIES Essential

• Commitment to work as a proactive team member
• Ability to be flexible and adaptable to manage fluctuating work demands.
• Empathy for people with mental health problems and passionate about service user involvement
• Aware of own limitations and needs and ability to seeks advice and support appropriately
• Ability to promote self and the service
• Professional manner
• Ability to tolerate busy and loud locked environments.

Desirable

• Ability to promote positive image of OT
• Experience with service user involvement
• Experience with external network involvement

OTHER REQUIREMENTS Essential

• Commitment to work as a proactive team member who is able to lead and support TI's and sessional staff
• Ability to be flexible and adaptable to manage fluctuating work demands
• Effective use of supervision
• Proactive use of continuous professional development opportunities
• An ability to articulate the role of Occupational Therapy role to those with limited previous experience of and understanding of the profession
• Service user-centred approach.
• Resilience for working with those who express high levels of traumatic information and distress. An ability to work with those who express their distress in complex ways.

Desirable

• Ability and motivation to network with a range of relevant colleagues regionally and nationally to contribute to personal and service wide professional development
• An understanding of service user involvement

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

306-BEH-643