Job summary
- Main area
- MHSOP
- Grade
- Band 7
- Contract
- 12 months (Fixed term until End March 27 to meet the needs of the service)
- Hours
- Full time
- Part time
- Job ref
- 001-AHP018-0226
- Employer
- Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Llandough Hospital
- Town
- Llandough
- Salary
- £48,527 - £55,532 per annum pro rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 24/02/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Arts Therapist
Band 7
WHO WE ARE:
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board is one of the largest Integrated Health Board in the UK, employing over 16,000 staff and providing over 100 specialist services. Serving a population of around 500,000 people living in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan, we are focussed on the health and care needs of our local population whilst also working with our partners to develop regional services. Together we are committed to improving health outcomes for everyone and to delivering excellent care and support.
Our mission is “Living Well, Caring Well, Working Together”. We have recently refreshed our strategy, Shaping Our Future Wellbeing, which sets out the Health Board’s Vision for improving the health and wellbeing of the populations we serve by 2035 through the delivery of our strategic objectives; Putting People First, Providing Outstanding Quality, Delivering in the Right Places, and Acting for the Future. We have challenging times ahead, but we are confident that by tackling these challenges together, we can support people to live healthier lives and reduce the unfair differences in the prevalence of illness and health outcomes we see in our communities today. We aspire to deliver outstanding care and treatment for people when they need it, where they need it; care that compares well with the best in the world, but to do so, we need to transform how we deliver services over the next decade and beyond.
We are a values-driven organisation and out goals will only be realised if our values are at the heart of everything we do. Created by colleagues, patients and their families and carers, our values are:
· We are kind and caring
· We are respectful
· We have trust and integrity
· We take personal responsibility
OUR REGION:
Wales has much to offer with miles of stunning coastline, UNESCO world heritage sites and beautiful countryside. Cardiff, the thriving Welsh capital, has something for everyone. It is a fantastic city to live and work in with an abundance of sports, arts and cultural attractions. Situated to the west of Cardiff, the Vale of Glamorgan offers a combination of beautiful Welsh countryside and a dramatic natural coastline, as well as charming towns including Penarth and Cowbridge. Those seeking more culture may find themselves drawn to the National Museum, St Fagan’s Museum of Welsh Life or the Millennium Centre, home of the Welsh National Opera. Whether city life or rural living, Cardiff and the Vale offers the best of both worlds.
Job overview
The Mental Health for Older People (MHSOP) directorate are delighted to offer a fixed term Arts Therapist position within the Mental Health Services for Older People (MHSOP) directorate in Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.
We are looking to recruit an Arts Therapist into our inpatient and community teams to add to our thriving, passionate and person-centered AHP and Psychology teams. The successful applicant will be working across Cardiff and Vale within inpatient and community settings. They will work with clients who receive support from MHSOP services, which includes the Younger Onset Dementia service.
We are keen to demonstrate the value and impact on service users and staff during this fixed term of 1 year. The post holder will play a key role in the scoping of Art Therapy provision within our MHSOP directorate, as well as measuring outcomes of their services.
This is a full time post funded for 1 year and part time applications will be considered.
We provide care and support to people aged 65 years and over living within Cardiff and the Vale with a diagnosis of a dementia or functional mental illness. We also have a Younger Onset Dementia Service, for people who receive a diagnosis of dementia under the age of 65, their carers and families.
The ability to speak Welsh is desirable for this post; Welsh and/or English speakers are equally welcome to apply.
This post is fixed term for 12 months to meet the needs of the service.
Main duties of the job
The post holder would be expected to provide input via both 1:1 and group interventions. They will work collaboratively with other members of the multidisciplinary team, families, carers, social services and 3rd sector.
Transition support (i.e., supporting transitions from inpatient to community)
Supporting individuals’ wellbeing, helping to prevent hospital admissions.
Up-skilling and supporting colleagues and families (i.e., training, supervision, consultation and carer support groups)
Support the development of person-centred care environments through reflective practice, supervision and collaboration on service design
Assessment and intervention based on a holistic person-centred approach, which values the individual and seeks to engage staff/carers in creating supportive environments; and implement a multi-component framework for the delivery of evidence-based support.
Will be expected to provide a service which will improve and maintain the emotional health of older adults, through a combination of highly specialist assessment, formulation of treatment programmes, clinical interventions and teaching.
Contribute to the future development and planning of an Arts/Music Therapies service.
Will provide advice, training and consultation pertaining to Arts /Music Therapies to staff from other disciplines, carers or statutory bodies as required.
Will maintain HCPC registration as a condition of initial and continued
Will undertake appropriate CPD, research and audit activity
Working for our organisation
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board is one of the largest Integrated Health Boards in the UK, employing over 17,000 staff, providing over 100 specialist services. Working across 6 hospital sites, we have a diverse range of career opportunities to offer. Serving over 500,000 people living in Cardiff and the Vale, we are focussed on the health and care needs of our local population whilst working with our partners to develop regional services. Together we are committed to improving health outcomes for everyone, delivering excellent care and support.
Our mission is “Living Well, Caring Well, Working Together”, and our vision is that every person’s chance of leading a healthy life should be equal. Our 10-year transformation and improvement strategy, Shaping Our Future Wellbeing, is our chance to work collaboratively with the public and our workforce to make our health board more sustainable for the future.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The ability to speak Welsh is desirable for this post; Welsh and/or English speakers are equally welcome to apply.
You will be able to find a full Job description and Person Specification attached within the supporting documents or please click “Apply now” to view in Trac
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Health related professional qualification ie., Arts/ therapies degree and/or post-graduate qualification in Art Psychotherapy, Art Therapy, Dramatherapy with a recognised training provider
- Current UK professional registration with Health and Care Professions Council as an Arts Therapist membership of governing body.
- Educated to master’s degree in Health-related subject or able to demonstrate knowledge and experience to master’s level.
Desirable criteria
- Teaching qualification.
- Evidence that the candidate has an interest in or experience of working in a secondary community mental health setting.
- An understanding of the needs and difficulties of older people with mental health needs.
- Diploma or Degree in Mental Health profession e.g RMN RGN DipSW.
- Recent successful completion of a Level 2 BABCP accredited course with intention to apply for accreditation within the next 6 months.
Experience
Essential criteria
- Significant post qualification clinical experience
- Extensive experience and the ability to draw on a range of psychological theories and models integrating these into a coherent formulation in undertaking assessments and providing evidence-based interventions for service users.
- Able to demonstrate an advanced level of expertise in specific areas of clinical practice.
- Significant experience of researching, developing and delivering training packages
- Experience and the ability to provide supervision to junior members of staff and other health care professionals.
Desirable criteria
- Experience of working within the NHS
- Experience of applied clinical research and service evaluation.
Skills
Essential criteria
- High level communication and interpersonal skills to convey and receive complex, highly technical, sensitive information effectively at both a written and oral level.
- Skilled in working professionally with people at all levels from all disciplines and interagency level.
- Ability to engage others in collaborative change processes.
- High level of presentation and report writing skills for clinical and academic content in a range of contexts
- Ability to make clinical and service-related judgements involving complex facts requiring analysis, interpretation and comparison of a range of options.
- Ability to plan, formulate, organise and implement a broad range of complex clinical and service-related operational activities, programmes and plans.
- Able to demonstrate an awareness and sensitivity to gender, race and cultural issues in professional practice.
Desirable criteria
- Commitment to providing teaching and training to a broad range of health professional with an ability to teach using a range of modes of delivery.
- Experience in presenting papers in local and regional professional forums.
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Expert knowledge in relation to complex mental health disorders.
- Specialist skills and an ability to sensitively relate to people with acute and chronic mental and physical health conditions.
- Skilled and experienced in providing clinical supervision to a range of clinicians.
- Computer literate.
- Professional knowledge acquired through degree/diploma supplemented by specialist training, experience, and short courses
- Up to date knowledge of relevant mental health legislative frameworks for children, adolescents and adults.
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Welsh language skills are desirable
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Lisa Lane
- Job title
- Senior Nurse
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 029 2182 5776
- Additional information
Tabitha Mansel-Thomas
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