Job summary
- Main area
- Occupational Therapy
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 3
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Monday- Friday 9-5 with some flexibility for evening and weekend work - negotiated)
- Job ref
- 334-CLI-7658383
- Employer
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Bethlem Royal Hospital
- Town
- Beckenham
- Salary
- £29,651 - £31,312 per annum Incl. of HCAs
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 27/01/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Activity Coordinator
NHS AfC: Band 3
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has a rich history, well-established community links and an international reputation. We deliver specialist services in the London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Wandsworth and Richmond.
We are committed to provide a high quality and specialist care to our service users and we are recognised for our care and treatment we provide. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as ‘good’.
We launched our five-year strategy, Aiming High; Changing Lives in 2021 together with Our Care Improvement System as our quality management system methodology to make a positive impact on patient care, outcomes and staff experience. By joining SLaM, all staff will get the opportunity to be part of this exciting improvement journey supported with learning and development to harness everyone’s potential as change makers.
The trust recognises the unique and valuable contribution that people with lived experience of mental illness can bring to a role. We therefore welcome applications from people with lived experience and consider them as an asset to the Trust.
Our Values
We take pride in providing specialist care to our service users where our Trust values and our promise to be caring, kind, polite, prompt, honest, listen and do what I say I’m going to do is at the heart of everything we do. When you join us, you’ll be part of something special.
As a Trust we are happy to talk flexible working.
Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen in the Croydon Acute Inpatient Unit Psychiatric Intensive Care Ward (PICU) for new full-time Band 3 Activity Coordinator. You will work alongside the ward based Occupational Therapist. You will be working with a large and experienced Multidisciplinary Team who value an active ward programme for service users. You will be providing ward based group and 1:1 activities, supporting service users accessing activities on and where appropriate, off the ward, and working with OTs on assessments. You will also have opportunities to work alongside Peer Support Workers, Link workers, Volunteers and Students.
You will be supported with regular supervision from your ward OT. There are opportunities to connect with the wider network of Activity Coordinators, OTs, Peer Workers and Volunteers in the Trust. SLaM supports access to training and CPD opportunities for all grades of staff to support career progression and has a range of apprenticeship opportunities.
We welcome applications from individuals who have energy and enthusiasm and recognise the value of engagement in activity for Service Users with mental health issues in their recovery journey.
Applicants need to have good communication skills and the ability to collaborate with and engage acutely ill mental health service users in a range of therapeutic and recreational activities.
Due to an anticipated very high application rate we may close this application early
Main duties of the job
• Use technical / creative skills to assist in the provision of a flexible, client centred programme of recreational and therapeutic activities for individuals / groups of patients who all have complex psychosis or other mental health presentations and associated behaviour, which can include aggression.
• To offer group and individual activities under the direct and indirect supervision of a qualified Occupational Therapist.
• To manage work on the unit on a day-to-day basis, actively participating in risk assessment to ensure Health and Safety standards are met.
• The occupational therapy team work within a multi-disciplinary team to drive forward a programme of recovery and rehabilitation. The care pathway is evidence based with a focus on participation in therapeutic activity for enhancing patient experience and recovery outcomes as well as social inclusion and independent living skills.
Working for our organisation
The Croydon Acute Inpatient Unit wards support service users who are acutely unwell in mental health crisis. There are 2 women's wards, two men's wards and a men's PICU (Intensive Care Unit)
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) provide the widest range of NHS mental health services in the UK as well as substance misuse services for people who are addicted to drugs and alcohol. We work closely with the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London and are part of King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre. There are very few organisations in the world that have such wide-ranging capabilities working with mental illness. Our scope is unique because it is built on three major foundations: care and treatment, science and research, and training.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. For both overviews please view the Job Description attachment with the job advert.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- • GCSE English and maths or equivalent
- • Evidence of continuing professional and personal development
Desirable criteria
- • City & Guilds final certificate, NVQ 3 or 4, Diploma or Degree.
- • Creative qualification eg arts, photography
- • Health and Social Care NVQ Level 2 or equivalent (A/I) Psychology qualification
Experience
Essential criteria
- •Experience of working in a health/social care/teaching setting including paid, voluntary employment or community work (A/I)
- •Experience of working both independently and in a team
- Working with people with Mental Health problems or Learning Disabilities (A/I)
- Experience of providing group and 1:1 interventions.
- Demonstrate an understanding of mental health issues (A/I)
Desirable criteria
- • Experience of facilitating therapeutic groups in a health and social care setting
- • Experience of mental health difficulties or of caring for someone with a mental health difficulty
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- • An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people who experience mental health problems
- • Ability to develop practical solutions to problems that may arise
- • An understanding of the needs of service users from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds
Desirable criteria
- • Knowledge of applying Health and Safety and risk awareness procedures and policies
Other
Essential criteria
- • Willingness to be involved in the delivery of practice placements for students
- • Willingness to participate in supervision
- • Ability to work independently of direct supervision
- • Willingness to work flexibly including some evening and weekend work
Skills
Essential criteria
- Good personal organisation skills
- Good observation skills
- Good written and verbal communication skills
- Excellent IT skills
- Knowledge of one or more leisure / creative technical activities (A/I)
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
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.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Anna Adams
- Job title
- Clinical Lead Occupational Therapist
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07921454621
- Additional information
Head OT; Liz Pine
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 07970 705077
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