Job summary
- Main area
- Occupational Therapy
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 3
- Contract
- 9 months (9 months fixed term)
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 363-BED7308373
- Employer
- East London NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Fountains Court
- Town
- Bedford
- Salary
- £24,625 - £25,674 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 03/08/2025 23:59
Employer heading

Occupational Therapy Assistant
NHS AfC: Band 3
ELFT has long been recognised as a centre of excellence for mental and health care, innovation and improvement. So it is a very exciting time for you to come and work for us. Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive – so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.
Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an Occupational Therapist Assistant to join our team, to cover a fixed-term period of maternity leave for 9 months, at our Older Adults Inpatient Mental Health ward in Bedford (Fountains Court). Fountains Court is a 26-bed acute assessment unit for older adults with a functional mental health illness and/or cognitive impairment/dementia.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will be responsible for providing occupational therapy interventions under the guidance of the ward occupational therapists, within Fountains Court. The post holder will work within the already well-established MDT to promote and facilitate the OT programme both on the ward and in the community through 1:1 intervention, group work and enabling clients in accessing local community resources to support their discharge. We are looking for someone with a good understanding of mental health, dementia and the role of Occupational Therapy.
Working for our organisation
Within this role you will have opportunity for personal development, through training opportunities, supervision, and attending the OT department’s Band 3/4 development peer group. You will have regular supervision and support day-to-day from the qualified OT’s based at Fountains Court and regular contact with the Older Persons Head OT.
Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive – so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
· To support the Occupational Therapy service in its’ provision of assessment, treatment and resettlement of service users within the Older Adults Mental Health service on the wards, in the OT department and in the community.
· Contribute to the planning, provision and evaluation of the OT therapeutic programme, including group work and 1-1 interventions.
· To develop specialist knowledge and skills in Older Adults acute mental health and dementia.
· To maintain positive key relationships with the following:
· Occupational Therapy colleagues
· Modern Matron, Clinical Practice Lead and nursing staff aligned to ward
· Multi-Disciplinary Teams working to aligned ward
· Service users and their families/ carers.
· Links with external agencies and other appropriate community services
Person specification
Experience
Essential criteria
- Ability to plan and organise group and 1:1 activities
- Ability to organise own time and plan tasks
- Ability to use own initiative and work alone at times
Desirable criteria
- Experience of working with older people with mental health and/or Dementia
- Experience of working within an occupational therapy team or MDT
Knowledge/Skills
Essential criteria
- Understanding of the role occupational therapy
- Basic understanding of planning for 1:1 and group activities
- Awareness of risk assessments
- Experience of developing and facilitating groups
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
- Isobel Clough
- Job title
- Head Occupational Therapist
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07741703824
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