Job summary
- Main area
- Occupational Therapy(Assistant)
- Grade
- Band 4
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Part time
- Job share
- Job ref
- 363-FOR7335202
- Employer
- East London NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- John Howard Centre/ Wolfon house (two sites)
- Town
- Homerton
- Salary
- £33,094 - £36,195 per annum pro rata Inc HCAs
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 31/07/2025 23:59
Employer heading

Occupational Therapy- Therapeutic Horticulture Assistant
Band 4
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
This is a Band 4 Occupational Therapy Assistant role within a close knit team.
The Landscape Gardening project sits within the NuLeaf Therapeutic Employment projects at the John Howard Centre and Wolfson House, which also include the Oasis Coffee Shop, The Spot Coffee Shop, Painting & Decorating, Admin and the Barber Shop / Hair Salon.
The Therapeutic Employment projects are run as social enterprise businesses, with a focus on supporting service users' recovery, resilience building, and the maintenance and acquisition of specific and soft employment skills.
The aim is to increase training and employment opportunities for forensic service users by providing opportunities to utilize their existing skills or facilitate the development of a new skills set to maintain parts of the hospital grounds, and potentially work in the Horticulture industry post discharge.
You will find it a varied and stimulating environment, working with service users from across the John Howard Centre, including the Learning Disability and Autism services. You will receive relevant training, monthly supervision and have access to the OT departments CPD programme.
Main duties of the job
This OTA role involves working with patients who present with various mental health problems and reside in Acute, Rehab, Learning Disability and Autism Services within the John Howard Centre and at Wolfson House.
The successful applicant will be joining the Therapeutic Horticulture Team to provide support with the the planning, delivery and smooth running of the NuLeaf Landscaping project to develop a schedule for areas within the low and medium services to be maintained regularly.
This is a part time role within a small team, supporting forensic inpatients with the development of skills to maintain part of the hospital grounds, grow fruits and vegetables to supply the hospital’s Coffee Shop, and increase service users’ skill sets, confidence and employability.
Sessions are provided in a group or 1:1 setting.
The successful applicant will also be required to assist in the running of other service user employment projects at the John Howard Centre, providing cover when necessary and feasible.
Working for our organisation
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 liaise with the lead clinician to develop and maintain a curriculum / training schedule to train service users systematically and to measure progress and achievements
To liaise with customers and other agencies to ensure commissioned jobs are delivered at agreed high standards and in a timely manner.
To assist in the running of all service user employment projects at the John Howard Centre, providing cover when necessary and feasible.
Person specification
Education/ Qualification/ Training
Desirable criteria
- • Qualification in Landscape Gardening or equivalent in a related field
Experience
Essential criteria
- • Previous experience of Landscape Gardening or similar related activity
- • One or more specific vocational activities related to gardening and landscaping plus knowledge of developing employability skills of service users
Desirable criteria
- • Previous experience of designing and leading group and individual vocational / therapeutic employment programmes in a related clinical field
Knowledge and Skills
Essential criteria
- • Ability to devise both verbal and written reports on the specific vocational and employment activities
- • Clinical reasoning skills to assess service users’ needs (including risk assessment)
- • Ability to communicate with OT staff and other professionals
Desirable criteria
- • agencies and other external contacts in relation to employment opportunities and vocational development
Other
Essential criteria
- • Physical skills required to facilitate a wide range of activities both on a one-to-one and group basis, including using equipment as required.
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
- Connie Wernham
- Job title
- Therapeutic Employment Lead
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 020 8510 2286
List jobs with East London NHS Foundation Trust in Allied Health Professions or all sectors