Job summary
- Main area
- Occupational Therapy
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 4
- Contract
- Fixed term: 12 months (N/A)
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 334-CLI-8295618-A
- Employer
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Bethlem
- Town
- London
- Salary
- £33,262 - £36,027 per annum inclusive of HCAs (outer)
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 13/10/2026 23:59
Employer heading
OT Apprentice
NHS AfC: Band 4
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
Occupational Therapy Degree Apprenticeship (MSc Route)
Ready to become a registered Occupational Therapist?
We are offering an exciting internal development opportunity for existing staff to undertake a fully funded MSc Occupational Therapy Degree Apprenticeship while remaining employed within the Trust. We currently have opportunities available within:
- CAMHS PICU
- ADRU (Anxiety Disorders Residential Unit)
This two-year programme combines university study with practical learning in clinical settings, providing a pathway to HCPC registration as an Occupational Therapist.
Who can apply?
- Existing SLaM staff
- Hold a relevant undergraduate degree (2:2 or above)
- GCSE English and Maths (or equivalent)
- Passionate about mental health, recovery-focused practice and developing a career in Occupational Therapy
What We Offer
- A fully funded MSc Occupational Therapy qualification.
- Protected learning time.
- Support from experienced Occupational Therapists, practice educators and mentors.
- Clinical experience within specialist mental health services.
- A structured pathway into a professional Occupational Therapy career.
- The opportunity to contribute to the future Allied Health Professional workforce within SLaM.
This is a fantastic opportunity to gain a professional qualification, develop your career within SLaM, and join a profession that makes a real difference to people's health, wellbeing and participation in everyday life.
Main duties of the job
· To provide supportive and sensitive communication, written and verbal advice to clients, carers and staff, whilst demonstrating an understanding of the nature and effects of some information and of barriers to effective communication eg sensory problems
· To provide appropriate education to patients with diverse mental and physical long term health conditions, utilising analytical and reasoning skills in this process in order to empower the patient and others to participate in the patients' care.
· To identify own training and development needs and active participation in the delivery of training opportunities for staff and students, including those from other teams and disciplines.
· To maintain accurate records of all patient consultations and related work carried out at each clinical session, including computerised data collection. To plan own workload around such activities as home visits
Working for our organisation
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.
SLaM employ around 5000 staff and serve a local population of 1.1 million people. We have more than 230 services including inpatient wards, outpatient and community services. Currently, provide inpatient care for approximately 5,300 people each year and treat more than 45,000 patients in the community in Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark; as well as substance misuse services for residents of Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
· To successfully complete the Occupational Therapy Degree Apprenticeship incorporating BSc(Hons) or MSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy and End Point Assessment
· To assess people’s occupational need, taking into account their occupations, role, environment and lifestyle. To work in partnership with the service user to agree priority areas for intervention which address problems with performing and managing occupations.
· To be responsible for organising and prioritising designated caseload, demonstrating effective clinical reasoning, with support from the Senior Occupational Therapist.
· To as appropriate delegate aspects of intervention plans to Support Workers, whilst maintaining overall responsibility for the patients care
· To contribute to decision-making and risk management related to patient care through active participation in communication networks, which may include multi-disciplinary meetings, case conference or providing written reports.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- BSc (Hons) • Demonstration and evidence of English and Maths GCSE or functional skills (Level 2)
- • Demonstration of successful certified learning (A level, Access, BTEC diploma or Extended Diploma
- MSc (Hons) • Undergraduate degree 2:2 or above in relevant health/social care degree obtained within the past 10 years
Experience
Essential criteria
- • The ability to plan and prioritise own workload
- • Demonstrates understanding of the role of Occupational Therapy
- MSc (Hons) • Undergraduate degree 2:2 or above in relevant health/social care degree
Desirable criteria
- • Reflective practice skills
- • Ability to demonstrate Occupational Therapy knowledge and be able to relate theory into practice.
Knowledge & Skill
Essential criteria
- • Experience as an Occupational Therapy Assistant, support worker, activity coordinator or similar roles in a mental health setting
- • Evidence of ability to work without direct supervision
- • Effective verbal and non-verbal communication skills demonstrating empathy and sensitivity.
- • Ability to work as part of a team. • IT skills, including keyboard (and use of e-mail)
- • Able to learn new procedures and techniques and follow instructions • Can demonstrate decision-making ability • Able to maintain and appropriately manage own caseload of patients with routine conditions as delegated by the therapist
Desirable criteria
- • Evidence of training and learning in a related area • Knowledge of a variety of mental health diagnosis and associated occupational impacts
- • Moving and Handling Skills • Experience of supervision of patients undergoing exercise as individuals
- • Experience of assessing patients requiring equipment and instructing them in their correct and safe usage • Experience of facilitating classes and or patient / carer education
- • Experience of administrative work e.g. photocopying and filing • Experience of collecting data related to outcome measurement
Employer certification / accreditation badges
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.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Roslyn Walcott-Cumberbatch
- Job title
- Trust Head of OT and Allied Health Professionals
- Email address
- [email protected]
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