Job summary
- Main area
- Occupational Therapy
- Grade
- Band 6
- Contract
- 12 months (for 12 months fixed term)
- Hours
- Part time - 30 hours per week
- Job ref
- 186-518-26-GH-A
- Employer
- Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- HMP Whatton
- Town
- Whatton, Nottingham
- Salary
- £39,959 - £48,117 per annum (pro rata for part time)
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 27/08/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Occupational Therapist
Band 6
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Job overview
Are you an enthusiastic Occupational Therapist looking to develop specialist skills within a highly innovative and rewarding service?
An exciting opportunity has arisen within Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust for a Band 6 Occupational Therapist as part of the ACORN Service at HMP Whatton on a 12-month maternity cover basis.
This is a specialist treatment service for individuals with personality difficulties and a history of sexual offending. The service is part of the Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) Pathway and is jointly delivered by NHS and Prison partners. This role offers a unique chance to work within a well-established multidisciplinary team delivering specialist psychological and occupational therapy interventions to individuals with personality difficulties and a history of sexual offending.
Main duties of the job
The ACORN service is a comprehensive specialist service offering a range of therapeutic interventions on an outreach basis at HMP Whatton to individuals with problematic personality traits which are linked to difficulties with progression or risk. The service offers a suite of therapies including Schema Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitiation and Reprocessing (EMDR), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Radically Open Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (RO-DBT), and Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT) within tiered phases. Therapies, including socially creative sessions, psychoeducation and both group and 1:1 therapy are provided with an emphasis upon the importance of relationships and the environmental setting. There is a comprehensive OT pathway which runs within this with a focus on the development of functional daily living skills and issues relating to offending, relational difficulties and emotional management.
Working for our organisation
#TeamNottsHC comprises over 11,000 dedicated colleagues who #MakeADifference every day. We deliver intellectual disability, mental health, community health, forensic, and offender healthcare services across Nottinghamshire,Leicestershire,Lincolnshire, and South Yorkshire. Our care is provided from over 200 sites, spanning community locations, acute settings, and secure environments, including prisons.
We are one of the largest mental health and community Trusts in the East Midlands and one of Nottinghamshire's biggest employers. We also host national and regional services, such as the National High Secure Deaf Service and the Nottingham Centre for Transgender Health.
We offer a variety of employee-led staff networks, including Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) groups, the Green Champions network, the Freedom to Speak Up network, the Health and Wellbeing Champions network, and the Menopause Champions network. These networks play a vital role in supporting our diverse workforce and promoting a culture of inclusivity.
The health and wellbeing of our colleagues is a top priority. We invest significantly in this through our in-house occupational health and staff counselling services, supported by a dedicated Health and Wellbeing team.
The Trust is committed to reducing its carbon emissions, with a specialised Energy and Environmental team working to ensure compliance with environmental legislation, enhance our environmental performance, and achieve our net-zero commitment
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
As part of the ACORN team, you will:
• Work alongside highly skilled psychologists, occupational therapists, and prison colleagues within a specialist therapeutic environment.
• Deliver and further develop occupationally focused interventions that promote functional skills, emotional wellbeing, relational understanding and meaningful engagement.
• Gain experience in a wide range of evidence-based therapeutic approaches, including Schema Therapy, EMDR, DBT, RO-DBT and TF-CBT.
• Contribute to both individual and group interventions, including socially creative and psychoeducational programmes.
• Receive regular professional supervision, support and opportunities for continuing professional development within a specialist forensic setting.
• Develop expertise in trauma-informed and psychologically informed practice.
The OPD Pathway is built on the belief that high-quality, psychologically informed services can make a genuine difference to individuals within the criminal justice system. Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust delivers a range of OPD services in partnership with HMPPS, including ACORN at HMP Whatton, a Therapeutic Community at HMP Gartree, SOLAR service at HMP North Sea Camp, Intensive Intervention and Risk Management Services (IIRMS) and CORE community consultation services across Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire.
We are committed to working in partnership with HMPPS- this service is a joint enterprise so relies on collaborative working to improve health, support justice and reduce re-offending behaviour. The OPD Pathway Team truly believes it can make a difference to the lives of individuals in the criminal justice system by offering consistent, equitable, high-quality services to individuals. If this sounds like a pathway you would like to join- we would like you to be part of our team. We are looking for someone who is:
• Person-centred and recovery focused.
• Motivated, resilient and adaptable.
• Passionate about occupational therapy and making a difference.
• Interested in working within complex and rewarding forensic and personality disorder services.
• Committed to collaborative, multidisciplinary working.
Previous experience or knowledge of personality disorder services, trauma-informed approaches or forensic settings would be advantageous but is not essential. We welcome applications from Occupational Therapists who are keen to learn, develop and contribute to this specialist area of practice.
Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. The cost of the DBS application is £26.40 (standard) or £54.40 (enhanced), this cost will be deducted from your salary over the first 2 months of employment.
You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. An annual fee of £16 per year applies.
A full UK driving licence and vehicle for business use is required for this post; however reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled individuals in line with the Equality Act 2010.
Person specification
Values
Essential criteria
- All colleagues are expected to demonstrate at interview that they act in line with Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Values: Trust Honesty Respect Compassion Teamwork
- All colleagues are expected to demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) and how it applies to their role.
Physical Requirements
Essential criteria
- Able to undertake relevant mandatory training in the Management of Violence and Aggression.
Qualifications - Academic / Craft / Professional
Essential criteria
- Registered Occupational Therapist
- Current registration HCPC
Desirable criteria
- Management/leadership qualifications
- Specific additional therapies training + accreditation
Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience of providing Occupational Therapy interventions in Mental Health/ Personality Disorder/ secure/ prison settings including, clinical, leadership and management roles
- Working knowledge/experience of Learning Disability and Mental Health and Personality Disorder Policy, assessment and care pathways
- Extensive experience of working with a wide range of professionals and MDT working
- Extensive experience of working with multiple agencies both health and social care
- Child and Adult Safeguarding
- Experience of providing an OT service which considers all aspects of Equality and Diversity
- Risk management
Desirable criteria
- Previous experience working within the OPD pathway
- Clinical audit
- Project management
- Investigations and report writing
- Supervision and appraisal of staff
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Working understanding of policies and procedures of the Trust both clinical and corporate
- Evidence of maintaining CPD
Desirable criteria
- An understanding of Personality Disorder/other co-morbidity
- Understanding of the interface between the Mental Health Act 1983 and Mental Capacity Act 2005
Skills
Essential criteria
- High level communication skills, verbal and written including an ability to communicate complex information to prisoners, using a range of means taking into account the needs of people with impaired language and communication
- Leadership skills
- Sound assessment skills including risk assessment and management.
- Good negotiation skills
- Ability to manage time effectively
- Clinical audit and service development
- Ability to work flexibly and to deadlines
- Supervision and appraisal
- Reliable & Resourceful
- Good interpersonal skills
- Performance management skills
- Management of change
- Good IT skills
contractual
Essential criteria
- A full UK driving license and vehicle for business use is required for this post; however reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled individuals in line with the Equality Act 2010.
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
- Dr Laura Challinor
- Job title
- Senior Clinical Psychologist
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01949 803473
If you have problems applying, contact
- Address
-
Duncan Macmillan House
Porchester Road
Mapperley
Nottingham
Nottinghamshire
NG3 6AA
- Telephone
- 0115 667 0369
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