Occupational Therapy Assistant - Band 3

At Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust (GHC), we provide joined-up mental health, physical health and learning disability services to people of all ages across Gloucestershire. We run community hospitals and provide care and support in people's own homes and in a range of other locations across the county.
We are on a mission to enable people to live the best life they can and we have a vision to work together to provide outstanding care. We put people at the heart of our services, focusing on personalised care by asking 'what matters to you'.
We're passionate about making sure that everyone can contribute to achieving our mission and we are continually working to support healthy and happy high-quality teams in all areas of the Trust., We are currently seeking an Occupational Therapy assistant to join our Integrated Community Team (ICT) in Cheltenham based at the Independent Living Centre.
The ICT consists of Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Reablement and Community Nurses, who all work closely together, in partnership with GPs, social care colleagues, community hospitals, mental health services and voluntary organisations to enable people to live as independently as possible at home.
As an Occupational Therapy Assistant, you will be placed in the privileged position of caring for patients in their own individualised environment, you will work as part of the Integrated Community Team, carrying out work delegated by the Occupational Therapists, collaborating with the whole MDT to provide a seamless approach to the delivery of services. The ethos of the teams is a Reablement, person-led approach to recovery and self-management, to ensure we offer care close to home, thus avoiding unnecessary admissions to bed based services.
You will receive regular supervision and development of you own learning needs and there will be an expectation that you complete the Level 3 apprenticeship ( Senior Health Care Support Worker) as part of this role- unless already under taken.
We are a Technologically SMART Trust, offering a 'Mobile office' model providing you with all the equipment needed to carry out your role in comfort whilst on the road., + To assess collaboratively with the person, their families and/or carers, within the framework established by the occupational therapist.
+ To work with people to facilitate learning of skills and/or gaining of independence.
+ To be able to understand and apply knowledge of a range of conditions, appreciating the impacts these have on a person's occupational functional ability
+ Assess patients and clients' response to activities and feedback appropriately to relevant people involved in their care
+ To utilise a health coaching approach to work with individuals in developing collaborative goals and action (care) plans
+ To exchange information with patients, their families and/or carers that may require tact, reassurance or persuasion. To provide/receive sensitive or complex information and relay appropriately
+ Maintain accurate, comprehensive and timely clinical records of all care, advice and support delivered with clear reasoning for interventions; in accordance with Trust and National guidelines
+ To employ effective time management skills to organise and prioritise caseload under the guidance of the occupational therapist
+ Ability to teach practical daily activity skills to service users.
+ Possess a level of self-awareness and reflective practice skills, to include an appreciation of their level of knowledge, identifying learning needs, areas for improvement and ability to seek support appropriately.

If you have the drive and enthusiasm to work as part of a committed multidisciplinary team, to provide person-centred care and help support people to maintain independence with their daily occupations please don't hesitate to get in touch

We have in excess of 5000 staff working over 50 sites, providing a diverse range of services. We strive to support an organisational culture that is welcoming, builds and celebrates inclusivity and diversity and provides a sense of belonging and trust.
The annual NHS Staff Survey gives our people the opportunity to tell us about their experience working at the Trust. For the 2023 survey just over 2800 colleagues gave us their views (58.5%). It was great to see from the results that colleagues are saying that:
+ 89.7% believe they are making a positive difference to patients/service users;
+ 73.3% would recommend the organisation as a place to work;
+ 82.4% agree that care of patients and service users is the organisations priority;
+ 76.7% would be happy with the standard of care for a friend or relative
Our results put us as 5th nationally as a Community, Mental Health and Learning Disabilities NHS Employer of Choice and 1st equal amongst all NHS Provider Trusts in the South West. However, we know we have more to do and will continue to drive forward our commitment to making GHC a Great Place to Work.

The qualification, training & experience requirements for the role are underlined in the Job Description/Person Specification.
Please refer to the Additional Information attachment before submitting your application,
For further information or enquiries please contact either Helen Dix or Kate Clempson- Community Leads for Occupational Therapy on .
When joining us, as well as becoming part of a team that makes a difference, we also offer:
+ Free car parking at many of our sites
+ 27 days leave plus bank holidays, increasing up to 33 days with long service
+ A broad range of training and development opportunities, including apprenticeships up to Level 7 qualification.
+ A multi-professional preceptorship programme for all Newly Qualified; Nurses, Nursing Associates, Internationally Educated Practitioners, Social Workers, Allied Health Professionals and Return to Practice Practitioners.
+ Generous NHS pension and enhanced pay when if you work unsocial hours
+ Flexible, family friendly and agile working opportunities
+ Recognition and long service awards
+ Fast Track physiotherapy
+ Our Wellbeing line
+ Access to discounts and salary sacrifice schemes; including Cycle to Work, Car scheme and discounts on travel, leisure and retailers.
For more information please see the attached 'Additional Information for Applicants' document.