Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic and motivated Occupational Therapist with relevant experience in Mental Health Services to join the Mother and Baby Unit in Winchester on a fixed term contract (12 months).

We are a nationally recognised service accredited under the Royal College of Psychiatrists Perinatal Quality Network. Our Unit provides 24/7 specialist care and treatment for mothers who require acute inpatient admission during the third trimester of pregnancy up to one year postnatally. Enabling them to remain with, maintain, and develop their bond with their babies during this period.

We are a motivated and dynamic team and work to extremely high standards in our patient care and are always striving to improve our service. We work closely with our service users and families to deliver holistic assessment and treatment. We are looking for a motivated Occupational Therapist with an interest in the field of Perinatal Mental Health. This post holder will need to have the ability to work autonomously to continually develop and deliver the Occupational Therapy service on the Mother and Baby Unit.

We offer a good induction package with specialist training and as a service are committed to the professional development of our staff. You will receive regular supervision and support through the ward management, as well as having access to peer support and specialist supervision from Occupational Therapist within the trust.

Main duties of the job

To manage a defined caseload from the Mother and Baby Inpatient Unit, using evidence based/service user centred principles to assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions.

To be confident to take the lead for service users with more complex occupational performance needs.

To provide leadership for junior staff, through supervision and appraisal.

To participate in the planning, development and evaluation of OT services on the Mother and Baby Unit, holding responsibility for defined projects as allocated by the Service Manager/ Ward Manager.

To contribute to the maintenance and development of the Trust OT Service.

To regularly supervise OT students on practice placement.

To supervise the Activity Co-ordinator within their role.

To work closely with the Perinatal Community Teams to enable smooth transition of service users from hospital to the community

About us

Southern Health is one of the largest NHS Foundation Trusts in the UK, specialising in mental health and learning disabilities, as well as offering physical health community-based services.

With a workforce of more than 7000 and a footprint that spans more than 200 sites across Hampshire, we're wholeheartedly committed to providing the best possible healthcare, reaching a range of diverse communities, whilst placing patients and staff at the forefront of all our endeavours.

We are currently working closely with other NHS Trusts to integrate all our collective community, mental health, and learning disability services. Our new organisation, to be known as Hampshire and Isle of Wight NHS Foundation Trust, is set to launch in July 2024.

The transformation will happen in staggered stages; Hampshire CAMHS, part of Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust joined Southern Health in February 2024, with Isle of Wight NHS Trust mental health and community services transitioning in early May 2024. The final combination of Southern Health and Solent Trusts is anticipated to occur in July 2024, when the new organisation will be formed.

Our new Trust will continue to cater to the unique needs of different communities, making healthcare across the county more accessible, as well as offering staff more opportunities for career development, training and partnership working.

Join us as we embark on this exciting journey to shape the future of healthcare in Hampshire.