Job overview
An exciting opportunity for a full time Band 6 Occupational Therapist has arisen within the Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) in the Bolton directorate of Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH).
The post holder will deliver holistic occupational therapy assessments and interventions to service users being cared for on the PICU establishing levels of function, identifying and engagement in their roles and meeting their values, evaluating and reducing risk and facilitating occupational performance to support recovery and enable the individual to prepare for discharge from PICU/hospital. This may also include completion of occupational therapy assessments to support applications for housing or alternative hospital settings and to identify any longer term occupational therapy/rehab needs that would require support from other statutory NHS services
Main duties of the job
1. To provide functional and cognitive Occupational Therapy assessments and interventions to support the recovery of service users in the PICU.
2. Deal with complex physical and mental health needs, using evidence based/client centred principles to assess, plan, implement and evaluate and record all interventions in line with relevant clinical pathways.
3. To work with service users and their carers/family members on a 1:1 basis or in a group setting.
4. To provide professional advice for junior and support staff, as well as students on placement.
5. To participate in the planning, development, implementation and evaluation of the OT pathway within PICU.
6. To regularly supervise Occupational Therapy students on placement.
7. To abide by HCPC standards, the Royal College of Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct and the Royal College of Occupational Therapy Professional Standards for OT Practice.
Working for our organisation
Greater Manchester Mental Health (GMMH) Foundation Trust employs over 7000 members of staff, who deliver services from more than 122 locations.
We provide inpatient and community-based mental health care for people living in Bolton, the city of Manchester, Salford, Trafford and the borough of Wigan, and a wide range of specialist mental health and substance misuse services across Greater Manchester, the north west of England and beyond.
Greater Manchester is one of the world's most innovative, original and exciting places to live and work. From the beauty of the surrounding countryside to the heart of the vibrant inner city with great shopping, entertainment and dining options.
Wherever you go you will experience a great northern welcome with people famed for their warmth, humour and generosity.
Our people enjoy their work, have opportunities to learn and develop their skills and are encouraged to generate new ideas that improve care for our service users.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
he post holder will join an established inpatient occupational therapy team comprising one other band 6 OT and one band 5 OT. There are also a number of STR workers employed across the unit.
The post holder will be an active member of the Trust Network for PICU pathways and will be involved in developing and implementing OT pathways.
Bolton PICU is a 6 bedded male PICU based on the Rivington Unit at Royal Bolton Hospital. The unit also has 2 adult of working age acute mental health wards.
We are looking for skilled and dynamic Occupational Therapist to join our fully integrated multidisciplinary team. The successful candidate be an enthusiastic, committed and highly motivated team player with excellent communication skills, providing evidence based clinical assessments and recovery focused interventions.
You will be welcomed into a supportive, creative and motivated multidisciplinary team that has a strong respect for and commitment to Occupational Therapy and practice development. Professional, clinical and managerial supervision is actively provided and development opportunities reflective of your professional development plan. There are regular Occupational Therapy Continued Professional Development Days and opportunities to actively contribute to and influence the development of the Occupational Therapy Services.
Please see attached job description for further details
Staff benefits
8. Pay Enhancements
9. 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays rising to 29 after 5 years and 33 days after 10 years
10. Excellent pension
11. Cycle to work scheme
12. Salary sacrifice car scheme
13. Wellbeing programme
14. fuelGenie Fuel Cards (for applicable roles)
Person specification
Education / Qualifications
Essential criteria
15. Degree in Occupational Therapy
16. Post registration training relevant to mental health
17. Registration with HCPC
Desirable criteria
18. Post registration qualification in a clinically orientated area
19. Leadership or management qualification.
Experience
Essential criteria
20. Demonstrate significant post registration experience as an Occupational Therapist, including experience of working in mental health.
21. Experience of supervising others
Desirable criteria
22. Experience of working in a range of mental health settings
23. Experience of working with clients with a range of physical health problems, including provision of equipment and minor aids.
Knowledge
Essential criteria
24. Comprehensive knowledge and application of OT models, assessment and interventions relevant to client group
25. Knowledge and application of standardised mental health assessments, outcome measures and specialist tools
26. Supervisory/ Appraisal skills
27. Detailed knowledge and experience of risk assessment and management.
Desirable criteria
28. Training and presentation skills
The Trust mandates all post holders who require a DBS for their role to subscribe to the DBS Update Service. You will be required to enrol for this service for a fee of £16 per year and maintain registration throughout your employment with GMMH.
Applicants are encouraged to apply for posts at Greater Manchester Mental Health who have direct experience of mental health, learning disability or drug and alcohol services either as a service user or a carer.
The Trust is also committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults and requires all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
We are aspiring to ensure our workforce is representative of the diverse communities that we serve, and we are strongly committed to removing barriers to employment for candidates from under-represented groups, for example BAME, Disabled and LGBT+ communities. If you would like to have an informal chat about the recruitment process for this role or would value some additional support, we’d love to hear from you.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) when writing job applications
A candidate may utilise the help of AI when writing job application. The assessment of an application is made on its entirety and most times AI-generated content does not fully grasp the context and requirements of the job one applies for thus producing inaccurate and misleading information, especially in the supporting statement section of an application that can lack real life examples of one’s achievements, success and challenges.
We have added a disclaimer to our application process advising that the use of AI is monitored. GMMH reserves the right to follow up with a candidate at the interview on specific responses and those examples used in the supporting statement to explore it further.
Sponsorship
We are proud to be an approved sponsor for the Skilled Worker visa. Applications from individuals who require sponsorship will be considered alongside all other applications. Please be aware that not all roles are eligible for sponsorship. You can review the list of eligible roles and salary requirements on the UK Government’s website – click .
If you are offered a role with us and you require sponsorship, we will check your eligibility in line with the information on the above website. Your offer of employment could be withdrawn if the role is not eligible for sponsorship, and you are not otherwise able to evidence your right to work in the UK.
The Home Office introduces new changes from 22/07/2025 that impact the health and care sector, you may wish to familiarise with it.
Do you have experience outside the NHS?
We want to attract and retain people with diverse skills and experience, to deliver inclusive healthcare services to our communities.
We will consider relevant experience outside the NHS to calculate your salary on appointment.