Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Occupational Therapist
The closing date is 23 November 2025
Antelope House is an acute mental health unit situated in the centre of Southampton. It accommodates 3 acute wards and a 10 bed male PICU offering high quality, recovery focused care to adults with a range of mental health needs.
We are looking for a passionate and innovative therapist with a keen interest in working in adult mental health to join this supportive and forward-thinking team.
You will be working closely with Hamtun MDT, an OT apprentice and will have the support of the wider OT team.
You will work collaboratively with service users employing a range of OT assessments and interventions to support recovery and will have the opportunity to develop skills in delivering these. You may also work with students on practice placement.
Ideally you will have some experience of working within mental health services and have a keen interest in working with adults who are at the very beginning of their recovery journey. This role would suit someone who is able to work autonomously and as part of a team. With the role being based on a PICU an element of emotional resilience is required.
You will be encouraged and supported in your development through a comprehensive induction, regular supervision from a senior OT, CPD and a structured Preceptorship Programme for newly qualified practitioners.
Main duties of the job
Clinical
* To undertake occupational therapy assessments for a designated caseload, addressing occupational performance and skill deficits, enabling the service user in areas of self-maintenance, productivity and leisure.
* To work with service users to identify occupational goals as part of the overall care plan.
* To plan and implement individual and/or group interventions, in collaboration with the service user, using graded activity to achieve therapeutic goals.
* To monitor and evaluate treatment in order to measure progress and ensure effectiveness of the intervention.
* To carry out home visits as appropriate within given guidelines.
* To build knowledge of appropriate community resources and access these for service users where appropriate.
Communication
* To establish effective communication networks with users and carers, team members, OT colleagues and other agencies.
* To work as a member of the multidisciplinary teams, contributing to decisions with regard to service user care programmes. This includes contributing to 2nd opinion decisions under the Mental Health Act.
* To provide support and education to service users and carers regarding aspects of occupational therapy.
* To comment on local service procedures/guidelines as part of the OT team.
Documentation
* To ensure that up to date written and electronic records and activity data are maintained in accordance with Professional and Trust standards.
About us
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a newly established organisation, bringing together expertise from across mental health, learning disabilities, community, and physical health services. We are dedicated to delivering compassionate, high-quality, and accessible care to the diverse communities of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
With over 13,000 dedicated staff working across more than 300 sites, we place patients and staff at the centre of everything we do. Our goal is to create an integrated healthcare system that improves accessibility and ensures more consistent care for patients. By working together, we aim to improve patient outcomes, drive innovation, and meet the unique needs of the populations we serve.
Our Trust unites services from Southern Health, Solent NHS Trust, Isle of Wight NHS Trusts community and mental health teams, as well as Hampshire CAMHS, originally part of Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. This transformation enables us to deliver more seamless care across the region, ensuring that patients receive the right support, in the right place, at the right time.
Join us as we embark on this exciting journey to shape the future of healthcare across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. We are deeply committed to our CARE values of compassion, accountability, respect, and excellence, and offer outstanding opportunities for career development, training, and collaborative working.
Job responsibilities
Further information about the Trust and this role can be found on the Job Description and Person Specification document attached. It is important to us that we ensure our recruitment processes are accessible and inclusive to everyone - if as a potential candidate you are concerned a person specification may prevent or restrict your application for employment as a result of unintentional barriers on the grounds of your sex, race, age, sexual orientation, religion/belief or disability please initially contact the Trust's Recruitment team - detailed in the advert. The Trust will seek to resolve this issue wherever possible.
We are happy to talk Flexible Working - all requests for flexible working options can be discussed as part of the interview process.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* Degree or diploma in Occupational Therapy
* Model of Human Occupation (MoHO)
* VdT Model of Creative Ability
Experience
* Application of the OT process
* Use of functional assessment and activity analysis
* Documented evidence of Continuing professional development
* Experience in a range of clinical settings (as student and qualified practitioner)
Additional Criteria
* Knowledge of current best practice in OT
* Ability to work with individuals and groups
* Understanding of professional ethics and their application in practice
* Understanding of team dynamics
* Ability to work with service users with unpredictable behaviour patterns.
* Basic knowledge of health legislation and current practice, including CPA and risk assessment, risk management.
* Word processing and internet skills
* Basic knowledge of the principles of clinical governance
* Good personal organisation skills
* Effective written and oral communication skills.
* Ability to reflect and critically appraise own performance
* Health, safety and risk awareness
* Training and presentation skills
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
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