Job overview
Are you an enthusiastic, motivated and person-centred Occupational Therapist wanting to make a difference to the lives to individuals in Mental Health Crisis? If so, working with us would be the place for you!
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Band 6 Occupational Therapist to join our team until August 2026, covering a secondment. This post holder would have an OT specific caseload, providing functional and cognitive assessments, interventions and care planning for service users and their carers based both at home and also in our new Listening Lounge service with crisis beds. The post holder would play a pivotal in the development of this service, promoting, providing and developing the OT pathway within this setting.
Our service and team are passionate about staff development and well-being, therefore the post holder will be actively encouraged to engage in CPD and professional development opportunities. Peer support and reflection opportunities are also available to OTs working within the directorate.
Main duties of the job
·To provide functional and cognitive Occupational Therapy assessments to service users in the Listening Lounge, the crisis beds and in home environments for the Home-Based Treatment Team (HBT).
·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.
·To work with service users and their carers/family members on a 1:1 basis or in a group setting.
·To provide professional advice for junior and support staff, as well as students on placement.
·To participate in the planning, development and evaluation of the OT pathway within the HBT and Listening Lounge/Hollybank services.
·To regularly supervise Occupational Therapy students on fieldwork placement.
·To abide by 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
As determined in the attached job description and person specification. In summary:
·To provide functional and cognitive Occupational Therapy assessments to service users in the Listening Lounge, the crisis beds and in home environments for the Home-Based Treatment Team (HBT).
·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.
·To work with service users and their carers/family members on a 1:1 basis or in a group setting.
·To provide professional advice for junior and support staff, as well as students on placement.
·To participate in the planning, development and evaluation of the OT pathway within the HBT and Listening Lounge/Hollybank services.
·To regularly supervise Occupational Therapy students on fieldwork placement.
·To abide by the Royal College of Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct and the Royal College of Occupational Therapy Professional Standards for OT Practice.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
1. BSc (Hons) Degree in Occupational Therapy
Desirable criteria
2. Any further qualifications or training relevant to the role
Experience
Essential criteria
3. Experience of working within mental health services post qualifying
Desirable criteria
4. Experience of working within urgent care mental health settings either as a student or post qualifying
Skills
Essential criteria
5. Ability to complete and report on comprehensive OT assessments to the wider team
6. Ability to complete comprehensive risk assessments
Desirable criteria
7. Able to support and sign off Occupational Therapy students on placement
8. Ability to complete mental state examinations
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.