Job Overview
The Harrow Older Adult Community Mental Health Service supports older adults with functional mental health needs and/or dementia, alongside frailty and complex physical health conditions. Working closely with local authority colleagues, primary care, and wider frailty pathways, the service delivers integrated, holistic care to service users and carers.
We are establishing a new Mental Health Frailty Team within the Older Adult CMHT and are seeking a Band 6 Occupational Therapist to join this developing service. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the design and delivery of an innovative model of care for older adults.
The service comprises a proactive multidisciplinary team, including medical staff, nurses, occupational therapists, social workers, psychologists, support staff, and administrators. The Frailty Team will work closely with community frailty MDTs, care homes, primary care networks, and hospital interface services.
You will provide specialist occupational therapy assessment and intervention for older adults with frailty, dementia, and complex mental health needs, using evidence-based, person-centred approaches. The role involves managing a complex caseload, contributing to MDT care planning, and supporting the development of the new Frailty Team.
This post offers opportunities to shape service pathways, develop specialist practice, and work within a forward-looking, integrated mental health and frailty service.
The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.
Main duties of the job
The Occupational Therapists in the team provide a variety of assessments to assess a range of activities of daily living. The postholder will support clients with their health and wellbeing goals and provide recovery focused interventions which may include graded programmes to build confidence and independence, recommendations for environmental adaptations, equipment/aids. Occupational therapy reports are requested to advise on service user safety and abilities to inform future care and accommodation decisions. All clinicians work autonomously managing their own diaries and most service users are seen in their own homes.
As part of our current community transformation programme, Occupational Therapists in the teams play a key role in supporting services users to benefit from the wide range of community opportunities in the borough and have a valuable role in facilitating discharges and transfers. There will be opportunity to work creatively in establishing your role with some opportunities to develop group work. You should have excellent communication skills and effective team working to build partnerships with other organisations in the borough.
Working for our organisation
Central and North West London (CNWL) NHS Foundation Trust is one of England's largest NHS Trusts.
With great size, comes fantastic opportunities, to develop, innovate and progress.
Along with the fully established benefits such as Monthly supervision; Annual personal development plans/appraisals; Support and guidance with Revalidation; Hidden Gem and annual award ceremonies. We are also able to offer access to a full range of internal and external training opportunities across our services.
Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities
Please refer to the attached Job Description and Person Specification on this advert for further info.
We are looking to recruit a skilled and motivated Band 6 Occupational Therapist to join a newly established Mental Health Frailty Team, working with older adults who experience frailty alongside complex mental health needs.
This is an exciting opportunity to be part of an integrated, multidisciplinary service focused on early intervention, admission avoidance, and improving quality of life for older adults across community and frailty pathways.
You will provide specialist occupational therapy expertise to the frailty MDT and Community Mental Health Team, delivering high-quality individual and group-based assessment, intervention, and evaluation in line with the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.
You will manage a caseload of older adults with complex, severe, and enduring mental health needs, including dementia, depression, psychosis, delirium, and co-existing physical health conditions. Using evidence-based and recovery-focused approaches, you will assess occupational performance, plan and deliver interventions, and evaluate outcomes to support engagement, independence, and well-being.
The role will involve delivering specialist occupational therapy interventions to address identified occupational needs, with a strong focus on activity analysis and grading, distress behaviour management, and environmental adaptation including sensory modulation. Interventions will aim to enhance self-management skills, reduce distress, and support meaningful occupational participation. You will act as named worker for a defined caseload.
You will apply a high level of understanding of the impact of mental illness, frailty, dementia, and physical health conditions on daily functioning, providing specialist advice, training, and recommendations regarding lifestyle changes, activity adaptation, sensory and environmental adjustments, and the provision of equipment and aids.
As part of a developing service, you will contribute to the ongoing development of local and Trust-wide occupational therapy provision within frailty services. You will also provide supervision and leadership to junior and unqualified staff, and act as a practice educator for occupational therapy students as required.
You will be a registered Occupational Therapist with experience working with older adults, mental health, or frailty, and a strong interest in integrated, community-based care. You will demonstrate excellent clinical reasoning skills, the ability to work autonomously within a multidisciplinary environment, and a commitment to person-centred, strengths-based practice.
Be part of a new and innovative Mental Health Frailty Team
Work across integrated mental and physical health pathways
Make a meaningful difference to the lives of older adults and their carers
Opportunities for professional development, supervision, and service innovation
Person specification
Education And Qualifications
Essential criteria
Degree/Diploma in Occupational Therapy
Health Professionals Council (HPC) registered Occupational Therapist
Desirable criteria
Post qualification training in relevant mental health therapeutic skills
Completion of practice educator training
Previous Experience
Essential criteria
Post qualification experience working in mental health settings as an Occupational Therapist.
Experience of working with service users presenting with a wide range of complex mental health conditions
Experience of delivering healthy lifestyle interventions.
Experience in assessment and interventions related to physical healthcare needs
Experience in using a range of standardised OT assessments
Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary team
Experience of working in a multi-cultural environment
Experience of drafting group protocols and setting up / facilitating groups / group programme
Experience in completing Risk Assessment Tools.
Desirable criteria
Experience of care coordination/working as a named worker
Experience of working in a mental health community team
Personal experience of using mental health services
Experience in audit / research projects
Supervision of OT students/non-qualified staff
Experience of partnership working in promoting socially inclusive opportunities for patients.
Skills, Knowledge, Abilities
Essential criteria
Clear concept of Occupational Therapy and models of practice
Good communication skills written, verbal, listening and use of IT systems
Ability to work autonomously, as well as part of an MDT
Individual/group work skills
Ability to prioritise workload and use initiative.
Timely reporting and record keeping
To always treat service users with respect and dignity, adopting a culturally sensitive approach that considers the needs of the whole person
Able to build constructive relationships with warmth and empathy, using good communication skills.
To determine the impact of mental and physical conditions on service user's functional ability and undertake assessment/make recommendations with regards to the provision of equipment/aids and adaptations
Good understanding of the application of risk assessment and risk management strategies which facilitates a patient's recovery.
Good awareness of the principles of safeguarding and how to implement this in practice
Desirable criteria
Research and development at graduate level
Knowledge of the theory underpinning the Model of Human Occupation
Completion of OT medication management training.
Personal Characteristics
Essential criteria
High level of personal motivation
Ability to work in a team setting i.e. collaborating/facilitating/directing and understanding diversity
Good organisational skills and ability to delegate effectively.
Ability to encourage patient participation and ensure a high delivery of customer service
Ability to manage conflict constructively
Demonstrate a willingness to develop knowledge and skills.