Occupational Therapy Assistant
Go back Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
The closing date is 09 November 2025
An exciting opportunity has arisen within Specialist Services to appoint an Occupational Therapy Assistant into the Hampshire Multiagency Personality Service (HMAPS). We are a specialised community service jointly commissioned between NHS England and His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service. The service comprises of the Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) Pathway and Intensive Interventions and Risk Management (IIRMS) service lines. This is a psychologically led and informed specialised service.
The HMAPS team is a multidisciplinary team providing psychological formulation, consultation, and training to the National Probation Service within Hampshire, to support the probation staff with formulation‑based psychological ways of working with people under probation supervision who have personality difficulties linked to their offending behaviour. Under the IIRMS service, psychological case management, psychoeducational interventions and outreach is provided to a caseload of high‑risk service users in a range of NHS and non‑NHS settings (e.g., probation offices, Approved Premises, and community hub spaces) across Hampshire.
The service is based in Ravenswood House, Wickham, Hampshire, but the work will be delivered in a range of NHS and non‑NHS (e.g., Probation offices, NOS Approved premises, HUBs) premises across Hampshire. There is an expectation of travel across the county for the role.
Main duties of the job
The purpose of the OTA role is to support service users through 1 to 1 and group interventions to manage their symptoms and risk and give advice and support on practical issues such as housing, benefits, education, employment, independent living skills and social activities in the local area, under the support of a qualified and specialist Occupational Therapist, and the wider team. The role will also include establishing supportive partnerships with both service users and the family / social networks. The post holder will work with service users to identify OT goals as part of the overall team intervention plan, using specialist mental health and OT assessment tools, under supervision. You will be able to critically evaluate outcomes including assessment and management of risk and apply clinical reasoning skills to effectively manage clinical caseloads.
The attached Job Description will set out specific duties and person requirements, but you must have experience of working within forensic and secure services. If you are an enthusiastic, dynamic, and organized individual and possess excellent clinical and service development skills, then we would like to hear from you. You will need to have a people focused, flexible and forward‑thinking approach, be able to prioritise workloads to meet deadlines and embrace the Trust values.
If you would like to have an informal discussion regarding this post, please contact: Helen Stanley, Consultant Lead for HMAPS (helen.stanley@southernhealth.nhs.uk)
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.
The successful candidate will be required to undergo DBS and Probation Service vetting.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* Technical qualification e.g City & Guilds or Health & Social Care NVQ Level 1 or 2
* Or
* Equivalent technical/life skills gained through work or personal experience.
* Experience of supporting people with mental health difficulties.
* Current UK driving licence and use of a car.
* AET (Award in Education and Training) or PTLS or equivalent teaching adults qualification or willingness to undertake.
* Care Certificate.
* Experience of working in a Community Forensic setting.
Experience
* Health/social care teaching/Education experience.
* Experience as a carer.
* Experience of working in mental health/forensic setting.
* Experience of working with OTs before.
Additional Criteria
* An interest in Occupational Therapy.
* Ability to teach practical skills to service users.
* Ability to work independently or as part of a team with individuals or groups within a supportive environment.
* Good personal organisation skills.
* Effective communication skills, both written and verbal.
* Positive interpersonal skills.
* Ability to take the initiative when required.
* Effective written and oral communication skills.
* Good IT Skills.
* Good personal organisation skills.
* Willingness to work flexibly.
* A willingness to travel to other sites.
* Range of leisure/educational/vocational skills/interests that could be used e.g., creative arts, sport and fitness, music, IT.
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.
Employer name
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
£24,937 to £26,598 a year £1400 additional payment per year for forensic Lead
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