Occupational Therapist - Locality Team

If you’re an Occupational Therapist interested in working in a friendly and dynamic team then we’d love to hear from you...

We are a Local Authority working for the community, improving the lives of our residents and we’re looking for motivated and talented Occupational Therapists to join our Locality Team. Wherever you are in your own career journey, we’re committed to offering the support and development you need.

Working as an Occupational Therapist for Reading Borough Council you will be part of a friendly and supportive team. We work closely with our colleagues in Reading Borough Council, Health Professionals, Voluntary and Charity colleagues to facilitate the best possible outcomes for those people we support. We are looking for individuals who can demonstrate great communication skills and the ability to build and maintain relationships with colleagues, services users, and health care providers.

The Locality Team is comprised of Occupational Therapists, Social Workers and Social Care Co-ordinators and provide the next step in assessment and support planning to people who are 18 years and over also support people who are transferring from the Preparing for Adulthood Team who have longer term social care needs. The role involves working with adults with a broad range of needs including people with learning disabilities, physical disabilities, older people and supporting people with substance/alcohol misuse. It also involves providing information, advice and support to Carers.

This post offers opportunities to improve your skills and experience in Adult Social Care with high quality, client-led, functional occupational therapy assessments, and interventions with service users in their own homes to help them develop, recover, or maintain their meaningful occupations in friendly and supportive teams.

We seek the best talent from the widest pool of people as diversity and inclusion is the key to our success. Reading Borough Council is a Disability Confident Employer and is committed to the recruitment and continued employment of people with disabilities.

About the Role:
You will hold a varied caseload and contribute to the team performance and positive outcomes for our residents.

You will support individuals to remain in their own homes and maximise their independence.  Using a strengths-based approach and your unique OT skill set to support individuals to find solutions, promote wellbeing and healthy occupations through a variety of interventions including equipment, adaptations, manual handling, goal planning and working closely with care providers, Housing Services and Health colleagues.

You will work within the legal framework provided by the statute, guidance, policies, and procedures.

You will need to have:

• A degree in Occupational Therapy
• Registered with HCPC
  We welcome new graduates and are working with Buckingham, Berkshire, and Oxfordshire Integrated Care System on a preceptorship for new Occupational Therapy graduates.
• We support students from Oxford Brooks and Coventry University and offer opportunities to mentor and supervise occupational therapy apprentices.
• Community experience is helpful but not essential.

We offer excellent support, supervision, and induction. You will have access to our Learning and Development programme and be supported in your career and personal growth with opportunities to learn and develop new clinical skills, helping you to build your Continuing Professional Development portfolio, extending your skills and supporting you to grow as an Occupational Therapist.

Our offer
A competitive salary alongside a range of benefits including:

• Generous holiday entitlement - 25 days holiday each year plus bank holidays - rising to 33 days after 10 years' service, with the option to buy additional leave
• Maternity, adoption, parental and sick pay
• A wide range of flexible working opportunities
• Access to a range of training and learning opportunities to help you develop
• Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• On-site day nursery (Kennet Day nursery) rated outstanding by Ofsted, and a salary sacrifice scheme to help lower the cost of your nursery fees
• Season Ticket Loan - a loan to help with the cost of your rail or bus journey, to and from work
• Lease car salary sacrifice scheme allowing you to lease a brand new, greener car for three years.  The monthly fee includes insurance, servicing, and road tax
• Salary sacrifice scheme for Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVCs) to help you save for your retirement

You’ll be part of a team that relies on each individual to play their part to the best of their ability. As well as the colleagues that you work closely with every day, you’ll also be part of Team Reading, playing your personal part in making Reading a successful and vibrant place.

Our vision is to ensure that Reading realises its potential as a great place to live, work and play, and that everyone shares the benefits of this success. Our values and behaviours guide how we will achieve this:

Work Together as one team - work collaboratively, with each other and with our partners, and demonstrate the Team Reading values in everything we do

Drive Efficiency - show initiative, be adaptable to change and put forward ideas to help improve delivery and efficiency. Take responsibility for our own learning and development and for reaching our potential

Be Ambitious - be demanding of our own performance – striving to be even better – and be prepared to engage with and challenge leaders in a constructive and positive way

Make a Difference to Reading - maintain the highest levels of customer service and be flexible and willing to provide the services needed at the time they are needed

Closing date: Sunday 4th June2023
Interview date: To be confirmed

If you would like to find out more about this role and the team, please contact Sandra Sheldon (Team Manager) 0118 937 3672 or email sandra.sheldon@reading.gov.uk

Please note that the closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and return your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.