Occupational Therapy Assistant

Job summary

Are you a dedicated, compassionate mental health professional committed to providing great care? Do you want the chance to help shape a new and genuinely innovative service for the women of Kent and Medway?

We're creating Kent and Medway's first, and only, NHS Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) for women, and are seeking a talented Occupational Therapy Assistant to help us deliver this vital service.

Please note that the start date for this post will be March 2026, to allow for sufficient time for onboarding, induction, and training before the anticipated arrival of the first patient in April 2026.

In this role you will be expected to facilitate therapeutic groups, have 1-1 engagement and arrange activities with patients. You will be an integral part of the team and be fundamental in creating a therapeutic environment, which supports sensory and community integration.

You will support the recovery needs of patients by signposting them to the support in the community and tailored discharge planning. The role will involve you working closely with family, friends and careers. You will also assist the Occupational Therapists with assessments.

If this sounds like the opportunity you have been waiting for, come and join our diverse and compassionate team committed to delivering excellent care and support for service users and their loved ones.

All positions also benefit from a High Cost Area allowance.

Main duties of the job

• Group work facilitation.
• Community signposting and integration.
• Assist with Assessments.
• Support with ordering and auditing equipment.
• 1-1 tailored intervention in conjunction with Occupational Therapist.
• Work as part of the multi-disciplinary team.

About us

Working in a PICU is very rewarding but we want to be honest and share that it is demanding too. It is likely to be needed by people with severe and complex mental health conditions (e.g. Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder and may be associated with Personality Disorder, Substance Misuse and PTSD).

While emotionally challenging, the opportunity to support critically unwell women back to their communities, ensuring 'right care, in the right place, at the right time', is immense, and your skilled, multidisciplinary, team will be there to support you.

You would be working as part of a team of mental health experts, dedicated to making sure the most unwell women in our communities have the same access to specialist care as men.

We are recruiting now to make sure our new female PICU team is in place with enough time to train, form team bonds and prepare. So you can all make a profound difference to patient outcomes from day one.

We also offer ongoing professional development to help you adapt and progress your career, including bespoke training and a comprehensive induction program.

All jobs based at our Dartford unit come with a High Cost Area Supplement: 5% of basic salary, subject to a minimum payment of £1303 per year and a maximum payment of £2198 per year (the agreed annual amount will be divided into 12 equal amounts and paid monthly). The salary listed is inclusive of the High-Cost Area Allowance.

Employer details

Employer name

Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust

Address

Littlebrook Hospital, Dartford

Bow Arrow Lane

Dartford

DA2 6PB

Employer's website

https://www.kentmedwaymentalhealth.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)

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Employer details

Employer name

Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust

Address

Littlebrook Hospital, Dartford

Bow Arrow Lane

Dartford

DA2 6PB

Employer's website

https://www.kentmedwaymentalhealth.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)

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