Why work in occupational therapy at MPFT?

Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is an integrated organisation that provides services to people of all ages and across physical and mental health, learning disabilities and adult social care.

MPFT employs Occupational Therapists and non-registered staff who work alongside them, in hospitals, clinics, and the community, across a range of service areas including:

  • physical health
  • mental health
  • learning disabilities
  • forensic
  • social care

Robust networks across the organisation enables shared learning and the opportunity to work in a more collaborative and integrated way to better meet the holistic needs of those they serve.

To find out more about our Occupational Therapy service at MPFT you can watch our Occupational Therapy Virtual Information and Recruitment Event on YouTube.

 

What sort of work can you do in occupational therapy at MPFT?

Occupational Therapy services enable individuals to be as independent as possible in their everyday lives, whilst recovering from illness or adapting to disability. They also contribute to the enhancement of quality of life for those patients with a palliative or terminal illness.

Occupational Therapy provides practical support to empower people all ages to facilitate recovery and overcome barriers preventing them from doing the activities (or occupations) that matter to them.

The term 'Occupation' refers to practical and purposeful activities that allow people to live independently and have a sense of identity. This could be essential day-to-day tasks such as self-care, work or leisure.

An Occupational Therapist will consider all of a person's needs: physical, psychological, social and environmental. This support can make a real difference giving people a renewed sense of purpose, opening up new horizons, and changing the way they feel about the future.

Occupational Therapists carry out assessments and plan agreed person-centred programmes of intervention to:

  • increase or maintain the functional ability of the individual
  • enhance quality of life
  • facilitate safe and effective discharges from hospitals
  • reduce dependence on other agencies
  • avoid admission to hospital or care environments
  • promote a balanced lifestyle.

Intervention may include:

  • rehabilitation
  • splinting
  • adaptation of a client's tasks or environment
  • provision of equipment.

 

Occupational Therapy Virtual Information and Recruitment Events

Watch our Occupational Therapy virtual information and recruitment event from 2023 below. 

What Qualifications do I need in occupational therapy?

To become an occupational therapist, you'll need a degree in Occupational Therapy, which usually takes three years full-time or up to six years part-time. In postgraduate studies, it's possible to gain a Masters degree in one to two years.

Once you've successfully completed your degree, you'll need to register with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) before you can start practising. The other option is to apply for an apprenticeship degree.

The NHS Health Careers website has information about studying to become an Occupational Therapist.

The Skills For Health website has an example of a career pathway to qualification as an Occupational Therapist.

Entry requirements for an undergraduate course are typically:

Two or three A levels

Five GCSEs (grades 9-4 / A-C), including science

Or equivalent qualifications:

A BTEC, HND or HNC, including biological science

A relevant NVQ

A science-based access course

Equivalent Scottish or Irish qualifications.

When applying for a occupational therapy degree, you'll be asked to show how you think the NHS values apply in your everyday work.

Therapy Support Worker through to Assistant Practitioner:

The Assistant Practitioner in Healthcare Higher degree aims to develop Assistant Practitioners in Healthcare with an Allied Health Professional focus. Please see the factsheet at the bottom of this section.

Qualifications and Credit Framework QCF / NVQ / apprenticeship level 2 in related subject:

Care Certificate is completed in all 15 areas within 12weeks (pro rata) of commencement of contract

NVQ 3 or equivalent in related subject

NVQ 4 or Foundation Degree in related subject

BSc or MSc Apprenticeships 

Existing MPFT staff may be eligible to apply for Occupational Therapy training via our apprenticeship scheme. Please see the factsheets at the bottom of this section for further information. 

 

How can I find a job in Occupational Therapy at MPFT

All vacancies at MPFT are advertised on the NHS Jobs website.

 

Can I get Work Experience or Shadowing in Occupational Therapy at MPFT?

Yes, we very much welcome requests for work experience or shadowing; not just from external students but from staff who would like to experience working with other teams.

 

What other ways can I further develop my career in Occupational Therapy at MPFT?

Within MPFT we offer a range of Continuous Professional Development and career opportunities to progress in Occupational Therapy through our career framework.

MPFT offer a range of apprenticeships for Occupational Therapy. See our apprenticeship and career development pages for more information. You can also listen to Alex talking about being an Occupational Therapy apprentice.  Examples of such apprenticeships can be found on the Skills for Health website.

We currently work with Coventry University who offer a Level 7 apprenticeship pre-registration course which starts in January and lasts 2 years and a Level 6 apprenticeship course which starts in September and lasts 4 years. Wolverhampton offer a Level 6 course that starts in May and lasts 3 years and we are working with other providers who may be able to offer something in the near future. Do get in touch with us on AHPCPD@mpft.nhs.uk if you would like support to choose the right course for you. 

In addition to this, MPFT supports our Occupational Therapists to develop into Advanced Clinical Practitioners and develop their careers in research and Consultant Occupational Therapists.

PDF file iconAssistant Practitioner in Rehabilitation Foundation Degree FAQs .pdf
PDF file iconAssistant Practitioner in Healthcare Foundation Degree Apprenticeship Coventry University FAQs.pdf
PDF file iconFoundation Degree Assistant Practitioner Apprenticeship. University of Derby (online). January 2025 intake. FAQs.pdf
PDF file iconBSc Occupational Therapy Apprenticeship. Coventry University FAQs.pdf
PDF file iconBSc Occupational Therapy Apprenticeship. Sheffield Hallam University. FAQs.pdf
PDF file iconBSc Occupational Therapy Apprenticeship. University of Wolverhampton. FAQs.pdf
PDF file iconMSc Occupational Therapy Apprenticeship. Coventry University. FAQs.pdf
PDF file iconEnhanced Clinical Practitioner Apprenticeship. FAQs.pdf

 

Useful Links

Band Job title
Band 2

Occupational Therapy Support Therapy Worker
Band 3 Occupational Therapy Assistant
Band 4 Occupational Therapy Assistant Practitioner
Band 5  Occupational Therapist
Band 6  Specialist Occupational Therapist 
Band 7  Advanced Occupational Therapist
Band 8 

Advanced Clinical Practitioner, Consultant Occupational Therapist (This title must only be used where the staff member has completed the ACP programme/portfolio)

 

All health professionals registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and practising in the UK are required to go through the HCPC registration renewal every two years. This process now includes the requirement to supply a profile on request to demonstrate fulfilment of the standards for CPD set by the HCPC and tested through a sample audit.

HCPC has defined CPD as: “a range of learning activities through which health professionals maintain and develop throughout their career to ensure that they retain the capacity to practice safely, effectively and legally within their evolving scope of practice.”

All HCPC registrants were required to engage in CPD activities from 1 July 2006. Some Occupational Therapists will be audited by HCPC each 2 years of registration. Registrants need to record and evidence their CPD activities and, if selected for audit, complete their CPD profile, which will be audited by CPD assessors. The Royal College of Occupational Therapists has worked closely with HCPC to provide CPD exemplars for practice, education, and management, which are available on the Royal College's website.

Occupational Therapists have to provide evidence of CPD relating to their previous two years of practice. The evidence will show how the CPD that has been undertaken by the individual has contributed to the quality of their practice and should demonstrate its benefit to the service user. The standards apply to clinical practice, research, management and education.

 

HPC Standards of CPD

A registrant must:

  • maintain a continuous, up-to-date and accurate record of their CPD activities
  • demonstrate that their CPD activities are a mixture of learning activities relevant to current or future practice
  • seek to ensure that their CPD has contributed to the quality of their practice and service delivery
  • seek to ensure that their CPD benefits the service user
  • present a written profile containing evidence of their CPD on request 

 

CPD Tools

The Interactive Learning Opportunities Database (ILOD) provides a range of CPD tools that will help to produce and to organise evidence of learning. ILOD also has a career planning section based on the post qualifying framework which is an OT specific career planning resource.

A reflective tool called “Recording CPD: transforming practice through reflection” is based around the HCPC's requirements for CPD. It can be used to structure ideas, gather evidence of learning for portfolio's or for an OT profile if their CPD is audited by the HCPC.

Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5 Level 6 Level 7
Healthcare Support Worker

Senior Healthcare Support Worker

 

Team Leader/Supervisor

             

Assistant Practitioner

 

Operations/Department Manager (Leadership)

 Occupational Therapy Degree

Advanced Clinical Practitioner

 

Senior Leaders (Master Degree)

Hello, I'm Lucy Harper, and I'm a Children's Occupational Therapist.

 

What do you do in your role?

I support children and families in the community who experience difficulties with activities of daily living. I work in a variety of setting such as schools, nursery’s and homes.

 

Have you always worked in this role?

I previously worked as an Occupational Therapy Assistant and completed the 4 year part time ‘In Service’ Occupational Therapy training to progress to being a qualified therapist.

 

What other roles and departments have you worked in during your career?

I previously completed a BA Hons Degree in Early Years and Education Studies and worked part time in hospitality during this time. I also volunteered at a Primary school to develop my skills of working with children.

After completing my degree I acquired a job with the Children’s Occupational Therapy Service as an Occupational Therapy Assistant and after 18 months was able to apply through the trust onto the Part Time In-Service OT degree course at Coventry University.

After I qualified I was successful in acquiring a Band 5 OT position working in the community with adults with Parkinson’s and Falls patients. I worked with this team for approximately 12 months before returning to the Children’s Occupational Therapy Service as a Band 5 OT. 

 

What motivated you to move roles?

I really enjoyed my role as an OT Assistant and being able to carry out individualised treatments with children. This motivated me to progress in my role and train to be an OT. 

 

What support helped you to make this change?

The Children’s OT team were very supportive throughout my degree and allowed me study time and time away from my role to complete placements. This helped as is gave me the time to completed assignments and to gain valuable learning experiences from my placements.

The support of the other in-service students was also a big help as they were experiencing the same struggles of managing work and university.

 

 What do you value about progressing your career at MPFT?

I value the unique opportunity I was offered as this has enabled me to work and train in role I thoroughly enjoy. I also value to range of learning experiences I have had, as I feel this these helped to make me a better therapist with a broader range of knowledge and skills.

 

What would be your best piece of advice to others seeking a career in OT?

Being an OT is such a fulfilling role that allows you to be creative and work alongside people to be successful in areas that are meaningful to them.

To not hesitate and go for it.

Kerry Langford-RottenHello, I'm Kerry Langford-Rotton, and I'm an AHP Lead and Advanced OT Practitioner.

 

What do you do in your role?

Provide AHP leadership across the care group supporting on specific areas of workforce, quality, partnership working, health and wellbeing and delivering person centered care.

 

Have you always worked in this role?

I have worked across mental health services as an OT until 2007 where I started my leadership journey in a clinical lead post and progressed to AHP Lead and current role.

 

What other roles and departments have you worked in during your career? 

I started working on the rotation in mental health: inpatients (adult and older adults), day services, community mental health teams and housing/mental health recovery project

 

What motivated you to move roles? 

Being able to utilise my skills in leadership to support others in developing quality services for the people who use them. Being able to focus on staff/student development has always been a passion for me and my current role enables me to focus on workforce on a number of levels.

 

What support helped you to make this change? 

Leadership training, focused appraisals, coaching and supervision.

 

What do you value about progressing your career at MPFT? 

I have always felt valued and invested in which in turn give me a sense of loyalty towards MPFT and the NHS.

 

What would be your best piece of advice to others seeking a career in OT?

To focus on your strengths in life and utilise these to support your development. Gaining work experience in OT will enable you to get a taste of what life could be like working as an OT and speaking with newly qualified OT’s will give you a true picture of how it is.

Allied Health Professional Leads

 

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