Occupational Therapist – Advancing Wellness at Home Initiative

Location: Ewart Building/Wellington Hospital

Contract: Permanent, Part-Time (0.7FTE / 28 hours per week)

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is firmly grounded in the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and is dedicated to serving all New Zealanders. Through integration and collaboration, we’re building a health system underpinned by partnership, equity, sustainability, whānau-centred care, and excellence. 

About the Role 

Advancing Wellness at Home Initiative (AWHI) are looking for an Occupational Therapist with an interest in Community Rehabilitation and Health of the Older Person to join our team. AWHI is Te Whatu Ora - Capital & Coast & Hutt Valley’s Early Supported Discharge service who deliver rehabilitation in the community. Whilst this is a community based role there is an in-reach component, working in the hospital to identify patients who will benefit from the service. We currently have 3 streams in AWHI; Medical/Health of the Older Person, ACC/Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (NARP) and Stroke.

In this role you will be predominantly working with patients in the Medical & NARP streams and will be based in the South Team at Ewart Building/Wellington Hospital. Clinician’s in AWHI practice in an interprofessional model to deliver rehabilitation and promote self-management of health for the people we work with. This means that within the team we share our skills with each other & complete tasks that may traditionally sit with different disciplines. For example you may be supporting a patient to return to independence with ADLs at home but might also progress an exercise programme or direct the patient to appropriate support services in their community. This hours for this role will be rostered and will include weekend working.

About the Team/Service/Location 

You will be joining a friendly, fun and enthusiastic team from a mix of professional groups. The team is continuing to grow and there will be opportunities to innovate and develop the service. The team is split over 3 sites; Kenepuru Hospital, Ewart building at Wellington Hospital and Hutt Hospital. The team cover all of Capital, Coast & Hutt Valley’s catchment area between them with each team member having an identified base. The team regularly support their colleagues across the different sites & streams of work. We offer on-going professional development opportunities including profession specific training and inter-professional practice support. You will also have access to professional support through the relevant professional leaders as well as clinical supervision. Cultural professional supervision is available from Māori and Pacific Health teams. 

About you 

We are looking for an Occupational Therapist who has current registration/APC and has recent experience working with people under general medicine/ health of the older person/orthopaedics or in a community setting. The ideal candidate will have a minimum of 3 years’ clinical experience. As this is a community based role a full driver’s license is an essential requirement. You will be able to demonstrate ability to build rapport with patient and whānau from all backgrounds and have a clear understanding of the health needs of our Māori and Pacific Island communities. You will have a flexible approach to working in a high turnover, fast paced environment and have an understanding of interprofessional practice. If you are passionate about being the best you can be, thrive on working in a team setting and are ready to expand your practice further then we’d love to hear from you. We strongly encourage applicants from all backgrounds with the right skills and experience who share our values to apply and would greatly value seeing more applicants from our Māori and Pacific Peoples communities.

Working at Health New Zealand 

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is ‘the weaving of wellness’. We're dedicated to ensuring excellent healthcare for the people of Aotearoa/New Zealand. 

Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Health New Zealand are committed to being good employers and honouring our equal employment opportunity obligations. We embrace diversity and welcome application from all people, including all gender identities, ages, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and disability. A workforce that is diverse and inclusive means that we are better positioned to understand and service our community. We are pro-equity health organisation, with a particular focus on Māori, Pacific Peoples, and the Disability Community. 

How to Apply 

To apply please click “apply now.” All applications must be submitted through our online careers’ portal by 11 May. If you have any questions about the role, please contact Philip Adamson at Philip.Adamson@tewhatuora.govt.nz 

We will review applications as received and may proceed with the recruitment process, before the closing date of this advertisement.