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Job summary

Main area
Occupational Therapy
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 6
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Part time - 32 hours per week
Job ref
409-6158672-A
Employer
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
St Helens Hospital and Newton Hospital
Town
St Helens
Salary
£35,392 - £42,618 per annum, pro rata
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
07/05/2024 23:59
Interview date
15/05/2024

Employer heading

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust logo

Specialist Occupational Therapist

NHS AfC: Band 6

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Specialist Occupational Therapist to work within our intermediate care team based within Duffy Suite, St Helens Hospital and Newton Hospital. You will be responsible for managing a case load of patients with a variety of different medical conditions and needs, planning and completing relevant assessments and interventions to promote independence and recovery.

The successful candidate will:

  • Have a working knowledge of a broad range of medical conditions with proven clinical skills applicable to intermediate care
  • Deliver evidence-based practice using rehabilitative and compensatory approaches
  • Contribute to and lead on group work/ activity sessions
  • Be able to carry out complex holistic assessments
  • Be able to make decisions based on sound clinical reasoning
  • Demonstrate excellent problem solving skills
  • Have excellent discharge planning skills, facilitating the patient’s discharge from hospital to the most appropriate environment for their needs
  • Be flexible in their approach and be willing to work across Duffy Suite and Newton Hospital at short notice to support service demand
  • Adapt to changing working patterns as the team work their hours across a 7 day rota

Main duties of the job

The trust is committed to the professional development of our staff; clinical supervision will be provided from the Band 7 Occupational Therapist within the team. We offer a supportive and friendly environment and welcome innovative ideas.

Our philosophy is to keep the patient at the heart of everything we do, and to always go the extra mile.  Intermediate care offers the chance to work closely with patients building therapeutic relationships to get the best possible outcome.

The successful applicant will be enthusiastic, hardworking and motivated with clinical, communication, organisational and time management skills. There will be opportunity to work on devising a tailored activity program for our patients with support from the wider therapy team.

Working for our organisation

The Secretary of State has approved the partnership between St Helens & Knowsley and Southport & Ormskirk Hospitals.

From 1st July we have come together as a single organisation under the name Mersey & West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

The Trust delivers acute hospital care, intermediate care, community, and primary care services to a population of over 600,000 people with a combined workforce of around 9000 dedicated and skilled staff from 17 locations including Whiston, Southport & Formby, St Helens, Ormskirk and Newton hospitals.

The Trust provides regional services for burns, plastic surgery and spinal injuries to more than 4 million people across Mersey and West Lancashire, Cheshire, the Isle of Man and North Wales.

Our Vision is to deliver 5 Star Patient Care:

  • CARE that is evidence based, high quality and compassionate
  • ​​​​​​SAFETY that is of the highest standards
  • COMMUNICATION that is open, inclusive and respectful
  • SYSTEMS that are efficient, patient centred and reliable
  • PATHWAYS that are best practice and embedded, but also respect the individual needs of patients

Our achievements include:

  • Trust rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
  • Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
  • Awarded National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for our Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme

Please see our Wellbeing & Benefits booklet for more information on our staff benefits. Accessible version available upon request.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

KEY DUTIES

  • To be professional and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of your own work including the management of patients/clients in your care.
  • To ensure a high standard of clinical care for the patients/clients under your care, and support more junior staff to do likewise.
  • To undertake a comprehensive assessment of patients/clients including those with diverse or complex presentations/multi pathologies; use specialist clinical reasoning skills and appropriate assessment techniques to provide an accurate diagnosis of their condition.
  • Formulate and deliver an individual treatment programme using assessment, reasoning skills and treatment skills based on a sound knowledge of evidence-based practice and treatment options. Formulate an initial diagnosis and prognoses in order to recommend best course of intervention and develop comprehensive discharge plans.
  • To take delegated responsibility from the Band 7 clinician for managing patients/clients with particular conditions and be responsible for providing specialist assessment and treatment plans for patients with these conditions.
  • Evaluate patient progress, reassess and alter treatment programmes as required.
  • To have the ability to undertake self-directed/lone working in a variety of locations.

CLINICAL & PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

  • To maintain Professional Registration
  • To work within Trust clinical guidelines, HCPC and Registrant Body guidelines and to have a working knowledge of national and local standards and monitor own and others quality of practise against these.
  • To be responsible for a designated area of work, as delegated by a senior clinician. Plan and organise efficiently and effectively patient/client caseload, and use of time for self and more junior staff.
  • To be responsible for equipment used in carrying out clinical duties, and to adhere to policy, including competence to use equipment and to ensure the safe use of equipment by others through teaching, training and supervision of practice.
  • To provide spontaneous and planned advice, teaching and instruction to relatives, carers and other professionals to promote understanding of the aims of treatment and to ensure a consistent approach to patient care.
  • To provide specialist clinical advice to colleagues working within other clinical areas
  • To provide specialist clinical advice, teaching and training to other members of the MDT regarding the management of patients
  • To train, supervise and performance manage more junior staff and students. This will include the use of formal appraisal documentation.
  • To communicate effectively with patients and carers to maximise potential and to ensure understanding of their condition.
  • To assess capacity, gain valid informed consent and have the ability to work within a legal framework with patients/clients who lack capacity to consent to treatment.
  • To communicate highly sensitive information effectively with all patient groups/clients/carers where there may be difficulties in accepting or understanding information.
  • To maintain tact and diplomacy and use highly developed communication skills when working in situations which may become hostile/antagonistic including potential complaints as per Trust Policy.

 

ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES

  • To maintain accurate, comprehensive and up to date documentation, in line with legal and local requirements, and communicate assessment and treatment results to the appropriate disciplines in the form of reports and letters.
  • To undertake as directed the collection of appropriate data and statistics for the use of the department.
  • To communicate effectively and work collaboratively with the Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) to ensure delivery of a co-ordinated multidisciplinary service. This will include participating in a variety of MDT, internal and external agency meetings and forums plus other forms of verbal/written communication as necessary including report writing and referrals to other agencies.

 

TEACHING & TRAINING RESPONSIBILITIES

  • To maintain own clinical professional development (CPD) by keeping abreast of any new trends and developments and incorporate them as appropriate into your work. To support junior staff to do likewise.
  • To be an active member of relevant training programmes attending and delivering presentations and training sessions at staff meetings, tutorials, and by attending external courses and being a reflective practitioner
  • To participate in the supervision scheme as supervisor and supervisee.

LINE MANAGEMENT/SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

To demonstrate leadership by means of:

  • Delivering change within sphere of practice, when and where indicated, to improve service delivery.
  • Influencing, motivating, supporting and enabling others to contribute towards the effectiveness and success of the Therapy Team
  • To provide specialist advice and guidance in working with colleagues locally to ensure best practice across all disciplines in the assessment, treatment and long-term management of patients/ clients within sphere of practice.
  • To deputise for the band 7 in terms of operational issues
  • To take responsibility for their own specialist and complex decision making and the decisions of their team which effect service delivery
  • To undertake any other duties that might be considered appropriate by senior staff.
  • To participate in working parties developing policy changes within speciality which will impact on all service users.

CLINICAL GOVERNANCE, RESEARCH & AUDIT

  • To adhere to the appropriate Registrant Body code of Ethics and Professional Conduct and facilitate compliance of staff with local and national standards of practice.
  • Implement policy and service development changes as directed.
  • To demonstrate a sound understanding of clinical governance and risk management and apply to work situation.
  • To undertake the measurement and evaluation of your work and current practices through the use of evidence-based practice projects, audit and outcome measures under the guidance of senior staff. Make recommendations for change and to implement change.
  • To comply with the organisational and departmental policies and procedures and to be involved in the reviewing and updating as appropriate.
  • To support research activity within the Service
  • To engage actively in practice development, evaluation, audit and research activities relevant to service to promote evidence-based practice.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Degree in Occupational Therapist
  • HCPC registration
Desirable criteria
  • Clinical Educators Certificate
  • Post Grad accredited study e.g. MSc in relevant health studies

Knowledge & Experience

Essential criteria
  • Advanced clinical knowledge relevant to the care environment and evidence of evidence based practise in relevant health setting
  • Awareness of own strengths and limitations
  • Knowledge of relevant national policies and guidance and relevant assessment tools
  • Experience of line managing a team including setting objectives, conducting appraisals and effective delegation and co-ordination
  • Evidence of effective working within an MDT
  • Experience of Service development
  • Demonstrate experience of problem solving approaches
  • Demonstrates continuous Professional Development
Desirable criteria
  • Audit and research in a clinical area

Skills

Essential criteria
  • Demonstrates ability to motivate team performance to achieve objectives
  • Ability to prioritise and work to deadlines
  • Ability to communicate effectively in a variety of settings
  • Accurate record keeping, report writing and IT skills including presentation skills
  • Have a flexible approach to working with good time management
Desirable criteria
  • Mentorship skills

Other

Essential criteria
  • Ability to travel various hospital locations by own car/ assisted driver

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Apprenticeships logoNo smoking policyJob share policyAge positiveDisability confident leaderHSJ Best places to workMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Care quality commission - OutstandingStep into healthDefence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) - Gold

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Elaine Porter
Job title
Occupational therapist
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
01744 646095
Additional information

Emma Marsh

Occupational Therapist

[email protected]

0151 290 4802 

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