NHSJobs.com

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical or technical

To undertake comprehensive assessments of patients including those with diverse or complex presentations/ multipathologies.

To use investigative and analytical skills to assess complex patients and support other more junior therapists with their patients as required.

To devise individualised occupational therapy management and / or treatment plans, using clinical reasoning skills.

To use ongoing investigative and analytical skills, manual assessment techniques and diagnostic procedures to assess complex patients and formulate a clinical diagnosis.

To formulate accurate prognoses and recommend best course of intervention.

To evaluate patient progress, reassess and alter treatment programmes if required.

To keep up to date with developments, analysing current research and discussing and implementing changes to your clinical practice.

Leadership or managerial

To attend all relevant training in order to maintain competency and confidence.

To be responsible for and actively record your own personal development. This may include active participation in journal clubs, clinical reasoning and problem patient sessions as participant and facilitator.

To participate in the appraisal as appraisee and appraiser.

To disseminate any training received to other staff and health care professionals 

To be responsible for the supervision of Band 5 Occupational therapists on rotation, Students and Assistants as required.

To support with the appraisals any Band 5 Occupational therapists on rotation and Assistants

To assist in organising the rota for the weekend working

To support the Occupational Therapy staff with organising their annual leave within the team.

Information and reporting

To regularly participate in and lead on appropriate work related research/evaluation projects and to be aware of current research relevant to the speciality.

To participate in and initiate clinical audit and the evaluation of clinical effectiveness in line with Trust Policies.

To evaluate your own clinical effectiveness.

To ensure relevant topics are included in annual clinical governance and service plan.

To undertake and present relevant evidence based projects.

To contribute to the Trust’s, Division’s and team’s clinical governance arrangements and quality agenda

Service improvement

To make recommendations when appropriate to changes in practice leading to improvement in the service.

To be involved with implementing policy and service development changes.

To be aware of risks involved as part of delivering clinical care and manage this within own patient case load.

To demonstrate physical ability to carry out assessments and interventions, including moving and handling techniques. This involves frequent light to moderate physical effort.

Communications and Engagement

To be able to communicate highly complex information sensitively to patients in order to gain their cooperation for treatment and valid consent.

To communicate effectively with all disciplines involved in a patient’s care, both those from within the organisation and those outside to ensure efficient multidisciplinary working

To use persuading and influencing skills to encourage patients to self manage their conditions.

To communicate any changes in care plan or treatment approach to other   therapists as necessary.

To use a range of verbal and non-verbal communication tools to communicate effectively with patient in order to progress treatment programmes. This may include patients who will have difficulties in understanding or communicating, e.g. patients who maybe deaf, blind, or be unable to accept the diagnosis, or for whom English is not their first language.

To be able to manage frequently highly stressful, upsetting or emotional situations in an empathetic manner.

To maintain accurate records in line with professional body (College of Occupational Therapy), Trust and service standards and policies. To ensure that records of directly managed staff also comply with these standards

To attend staff meetings and actively participate ensuring understanding of information imparted

To ensure timely and effective communication with the Clinical/Therapy Leads on all professional matters.