Job summary
- Main area
- Support Services
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 3
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 423-6244325
- Employer
- Airedale NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Mobility Services - Airedale General Hospital
- Town
- Steeton
- Salary
- £22,816 - £24,336 pro rata per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 07/08/2024 23:59
Employer heading
Wheelchair Therapy Assistant (Band 3)
NHS AfC: Band 3
Be part of our future landscape
At Airedale, we are committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion. We actively encourage applications irrespective of people’s age, lived experience of living with a disability or long-term conditions, gender, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or other personal circumstances.
Increasing our diversity and supporting our organisation to be more inclusive is a key priority here at Airedale and our teams are at the centre of how we work towards this.
We appreciate all people may have diverse and individual needs and we pride ourselves on supporting all people to thrive and flourish at work. We have frameworks in place that support reasonable adjustments and flexible working for colleagues throughout their working lives which starts at recruitment.
These are exciting times for Airedale. We have the once-in-a-career opportunity to be involved in the planning and building of a completely new hospital here on our Steeton site by 2030. By joining us now you’ll be a key part of our journey over the next few years, with the chance to input into a state-of-the-art, modern healthcare facility that will deliver care to our communities for decades to come. We are also on the journey to a new electronic patient record, part of our wider ambition for our digital future – a future that builds on our significant telemedicine and digital care success. Ultimately, what makes Airedale special is our people. Not just our staff, but our volunteers, patients, visitors, and wider population who make up the Airedale family. This is a Trust that sits at the heart of our community, and our communities are very proud of their Trust.
Job overview
Wheelchair services is part of Mobility Services, within Therapies and Rehabilitation at Airedale. We provide an Orthotics Service, Specialist Wheelchair Services and a Wig Service for Alopecia and Oncology Patients.
These services are provided for adults and children in acute, out-patient and community settings across a range of sites and include home visits predominantly for Wheelchair Service users. We also provide Wheelchair repair services through an approved repairer provided and managed by the Trust through its subsidiary AGH Solutions.
The service operates Monday to Friday from 830am to 5pm and all staff are based at Airedale General Hospital. We have over 3000 registered wheelchair service users.
The clinical team is supporting by a team of mobility service officers providing clerical administration.
Job Summary
The Senior Therapy Assistant will support the clinical team to assess, plan and implement a range of interventions to improve the functional ability and well-being of individuals and/or groups. The post holder will be responsible for activities delegated to them and will work without direct supervision but will have immediate access to a clinician for advice and direction as required. Therapy Assistants are expected to continually improve their knowledge and skills and work collaboratively with clinical colleagues to enhance patient care.
interviews to take place 27th August 2024
Main duties of the job
The post holder will:
- Manage a caseload delegated by clinicians
- Independently undertake basic assessments and interventions relevant to delegated caseload
- Contribute to the evaluation of programmes and patient’s progression making minor alterations in consultation with the therapist.
- Support therapist with complex cases as required
- Work with team members to ensure the effective functioning of the team
- Liaise with technicians, manufacturers and suppliers as required
- Carry out administration activities relating to personal wheelchair budgets
- Work in partnership with patients, carers, the multi disciplinary team and wider statutory, private and voluntary sector services.
- Participate in activities to improve the service
- Provide support to other team members and students
- Work flexibly according to patient and service needs
- Carry out assessments and administration activities to support personal wheelchair budgets.
In pursuing these duties the post holder will ensure compliance with the NHS Constitution and the Trust’s Right Care strategy.
Working for our organisation
KEY RELATIONSHIPS:
Clinical Lead Specialist Wheelchair Therapist, Specialist Wheelchair Therapist, Assistant Practitioner, Senior Rehabilitation Engineer, Technical Assistant
Senior Mobility Services Officer, Mobility Service Officers, Mobility Services Manager
Repair Service, Mobility Engineers and Senior Admin
Patients, Carers, GP’s, Allied Health Professional and Nursing and Residential home staff
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Principle Duties and Responsibilities:
- Clinical
- Provide timely and efficient therapy service to delegated patients according to clinical protocols and service priorities.
- Ensure patients receive a high standard of clinical care
- Undertake routine assessments of delegated patient.
- Liaise with supervising Therapist to discuss options for interventions
- Develop individual management plans for delegated patients in conjunction with the supervising Therapist.
- Implement interventions/care programmes in partnership with the service user, with the carer as necessary and in consultation with Therapist.
- Carry out assessment and interventions in the most appropriate setting.
- Prescribe and fit equipment, assistive technology and adaptations to facilitate independence within agreed guidelines.
- Liaise with and make appropriate referrals to other agencies
- Advise, instruct, and educate patients, carers and other professionals in the use of standard and specialist equipment, assistive technology, and environmental adaptation where appropriate
- Work with other agencies in Health and Social Care, Housing, and Education in order to implement recommendations of treatment
- Monitor and evaluate the outcome of interventions in partnership with the service user, with the carer if necessary and in consultation with Therapist.
- Clearly document each intervention in the patient’s records as outlined in organisational policy and procedures
- Create discharge/summary written reports as required.
- Contribute to the review and development of patient pathways.
- Respond to unforeseen situations that take precedence over planned work.
- Provide advice, teaching and instruction for relatives, carers, and other health professionals to promote understanding of the aims of service and to ensure a consistent approach to patient care.
- Support the development of junior assistants and students.
- Use communication skills to establish good working relationships with colleagues, service users and carers.
- Use verbal and non-verbal communication skills and sensitivity with patients, relatives and carers to overcome barriers to communication e.g. loss of hearing, expressive and receptive dysphasia, pain, anxiety, problems with cognition.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Good general level of education including GCSEs in English and Maths
- Relevant Level III QCF qualification in Health and Social Care or equivalent
Desirable criteria
- Courses relevant to service
- ECDL or formal qualifications in word processing and spreadsheets
- 4 GCSEs Grade A - D
Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience of working in health care/ social care/education
- Experience of working with people with a range of health needs
- Experience of carrying out therapeutic interventions
- Experience of working in a team
- Experience in use of IT applications
- Experience of working in a community setting
Desirable criteria
- Recent experience of working in therapy services
- Experience of working with people with a range of mobility and postural needs
- Experience of working in Wheelchair Services
- Experience of working independently and organising own workload
- Experience of lone working in a community setting
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Knowledge of the impact illness and disability have on function
- Knowledge of rehabilitation
- Knowledge of therapy interventions
- Knowledge of the roles of other professionals and the principles of partnership working
Desirable criteria
- Experience of wheelchair or postural clinical assessments and treatments
Skills
Essential criteria
- Skills to empower people to realise and maintain their potential in relation to health and well being
- Ability to cope with working in a stressful environment, including emotional or aggressive patients and carers
- Communication skills including observation, listening and empathy
- Ability to work well within a team
- Analytical and reflective skills
Desirable criteria
- Presentation skills, both written and verbal, and ability to adjust style and content as appropriate
- Experience and confidence in working with a range of patients with different conditions, ages and abilities
- Experience and confidence in working with a range of patients with different conditions, ages and abilities.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Emma Smith
- Job title
- Lead Wheelchair Therapist
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01535 292228
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