Senior Specialist Occupational Therapist - Leeds

Job description

Job responsibilities

MAIN TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Clinical / Professional Practice

To work within a specialist clinical area as an autonomous professional with highly developed skills and knowledge potentially as the sole clinician but with supervision (which may be remote) of a more senior OT. To accept professional accountability and responsibility.

To manage and prioritise a caseload of service users with complex mental/physical health needs and/or challenging behaviour.

To complete the OT process and to use evidence based/service user centred principles and clinical reasoning to assess, formulate a treatment plan, implement and evaluate interventions bringing specialist knowledge to more complex cases.

To address occupational performance and skill deficits enabling the service user in areas of self-maintenance, productivity, education and leisure.

To develop programmes of care, ensure adequate and detailed handover of programmes to rehabilitation support workers or therapy assistants, monitor through data gathering, evaluate and modify treatment in order to measure progress and ensure effectiveness of intervention according to the neurobehavioural model.

To delegate tasks appropriately according to the competence of colleagues and take responsibility for handover, monitoring and review.

To use highly developed interpersonal skills and empathy to engage those service users and families who may be resistant to the rehabilitation process or may be distressed.

To carry out detailed risk assessments including for more complex issues and ensure these are regularly reviewed and updated and communicate this with the team effectively.

To maintain detailed and accurate documentation in line with Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) guidance and produce professional reports demonstrating highly specialist knowledge.

To work with service users, family/carers and outside agencies in a sensitive and flexible way considering the most appropriate environment for assessment and intervention and responding to changing needs, circumstances and cultural issues. To maintain the highest levels of integrity during all communications.

To work as a member of the multi/inter-disciplinary team bringing specialist knowledge, actively listening, participating in meetings, engaging in shared decision making, contributing to overall treatment objectives agreed in the rehabilitation plan and working collaboratively to establish service user centred therapeutic goals that promote service user choices.

Use highly developed critical thinking skills when making professional judgements and communicate this process succinctly and effectively including in more complex or unpredictable contexts.

To act as clinical lead for some service users leading on co-ordinating the rehabilitation programme and facilitating the discharge planning process.

To assess for, issue and refer to outside agencies for appropriate equipment ensuring adequate training for staff, service user and family and with all risk assessments in place.

To plan, implement and evaluate appropriate goal directed group interventions and have an overview of the needs of the service in relation to group interventions.

To provide intervention and advice on social and lifestyle needs including referral to other agencies and services.

To work within infection control and health and safety guidelines in order to deal appropriately with conditions related to service user contact as they arise: for example, exposure to body fluids or infectious conditions. Leadership

Manage a designated workload, identify priorities and manage time and resources effectively.

Act where performance and practice of self and others should be recognised, reported or improved. Act as a role model and take responsibility for the work of others.

To accept professional accountability and responsibility.

To support and challenge others to maintain health, safety and security at work, report actual or potential problems and suggest solutions.

To understand and navigate the political and economic climate, locally, nationally and internationally, which impacts on service delivery.

To promote the profession and the organisation and use and develop partnerships across organisation and agency boundaries.

To take an active role in the occupational therapy and clinical specialitys clinical governance arrangements and quality agenda including attendance at Trust wide OT meetings, contributing to discussion and CPD and implementing agreed outcome measures.

To support the service manager in recruitment of OT staff, students and volunteers.

To provide operational leadership for quality improvement and service development projects, in conjunction with stakeholders.

To recognise current and potential resource issues which may affect learning, development and performance.

To monitor workloads, critically review skill mix and build business cases where needed. Evidence,

Research and Development

Undertake systematic information searches and critical appraisal of available evidence in order to inform practice.

To participate in research and audit projects within the organisation in conjunction with peers and lead clinicians and facilitate involvement of service users, students and other staff members.

To identify evidence gaps and contribute to the formulation of critical question(s) which warrant further research, audit or service evaluation, considering policy drivers and future research priorities. To implement RCOT clinical guidelines and have detailed understanding of other relevant guidance in the ABI/ rehabilitation field of practice.

To contribute to the development of guidelines and policy at a local level.

Understand and comply with research governance including ethics, data protection and confidentiality. Facilitation of Learning

To support a culture where everyone is encouraged to learn from their mistakes through giving and receiving constructive feedback.

To supervise/ mentor and provide in service training for others (therapy assistants, students, rehabilitation support workers and less experienced OT colleagues). Actively identify learning needs of the team, challenge complacency and ensure that good quality, regular supervision and appraisal are carried out and recorded.

To take an active role in professional networks to promote exchange of knowledge and best practice.

To take a lead role in seeking opportunities to develop skills for the whole team and lead in service development projects. Personal Development, Supervision and Training

Be accountable for own practice and take every reasonable opportunity to maintain and improve own knowledge, professional competence and support continual learning and development.

Use reflective practice, identify own learning needs through proactive participation in clinical supervision and the Trusts Being our Best performance review process, and demonstrate commitment to recording of continuous professional development.

Work within the limits of own competence and seek advice and support when needed.

To participate in regular training sessions, both formal and informal, on a variety of topics relevant to your role.

To attend and participate in training programmes/courses, both in the locality and other Trust premises and external sources, as appropriate for the role and development, in agreement with your line Manager.

Attend and implement all mandatory training provided by the trust and be aware of other learning opportunities

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Degree or diploma in Occupational Therapy.
• Registered with the HCPC.
• Practice placement qualification or willingness to undertake this qualification within the first year.
• Knowledge and application of occupational therapy assessments (standardised and non-standardised) and intervention.
• Specialist knowledge of OT interventions in ABI e.g. cognitive rehabilitation, upper limb rehabilitation.
• Knowledge of occupational therapy models of practice.

Desirable

• Evidence of continuing professional development.
• A wide range of experience including some inpatient and community settings.
• Minimum of 4 years post registration with at least 2 years in neurological rehabilitation.
• Proven experience of supervision of junior staff and students and understanding of leadership skills.
• Proven experience of working within a pressurised environment.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

The Disabilities Trust

Address

Brain Injury Rehabilitation Trust

48 Station Road

Scholes

Leeds

LS15 4BT

Employer's website

https://www.thedtgroup.org/ (Opens in a new tab)