Job summary
An exciting opportunity for a skilled Occupational Therapist to join the Communication Aid Service East of England (CASEE) has arisen.
You would join our welcoming, supportive, specialist multi-professional team comprising Occupational Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists, a Healthcare Scientist, a Rehabilitation Engineer, an Advisory Teacher, Clinical Technicians and administrative support.
Whilst experience with Assistive Technology / Augmentative and Alternative Communication is desirable, we welcome applications from Occupational Therapists who have an interest in technology, specifically AAC / AT and who are committed to quickly develop the necessary specialist knowledge and skills for this stimulating role. CASEE can offer excellent CPD opportunities, training, mentoring with experienced OT colleagues and a range of additional supports.
Ideally, you will be familiar with high level, holistic assessment practices, working as part of a multi-professional team and bringing your unique professional expertise to problem solve, and develop creative patient-centred solutions.You will also be confident in providing training to professionals and families and be able to communicate effectively with a broad range of individuals.
The post is advertised as full-time, however part time / flexible working may be considered.
Main duties of the job
To contribute to the provision of the Regional Specialised AAC services within the East of England.
To provide highly specialist clinical input to children and adults with complex disability including severe communication problems who need to use alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) as described in NHS England Service Specification for AAC / Communication Aids D01/S/B.
To carry out assessments across the region, as a member of the Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) and make recommendations for AAC provision, including providing training and overseeing assessment trials with local teams.
To lead / contribute to the development and delivery of AAC training to a wide range of audiences.
To actively contribute to the development of the service within the area of specialism and act as a resource for other Therapists and members of the multidisciplinary team in the area of expertise.
To take delegated responsibility for aspects of service development and monitoring as required.
About us
Our Trust
Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) NHS Foundation Trust comprises Addenbrooke's Hospital and the Rosie Hospital in Cambridge. With over 11000 staff and over 1100 beds the priorities of the Trust focus on a quality service which is all about people - patients, staff and partners. Recognised as providing 'outstanding' care to our patients and rated 'Good' overall by the Care Quality Commissioner, is testament to the skill and dedication of the people who work here. CUH's values - Together - Safe, Kind, Excellent - are at the heart of patient care, defining the way all staff work and behave. The Trust provides accessible high-quality healthcare for the local people of Cambridge, together with specialist services, dealing with rare or complex conditions for a regional, national and international population.
CUH is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community - a place where we can all be ourselves. We value our differences and fully advocate and support an inclusive working environment where every individual can fulfil their potential. We want to ensure our people are truly representative of all the communities that we serve. We welcome applications for all positions in the organisation irrespective of people's age, disability, ethnicity, race, nationality, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marriage and civil partnership status, or pregnancy and maternity status or social economic background.
Job description
Job responsibilities
CASEE is one of 14 regional specialised Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Services commissioned by NHS England to provide a consistent, equitable AAC Service across England and is managed within the CUH Speech and Language Therapy Service.
Our service works closely with local therapy teams to provide a service to children and adults who are eligible for a specialised AAC assessment across the six counties of the East of England.
Whilst experience and high level AAC skills are desirable, we welcome applications from Occupational Therapists who have an interest in AAC / AT and who are committed to quickly develop the necessary specialist knowledge and skills. Individual personal development needs will be identified and supported by the Service Lead and the specialist team with excellent training opportunities available.
Please see the attached Applicant Information Pack (combined Job Description and Person Specification) for detailed duties and responsibilities.
The advert will close at midnight on 15 April 2024.
Interviews are due to be held on 23 April 2024.
Benefits to you
We offer development opportunities and a wide range of benefits including on-site leisure facilities, shopping concourse, day nurseries and access to a great transport system with easy access to airports and rail travel.
Please note if you would like to discuss the required hours of this role further, you should approach the contact given. In some cases, alternative working hours will be considered.
We welcome applications from the Armed Forces.
Job description
Job responsibilities
CASEE is one of 14 regional specialised Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Services commissioned by NHS England to provide a consistent, equitable AAC Service across England and is managed within the CUH Speech and Language Therapy Service.
Our service works closely with local therapy teams to provide a service to children and adults who are eligible for a specialised AAC assessment across the six counties of the East of England.
Whilst experience and high level AAC skills are desirable, we welcome applications from Occupational Therapists who have an interest in AAC / AT and who are committed to quickly develop the necessary specialist knowledge and skills. Individual personal development needs will be identified and supported by the Service Lead and the specialist team with excellent training opportunities available.
Please see the attached Applicant Information Pack (combined Job Description and Person Specification) for detailed duties and responsibilities.
The advert will close at midnight on 15 April 2024.
Interviews are due to be held on 23 April 2024.
Benefits to you
We offer development opportunities and a wide range of benefits including on-site leisure facilities, shopping concourse, day nurseries and access to a great transport system with easy access to airports and rail travel.
Please note if you would like to discuss the required hours of this role further, you should approach the contact given. In some cases, alternative working hours will be considered.
We welcome applications from the Armed Forces.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- BSc in OT / Diploma in OT
- HCPC Registration
- Registered with RCOT
- Evidence of attendance on specialist short courses and advanced training up to Masters level equivalent in clinical specialism
- Evidence of attendance at relevant non-assessed short courses
- Active member of Specialist Interest Groups
Experience
Essential
- Post qualification experience in the field of AAC
- Experience of carrying out complex assessment as part of a multidisciplinary team
- Clinical and technical experience of working with high and low technological communication aids
- Experience of planning and carrying out very highly specialist assessment of the client's potential to access technology
- Experience of developing and delivering training in own highly specialist area
- Experience of the impact of client's disability on occupational performance and the family / carers
- Experience of working with clients with complex needs and long term conditions
- Experience of developing and delivering training in own highly specialist area
- Experience in teaching and/or research
- Experience in developing and delivering training to parents, education and other clinical specialities
- Experience of supervising work of Therapy staff, Assistants, Technicians and students
Desirable
- Line management experience
Knowledge
Essential
- Highly specialist level of specialist knowledge to inform evidence based practice across all age groups and specialist difficulties
- Theoretical knowledge at highly specialist level sufficient to teach OTs and other professionals
- Highly specialist level of current knowledge of national issues and developments in accessibility and research in the field
- In depth understanding of the principles of clinical governance / audit and research methodology
- Awareness of demand and capacity issues
- Knowledge of standards of record keeping
- Knowledge of the impact of client's disability on occupational performance and the family / carers
- Highly specialist knowledge of methods of seating systems, access methods and mounting systems and their application to clients with complex disability
- In-depth knowledge of a broad range of assessment tools relevant to highly specialist area
- Highly specialist knowledge of trends and best practice within highly specialised area
Skills
Essential
- Advanced interpersonal skills, including observation, listening and empathy skills
- Ability to develop policies, procedures for specialist area
- Ability to contribute to the development and implementation of regional AAC policies in negotiation with Lead Clinician
- Advanced negotiation and problem solving skills
- Advanced analytical and reflective skills
- Advanced prioritisation and organisational skills
- Computer skills for clinical documentation, presentations and AAC / assessment materials
- Flexibility and adaptability in all aspects of clinical, managerial, administrative and organisation activity
- Problem solving approach to clinical and service delivery issues
- Collaborative approach to all aspects of patient care and to multidisciplinary working
- Able to communicate very effectively with patients with communication problems where difficulties in understanding exist, using observation, listening and empathy
- Able to present and convey highly complex information clearly to patients, carers and other professionals both in verbal and written form
- Advanced presentation skills, both written and verbal
Additional Requirements
Essential
- The ability to understand and behave at all times, towards patients, visitors and colleagues according to the Trust values of Safe, Kind, Excellent.
- Clean driving licence and able to move and transport communication aids / ICT and assessment equipment to a wide range of venues across the East of England Region
Desirable
- Authorship in published research / articles in peer review journals
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- BSc in OT / Diploma in OT
- HCPC Registration
- Registered with RCOT
- Evidence of attendance on specialist short courses and advanced training up to Masters level equivalent in clinical specialism
- Evidence of attendance at relevant non-assessed short courses
- Active member of Specialist Interest Groups
Experience
Essential
- Post qualification experience in the field of AAC
- Experience of carrying out complex assessment as part of a multidisciplinary team
- Clinical and technical experience of working with high and low technological communication aids
- Experience of planning and carrying out very highly specialist assessment of the client's potential to access technology
- Experience of developing and delivering training in own highly specialist area
- Experience of the impact of client's disability on occupational performance and the family / carers
- Experience of working with clients with complex needs and long term conditions
- Experience of developing and delivering training in own highly specialist area
- Experience in teaching and/or research
- Experience in developing and delivering training to parents, education and other clinical specialities
- Experience of supervising work of Therapy staff, Assistants, Technicians and students
Desirable
- Line management experience
Knowledge
Essential
- Highly specialist level of specialist knowledge to inform evidence based practice across all age groups and specialist difficulties
- Theoretical knowledge at highly specialist level sufficient to teach OTs and other professionals
- Highly specialist level of current knowledge of national issues and developments in accessibility and research in the field
- In depth understanding of the principles of clinical governance / audit and research methodology
- Awareness of demand and capacity issues
- Knowledge of standards of record keeping
- Knowledge of the impact of client's disability on occupational performance and the family / carers
- Highly specialist knowledge of methods of seating systems, access methods and mounting systems and their application to clients with complex disability
- In-depth knowledge of a broad range of assessment tools relevant to highly specialist area
- Highly specialist knowledge of trends and best practice within highly specialised area
Skills
Essential
- Advanced interpersonal skills, including observation, listening and empathy skills
- Ability to develop policies, procedures for specialist area
- Ability to contribute to the development and implementation of regional AAC policies in negotiation with Lead Clinician
- Advanced negotiation and problem solving skills
- Advanced analytical and reflective skills
- Advanced prioritisation and organisational skills
- Computer skills for clinical documentation, presentations and AAC / assessment materials
- Flexibility and adaptability in all aspects of clinical, managerial, administrative and organisation activity
- Problem solving approach to clinical and service delivery issues
- Collaborative approach to all aspects of patient care and to multidisciplinary working
- Able to communicate very effectively with patients with communication problems where difficulties in understanding exist, using observation, listening and empathy
- Able to present and convey highly complex information clearly to patients, carers and other professionals both in verbal and written form
- Advanced presentation skills, both written and verbal
Additional Requirements
Essential
- The ability to understand and behave at all times, towards patients, visitors and colleagues according to the Trust values of Safe, Kind, Excellent.
- Clean driving licence and able to move and transport communication aids / ICT and assessment equipment to a wide range of venues across the East of England Region
Desirable
- Authorship in published research / articles in peer review journals
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.
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).
Additional information
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.
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).