Team Lead Acute Medical Unit

Job responsibilities

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

INTERNAL INCLUDE: Therapy Managers and Therapy leads, own Teams, referring clinicians, MDTs, on ward, therapy administrative team, HR, other Trust Committees and own clinical teams

EXTERNAL INCLUDE: GPs, Community Services, Social services, Local authorities, AHP managers and leads, Voluntary services, College of Occupational Therapists, Health professions council, DoH Networks and Policy Groups, Higher Education Institutes, Colleges and Schools

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Clinical

1. To undertake all aspects of clinical duties and to carry a significant caseload of patients as an autonomous practitioner, including those with highly complex presentations

2. To work at an advanced level and to be professionally and legally accountable for a highly-specialised patient caseload and to decide priorities for own work area, balancing other patient related and professional demands

3. To be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of own work, and of the pathway teams work. This will include the management of clinical risk, clinical governance, knowledge of indications and precautions of chosen techniques in line with National and Trust clinical guidelines and protocols where they exist.

4. To assess patients capacity, gain valid informed consent to treatment and where such capacity is lacking/absent to work within a legal framework in the management of the patient

5. To undertake the comprehensive assessment and accurate diagnosis of patients, including those with an extremely complex presentation, using investigative, palpatory, analytical and clinical reasoning skills

6. As appropriate to the job role, to request diagnostic procedures that will inform clinical decision making

7. To undertake physical treatment techniques utilising highly developed manual skills

8. To formulate individualised clinical management programmes, utilising a wide range of treatment skills and options to plan a highly-specialised programme of care

9. To use recognised outcome measures to evaluate the effect of Occupational Therapy interventions and ensure that treatment programmes are progressing appropriately.

10. To provide spontaneous and planned expert advice, teaching and instruction to relatives, carers, other disciplines and agencies. To promote understanding of the aims of Occupational Therapy and to ensure continuation of the treatment programme. To be consulted by staff within the pathway, the Trust and externally.

11. To participate in and where indicated, initiate multidisciplinary/multi-agency team meetings and case conferences to ensure the co-ordination of patient care. This may include the review of patient progress and discharge planning

12. To ensure accurate, comprehensive and up to date clinical records are maintained in accordance with Trust guidance and professionally agreed criteria

13. To identify and employ suitable verbal and non-verbal communication skills with patients where there may be barriers to understanding or the inability to accept diagnosis. To facilitate the best possible communication outcome in every situation and use appropriate services e.g. interpreters, SALT

14. To ensure that individual practice and that of the pathway team is user focused and patient views are incorporated into treatment planning

15. To employ appropriate skills such as persuasion, motivation and negotiation to gain co-operation in the continuation of the agreed treatment programme

16. To communicate with empathy, patient information which may be of a complex and sensitive nature including details of prognosis or disability that may be unwelcome

17. To receive highly complex patient related information from patients, relatives, carers and other professionals to effectively plan and develop individual case management

18. To communicate and advise regarding highly complex patient related information effectively to ensure collaborative working within the Occupational Therapy service and with other professionals across health and other agencies to ensure the delivery of a coordinated multidisciplinary service

19. To be integral in discharge planning including liaison with referring hospitals or community staff to which patients are discharged, providing timely discharge reports

20. To produce comprehensive patient related reports for other disciplines or agencies relating to assessment findings and/or treatment outcomes

21. To undertake an extended scope role as appropriate to the needs of the service (an extended scope practitioner undertakes delegated responsibility on behalf of medical practitioner(s) including the independent management of complete episodes of care of patients from referral to discharge)

22. To undertake the measurement and evaluation of own work through audit, outcome measurement, the application of evidence based practice and research where appropriate. To identify and initiate audit projects to review current clinical practice within the pathway

23. To lead the implementation and evaluation of Trust wide Occupational Therapy clinical outcomes within a designated pathway and monitor adherence with professional and national standards

24. To work to Trust and British Association of Occupational Therapy clinical guidelines and have a good working knowledge of relevant national standards to which quality of practice should be monitored

25. To raise Occupational Therapy staff awareness of current clinical developments and the implications these may have on clinical practice

26. To be accessible and provide expert clinical advice to colleagues in particular for highly complex case management

27. Once considered competent, to participate in week-end, bank holiday and extended working rotas where clinically appropriate

28. To fully participate in whatever pattern of working is required by the service in the future

All clinical staff are accountable and responsible for their own clinical competence and should limit their actions to those for which they are deemed competent in line with guidance from their professional bodies.

Education and Qualificaitons

Essential

• Diploma/Degree in Occupational Therapy
• HCPC Registration
• Working at M level or equivalent experience/qualification
• Undertaken a range of relevant postgraduate courses
• Undertaken clinical educators training

Desirable

• RCOT member
• Member of Special interest Group
• MSC in related subject
• Undertaken appropriate managerial training

Skills and Abilities

Essential

• The ability to discuss advanced clinical reasoning in the management of highly complex cases
• The ability to identify and act upon adverse clinical signs
• Able to communicate at advanced level including complex information to patients, Carers, team and other health professionals.
• Excellent ability to work effectively in a team environment
• Excellent time management skills with ability to organise, prioritise and delegate
• Ability to self direct learning, be critical and evaluate own learning needs, demonstrated in a CPD portfolio.
• Demonstrates excellent leadership ability and motivational skills

Experience

Essential

• Wide ranging post graduate Occupational Therapy experience including having held senior position in relevant speciality
• Significant experience of relevant specialist pathway
• Experience of working autonomously and unsupervised
• Experience in managing limited resources and high workloads
• Experience in leading and completing audit and evidence based projects.
• Experience of supervision and appraisal of Occupational Therapy staff and students with ability to give constructive feedback and performance management when necessary
• Evidence of actively participating in in-service training and presenting to large MDT groups, undergraduate and postgraduate staff and evaluating effectiveness of training
• Evidence of leading change management and innovation in clinical practice

Desirable

• Previous experience at band 7 Level
• Research experience including publication in recognised journal.
• Presented at national level or external courses relevant to subject area
• Evidence of presenting to MDT groups, undergraduate and postgraduate staff

Knowledge

Essential

• Extensive specialist knowledge of evidenced based Occupational Therapy for designated specialist pathway
• In depth knowledge of national guidelines and standards pertaining to specialist pathway and Occupational Therapy
• Robust understanding of clinical governance and its implication for Occupational Therapy
• Awareness and understanding of NHS structure, current issues and developments
• Understanding of the legal responsibilities of the profession

Other

Essential

• Self motivated with a clear vision of role / commitment to speciality
• Work in a flexible manner and adapt to changing environments
• Physically fit and able to comply with Trusts moving and handling guidelines, therapeutic handling
• Available for weekend duties, 7-day and altered working patterns where clinically appropriate, 7 day working in operation for this post

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).