Occupational Therapy Assistant Practitioner

Job description

Job responsibilities

This position is accountable to Head of Therapy. It will provide therapy in hospital setting or in the patients home. The position contributes to the discharge pathway and will support initiatives to shorten patients stay in hospital and maximise clinical outcome.

The Therapy Assistant Practitioner will work under the supervision of qualified therapy staff, providing assessment and treatment programmes for patients in the hospital and community setting

The Therapy Assistant Practitioner is able to carry out a full episode of care from

assessment to discharge, for a specified and designated clinical caseload identified

by a qualified clinician.

The post holder will assist in the administration and clerical duties for the team and

department.

Key Result Areas & Performance:

To undertake all aspects of clinical duties and to carry a full caseload of patients under the supervision, direct and indirect, of a therapist

Assess and provide for equipment needs

Review patients to assess function

Progress patients to maximise their function and independence as designated from qualified therapist

To provide information, teaching and instruction to relatives, carers, other

disciplines and agencies.

To promote understanding on the aims of Therapy and to ensure continuation of the treatment programme.

Contributes to advice and education sessions for relevant patient groups

To participate in 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.

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

Maintain accurate clinical records of all interventions

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

Input to databases as required

Referring to the qualified practitioner when necessary, to work independently with a specified client group to manage equipment provision and functional assessment and rehabilitation.

Deliver and install simple aids and equipment in the patients home and instruct patients and carers in use of this equipment as appropriate

To carry out home visits and access visits, with or without a therapist, as required

To manage own day to day workload and maintain level of service within the pathway at the local site, and assist other members of the team to make appropriate prioritisation choices. To ensure the effective exchange of information across the pathway team and co-ordination of service delivery.

Participate in weekend working if required.

Person Specification

Personal Qualities

Essential

• -Able to use initiative and
• work independently
• -Able to manage time,
• prioritise and organise own workload
• -Able to exert moderate
• effort, on a day to day basis, for short to prolonged periods of time in order to undertake required moving
• and handling procedures/
• treatment sessions /fitting
• of equipment
• -Driver
• -Able to work weekend shifts and cover shifts over extended working hours (8am-8pm)

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working clinically in physio /occupational therapy service in acute setting
• IT experience

Desirable

• Community and acute experience
• Working in a care environment

Qualifications

Essential

• Evidence of study to or attainment of NVQ Level III, relevant qualification or equivalent knowledge and experience.

Desirable

• Experience in equipment provision
• Experience in working in Orthopaedics.

Knowledge

Essential

• -Knowledge of basic
• principles of rehabilitation
• -Able to use computer
• databases and complete
• records electronically
• -Understanding of care
• pathways and key issues for Trust.
• -Able to work autonomously

Desirable

• -Knowledge of equipment prescription.

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.

Employer details

Employer name

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust

Address

Lewisham Hospital Nhs Trust

Lewisham High Street

London

SE13 6LH

Employer's website

https://www.lewishamandgreenwich.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)