Clinical & Operational Lead for Warwickshire Wheelchair Service

Job responsibilities

Communication Skills and Working Relationships:

To use an extensive range of verbal and non-verbal communication skills to engage effectively, network with and represent Warwickshire Wheelchair Service, Occupational Therapy / Physiotherapy or Allied Health Professionals on national, regional and local forums.

To provide Wheelchair Service expertise at appropriate local and regional working parties or meetings to develop, implement and redesign service delivery.

To lead and be responsible for disseminating information and addressing issues raised and ensure effective communication systems are in place to support and engage with patients, carers, staff, professional networks and other stakeholders.

Analytical and Judgement Skills:

To be responsible for the monitoring of the performance of the Wheelchair Repair and Maintenance contract.

To be responsible for managing a high standard of intervention, maintaining service delivery through flexible, effective and efficient prioritisation based on advanced clinical and professional judgement.

To use highly advanced investigative and analytical skills to interpret and analyse complex clinical, social and environmental factors to challenge recommended course of intervention and discharge plans in line with the Service Specification.

Planning and Organisational Skills:

To be responsible for the day-to-day activities of the Wheelchair Service team including assigning caseload based on complexity and capacity, adjusting to competing demands to formulate plans.

Freedom to Act:

To be responsible for providing professional leadership based on detailed knowledge of appropriate legislation and comply with the Professional Code of Ethics, Conduct and Standards for Occupational Therapy / Physiotherapy and the HCPC and ensure that all staff are aware of these.

To be responsible, in conjunction with the Professional and Operational Lead for Adult Occupational Therapy, Wheelchair and Community Stroke Services, for organising the recruitment, selection and retention of staff.

Management Responsibility:

To ensure teams provide and support professional student and work experience placements

To ensure the team provides teaching and training opportunities for staff and other students, for example medical, nursing, rehabilitation engineers and other professionals.

To lead the induction of all new senior Wheelchair Therapy staff and ensure the induction programme for all new staff is implemented.

To facilitate the identification of training needs of all Wheelchair Service staff through appraisal and be responsible for the development, formation and delivery of the Occupational Therapy and Wheelchair Services training needs analysis.

To manage staff absences and performance issues and notify the Professional and Operational Lead for Adult Occupational Therapy, Wheelchair and Community Stroke Services.

To deputise day to day operational management for and represent the Professional and Operational Lead for Adult Occupational Therapy, Wheelchair and Community Stroke Services at strategic meetings as requires.

To respect the equality, dignity and diversity of the individual, and be responsible for the provision of a service which is sensitive to these needs.

To work closely with all Occupational Therapy Management to ensure there is an optimal workforce to support the effective delivery of Adult Occupational Therapy and Wheelchair Services.

Responsibility for Patient Care:

To have knowledge of and apply the principles of the Mental Capacity Act in order to gain consent for intervention for those patients who have capacity or best interest decision for those who lack capacity to consent.

To have a detailed working knowledge of relevant external agencies eligibility criteria and Trust policies and procedures to be able to effectively refer the patient to these services.

Responsibility for Policy/Service Development:

To lead the development and maintenance of the patient centred pathways based on advanced knowledge of best practice, clinical reasoning and knowledge of local and national drivers.

To work with the Professional and Operational Lead for Adult Occupational Therapy, Wheelchair and Community Stroke Services set and deliver wheelchair service objectives aligned with wider Occupational Therapy, Divisional and Trust objective.

To contribute to the continuous development of the Wheelchair Service through use of extensive leadership skills to deliver specific clinical projects aligned with strategic and business plans.

Responsibility for Financial and Physical Resources:

To contribute to the management of budgets for the Adult Occupational Therapy and Wheelchair Services.

To authorise equipment for daily living orders and delivery times in line with the policies and procedures of the Integrated Community Equipment Service within the authorised budgetary limit.

To authorise stock and non-stock in line with the Occupational Therapy service procedures, Trust financial instructions and authorised budgetary limit. Ensure that an annual stock take is completed within the Warwickshire Wheelchair service.

To be responsible for managing risk by ensuring that all staff are aware of their obligation to comply with Health and Safety guidelines, Medical Devices Policy and to take a lead on maintaining a safe environment, equipment and working practices.

To have an extensive knowledge of equipment for daily living, be responsible for the safe and competent use of all therapy equipment evidenced in the staff members Medical Devices Logs ensuring all staff follow process and attain competency prior to use.

Responsibility for Information Resources

To be responsible for meeting the Key Performance Indicators (KPI) and the management of resources of the Warwickshire Wheelchair Service in order to achieve the service targets.

To ensure verbal and non-verbal, written and electronic patient records, reports and activity data including those of all staff are maintained, contemporaneous and reported back in appropriate forums, in accordance with professional and Trust record keeping standards.

Responsibility for Research and Development:

To participate in research opportunities, demonstrate the ability to critically evaluate current research and apply to practice disseminating findings at a local level.

Mental Effort:

To provide and receive highly complex information where co-operation and agreement from opposing parties will be necessary. This will require tact, persuasion and motivation to ensure that all parties are working together to achieve the requisite goal.

Emotional Effort:

To investigate, or delegate as appropriate, individual complaints and incidents and contribute to investigation of critical adverse incidents. To be responsible for implementing any changes to practice as a consequence.

Qualifications

Essential

• Diploma / Degree in Occupational Therapy or Physiotherapy
• Master's Degree in relevant Subject or able to display equivalent knowledge
• State Registration with Health Professions Council
• Evidence of Post graduate Continuous Professional Development

Desirable

• Accredited Fieldwork Educator
• Member of Specialist Interest Group

Experience

Essential

• Extensive post registration experience including significant experience within physical disability
• Evidence of Post graduate training relevant to physical & medical health, leadership & management training.
• Experience of working in a range of Health / Social Care, Wheelchair Occupational Therapy or Physiotherapy settings
• Experience of working within a multi-disciplinary team
• Experience of supervising staff and students

Desirable

• Experience of Service /Practice innovation
• Experience of clinical audit

Skills

Essential

• Specialist knowledge and application of current best practice in Wheelchair Service, Occupational Therapy or Physiotherapy
• Extensive clinical experience & knowledge of Occupational Therapy / Physiotherapy models of practice and outcome measures
• Effective leadership, planning and decision-making skills.
• Ability to work autonomously and prioritise own workload
• Ability to work under pressure
• Ability to analyse and respond to efficiently to complex information / situations
• Detailed knowledge of relevant legislation and national priorities
• Detailed knowledge of clinical governance and its application
• Good written and verbal communication skills

Desirable

• Computer literacy
• Experience of recruitment and selection procedures

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Ability to build and maintain effective working relationships within speciality and with relevant stakeholders
• Ability to frequently impart unwelcome news to junior colleagues.
• Ability to frequently impart unwelcome news to junior colleagues.
• Ability to deal with frequent challenge and emotion from members of the publics and junior colleagues.

Desirable

• Ability to work flexibly
• Ability to make change

Other

Essential

• Independent means of travel
• Commitment to lifelong learning
• Good presentation and training skills
• Ability to concentrate frequently whilst dealing with regular interruptions.
• Ability to use a VDU for long periods.

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).