Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist

Job description

Job responsibilities

Job Purpose

The post holder will be working as highly specialist autonomous practitioner, professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own work, including provision of patient care, documentation and use of specialist equipment.

To deliver advanced Occupational Therapy assessment and treatment for medical patients within an acute ward setting. To act as a source of expertise to fellow clinicians, Trust managers, Healthcare Professionals and other services internal and external to the Trust as required.

To manage, supervise and appraise staff and students within Medicine.

To lead in training and development of clinical practice and service.

To undertake clinical audits and evaluation of evidence based practice, initiating/participating in research within specialist area.

Key Duties:

To be a source of expertise, to identify, analyse, evaluate and problem solve to enable the development and delivery of individualised intervention and treatment programmes in a variety of settings.

To provide a consultative role with relatives and staff providing advice, recommendations, support, training and instruction as identified.

To undertake all aspects of clinical duties as an autonomous practitioner, managing and prioritising own caseload and time. Maintain appropriate records and data inputting.

To provide leadership and management on a daily basis to the therapy team within specialist area, including supervision, appraisal and development. To be involved in recruitment process for these staff.

To supervise, educate and assess the performance of students as required. Work with universities to ensure the standard of practice and teaching meets the requirements of the degree level qualification. To contribute to the education of students from other disciplines.

To deliver training to multi-disciplinary team members ensuring competence in performing duties within their agreed scope of practice.

To undertake Evidence Based audit and research projects to further own and teams clinical practice, making recommendations for changes. Leading the implementation of specific changes to practice / contributing to service protocols, with own specialist area.

To take a lead role within the Medicine team, providing highly specialist Occupational Therapy assessment and treatment of patients with diverse presentations and complex physical and psychological conditions within an acute and/or in community setting.

To use specialist skills to effectively manage caseload, work priorities including service delivery, patient and professional demands.

To be an active member of the relevant weekend rota and to have flexible working to align with your designated clinical area.

The job role includes working bank holidays and 7 day working as part of a roster system as required. To be able to travel and work in support of OT service including 7 day service and service provision.

CLINICAL AND PROFESSIONAL

To be responsible for the planning and leadership of the medicine service countywide, prioritising clinical needs to provide an effective, efficient service.

Responsible for efficient and safe care management of medical patients as part of the Multi-disciplinary teams, including risk assessments.

To be responsible for the development, implementation, and delivery of Occupational Therapy including assessment, treatment planning and carrying out treatment for own patient workload.

To monitor and advise on the clinical input of others and ensure patients receive the highest level of care.

To develop and implement treatment programmes and initiate discharge planning. To be skilled in assessing and interpreting a range of complex factors relating to the patients condition, including diagnosis and prognosis. Highly specialised skills in the assessment and provision of occupational therapy for patients who have complex medical conditions and multiple co-morbidities.

To take responsibility for own professional actions, demonstrating knowledge and skills to manage a caseload including complex and specialist cases, evidencing high level problem solving, reasoning skills and independent clinical judgement

To apply a high level of understanding of the effect of disability and provide training and advice on lifestyles changes and adaptations to the clients social and physical environment both within the hospital and the community and the effect that this may have on family/carers.

To provide highly specialist Occupational Therapy that may not only involve physical based assessments but also cognitive/perceptual/visual and upper limb assessments and treatments particularly for those patients recovering in medical high dependency unit and critical care. This would be supported through liaison and joint working of the Neuro and complex care teams.

To demonstrate highly developed clinical reasoning skills to undertake risk assessment for patients, carers and therapists within the hospital and community settings which includes assessment of home environment, both with and without the patient present, assessing both patient and carers needs, identifying and recommending preparations required for discharge planning and continuing care.

To establish and maintain a high standard of clinical expertise and care for the patients under your management, and support junior staff to do likewise.

To demonstrate the ability to assess patient understanding of treatment proposals, gain valid informed consent and have the capacity to work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment.

To undertake highly specialist clinical programmes/interventions/treatments in line with identified evidence base and national guidelines assessing the functional ability of the patient, including those of a complex nature. This may involve using standardised or non-standardised assessment tools.

To formulate accurate evaluations and deductions following interpretation and analysis of clinical and non clinical facts in a wide range of complex conditions, recommending the most appropriate interventions.

To evaluate treatments in order to measure progress, ensuring clinical effectiveness and progressing the interventions to a satisfactory closure, setting up reviews as appropriate and using outcome measures.

To educate and train patient/carer/support workers in safe use of specialist equipment recommended e.g. use of hoist to move patient. This involves handling and manoeuvring patients and equipment often in confined spaces.

To use highly developed specialist knowledge to respond to urgent requests from staff, patients and relatives to expedite rapid assessment and discharge planning as required in an acute setting.

To work in a variety of clinical areas, both ward based and home environments in the community where frequent and often highly unpleasant and unexpected exposure to conditions may be encountered, which includes odours, body fluids, human and animal faeces, insect and animal infestations and verbal aggression.

To work on a variety of medical wards and undertake / demonstrate interventions that are in line and appropriate to the evidence base and national guidelines for this cohort of patients. These patients are medically very unwell and require specialist intervention.

To manage and support other members of the team who may lack experience within this area.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Diploma/BSc (hons) in Occupational Therapy
• HPC Registration
• Relevant post graduate training

Desirable

• Masters or specific practice related Masters modules or
• Advanced Practice

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Evidence of flexibility and managing change
• Evidence of on-going engagement and interest in wider current health care topics and willingness to promote and present the Occupational therapy profession
• Empowering and encouraging excellent performances within the team and wider organisation through role modelling

Experience

Essential

• Significant post graduate working experience at Band 6 level or above in the designated area
• Evidence of significant knowledge and experience of MDT working within an acute setting
• Experience of service improvements, audits and implementation of recommendations

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• Specialist knowledge of designated area
• Significant experience of working with patients within designated area
• Evidence of high level clinical knowledge in assessments and treatment with designated area
• Evidence of leadership and supervisory skills
• High level communication skills to a wide range of professionals both internal and external to the organisation (reason for including i.e. HCA, Consultants etc.)
• Knowledge of National Guidelines/standards
• Advanced organisation/time management skills
• High level clinical reasoning skills and management of complex clinical needs
• Teaching to develop to specialist practice underpinned by clinical reasoning to various members of the MDT
• To identify and implement novel ways to meet national targets

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.

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

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

Address

Charles Hastings Way

Worcester

Worcestershire

WR5 1DD

Employer's website

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