Senior Occupational Therapist

Job description

Job responsibilities

Post Title: Senior / Specialist Occupational Therapist

Audrey House Enhanced Care Unit

Grade: Band 6 (secondment)

Managerially responsible to: Ward Manager

Professionally accountable to: OT Clinical Lead for Audrey House

As a registered practitioner you are personally accountable for your professional practice and have a legal / professional responsibility to patients, colleagues, employers, and self, according to the Professional Code of Conduct and Standards for Occupational Therapy Practice. As senior occupational therapist, you will support the ward manager and OT clinicallead in providing strong clinical leadership, ensuring that wherever possible evidence-based practice is delivered to improve the quality of practice and to create responsive services.The post holder will present a professional image of occupational therapy to promote a positive image for the Trust to patients, carers, and the community.

As a member of team, the post holder will be expected to adopt the policies and philosophy of the service, including trauma-based care and the recovery model. They will provide occupational assessment and treatment including a range of standardised assessments and appropriate practically orientated interventions, commonly incorporating sensory modulation strategies. As the patients at Audrey House will have enhanced care needs of different types, including severe mental health needs, physical health needs, trauma-based needs, neuro-diversity needs and sensory needs, the occupational therapist will draw on a range of occupationally based assessments and interventions as appropriate.

. The post holder will be proactive in initiating and sustaining a respectful, consistent, and reliable therapeutic relationship with patients that enhances their ability to build social networks and work in partnership with other agencies.

As leader of the occupational therapy provision at Audrey House, the role includes supervising, supporting and working alongside junior members of the occupational therapy and recreation team.

Clinical Professional Issues

1. The post holder will provide a professional role model for the delivery of high-quality occupational therapy, working as a member of the multi-disciplinary team.

1. Have a high clinical profile that includes the provision of individual treatment, as well as having a global overview of therapeutic interventions and clinical activities at the ECU, alongside other members of the team, including psychology, physiotherapy and nursing.

1. Act as a resource for the service, advising staff regarding occupational therapy approaches in the treatment of people with acute mental health problems and other needs, focusing primarily on interventions to address functional needs.

1. Actively engage in the promotion and implementation of sensory modulation strategies throughout the environment and culture of Audrey House, including the devising of individualised sensory modulation-based care plans as needed.

1. Ensure evidence-based practice and research awareness is used as the foundation for the assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation of occupational therapy.

2. Actively manage own workload, effectively and efficiently prioritising competing demands.

3. Work within a blanket referral system, assessing and treating all patients who are admitted to Audrey House, in consultation with the multi-disciplinary team.

4. Conduct rigorous occupational and risk analyses ensuring thatappropriate evidence based clinical risk assessments are undertaken.

5. Assess the needs of patients in complex situations using professional knowledge, judgements and skills to account for decisions made.

6. Ensure allpatients have their occupational therapy needs included within their up-to-date care plan.

7. Provide individual and / or group interventions as needed, recognising that individual therapy may be more common in this context. Be able to apply a range of Models of OT, with the main emphasis being on the Model of Creative Ability, in combination with the Model of Human Occupation.

8. Ensure that occupational needs of patients are regularly reviewed and report any changes in occupational functioning that may indicate either positive or negative effects of treatment.

9. Implement an effective communication system for the co-ordination of care and ensure Trust professional guidelines for record-keeping aremaintained.

10. Ensure that assessment and treatment is person centred ensuring the gender, sexual orientation, ethnic,cultural and spiritual needs of patients are adhered to.

11. Promote patient and carer involvement, ensuring that autonomy and choice are embedded into the philosophy of the Team.

12. Use effective interpersonal skills that relate to patients, carers and team members on an equal and respectful basis.

13. Ensure the Trust Policy for Clinical Supervision is implemented

14. In collaboration with theWard manager and/or the ClinicalLead OT as appropriate, ensure good practice is maintained by taking a lead in challenging practice that requires change or development or that does not meet required standards.

15. The post holder will be aware of and work within all legislative requirements relevant to occupational therapy (Mental Health Act, Code of Practice, Human Rights Act, Disability Discrimination Act etc), and ensure that Child and Adult protection procedures are followed.

Leadership

1. Actively support the development of the Trusts occupational therapy role guidelines.

1. Demonstrate an understanding of leadership theory and how strategies can be adapted according to need.

2. Demonstrate an understanding of management processes and theory and actively participate in processes of change.

1. Demonstrate an understanding of how to empower ward team members to participate in implementing change.

1. Nurture a culture of respect for others, and an environment that values and is pro-actively respectful of ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, culture and individuality for patients and staff.

1. Ensure Trust policies, procedures, and legislative directives are adhered to e.g. Equal Opportunities, Human Rights Act, Disability Discrimination Act, Race Relations, and Sex Discrimination etc.

1. Ensure that awareness of clinical and resource management information is used analytically to inform decisions that meet patient, team and organisational objectives.

2. Receive management supervision from the Ward Manager and clinical/professional supervision from the Clinical Lead OT for Audrey House

Clinical Governance / Quality Assurance

1. Take a lead on developing and delivering the clinical governance agenda / plan in consultation with the Ward Manager and Clinical Lead OT.

1. Facilitate the development of evidence-based standards of treatment that include patients, carers and team members.

1. Identify and participate in developing clinical audit and research activity, taking the lead as necessary.

2. Participate in incident investigation and reporting, promoting a learning the lessons culture.

Education and Development

1. Demonstrate the ability to monitor personal practice ensuring that Health Professions Council registration is maintained.

1. Ensure personal professional development promotes good practice, prevents poor practice, and intervenes in unacceptable practice.

1. Promote a culture of Lifelong Learning, participating as required in the development, education and training of occupational therapy colleagues and students.

2. Activelyparticipate in clinical practice development through mentoring and coaching, in particular facilitating student education and fieldwork placements.

3. Receive and where necessary co-ordinate Staff Development,Annual appraisals and Personal Development Plans.

4. Function within the parameters of their professional role, extending and expanding these whereappropriate to meet the service users needs and ensure that junior team members do likewise.

Speciality Specific Requirements

1. Working with patients within the limitations of the unit environment and being aware of potential hazards.

2. Working withpatients who experience high levels of distress and adopting appropriate support strategies to cope with challenging and demanding behaviours.

3. Taking responsibility for utilising local support systems as necessary e.g. manual handling, management of violence and aggression, lone worker policy etc.

Data Security and Protection

The Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust requires its staff to comply with data security and protection related standards and policies at all times when dealing with confidential information, which includes any information relating to the business of the Trust and its patients and employees.

All NHS employees are bound by a duty of confidentiality and must conduct their duties in line with the NHS Confidentiality Code of Practice, Data Protection Act, Freedom of information Act, Human Rights Act and common law confidentiality.

Any breach of confidentiality or computer misuse could lead to disciplinary action, and in serious cases could result in dismissal. Breaches after the post-holders employment has ended could result in the Trust taking legal action.

Person Specification

Knowledge

Essential

• HCPC registration
• Degree or diploma in Occupational Therapy

Desirable

• Experience of applying evidence based models of OT

Experience

Essential

• Having worked in acute mental health settings
• Experience of supervising junior staff
• Two years post-qualification experience
• Experience of reflective practice

Desirable

• Having worked with people with challenging mental health presentations
• Having used sensory modalities
• Experience of utilising models of OT
• Experience of having worked in an in-patient acute mental health environment
• To have used practical activities based therapy

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

Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Audrey House

Kingsway Hospital

Derby

DE22 3LZ

Employer's website

http://www.derbyshirehealthcareft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)