Job summary
An desirable opportunity is available for Band 6
Occupational Therapist to join our dynamic team - working in the sought after
speciality of Paediatric Occupational Therapy. Our service prides itself on
providing high quality assessment and interventions to children and young
people -supporting families and carers to promote independence and improving functional skills
for children and young people with a wide range of needs. You will deliver an
integrated model of health and social care OT interventions for children, young
people and families residing across County Durham and Darlington supported by a
well-established team with a wealth of clinical expertise and knowledge.
The service offers excellent clinical support and
opportunities for continued professional development, with robust appraisal and
supervision systems in place.
County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust is one of
the largest integrated care providers in England, with a population of around
600,000 people. We are a high performing organisation with a track record of success.
The post will be based within the Children's
Centre at Chester-le-Street Community Hospital.
Main duties of the job
Within this role, the successful candidate will be expected
to:
- provide high quality Occupational Therapy assessments and
intervention programmes to children and young people referred into the service.
- assess for and provide recommendations for major and minor
home adaptations as part of the social care remit of the service
-work in collaboration with children, young people, parents
and carers as well as other professionals and colleagues across a wide variety
of sectors, including health, education and social care.
- work as an autonomous practitioner in managing a varied
and often complex caseload with the supervision and support of the locality OT
team
- take an active part in the development and delivery of
training packages to parents, carers and colleagues, as well as activley
participate in their own continued professional development, appraisal and
supervision
- take an active part in service development and quality
improvement initiatives
- demonstrate a high level of skill in clinical
documentation including accurate case records and compilation of professional
reports
- participate in the supervision of student
occupational therapists and therapy assistants
About us
If you are being interviewed you must accept an interview slot in the system to continue, even if you have arranged with the manager
You must be able to produce ALL certificates stated essential in the person specification or you will not be able to complete pre-employment checks
We provide hospital services from two acute sites - Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham. We have a centre for planned care in Bishop Auckland and provide care from community hospitals in Chester-le-Street, Shotley Bridge, Barnard Castle, Sedgefield and Weardale as well as over 80 other community based settings and providing care in patients' homes.
We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as BAME and disabled people are currently under-represented
Full Job Descriptions can be found in the adverts supporting documents
Over reliance on
AI-generated content is discouraged and may diminish the applicant's chances of
success
For the most up-to-date information on visa requirements and eligibility, please check online to determine whether you can apply.
From April 9th 2025 - Healthcare assistants - You must have a minimum of two years
of experience working within the NHS as a HCA for the Trust to consider
sponsorship (we will only consider sponsorship if you meet this criteria and
have a current visa expiring within 3 months)
Job description
Job responsibilities
Clinical Requirements
To be professionally and legally accountable for all
aspects of your own work, including the management of children in your care.
To undertake skilled assessment of children and young
people, including those with diverse or complex presentations/multi-pathologies.
To formulate and deliver outcome focused, individual
therapy treatment programmes, based on evidence based practice using clinical
assessment, reasoning skills and knowledge of treatment skills.
To take delegated responsibility from Team Lead
Occupational Therapists for managing children with particular conditions and be
responsible for providing specialist therapy assessment and treatment plans.
To formulate accurate prognoses and recommend best course
of intervention.
To use effective communication skills, verbal and
non-verbal to communicate treatment programmes to children who may have
barriers to understanding or communication
e.g. children with developmental delays, visual impairment, hearing
impairment, impairments of cognition and difficulties with verbal communication
etc.
To evaluate and review the progress of Occupational
Therapy interventions, making changes to treatment programmes as required.
To work as an autonomous practitioner with regular
supervision and support from supervising therapists.
* To prioritise the health and wellbeing of children and
young people at all times and immediately raise any Safeguarding concerns
through the correct channels and processes.
To supervise assistant and student therapists in line with
Professional and Service standards.
To represent the Occupational Therapy Service and/or
individual children at the multi-agency team meetings, to ensure the delivery
of a co-ordinated multi-disciplinary service, and integrate therapy into the treatment
programme.
To be responsible for the safe and competent use of all
equipment, appliances and aids used by children and young people, ensuring that
assistants and students are competent in their use.
To maintain comprehensive contemporaneous clinical and
statistical records in line with professional and service standards.
* To contribute to multi-agency assessments including
Education, Health and Care Plans, Child Safeguarding reports etc
Professional
To be responsible for maintaining own competency to
practice through CPD activities, and maintain a portfolio which reflects
personal development.
To teach, assess and contribute to the performance
assessment and appraisal of therapy assistant staff.
Participate in the staff appraisal scheme as an appraisee
and be responsible for complying with your agreed personal development
programme to meet set knowledge and competencies.
Undertake measurement and evaluation of your work and
current practices through the use of evidence based practice projects, audit
and outcome measures, as required, under the direction of senior therapists.
Be an active member of in-service training by attendance
at, and participation in events such as in-Service programmes, tutorials,
training sessions, external courses and peer review.
Be actively involved in professional clinical groups, such
as Children Young People and their Families, Occupational Therapy special
interest group, Peer Review Groups and other professional development
activities.
Organisational
Ensure that your own practice meets the required
professional standards of therapy practice.
Deputise for other Occupational Therapy staff in their
absence, taking responsibility for caseload management, allocating and
organising the work of assistant staff to meet service priorities on daily
basis.
To be responsible for organising and planning your own
caseload to meet service and patient priorities. Readjusting plans at short notice as
situations change/arise.
Work safely at all times and report all untoward incidents
via the quality and safety reporting systems within the Trust.
Any other duties commensurate with role and
responsibilities of the post.
Ensure the corporate identity guidelines for
the Trust are implemented and adhered to at all times.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Clinical Requirements
To be professionally and legally accountable for all
aspects of your own work, including the management of children in your care.
To undertake skilled assessment of children and young
people, including those with diverse or complex presentations/multi-pathologies.
To formulate and deliver outcome focused, individual
therapy treatment programmes, based on evidence based practice using clinical
assessment, reasoning skills and knowledge of treatment skills.
To take delegated responsibility from Team Lead
Occupational Therapists for managing children with particular conditions and be
responsible for providing specialist therapy assessment and treatment plans.
To formulate accurate prognoses and recommend best course
of intervention.
To use effective communication skills, verbal and
non-verbal to communicate treatment programmes to children who may have
barriers to understanding or communication
e.g. children with developmental delays, visual impairment, hearing
impairment, impairments of cognition and difficulties with verbal communication
etc.
To evaluate and review the progress of Occupational
Therapy interventions, making changes to treatment programmes as required.
To work as an autonomous practitioner with regular
supervision and support from supervising therapists.
* To prioritise the health and wellbeing of children and
young people at all times and immediately raise any Safeguarding concerns
through the correct channels and processes.
To supervise assistant and student therapists in line with
Professional and Service standards.
To represent the Occupational Therapy Service and/or
individual children at the multi-agency team meetings, to ensure the delivery
of a co-ordinated multi-disciplinary service, and integrate therapy into the treatment
programme.
To be responsible for the safe and competent use of all
equipment, appliances and aids used by children and young people, ensuring that
assistants and students are competent in their use.
To maintain comprehensive contemporaneous clinical and
statistical records in line with professional and service standards.
* To contribute to multi-agency assessments including
Education, Health and Care Plans, Child Safeguarding reports etc
Professional
To be responsible for maintaining own competency to
practice through CPD activities, and maintain a portfolio which reflects
personal development.
To teach, assess and contribute to the performance
assessment and appraisal of therapy assistant staff.
Participate in the staff appraisal scheme as an appraisee
and be responsible for complying with your agreed personal development
programme to meet set knowledge and competencies.
Undertake measurement and evaluation of your work and
current practices through the use of evidence based practice projects, audit
and outcome measures, as required, under the direction of senior therapists.
Be an active member of in-service training by attendance
at, and participation in events such as in-Service programmes, tutorials,
training sessions, external courses and peer review.
Be actively involved in professional clinical groups, such
as Children Young People and their Families, Occupational Therapy special
interest group, Peer Review Groups and other professional development
activities.
Organisational
Ensure that your own practice meets the required
professional standards of therapy practice.
Deputise for other Occupational Therapy staff in their
absence, taking responsibility for caseload management, allocating and
organising the work of assistant staff to meet service priorities on daily
basis.
To be responsible for organising and planning your own
caseload to meet service and patient priorities. Readjusting plans at short notice as
situations change/arise.
Work safely at all times and report all untoward incidents
via the quality and safety reporting systems within the Trust.
Any other duties commensurate with role and
responsibilities of the post.
Ensure the corporate identity guidelines for
the Trust are implemented and adhered to at all times.
Person Specification
Special Requirements
Essential
- Ability to travel independently across the County to fulfil the requirements of the post.
Statutory Registration
Essential
- Qualified Occupational Therapist registered with H.C.P.C.
Desirable
- Member of relevant Specialist Sections of RCOT / participation in Special Interest Groups in a related field
Special Skills & Knowledge
Essential
- Proven ability to communicate effectively about a client's health and social care needs - on a formal and informal basis. Professional expereince of providing written and verbal reports and feedback to a wide range of people
- Demonstrates excellence in presentation skills
- Proven ability to prioritise workload and work within timescales
Desirable
- Specialist skills in related fields of Occupational Therapy such as postural management, fine and gross motor skills, handwriting skills development, skills related to provision of aids and adaptations
- Skills and knowledge related to Sensory Development and related difficulties in Children and Young People
Experience
Essential
- Post registration clinical experience as a Band 5 or Band 6 Occupational Therapist in a health or community based setting
Desirable
- Working experience and knowledge related to delivery of Social Care OT interventions eg specialist aids and environmental advice/adaptations.
- OT Clinical experience with children and young people with additional and/or complex needs
- Experience of delivering training sessions / presentations to groups of service users / other professionals
Qualifications
Essential
- Diploma, BSc or MSc in Occupational Therapy
Desirable
- Specialist post graduate clinical experience in Occupational Therapy practice, linked to a related field e.g. Neurology, Paediatrics, Learning Disabilities, Social Care
Person Specification
Special Requirements
Essential
- Ability to travel independently across the County to fulfil the requirements of the post.
Statutory Registration
Essential
- Qualified Occupational Therapist registered with H.C.P.C.
Desirable
- Member of relevant Specialist Sections of RCOT / participation in Special Interest Groups in a related field
Special Skills & Knowledge
Essential
- Proven ability to communicate effectively about a client's health and social care needs - on a formal and informal basis. Professional expereince of providing written and verbal reports and feedback to a wide range of people
- Demonstrates excellence in presentation skills
- Proven ability to prioritise workload and work within timescales
Desirable
- Specialist skills in related fields of Occupational Therapy such as postural management, fine and gross motor skills, handwriting skills development, skills related to provision of aids and adaptations
- Skills and knowledge related to Sensory Development and related difficulties in Children and Young People
Experience
Essential
- Post registration clinical experience as a Band 5 or Band 6 Occupational Therapist in a health or community based setting
Desirable
- Working experience and knowledge related to delivery of Social Care OT interventions eg specialist aids and environmental advice/adaptations.
- OT Clinical experience with children and young people with additional and/or complex needs
- Experience of delivering training sessions / presentations to groups of service users / other professionals
Qualifications
Essential
- Diploma, BSc or MSc in Occupational Therapy
Desirable
- Specialist post graduate clinical experience in Occupational Therapy practice, linked to a related field e.g. Neurology, Paediatrics, Learning Disabilities, Social Care
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).
Additional information
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
County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
Address
Chester Le Street Community Hospital
Front Street
Chester Le Street
County Durham
DH3 3AT
Employer's website
https://www.cddft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)
