PCN Occupational Therapist

Job responsibilities

Job Summary:

The post holder will provide a high standard of primary care occupational therapy as part of a multi-disciplinary team to registered patients within the PCN footprint, in a range of settings including GP practices, domiciliary settings and care homes.

The focus will be on following evidenced based practice to support member practices of South Lincoln Healthcare in managing their patients living with long-term conditions. Personalisation and preventative health care will consistently underpin critical clinical reasoning and collaborate with the GP teams to support delivery of policy and procedures.

The post holder will be involved in developing South Lincoln Healthcare's Living Well Team, evolving the integration between Primary Care and Community Services, in line with Neighbourhood Working.

Referrals into the Living Well Team will be triaged directly from either individual service users or a healthcare professional. The Primary Care Occupational Therapist will then triage for full assessment or decline with reasoning outlined.

The post holder will help reduce GP service demand by conducting home visits where functional decline or any non-medication specific issue is identified as primary concern.

The unique skills and experience of the Primary Care Occupational Therapist will serve to de-escalate potential crises for non-health issues and significantly reduce the number of unnecessary repeat presentations at GP surgeries and prevent hospital and care home admissions.

A high standard of clinical work is required, which will involve teaching and supervision of junior staff, assistants and students.

The post holder will receive regular clinical supervision from the primary care occupational therapist team lead and a named individual in the PCN to provide general advice and support where appropriate.

The post holder will need to work flexibly to meet the needs of individuals within the primary care network and this may include working in our Improved Access/Extended Hours service.

The post holder will need to hold a full driving licence and be prepared to travel between locations to support the remit of the role.

The role will be an integral part of the General Practice team working in each practice and across the PCN.

Duties & Responsibilities:

- work as part of a multi-disciplinary team in a patient facing role to assess and treat patients over the age of 18, using expert knowledge for:-

• Allied Health Professions Advisory Fitness for Work Reports to identify, plan and achieve goals aimed at getting patients back to work, including personalised self-management advice and recommendations about workplace modifications
• Resolution of functional issues which result in multiple and regular contact with GP practice
• Healthy ageing and proactive management of frailty, including use of frailty index to identify people needing a proactive approach
• Rapid crisis response to prevent hospital admission or to speed discharge
• Assessment and interventions to ensure people can cope at home, including support for carers
• Short term rehabilitation interventions and referral on to specialist services if indicated
• Use of digital and assistive technology to ensure safety at home
• Supporting patients with mild/moderate frailty - vulnerable people who do not require secondary services, but are at high risk of needing increased levels of support in the future (including possible hospital inpatient admission) if a proactive approach is not taken
• Upper and lower Limb and sensory assessments
• Mental Health assessments, referrals and sign-posting for psychological therapy within the local IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies) service
• Seating and posture analysis including liaison with specialist Wheelchair services
• Moving/handling, mobility and falls assessments and interventions
• Support and recommendations for Carers under strain
• Self-Management skills development for individuals and groups
• Fatigue Management and energy conservation
• Pain Management
• Health Promotion
• Home Hazard environmental assessment
• Community Access and social prescribing
• Safety & Falls Prevention
• Minor assistive equipment provision
• Low mood, anxiety, stress and sleep hygiene

The post holder will have the following key responsibilities in delivering health services across our primary care network:

• become an integral part of the Living Well Team across South Lincoln Healthcare PCN;
• demonstrate consistent good practice, openness, and responsiveness to emerging evidence and commissioning traits;
• independently assess patients with more complex specialist needs and their associated requirements for overall service provision and onward referral to other services;
• ensure a high standard of care for all patients by effective communication with patients, carers, GPs, Team Lead and other health professionals
• manage a clinical case load to a high professional standard
• assess, plan, implement, and evaluate treatment plans, with an aim to increase patients productivity and self-care;
• work with patients through a shared-decision making approach to plan realistic, outcomes-focused goals and care plans;
• undertake both verbal and non-verbal communication methods to address the needs of patients that have communication difficulties;
• employ a Neighbourhood working approach and integrated working with health social care and voluntary sector professionals, to support patients to proactively manage and live well despite disability, disease, deterioration;
• where appropriate, support the development of discharge and contingency plans with relevant professionals across health and social care systems for patients who have just been discharged from hospital to offer care, support and re-ablement that they need;
• periodically review, evaluate and change rehabilitation programmes to rebuild lost skills and restore confidence;
• where appropriate, advise on home and workplace environmental alterations, such as adjustments for wheelchair access, technological needs, and ergonomic support;
• advise patients, and their families or carers, on specialist equipment and organisations that can help with daily activities;
• help patients to adapt to and manage their physical and mental health long-term conditions, through the teaching of coping strategies;
• work with the Primary Care Occupational Therapist Team Lead, community and secondary care service to improve standards of patient care and systems working;
• ensure that all activities are monitored and evaluated;

- The post holder will:

• be responsible for the day-to-day planning of personal workloads
• follow departmental policies procedures and guidelines
• develop yourself and the role through participation in clinical supervision, training and service redesign activities
• contribute to a patient safety culture through reporting and investigation of incidents and undertaking proactive measures to improve patient safety
• actively signpost patients to the correct healthcare professional
• maintain accurate clinical records of all patient consultations and related work
• review the latest guidance ensuring the practice conforms to NICE, CQC etc.
• support in the delivery of enhanced services and other service requirements on behalf of the PCN
• participate in the management of patient complaints when requested to do so and participate in the identification of any necessary learning brought about through clinical incidents and near-miss events
• undertake all mandatory training and induction programmes
• contribute to and embrace the spectrum of clinical governance
• attend a formal appraisal with their manager at least every 12 months. Once a performance/training objective has been set, progress will be reviewed on a regular basis so that new objectives can be agreed
• contribute to public health campaigns (e.g. flu clinics) through advice or direct care
• support delivery of QOF, incentive schemes, QIPP and other quality or cost effectiveness initiatives
• perform other general tasks as assigned.

Health, Safety and Welfare:

The post-holder will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others health, safety and security as defined in the Company's Health & Safety Policy, to include:

• identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks;
• making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills;
• reporting potential risks;
• reporting incidents and accidents;
• ensuring correct PPE is worn for the appropriate task;
• ensuring all areas are tidy and free from hazards;
• carrying out regular housekeeping; and
• ensuring manual handling and lifting techniques are used

This role profile is not exhaustive. This role has supervisory responsibilities. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate to high and will be subject to colder temperatures in the winter months.

Qualifications

Essential

• Diploma/Degree in Occupational Therapy
• Registration with HCPC
• Continued professional development portfolio including evidence of reflective practice, in service training, and any courses attended and clinical experience gained
• APPLE or Student supervisor course

Desirable

• Post graduate course(s) relevant to post
• Membership of relevant professional network

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working as part of therapy team and multi-disciplinary team
• Completion of preceptorship
• Experience of working with frail older adults
• Awareness and understanding of HCPC and RCOT standards and other national and local initiatives
• Ability to work independently
• Ability to pass on skills/knowledge to others within formal & informal environments
• Self-directed learning
• Clinical experience gained in more than one setting, such as community/Acute/intermediate
• Student supervision/clinical education
• Evidence of internal and external training to enhance clinical reasoning skills
• Manual patient moving/handling skills, including knowledge of hoists, stand aids, turntables
• Experience of audit
• Experience of teaching on in-house sessions to staff or service users

Desirable

• Presentation skills
• Evidence of internal and external training to enhance clinical reasoning skills
• Experience and knowledge of Palliative care

Skills & Knowledge

Essential

• Understanding of the integration agenda and neighbourhood working
• Able to work collaboratively within a team
• Able to work independently
• Committed to personal and team development
• Self-directed learning
• Ability to deal sensitively with patients who may have high levels of anxiety & aggression
• Capacity to concentrate for considerable periods of time during assessment and management of patients and be expected to respond immediately to interruptions

Desirable

• Ability to demonstrate knowledge of and the implications of standard 6 of the NSF for the elderly, NICE Clinical Guidance 21 (Falls Prevention) and the RCP
• Falls and Bone Health Audit

Personal Attributes

Essential

• Ability to work without direct supervision
• Able to work collaboratively within a team
• Able to work independently
• Committed to personal and team development
• Committed to personal centred, non-discriminatory practice
• Aware of requirements of confidentiality
• Forward thinking
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Able to maintain judgement under pressure
• Able to maintain motivation, drive and enthusiasm
• Flexible approach to work and participate in shift patterns
• Ability to travel around SLH PCN area to deliver patient 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).