Occupational Therapist

Job responsibilities

Job Purpose

To be responsible for team related duties when requested by line manager or Team Manager

To be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of work, including management of patients within your care. To ensure a high standard of clinical work for patients under Occupational Therapy management, and support more junior staff to do likewise.

To undertake the comprehensive assessment of patients, including those with complex and/or chronic presentations using investigative and analytical skills and to formulate individualised management and treatment plans, using clinical reasoning and a wide range of treatment skills and options to devise specialist programmes of care.

To accept clinical responsibility for a designated caseload of patients and to organise this effectively with regard opt clinical priorities and use of time.

To demonstrate a commitment to evidence-based practice and make recommendations for change.

To be responsible for own continuing professional development- keeping abreast of new trends and developments, incorporating them into your work as necessary. Attend relevant conferences and internal/external training courses. Support more junior staff to do likewise.

To maintain a high level of Occupational Therapy standards and work to the Occupational Therapy Code of Professional Conduct.

To assist with development and participation in the teams audit projects, demonstrating use of evidence based projects and outcome measures, either individually or with senior therapists. To make recommendations for change.

To ensure the health and safety of staff and patients at all times in accordance with Health and safety legislation and Organisation Policies and Procedures. To adhere to all other Organisation Policies and Procedures.

To participate in identified data collection and statistics and to maintain clear, concise and timely records in line with service policy.

Dimensions

To work in a variety of community settings which may include the patients own home/Care/Nursing Home/clinic setting.

To provide clinical education, training, supervision and support to other staff and students within specialty area

To be responsible for managing own specialist workload effectively within the clinical and professional policies of the Organisation.

Key Responsibilities

Clinical

1.To be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of your work, including the management of patients in your care. To ensure a high standard of clinical care for the patients under occupational therapy management, and support more junior staff to do likewise.

2.To determine by assessment and liaison with other relevant agencies the advice, education and treatment requirements of each patient and/or carer. This may include dealing with complex and conflicting opinions within the multi-disciplinary multi-agency team.

3.To undertake the comprehensive assessment of patients, including those with a complex and/or chronic presentation using investigative and analytical skills through standardised and non standardised assessments. To formulate individualised management and treatment plans, using clinical reasoning and using a wide range of treatment skills and options to devise a specialised programme of care.

4.To set occupational therapy rehabilitation goals, carry out treatment interventions, occasionally as the only team member involved in the case.

5.To accept clinical responsibility for a designated caseload of patients and to organise this effectively with regard to clinical priorities and use of time.

6.To provide highly specialised advice, teaching and training to other members of the team regarding the occupational therapy management of patients around functional activities of daily living, equipment, specialist splinting, return to driving and cognitive issues.

7.To train, supervise and manage more junior staff, support staff and students. This will include the use of formal appraisal documentation and accreditation as a Clinical Educator. To supervise, educate and assess the performance of undergraduate Occupational therapy students as required to ensure the standard of practice and teaching meets the standards set by the degree level qualification

8.To have the ability to gain valid informed consent and to identify through assessment clients who lack capacity and work within a legal framework with patients who lack the capacity to consent to treatment.

9.To work as a lone practitioner with supervision from band 7 Occupational therapist.

10.To provide spontaneous and planned advice, teaching and instruction to patients, carers and other professionals to promote understanding of the aims of physiotherapy and to ensure a consistent approach to patient care.

Professional

1.To participate in the development of good practice for Occupational therapists within Nottingham CityCare Partnership under the guidance of the AHP Professional Lead.

2.To demonstrate a commitment to evidence-based practice.

3.To be responsible for own Continuing Professional Development under the supervision of the band 7 occupational therapist keeping abreast of new trends and developments, incorporating them into your work as necessary. Attend relevant conferences and internal/external training courses when agreed. Support more junior staff to do likewise.

4.To maintain a high level of physiotherapy standards and work to the Occupational Therapy Code of Professional Conduct.

5.To actively participate in the services training strategy, including in-service training, organisation and multi-agency training. To participate by attendance and presentation at staff meetings, tutorials and training sessions.

6.To demonstrate a sound understanding of Clinical Governance and Risk Management and apply to the work situation.

7.To assist with development and participation in the teams audit projects, evidence based practice projects and outcome measures, either individually or with other senior therapists. To make recommendations for change.

8.To participate in the staff appraisal scheme and Personal Development plans as both appraiser and appraisee.

Organisational

1.To support the Team manager in implementing targets and objectives to assist in the ongoing development of the service. To participate in service evaluation and advise the Team Manager on the service needs of the client population.

2.To be responsible for management duties when requested by senior clinical staff.

3.To liaise effectively with other professionals and agencies to enhance rehabilitation within the boundaries of Nottingham CityCare Partnership.

4.To manage the day-to-day delivery of the Occupational therapy service within own locality including prioritisation of support staff duties. Also organising own diary and time management. (Arranging assessments and appointments for own caseload)

5.To ensure the health & safety of staff and patients at all times in accordance with Health & Safety legislation and Trust policy and procedures. To adhere to all other Trust Policies and Procedures.

6.To attend team meetings and meetings with other agencies as required.

7.To use information technology on a daily basis eg electronic patient records and participate in identified data collection and statistics and to maintain clear, concise and timely records in line with the service policy.

8.To act as a Duty Clinician and Duty Officer for the Lone Worker Tracking procedure. (Checking all staff have safely returned from visits and if necessary reporting missing clinicians to the Team Manager on call at the end of the working day)

Knowledge and skills

Essential

• Evidence of on-going CPD appropriate to this role.
• Evidence of achievement of appropriate competencies relevant to this role
• Knowledge and experience of a wide range of approaches to the management of complex conditions demonstrated by clinical reasoning.
• Evidence updated with professional practice and current best evidence and new research.
• Excellent communication skills demonstrating an ability to communicate to a variety of audiences
• Ability to pass on skills and knowledge to clinicians internally and external to the service
• Basic IT skills
• Ability to make sound clinical judgement
• Ability to work as part of an integrated multi-professional team
• Enthusiastic and motivated, Flexible, adaptable , innovative., self-reliant with a positive attitude
• Good organisation skills and an ability to delegate and prioritise
• Ability to relate well to all groups of people and to create and maintain effective working relationships
• Team worker
• Good written and verbal communication
• Evidence of prioritisation skills, organisational skills, able to effectively support others , use initiative, proactive
• Work under pressure

Desirable

• Awareness of audit tools and research methodology
• Knowledge of models of supervision

Experience

Essential

• A level of post graduate experience demonstrating broad based experience which may include, stroke and or neurology rehabilitation, splinting and health care of older person that is pertinent to the area of work this post applied to including social care OT roles. Proven through attendance at courses and PRD
• Experience of multi-agency working
• Supervision of less experienced qualified staff and students/support workers.
• Contribution to clinical education of less experienced staff , students and assistants

Desirable

• Experience of audit , research or service development
• Experience of community working

Special Requirements

Essential

• Full driving licence and the ability to travel between locations.

Qualifications

Essential

• BSc (Hons) degree in Occupational Therapy or equivalent
• Health Care Professions Council registration, licence to practice.

Desirable

• Clinical educators/practice teaching course
• Relevant post graduate courses

Physical Requirements

Essential

• All appointments are subject to satisfactory medical clearance and the ability to cope with the demands of the role
• Ability to undertake frequent moderate physical effort for several short periods during the working day.
• Activities may include manoeuvring people, and operating manual handling equipment.
• Periods of prolonged concentration as work pattern dictates and some exposure to distressing or emotional circumstances and occasional unpleasant conditions

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).