Occupational Therapist/Physiotherapist

Job summary

Exciting opportunities have arisen for a proactive, dynamic and inspiring band 6 Occupational Therapist/ Physiotherapist to join the Rapid Response Service (RRS) with positions countywide.

Rapid Response has four main work streams leading to a varied and fulfilling day including:

• Hospital avoidance and diversion, treating patients within their own home, providing an MDT approach with all ADL's to support patients who are acutely unwell and wish to remain at home.
• Urgent community response (UCR) incorporates 9 pillars including: Falls, carer breakdown, urgent equipment, frailty and EOL, reduced mobility, confusion, urgent catheter, diabetes. In the last 12 months providers, commissioners and systems have taken important actions to improve the capacity and responsiveness of existing UCR services which is in line with national roll out of the two-hour standard. Somerset FT are required to provide a UCR service, from 8am-8pm, seven days a week across the system.
• RRS support end of life patients who have deteriorated within the community or who wish to return home to pass away in an environment of their choice.

Supporting intermediate care services e.g. D2A with patients who have short term reablement needs at home. As well as supporting the hospital at home team with more complex patients within the community, preventing hospital admission where possible

Main duties of the job

The main aim of the RRS team is to enable patients to stay at home, recover and re-engage with the important aspects of their life and prevent admissions to acute sectors.

The post holder will be required to use enhanced skills to assess and clinically manage patients who have been identified as needing RR intervention to avoid further clinical deterioration or hospital admission. There will be a requirement for post holders to work closely with colleagues in the local neighbourhood teams.

You will be expected to carry out specific therapy assessments to prevent admission to hospital, UCR work (including the above 9 pillars which will also incorporate supporting patients to get off the floor using appropriate lifting equipment), and to speed up discharges from local A&E departments, this will include treatment planning, assessing risk, promoting and enabling independent functioning. You will be committed to a person-centred approach to your work, have an ability to prioritise

About us

As an organisation, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust offers employees a wide range of benefits including flexible working, NHS pension scheme, generous annual leave allowance and a commitment to career development.

You will be eligible for our Blue Light Card and a wide range of NHS exclusive shopping & leisure discounts.

We are proud of our skilled, diverse workforce and as an inclusive employer we welcome applications from all backgrounds.

Working in Somerset enables you to enjoy the idyllic countryside, areas of outstanding beauty and stunning coastlines whilst still only being a stone's throw away from bustling city centres like Bristol, Bath and Exeter and only two hours away from London.

There are excellent educational facilities in the area and, when compared to other regions, house prices are reasonable.

Somerset offers the countryside and the cosmopolitan - there is truly something for everyone!