Job responsibilities
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
*To join the Early Supportive Discharge Team, based at hubs across the county.
*To work as an integral member of the Health Care /Rehabilitation Service providing effective support to Nurses, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, and any other team members.
*To work with patients undertaking therapy/rehabilitation programmes to support and encourage them to achieve their optimum level of independence and quality of life, as directed by the team of therapists/nurse's.
*To work with patients in a range of locations, including hospital departments such as wards, rehabilitation unit, outpatients, and the community with overall supervision from rehabilitation professionals.
*To work as a Rehabilitation Assistant on the inpatient stroke ward, when not seeing patients in the community.
*Must be a car driver with a valid driving licence or have access to transport with appropriate business insurance in order to travel throughout the Trust, to meet the needs of the service.
*To manage own time effectively demonstrating flexibility to meet the service requirements across the county
*Community Hospital wards and rehabilitation areas, in patient's own homes with and without Team professionals.
*The work will involve moderate physical effort handling patients and equipment on a daily basis. Lifting and manoeuvring equipment for short periods of time and potentially supporting patients for up to 20 - 30 minutes at any one time. Daily contact with bodily fluids.
*Possibility of working in the community in patients homes', in unclean surroundings and coming into contact with dirt, fleas, lice, pets, cigarette smoke and domestic animals (weekly) with the Team professionals.
*It may also necessitate working with distressed and/or confused patients/relatives.
*Travel throughout the team Locality may be involved on a regular basis.
*Any difficulties to be reported to the Rehabilitation Team/ supervising team professional at the next convenient time if not urgent.
Duties and Responsibilities
Communication and Key Working Relationships
*Operation service manager for stroke services.
*Rehabilitation Team members
*Ward staff
*Patients, families and carers.
*Other care staff including those from other agencies, eg Social Services, Community nurses, Care agencies, as part of clinical work.
Planning and Organisation
*Taking account of allocated workload, to organise own day to day activities and to feed back to delegating therapist in the event that difficulties occur.
Analytics
*To enter data electronically according to Integrated Support Service procedures.
*To record electronic patient data for professional staff as requested.
Responsibility for Patient / Client Care, Treatment & Therapy
*To undertake treatment programmes with individual patients/groups as specified by the team's therapists and Nurses. This follows direct handover from the delegating therapist(s) or reading and implementing written treatment plans.
*To assist therapists with treatment programmes, working with the individual patient's/groups.
*To carry out work in a range of locations, including hospital departments, patients' own homes and other community locations as directed.
*To use a range of verbal and non-verbal communication tools (e.g. explanation, negotiation, persuasion, motivation) to communicate effectively with patients in order to implement rehabilitation and treatment programmes following guidance from professionals. This will include patients who may have difficulties in understanding or communicating.
*To observe and evaluate patients' response to treatment activities and decide on appropriate action e.g. seek further advice from occupational therapist, physiotherapist, community nurse and / or senior nursing staff, discontinue treatment activity, instigate emergency procedure.
*To provide feedback to professionals on patients' progress, changes in functional ability, medical, social, emotional etc., on a daily basis.
*To gather initial information for therapy documentation by telephone from patients within the community, or from care plans/medical records for in-patients prior to assessment, as directed by the therapist/ nursing staff.
*To be aware of and appropriately manage sensitive and/or complicated information. To deal sensitively with patients who have high levels of anxiety and aggression caused by pain, dementia and limited mobility. This will include patients with challenging behaviour, terminal illness and degenerative disease.
*To employ practical skills e.g. occupation skills -- cooking, household tasks/ exercise/mobility programmes as a routine part of patient treatment programmes
*Use manual handling techniques requiring moderate physical effort as part of treatment interventions on a daily basis, as directed by therapists. This will take place in a range of environments such as hospital wards, home, work environments and cars where space available and environments may be awkward and confined.
*To issue, demonstrate, adjust and ensure safe use of personal aids/equipment for patients, as prescribed and directed by therapists to support functional ability. E.g. mobility aids, toilet aids and to be aware of current safety alert notices.
*To work with patients in their own homes and the community, therapy clinics and wards to implement treatment programmes, record observations and intervention. This may include encountering distressed and abusive patients/carers.
Policy, Service, Research & Development Responsibility
To have an understanding of a range of common medical and orthopaedic conditions, occupational therapy and physiotherapy intervention gained through experience, in-house training and theoretical study completed at NVQ Level 3 or equivalent, as available.
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 competence objectives.
Take an active part in the assistant competency framework training, ongoing tuition and attending in-service training sessions as required to achieve/maintain appropriate skill/expertise.
Keep up to date with all relevant guidance and NHS targets and ensure the effective dissemination of relevant information as directed.
Contribute to relevant projects in relation to the development of the Rehabilitation Service and organisational objectives as required/appropriate.
Undertake any necessary skills training, Professional Updates and Mandatory Training as appropriate to the position.
Responsibility for Finance, Equipment & Other Resources
Be responsible for effective time management effective use of resources available
Responsibility for Supervision, Leadership & Management
To contribute, as a member of the multidisciplinary team and Rehabilitation Service to the development of services, protocols, in-service training programmes etc. by commenting, making suggestions, attending service meetings etc. as requested.
To provide input to non-clinical induction for new assistant staff. Demonstrates own activities to new/less experienced staff.
To undertake additional responsibilities as discussed and agreed with line manager. This could include the role of safety monitor, representing rehabilitation assistants in meetings etc.
Accommodate change in a rapidly changing environment and encourage team members to embrace necessary change. Have a positive attitude to challenges and devise ways to make them happen.
Information Resources & Administrative Duties
To understand and report on identified risks relating to clinical work using the Trusts risk management policies and protocols
To understand and implement all relevant Trust Policies and Protocols as appropriate to the role.
To record personally generated clinical observations in the multidisciplinary rehabilitation patient record.
To assist in the management of the peripheral stores ensuring stock levels are maintained and health and safety procedures followed
Comply with all relevant Somerset Partnership Trust Policies and Procedures in exercising the duties of the role.
Any Other Specific Tasks Required
To work frequently as a lone worker in potentially unpredictable and unpleasant working conditions coming into contact with dirt, passive smoking lice, fleas etc.
On a regular basis the therapy assistant will come into contact with bodily fluid or human waste.
Help maintain good communication, liaison and working arrangement within the Trust other Primary Care Trusts, Trusts and other agencies.
