AMU Lead therapist (Occupational therapist or Physiotherapist)

Job responsibilities

Job Summary:

To lead a high quality, effective and efficient AMU therapy service within inpatient therapy services

To work collaboratively with system partners & stakeholders to ensure a seamless pathway for the patients accessing the service

To utilise highly specialised and expert clinical reasoning skills and therapeutic knowledge to manage an autonomous caseload and provide support to the AMU therapy team

To be the lead therapist for the AMU currently at Queen Elizabeth Hospital site

To support the inpatient Lead Therapists in the operational management of the AMU team. Ensuring development of the service in line with evidence based practice and working across the whole Acute and Emergency pathway

Key Result Areas & Performance:

1 CLINICAL

1.1 To be responsible for the delivery of Queen Elizabeth Hospitals AMU Therapy service

1.2 To act as a source of expertise in the acute assessment, intervention and rehabilitation of the acutely unwell patient and provide an advisory and teaching role to patients, other therapists and healthcare professionals, GPs and consultants as required.

1.3 To be an autonomous practitioner and an expert clinician in the assessment, diagnosis, treatment and management of patients in early admission at QEH promoting admission avoidance and length of stay within recommended timeframes.

1.4 To provide effective clinical leadership to the multidisciplinary AMU team incorporating physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists and support staff.

1.5 To work with the Inpatient lead therapists, heads of profession (OT/PT/SLT), Head of Therapies and other relevant partners, in developing the strategic and operational management of the AMU service.

1.6 To use a highly advanced theoretical and evidence based knowledge of anatomy, physiology and pathology and clinical reasoning to assess and diagnose patients, often in situations where conflicting evidence is present.

1.7 To accept clinical responsibility for a designated caseload of patients, and to organise this efficiently and effectively regarding clinical priorities and time management, ensuring a high standard of clinical care for the patients under your management and under the management of the staff for whom you are clinically responsible

1.8 To demonstrate physical ability to carry out highly skilled therapy assessments and interventions including a wide range of therapy techniques and therapeutic handling

1.9 To co-ordinate intervention which will include other disciplines, including advising and educating patients, carers and relatives

1.10 To provide specialist advice and guidance regarding medical conditions relevant to falls to other health care professionals, both within and outside the Trust.

1.11 To be responsible for ensuring that quality standards and effectiveness of patient care are continually improved by self and designated team through formal and informal facilitation / staff development

2 WORKFORCE

2.1 To provide expert advice, guidance and support, both spontaneous and planned, to other therapists (physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech therapists) in the management of patients following an acute hospital presentation.

2.2 To be responsible for the daily management, supervision and co-ordination AMU therapy team, including staff appraisal, performance management, informal grievance, and to be able to lead on staff recruitment.

3 FINANCIAL

3.1 To provide an efficient and effective AMU service within the allocated budget by appropriate management of the resources

3.2 To have oversight of roster and lead on roster management for the team.

3.3 To authorise temp staffing time sheets.

3.4 Alongside site lead to lead on recruitment for the AMU therapy team.

4 PARTNERSHIPS, COMMUNICATION AND RELATIONSHIPS

4.1 To use specialist knowledge to refer to other health disciplines, as appropriate

4.2 To work collaboratively with the acute admissions pathway within Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH)and Royal Borough of Greenwich (RBG) and other relevant services to develop a seamless pathway for patients.

4.3 To act as a resource for consultants, other referring clinicians and multidisciplinary colleagues regarding specialist knowledge and advice in relation to the therapy management of patients.

4.4 To be responsible for the maintenance of accurate written records to include comprehensive progress and discharge reports to medical referrers, and legal reports.

4.5 To be able to motivate and persuade others through advanced communication skills, with the benefit of verbal and non-verbal skills, using written and electronic information where needed

4.6 To demonstrate the ability to communicate complex and sensitive information.

4.7 To clearly convey complex knowledge of techniques, biomechanics, anatomy and physiology to patients and staff where evidence underpinning practice may be conflicting, and ensuring sensitivity to the audience level of understanding and previous knowledge

4.8 To be able to manage potentially stressful, upsetting or emotional situations in an empathetic manner

4.9 To attend meetings and seminars, and to liaise with and advise other disciplines, to achieve comprehensive, effective and confidential patient management through to discharge

4.10 To represent the Therapy Department on various Trust and departmental groups and working parties, as indicated.

Qualifications

Essential

• Degree in Occupational Therapy or Physiotherapy
• HCPC Registration
• Member of relevant professional body Relevant clinical post-grad courses completed
• Masters degree in relevant subject or demonstrating equivalent ability

Desirable

• Management training
• Member of relevant clinical interest group

Experience

Essential

• Broad experience post-qualification, with significant experience in ED, Frailty acute medicine and rehabilitation
• Experience of team leadership and effecting change
• Acute medical rehabilitation experience Working knowledge of current national and local health care issues
• Experience of teaching / supervising under-and post- graduate staff

Desirable

• Research experience
• Experience of working in the community

Knowledge

Essential

• Problem solving approach
• Knowledge and experience of standard setting, quality issues and clinical audit, and an understanding of clinical governance
• Ability to undertake evaluation of the service
• Advanced communication skills
• Knowledge of service activity measures and clinical outcome measures
• Ability to keep clear, precise records which meet legal requirements, and in the English language
• Ability to communicate clearly with all staff disciplines and the public, and to represent the profession appropriately
• Knowledge of wide range of approaches to the management of stroke
• Experience of supervising more junior staff, assistants and/or students
• Evidence of advanced clinical reasoning skills Evidence of excellent interpersonal skills
• Ability to work independently and also collaboratively within the multidisciplinary team

Desirable

• Knowledge of NHS structure

personal qualities

Essential

• Good interpersonal skills and ability to work in a team Personality that can stimulate, build and maintain relationships
• Enthusiastic and flexible and able to work across 7 day working pattern and unsociable hours as required Ability to demonstrate confidence in AHP field and inspire confidence in others
• Ability to use own initiative and to work independently Ability to manage time, prioritise and organise own workload
• Calm, reliable and approachable, able to work under pressure and to manage change

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).