Occupational Therapy Assistant Practitioner in Stroke Rehabilitation

Job description

Job responsibilities

PRIMARY DUTIES & AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

1. Clinical

1 To be accountable for own clinical practice and caseload management. To work without direct supervision but under the direction of the qualified staff

Duties may include:

Development and Implementation of rehabilitation and condition management programmes.

Participate in integrated rehab programs within the remit of the therapy team.

Contribute to person specific goals for individuals and their carers

Training and education of stroke care staff where appropriate

Positioning advice and care

Conduct neurological therapeutic assessment.

Conduct basic screening for overall therapy assessments.

Recognise acute and chronic deterioration and modify treatment accordingly.

Assessing performance of activities of daily living

Teaching use of specialist rehabilitation equipment

Carry out level 1 & 2 psychological interventions e.g. active listening

To contribute to discharge planning tasks

To undertake assessments and interventions in the domiciliary setting as required.

2. To understand, provide, receive and exchange complex condition related information with patients and relatives, who may have communication difficulties.

3. To be actively involved in the communication of information regarding patients conditions and any other useful information to the inter disciplinary team.

4. To communicate effectively with patients and carers. Effective communication to optimise , motivation and participation through explanation of impairments and reasons for rehabilitation. Barriers to communication may include loss of hearing, altered perception, pain and language disorders associated with brain injury.

5. To be aware at all times of the needs of patients during illness or disability and encourage independence and restoration of function.

6. Be aware of rehabilitation principles and the implications of this on standards of therapy care

7. Contribute to patient flow through the stroke pathway

8. To work independently, but under the direction of an HCPC registered therapist to perform procedures and treatment plans for an individual or group of patients,

9. To write treatment notes in a concise, accurate and timely manner in line with departmental standards. These notes do not require registered staff countersignature.

10. To be involved in the induction, training, development and supervision of students and Therapy / Rehabilitation Assistants.

11. To undertake any non-clinical / clerical duties as necessary.

12. To be involved in the delivery, collection, cleaning and maintenance of therapy equipment in line with dept and trust policies and procedures.

13. To actively contribute and prioritise data collection to ensure that optimal standards are monitored, achieved and improved throughout.

SKILLS / KNOWLEDGE

1. To actively participate in the Trusts Personal Development Programme (PDP) and have a positive approach to continual professional development.

2. The post holder will demonstrate skills and knowledge regarding specific patient conditions (stroke and other general co-morbidities that may affect engagement in therapy and care) and specialist rehabilitation therapy beyond that of a therapy assistant. These skills and knowledge will be gained through specific advanced training, experience or formal qualifications to NQV 3 / equivalent or higher levels.

3. The post holder will demonstrate specialist stroke and rehabilitation / therapeutic moving and handling skills.

Organisational

1. To attend organised training sessions, including annual fire lectures, cardiac resuscitation lectures and any in-service training arranged by the Therapy team.

1. To comply with Trust and departmental policies and procedures.

3. To be aware of the Health and Safety aspects of your work and abide by policies including the prompt recording and documentation of incidents and accidents.

1. Participate in the staff appraisal scheme as an appraisee and be responsible for complying with your agreed personal development programmes to meet set knowledge and competencies.

5. To participate in the appraisal system and Personal Development

Programme and act as an appraiser for physiotherapy assistant staff.

To contribute to cross professional mentorship and support across the wider therapy team

1. Any other duties which may be considered appropriate by the registered staff or the therapy leads.

1. To undertake as directed the collection of data for use in service audit.

9. Be responsible for the safe and competent use of rehabilitation equipment by patients, through teaching, training and supervision of practice.

Physical Effort:

Moderate to intense physical effort on a daily basis involved in patient handling and moving of equipment to facilitate patient treatment.

Mental effort:

Dealing with complex patients for long periods on a daily basis

Daily requirement for prolonged periods of concentration e.g. assessment and treatment of complex and sometimes unpredictable patients.

Ensuring good communications with patients who have impaired understanding or communication difficulties.

Frequently using complex problem solving skills, making and dealing with difficult clinical decisions.

Daily requirement for multi-tasking e.g. writing notes, communicating with team, telephone calls, with regular interruptions

Emotional effort:

Dealing with patients and families undergoing major changes in their health and social position, e.g. anxious and/or angry carers, family, family breakdown, isolated and depressed patients and carers on a daily basis.

Frequently helping patients and carers come to terms with their impairments, disability and handicap.

Immediate response to complaints/demands from distressed or anxious carers and other professionals

Occasionally dealing with confrontation and differing professional and ethical opinions regarding case management.

Working conditions:

Frequent exposure to unpleasant working conditions e.g. bodily fluids, vomit and soiled linen.

On rare occasions contact with fleas, lice and scabies.

Occasional exposure to verbal and physical aggression, unpredictable behaviour.

Occasional risk of exposure to contagious conditions e.g. diarrhoea and vomiting.

Health and Safety Responsibilities

1. To ensure that the Trusts Health and Safety Policies are understood and observed and that procedures are followed.

2. To ensure the appropriate use of equipment and facilities and that the working environment is maintained in good order.

3. To take the necessary precautions to safeguard the welfare and safety of yourself, patients, visitors, and staff, in accordance with the Health and Safety at Work Act.

4. To undertake appropriate health and safety training to support safe working practice, including where appropriate, its management.

5. To demonstrate a practical understanding of risk assessment in relation to their areas of responsibility and to ensure safe systems of work are in place.

6. To ensure that all incidents occurring within the department are reported in accordance with Trust procedures.

Moving and Handling Responsibilities

1. To ensure that all moving and handling tasks within their area of responsibility are assessed, that there is a manual handling plan indicating safe systems of work, and that documentation is regularly maintained and updated.

2. To observe and monitor the application of M&H skills, ensuring safe practice.

3. To attend appropriate training in accordance with the M&H assessed risks within the work

All Job Holders are required to

• Work to the Trust values - Put people first, Take ownership, Respect others, Be positive, Listen, learn and improve.

• Adhere to Trust policies and procedures, e.g. Health and Safety at Work, Equal Opportunities etc, including completing mandatory training

• Maintain personal and professional development to meet the changing demands of the job, participate in appropriate training activities and encourage and support staff development and training.

• Respect the confidentiality of all matters relating to their employment and other members of staff. All members of staff are required to comply with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998.

• Comply with the Corporate Governance structure in keeping with the principles and standards set out by the Trust.

• Comply with the codes of professional conduct set out by the professional body of which registration is required for the post.

• Ensure they are familiar with the Risk Management Processes whilst they are working.

• Ensure the welfare and safety of children within their care. This includes staff who come into contact with children and families in the course of their work as well as those staff who have a specific role with children and families.. Including completion of mandatory training

• Staff must comply with Safeguarding Policies and Procedures in order to promote safeguarding and prevent abuse to vulnerable people using Trust services.

• Maintain the prevention and control of infection and fully comply with all current Trust Infection Control policies and procedures.

• Take responsibility for any records that they create or use in the course of their duties, in line with the Public Records Act and be aware that any records created by an employee of the NHS are public records and may be subject to both legal and professional obligations.

Note

This job description is neither definitive nor exhaustive and is not intended to be totally comprehensive. It may be reviewed in the light of changing circumstances following consultation with the post holder. This job description is to be read in conjunction with all current Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust policies, procedures & guidelines.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Broad range of healthcare experience involved directly in patient care and rehabilitation
• Demonstrate awareness of own scope limitation and when to refer to more Senior staff for support
• Evidence of continuing professional development relevant to the role

Desirable

• Experience working in rehabilitation of stroke and neurological conditions
• Knowledge of exercise prescription
• Demonstrable evidence of goal setting ability with patients
• Experience of working in a community setting

Qualiifcations

Essential

• Foundation degree or NVQ level 3 /diploma in healthcare or equivalent subject or significant experience working in relevant settings.

Desirable

• Undergraduate degree in a relevant subject such as science or other healthcare profession
• Level 5 diploma for assistant practitioners
• Attendance at appropriate professional courses

Aptitude and Values

Essential

• Clearly demonstrates a patient centred approach in their previous work
• Can demonstrate effective organisational skills with clear evidence of this.
• Sufficiently Computer literate to be able to utilise the Trust's electronic patient record, as well as other basic computer programes such as MS Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams.
• Able to self direct own work and be proactive

Desirable

• Evidence of personal leadership
• Healthcare values based education and training
• Demonstrable evidence of caseload prioritisation skills

Disposition

Essential

• Evidence of working in a diverse professional team
• Can take instruction and direction where required
• Evidence of problem solving skills and creativity
• Evidence of working in line with UHP values

Desirable

• evidence of flexibility
• Evidence of respectful assertiveness where required
• Evidence of self motivation
• Evidence of effective Emotional Intelligence

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).

Employer details

Employer name

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust

Address

Mount Gould Hospital

200 Mount Gould Rd

Plymouth

PL4 7QD

Employer's website

https://www.plymouthhospitals.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)