Job responsibilities
Title: Community Neurological Occupational Therapist Grade: 7 Hours: 37.5 Department: Islington Community Rehabilitation Team Responsible to: Clinical Lead Stroke and Neurology Accountable to: Islington Locality Service Manager
Clinical
To be professionally and legally accountable for all work undertaken
To set and maintain a high standard of clinical practice, which is evidence based where possible, using standardised and non-standardised assessment and outcome measures, where appropriate.
To ensure that the client and or their carer has an understanding of treatment protocols and gives informed consent to examination and treatment
To act as the lead assessor of complex generic assessments. Acting as a representative of the team and asking probing questions on behalf of other professionals within the team
To prioritise factors involved in the clients presenting condition through advanced clinical reasoning based on knowledge of current professional opinion, clients prognosis and other physical, social emotional and mental health issues
To participate in the discussion of complex multidisciplinary referrals from a variety of sources. To be able to establish priority, to determine needs and initiate a plan of intervention.
To undertake specialist occupational therapy assessment of clients with complex needs eg Multiple Sclerosis and Traumatic Brain injury through subjective questioning, objective examination and other written material available
To manage a caseload of clients with complex needs. To successfully monitor, evaluate and review occupational therapy treatment/interventions within a multidisciplinary framework and to modify as necessary taking a key worker case management role as indicated.
To develop and conduct occupational therapy intervention with clients - assessing their occupational needs and addressing quality of life, physical, cognitive, affective, social, vocational and environmental issues utilizing appropriate individual or group treatment modalities.
To devise and manage a treatment plan that is individual to a clients presenting condition through, for example, the use of functional rehabilitation, adaptation, equipment provision, education and health promotion and to set goals of treatment with clients and/or their carer that are client centred and agreed by the client and/or their carer.
To use highly developed physical skills in client interventions, such as upper limb rehabilitation, activities of daily living, splint fabrication/orthotics (hand splints)
To be a specialist occupational therapy advisor to other professional colleagues working in the area of rehabilitation
To identify and assist junior staff and other professionals in the management of complex cases.
To work autonomously as a lone practitioner in isolated community situations providing telephone support to more junior members of staff, peer support to other senior staff and seeking support by telephone from Clinical Lead for Stroke and Neurology.
To use comprehensive knowledge of other multidisciplinary roles and external agencies to ensure effective referral management and achieve best client care.
To have the ability, knowledge and skills required for moving and handling people in community environments and to be physically able to install specialist occupational therapy equipment in client homes applying safe manual handling at all times, especially when doing so in restricted spaces
To ensure client and service records are recorded and maintained on IT databases and client documentation according to trust and local policies.
To advise and teach the relevant carers/health workers to participate in on-going rehabilitation care programmes for clients, as appropriate.
To actively be involved in the development of new specialist clinical services within the Team.
To manage clinical risk in own caseload and ensure that other staff comply e.g. manual handling risk assessment and local policy regarding lone working
To give support to all Occupational Therapy staff in the team involved in clinical supervision
To participate in the evaluation of research findings and to work with the Clinical Lead for Stroke and Neurology to implement change of practice within the team
To assist in the development of clinical governance programme for the team
To maintain and update a Continuing Professional Development Portfolio (CPD)
Management
To participate in the individual performance review system.
To prescribe, supervise and monitor the work of junior staff (e.g. rehabilitation assistants). Part of this responsibility is to provide mobile phone support for those members of the team seeking advice
To provide informal day to day support to all members of the team
To effectively manage specified stock controls and be responsible for the safe use of all equipment.
To ensure that all equipment defects, accidents and complaints are reported to the Operational Lead immediately and take appropriate action.
To deputise for the Clinical Lead for Stroke and Neurology as required.
To participate in the collection of statistics and audit programmes as required by the Service and to interpret statistics and reports, to feedback to the team and create action plans for change supported by the Clinical Lead for Stroke and Neurology.
To participate in the induction and where appropriate recruitment of new Occupational Therapy staff members.
To attend, actively participate in and as required initiate and lead multidisciplinary meetings and case conferences.
To attend Occupational Therapy staff meetings and other relevant meetings
To use highly developed time management skills, to respond to demands from clients and staff on daily basis.
To be involved in quality improvement projects reflecting specialist skills.
To prioritise, manage and monitor referrals, waiting lists and workloads on a day-to-day basis
To contribute to organising the efficient, day-to-day running of the Team in the allocation of uni-disciplinary referrals
To participate in the publicising, promotion and representation of the service
To comply with Whittington Health ICO policies and procedures and be involved in reviewing and updating them.
To comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act and ensure that all staff are aware and do like wise.
Education
To utilize opportunities to develop skills and knowledge, apply critical appraisal and keep up to date with current practice in the field and attend accredited courses.
To participate in the in-service training and post-registration training programmes of the Team, Occupational Therapy Service and the ICO.
To act as professional practice educator of occupational therapy students.
To participate in education programmes for client groups, students from other clinical disciplines and other agencies as required.
To act as Occupational Therapy consultant for other staff in their management of clients with community rehabilitation needs.
To actively participate in health promotion and health education initiatives within the locality and in the community directorate.
Communication
To attend and actively participate in any relevant meetings and conferences as required.
To use a variety of highly skilled verbal and non-verbal communication and tools to ensure that the client and their carer understands the relevant individual education and advice. This includes clients: of a non-English speaking background, requiring an interpreter, with a hearing impairment, with altered emotional states, with a cognitive/learning/behavioural disability, not understanding or accepting a clinical decision based on sound reasoning, with communication deficits
To provide specialist mediating and negotiation skills in situations where communication has failed
To manage conflict effectively
To establish and maintain complex effective lines of communication with the Clinical Lead for Stroke and Neurology, the Operational Lead, within the Team, with service users and with acute, and community services/agencies, including voluntary services
To produce specialist reports and discharge summaries for GPs, Care Managers and other agencies eg housing, and support more junior staff to provide accurate reports and letters
To communicate sensitive information in an understandable form to clients and their carers and enable patients co-operation in treatment. Part of this process must reflect on ensuring the client and/or their carer understands the clinical reasoning process and the management plan and gives informed consent to intervention
To initiate and maintain contacts with local and national clinical interest groups appropriate to the client group and the rehabilitation field.
To comply with the Trust and operational policy on all documentation
To communicate with other Services both within and outside the Borough eg, Social Services, Voluntary Services, Specialist Rehabilitation Centres etc.
Research and Development
To participate in research and evaluation of Occupational Therapy/rehabilitation service provision, publishing findings as appropriate.
To keep abreast of relevant clinical issues and research in the field of Rehabilitation in order to ensure clinical effectiveness.
To keep abreast of relevant clinical issues and research in the field of adult community rehabilitation using critical appraisal to determine valid and useful sources of information.
To ensure that clinical practice is in line with national and local Occupational Therapy clinical guidelines.
To participate in clinical governance issues by keeping up to date with developments in rehabilitation and undertaking audit to evaluate practice.
Other
To make use of various forms of transport (public, bicycle, motorcycle, walking, pool car, taxi) as appropriate to visit clients in their preferred environment e.g. home, workplace, residential home or leisure facility.
To undertake any other duties that may be allocated.
To work at other sites in the Trust if required.
