Band 7 Occupational Therapy Team Leader

Job responsibilities

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

1. Clinical and Patient/Client care

1. To maintain professional and legal responsibility for own clinical practice including the management of patients within own clinical caseloads and those of other team members and students under supervision

1. To be responsible for the clinical assessment of patients including those with complex presentations and to select appropriate assessment tools.

1. To review referrals to the team and assist with prioritisation of caseload for junior and assistant grade staff, delegating tasks as required within the team.

1. To use clinical information from diagnostic test results (including CT scans, X rays, blood tests) to help inform clinical decision making, bringing together range of complex information to formulate diagnoses.

1. To use clinical reasoning skills and specialist clinical knowledge to formulate treatment plans, using a wide range of treatment skills. To evaluate progress and adjust treatment plans as necessary.

1. To be familiar with and undertake a range of standardised and non-standardised assessments as required in practice to inform treatment options.

1. To demonstrate advanced skills in information gathering, clinical assessment including neurological assessment, cognitive assessment, therapeutic handling, equipment prescription to support treatment and discharge planning.

1. To use verbal and non-verbal communication skills to communicate complex or, sensitive information in a way that patients and others can understand, overcoming barriers to communication e.g. cognitive problems, language barriers, and motivating patients to participate.

1. To be able to assess patients level of understanding of required therapy intervention to ensure valid patient consent and work within legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent.

1. To use recognised outcome measures and goal setting to progress and motivate patients, to inform the MDT of progress, to demonstrate efficacy in treatment objectives and ensure practice is evidence based and measureable.

1. To formulate goals and implement graded treatment plans for allocated caseload and communicate these effectively. To analyse patients progress and adjust goals and treatment programmes as appropriate.

1. To attend/ chair ward rounds, daily board rounds, family meetings and professionals meetings.

1. To be actively involved in health promotion for appropriate clients.

1. To be responsible for maintenance of accurate written records, in line with Trust Policy, Department Procedure, Health Care Professions Council (HCPC), Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT). To monitor the clinical documentation keeping of Band 6 and 5 staff, students, Therapy Technicians and Assistants against these standards.

1. To complete high quality verbal and written reports and referrals, comprehensively stating assessment findings, treatment undertaken and recommendations, for use by the MDT, external agencies and others as required.

1. To assess and manage clinical risk within own patient caseload and in team work environment at all times.

1. To undertake clinical risk assessments on patients both in hospital and at home, in order to inform care planning and discharge planning and to propose risk management strategies where necessary.

1. As a team leader to work within the Trust and Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) standards of practice and procedures and national guidelines and monitor own quality of practice and that of staff & students under their supervision.

1. Maintain and develop knowledge of evidence-based practice and own competencies through CPD activities (e.g. peer review, in-service training, journal club, external courses), maintaining a portfolio, which reflects personal development in line with HCPC requirements.

1. To be responsible for updating and developing patient assessment, treatment and monitoring tools when required.

Management and Service development

1. To be responsible for the day-to-day management of the team based on the Care of Older People wards, including recruitment, performance management or disciplinary action.

1. To respond to unplanned events or crises, ensuring that stressful situations are managed as calmly and empathetically as possible following relevant policies when appropriate.

1. Assist the Clinical Lead OT and In-pt Therapy manager to evaluate the Therapy service and implement appropriate changes.

1. Attend and participate in staff and seniors meetings and represent the Therapy department at clinical and strategic meetings at the request of the Clinical Lead OT/In-pt Therapy Manager.

1. To actively participate in regular individual supervision sessions, and in the Trusts appraisal programme, ensuring that all mandatory training is up to date, and planning and participating in continuous professional development.

1. Discuss and reflect on own performance and service issues with managers at regular intervals.

1. To participate in and lead on specific service improvement initiatives, including audit, and to suggest improvements and encourage participation from all team members. To develop guidelines or protocols for the service and ensure their implementation.

1. To develop links with community service peers to promote integrated working across the ICO to support the aim of seamless care provision for service users.

Financial and physical resources

1. To monitor stock levels of equipment and materials for own clinical area and initiate ordering process as required.

1. To ensure any Therapy or OT specific equipment is in working order within manufacturers guidelines and report need for repair if required.

1. To be responsible for the safe and competent use of all equipment and ensure that Band 6 and 5 staff, students, therapy technicians and assistants attain competency prior to use.

1. Carry out or delegate maintenance and cleaning of equipment as appropriate.

1. Ensure equipment is used and/or issued as per department policy.

1. Ensure efficient and safe use of resources in own clinical area, undertaking risk assessment when required.

Human resources/ Management

1. To be responsible for the daily monitoring of staff caseloads and work allocated to team members and to prioritise conflicting demands on the team in order to ensure effective cover, including seven day working, and support for other teams if necessary.

1. To ensure that all new staff have an effective and full induction and are competent to undertake their role in the team.

1. To be responsible for the supervision, appraisal and performance management when required, of identified staff within the team.

1. Organise and support work experience placements including appropriate supervision whilst the student/volunteer is on the hospital site.

1. Deal with informal complaints sensitively, avoiding escalation where possible, and refer to the Clinical Lead OT/ In-pt Manager if issues cannot be resolved locally.

Teaching and Training

1. To contribute to the planning and delivery of the in-service training programme for the COOP team and wider therapy team.

1. To use clinical specialist knowledge to educate Band 6, Band 5, and Therapy assistant staff grades on topics relating to the client group or specialism as required e.g. complex pathologies associated with the health of the older person.

1. To teach other disciplines about specific areas of practice when requested.

1. Participate in the development of both undergraduate and post-graduate Occupational Therapy students on placement, including supervision, appraisal of performance and completing assessments and reports for the Higher Education Institution.

1. To provide informal advice, supervision and training to other staff across the Trust as required, promoting understanding of the role of the team and integrated working across hospital and community in the care and treatment of patients.

1. Participate in and undertake as an assessor/mentor 1:1 sessions, joint treatment sessions and watched assessments.

1. Share good practice with all grades of staff, internal and external to the organisation.

Organisational

1. Maintains responsibility for own time management to meet caseload and service priorities recognising when flexible working/planning is required to meet these.

1. To carry an identified work mobile phone as required and be able to respond to unpredictable work and frequent interruptions.

1. To support the Clinical Lead OT in producing off duty rotas for the team and managing staff cover across the COOP team.

Research and Development

1. Initiate and undertake measurement and evaluation of current practice through use of projects, audit and outcome measures with approval of the Clinical Lead OT/In-pt Therapy manager and appropriate audit/ethics committees.

1. Use a range of research methodologies and collects required data as part of research and audit initiatives and CPD undertakings.

1. Implements findings of research and audit projects in discussion with the Clinical Lead OT /In-pt Therapy manager

Qualifications

Essential

• Hold a recognised degree or diploma in Occupational Therapy.
• Current HCPC registration
• Evidence of relevant post graduate courses or training to post-graduate diploma level
• IELTS Level 7.0 or above (overseas candidates only)

Desirable

• Member of relevant clinical special interest groups/sections.
• Introductory Management Course

Experience

Essential

• Evidence of extensive experience in working as an Occupational Therapist assessing and treating older people at a minimum of Band 6 level.
• Evidence of supervision of less experienced staff, students and assistants.
• Worked in the NHS or equivalent and are familiar with the NHS system and the role of the autonomous Occupational Therapist in both clinical and non-clinical role.
• Experience of falls prevention work

Knowledge

Essential

• Evidence of specialist theoretical and practical knowledge of Occupational Therapy practice with older people, neurological and respiratory conditions, demonstrating familiarity with a wide range of procedures and working practices.
• Knowledge of relevant clinical guidelines.
• Highly developed skills in cognitive assessment, including selection and use of formal/standardised assessment tools.
• Understanding of audit and its practical application.

Skills and Abilities

Essential

• The ability to analyse clinical and non-clinical complex facts and situations, which require the interpretation and comparison of a range of options.
• The ability to plan, organise, formulate and adjust complex plans e.g. staffing, workloads and rotas.
• Evidence of ability to supervise and delegate work to junior therapists, assistants and students
• Evidence of involvement in service improvements, and ability to propose changes in policies/procedures which may improve the service and to lead on implementation of these in a department or team.
• Excellent communication skills, and the ability to communicate complex information in a clear way, including written reports.
• Evidence of ability to deliver training to other staff, including those from other disciplines.
• Understanding of cultural diversity and how to apply this in practice.
• Understanding of how to facilitate effective multi-disciplinary team working.
• Undertake activities and support engagement in own and team continuing professional development, to promote a highly skilled Occupational Therapy workforce.

Other Qualities

Essential

• Physical ability to carry out the role, which involves manual handling of patients, occasional travel in the community and frequent moderate effort for periods.
• Ability to adapt to change quickly and successfully
• Be able to work safely and within organisational and regulatory professional body standards and policies e.g., Confidentiality, lone working, maintain own CPD for HCPC registration
• Be able to work flexibly to meet the demands of the service i.e., weekend working, late shift in the 37.5-hour week as required by the service

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).