Job summary
Highly Specialised Occupational Therapist - Urgent + Emergency Care.
Band 7
Contract- Permanent. Full-Time 37.5 hours per week
The post holder will provide a high standard of Occupational Therapy assessment and treatment interventions working as an autonomous practitioner in the Emergency Department (ED), Seven Day Emergency Care (SDEC) and other related work areas.
Main duties of the job
- Therapy assessment and treatment interventions working as an autonomous practitioner in the Emergency Department (ED), Seven Day Emergency Care (SDEC) and other related work areas.
- Identifying older people with frailty at the earliest possible point in their urgent care journey.
- Being part of a multi-disciplinary response that initiates frailty scoring and Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) in a timely way and identifies those whose need can be managed on the frailty pathway in place.
- Using "Home first" principles to prevent an in-patient stay where a person's urgent care needs can be safely met at home.
- Or alternately making an early decision to admit when this is necessary but with a defined problem list and management plan to prevent associated functional decline.
About us
Whittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the way we look after our staff. We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief. The Trust believes that as a public sector organisation we have an obligation to have recruitment, training, promotion and other formal employment policies and procedures that are sensitive to these differences. We think that by doing so, we are better able to treat our patients as well as being a better place to work.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The post holder will be required to proactively screen, assess and treat any patients who present to ED with medical and/or social complexity which has led to functional decline working closely and as part of the Specialised Therapy Assessment and Rapid Treatment Team (START).
The role will involve close liaison with the London Ambulance Service, Rapid Assessment Nursing and Medical Team, Ambulatory Care, Virtual Ward/Rapid Response, Frailty Consultant, Frailty Nurse and Integrated Community Assessment Team (ICAT) .
Job description
Job responsibilities
The post holder will be required to proactively screen, assess and treat any patients who present to ED with medical and/or social complexity which has led to functional decline working closely and as part of the Specialised Therapy Assessment and Rapid Treatment Team (START).
The role will involve close liaison with the London Ambulance Service, Rapid Assessment Nursing and Medical Team, Ambulatory Care, Virtual Ward/Rapid Response, Frailty Consultant, Frailty Nurse and Integrated Community Assessment Team (ICAT) .
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Hold a recognised degree or diploma in Occupational Therapy or Physiotherapy
- 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)
- Evidence of Continuing Professional development
Desirable
- Evidence of Continuing Professional development Member of RCOT/ CSP and clinical special interest groups/sections.
- Introductory Management Course
Experience
Essential
- 4 years minimum post graduate clinical experience ideally within A&E, acute care, care of older people and/or associated clinical areas.
- Worked in the NHS or equivalent and are familiar with the NHS system, treatment pathways and the discharge planning process.
- Experience of working as an autonomous practitioner, with the ability to demonstrate excellent clinical reasoning, risk assessment and complex case co-ordination.
- Experience of planning onward treatment or care for patients in the community and of making effective referrals to other Agencies/partners.
- Experience of prioritizing, organizing and delegating workloads for self, individuals and teams.
- Evidence of supervision of less experienced staff, students and assistants.
Desirable
- Experience of working in a fast paced Emergency Department as a core member of the MDT
Knowledge
Essential
- Advanced knowledge of a range of clinical conditions, that an older person may present to the Emergency Department with.
- Knowledge of the range of clinical and therapeutic assessments relevant to the work setting.
- Knowledge of inter-disciplinary working
- Knowledge of relevant clinical guidelines and legal frameworks which may be required in practice e.g. NICE Guidelines, Emergency Medicine Best Practice Guideline, Mental Capacity Act etc. and their implementation in practice.
- Knowledge of the role of statutory and non-statutory services in supporting older people on discharge from hospital
Desirable
- Understanding of audit and its practical application.
Skills and Abilities
Essential
- The ability to analyse clinical and non-clinical information and a range of situations to identify an appropriate therapy intervention plan for patients with complex and non-complex needs
- The ability to communicate complex information clearly: i.e. verbal handover, patient notes, letters and written reports.
- The ability to, work under pressure maintaining focus and accuracy under challenging circumstances.
- To be able to demonstrate initiative in practice and be innovative to make the best use of resources available
- The ability to, deliver presentations and training to peers and others when needed.
- An understanding of cultural diversity and equal opportunities and how to apply this in practice.
- Understanding of how to facilitate effective team working which may include local teams and the wider MDT.
- Recent involvement in a service improvement which has led to proposed or actual changes to work practices.
Desirable
- Involvement in developing guidelines, policies or procedures with a view to improving patient care or the delivery of the service
Other Qualities
Essential
- Physical ability to carry out the role, which involves manual handling of patients, extended periods of standing and frequent moderate effort for periods of time.
- Proactive attitude and the ability to motivate others with the team, ward, department etc.
- The demonstrate resilience and the ability to be flexible and responsive to changing/competing work demands.
- Excellent reliability and attendance
- To work a shift pattern/unsocial hours as required by the service
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Hold a recognised degree or diploma in Occupational Therapy or Physiotherapy
- 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)
- Evidence of Continuing Professional development
Desirable
- Evidence of Continuing Professional development Member of RCOT/ CSP and clinical special interest groups/sections.
- Introductory Management Course
Experience
Essential
- 4 years minimum post graduate clinical experience ideally within A&E, acute care, care of older people and/or associated clinical areas.
- Worked in the NHS or equivalent and are familiar with the NHS system, treatment pathways and the discharge planning process.
- Experience of working as an autonomous practitioner, with the ability to demonstrate excellent clinical reasoning, risk assessment and complex case co-ordination.
- Experience of planning onward treatment or care for patients in the community and of making effective referrals to other Agencies/partners.
- Experience of prioritizing, organizing and delegating workloads for self, individuals and teams.
- Evidence of supervision of less experienced staff, students and assistants.
Desirable
- Experience of working in a fast paced Emergency Department as a core member of the MDT
Knowledge
Essential
- Advanced knowledge of a range of clinical conditions, that an older person may present to the Emergency Department with.
- Knowledge of the range of clinical and therapeutic assessments relevant to the work setting.
- Knowledge of inter-disciplinary working
- Knowledge of relevant clinical guidelines and legal frameworks which may be required in practice e.g. NICE Guidelines, Emergency Medicine Best Practice Guideline, Mental Capacity Act etc. and their implementation in practice.
- Knowledge of the role of statutory and non-statutory services in supporting older people on discharge from hospital
Desirable
- Understanding of audit and its practical application.
Skills and Abilities
Essential
- The ability to analyse clinical and non-clinical information and a range of situations to identify an appropriate therapy intervention plan for patients with complex and non-complex needs
- The ability to communicate complex information clearly: i.e. verbal handover, patient notes, letters and written reports.
- The ability to, work under pressure maintaining focus and accuracy under challenging circumstances.
- To be able to demonstrate initiative in practice and be innovative to make the best use of resources available
- The ability to, deliver presentations and training to peers and others when needed.
- An understanding of cultural diversity and equal opportunities and how to apply this in practice.
- Understanding of how to facilitate effective team working which may include local teams and the wider MDT.
- Recent involvement in a service improvement which has led to proposed or actual changes to work practices.
Desirable
- Involvement in developing guidelines, policies or procedures with a view to improving patient care or the delivery of the service
Other Qualities
Essential
- Physical ability to carry out the role, which involves manual handling of patients, extended periods of standing and frequent moderate effort for periods of time.
- Proactive attitude and the ability to motivate others with the team, ward, department etc.
- The demonstrate resilience and the ability to be flexible and responsive to changing/competing work demands.
- Excellent reliability and attendance
- To work a shift pattern/unsocial hours 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.
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).
Additional information
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.
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).
