Senior Therapy Technical Instructor - Acute Medicine

Job responsibilities

Provision of clinical services:

To be an integral member of a therapies team, to assist registered therapy staff in assessing and carrying out specific therapy interventions for patients with more complex needs. This will include patients who have difficulties understanding and communicating

Review and implement treatment programmes making necessary modifications prior to reporting back to a qualified therapist in line with the band 4 competency framework.

Manage and prioritise own case load independently, carry out delegated duties and work flexibly and at a fast pace to support the smooth running of the therapy department.

Demonstrate a good understanding of medical conditions within the area of speciality / clinical pathway and the impact of these on the patients function and rehabilitation.

Have a holistic understanding of the patient and their condition, as well as the impact of psychosocial dynamics on their function.

To support patients to engage fully in their rehabilitation programme using encouragement, reassurance, tact, and sensitivity to overcome barriers to understanding with patients whose understanding is impaired.

To identify and implement correct treatment plans within known patient care pathways under the indirect supervision of a qualified therapist.

To assess and formulate treatment and discharge plans for patients as guided by the agreed treatment framework.

To identify patients that do not fall within care pathway / agreed framework and who need referral to qualified staff

Using protocols and set processes to assess patients mobility and functional abilities and assess for and issue appropriate low-level equipment.

To constantly assess patients stamina / understanding during treatment sessions and modify treatment as appropriate.

To work in a flexible and responsive way when under pressure

To provide and receive complex patient care information with the multi-professional team, patients and carers in board rounds, ward rounds, family meetings and discharge planning meetings and use this information to modify patient care.

To assist / facilitate discharge under guidance of therapists.

To provide advice to patients / carers on safe use and care of prescribed equipment.

Maintain accurate and up to date records of clinical interventions, consistent with legal and organisational requirements.

Be responsible for safe use and report faults with rehabilitation equipment in the department.

Be aware and keep updated with discharge pathways and be able to identify appropriate pathways for patients.

Be competent and confident to complete Transfer of Care forms for patients under your care.

Improving patient and visitor experiences:

To be a point of contact for patients and relatives in the clinical area.

To communicate factual and sometimes complex information to patients and relatives with patients consent.

To contribute to the development and sharing of patient and carer information.

Support with gathering and using patient feedback to help improve and develop services.

Respect the individuality, values, cultural and religious diversity of patients and contribute to the provision of a service sensitive to these needs.

Be aware of ethical issues which impact on Therapy service provision and work under the guidance of Therapists in relation to this.

Using audit, evaluation and research:

Through guidance from the registered therapists, be aware of and implement, evidence based practice and outcome measures as appropriate to the clinical area.

Support therapists to implement agreed action plans from both national and local strategies, benchmarking standards and clinical audits as appropriate.

Participate in audit and research projects as required by service leads and collect data as required.

Support therapists to foster a culture which allows innovation and practice development within the clinical area.

Monitor outcomes of patient intervention using outcome measures.

Collect and record accurate and timely data / information to contribute to department service standards and procedures.

Management and Teamwork:

To provide delegation of work and day to day clinical supervision to band 3 Therapy Technical Instructors and band 2 Therapy Assistants with support from the Therapy Clinical Lead.

To actively participate in the clinical education of therapy students.

To participate actively in sharing and receiving in-service training and development to ensure continuous professional development, as appropriate to grade and experience.

Support the induction new staff.

To identify training needs and facilitate professional development through active participation in supervision and appraisals.

To recognise limitations of own scope of practice.

Provide support and training to other qualified and non-qualified staff within the therapy team.

Planning and Organisational Skills

Manage and delegate day to day work tasks; prioritise work with reference to the Therapy prioritisation guidelines, staffing levels, team commitments and Trust needs.

Work with therapists across all the service as required.

Work flexibly to provide cover to other clinical areas according to the needs of patients and demands of the service

Assist therapists in arranging and providing in-service training, study days etc.

Education, Training and Qualifications

Essential

• Good standard of education in English and Maths equivalent to GCSE or BTec.
• Personal portfolio of evidence of work-based learning in healthcare

Desirable

• Foundation degree or equivalent in health-related subject

Knowledge and Experience

Essential

• Working in a Care environment.
• Significant Experience of working with a broad range of ages and medical conditions.
• Experience working in a team
• Knowledge and understanding of roles, responsibilities and working practices of Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists
• Principles of Confidentiality
• Recognise boundaries of own scope of practice and duty of care, seeking assistance as appropriate
• Knowledge of the psychosocial elements of healthcare
• Understanding of basic anatomy and physiology relevant to Therapy care

Desirable

• Knowledge of patient group and impairments likely to see
• Experience of working in a fast-paced Healthcare Environment

Skills and Abilities

Essential

• Well-developed communication skills, including interpersonal skills, liaison, influencing and negotiation.
• Ability to work on own without immediate support
• Ability to organise and prioritise own workload.
• Ability to teach practical skills to patients / relatives / colleagues
• Basic IT literacy including use of email, Microsoft programmes and similar
• Ability to use initiative in addressing own learning needs and appraise own performance
• Ability to problem solve

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Flexible and confident manner with a positive approach and high levels of motivation
• Ability to manage work pressures to enable management of a caseload alongside involvement in non-clinical and professional activities
• Appreciation of the dynamics of working within a team
• Non-judgemental and able to work with people from a wide range of backgrounds
• Cope with exposure to body fluids, distressing situations and infections
• Interest in own personal and professional development
• Enthusiasm for contributing towards development of the Therapy services
• Professional manner and appearance
• Ability to travel between hospital sites and patient homes
• Personal resources to cope when dealing with patients with complex conditions, acute or terminal illnesses, traumatic injuries, mental impairment and challenging behaviours on a daily basis

Desirable

• Full driving License

Effort and Environment

Essential

• Physical ability to undertake manual handling of patients and equipment on a daily basis
• Ability to manage work pressures within a fast-paced environment and conflicting priorities

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).