Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust

Senior Children's Occupational Therapist

This job is now closed

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a highly motivated person to work with the Children's Occupational Therapy team. The successful applicant will be responsible for a varied caseload regarding children and young people who present with neurological disorders, physical health conditions, developmental delays and perceptual or sensory difficulties. You will provide assessment, treatment programmes and advice to address functional issues which impact on a child's ability to carry out life skills.

This is a post which would be suitable for an Occupational Therapist who has had previous experience of working as an occupational therapist with children in a community health setting. Please see the job description for a detailed list of the knowledge, skills and experience required for this post.

Anyone applying for a position which involves a regulated activity will require an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check and that the disclosure will, where appropriate to the role, include information against the Independent Safeguarding Authority barred lists for working with children or working with adults or both.

Informal enquiries are welcomed. Please contact:

To: Stephanie Trewick, Childrens OT Team Lead, (Monday /Tuesday /Wednesday)

Email: stephanie.trewick@nhs.net

Telephone Number: 0191 4335058

Main duties of the job

To undertake complex clinic, community and school based assessments with intervention programmers that have a focus on improving occupational performance and maximising participation in children.
To implement and monitor occupational therapy programmes to individual children and to groups as and when required
To work closely with children families and carers to identify individualised and meaningful goals that are measurable and achievable
To participate in clinical governance activity, i.e. research, audit, evidence based practice.
To contribute to service planning, improvement and modernisation to ensure patient safety.
To work within the Multi-professional Team to provide support and appropriate interventions to patients in Gateshead to improve their health and maximise their level of independence.
To advise on and prescribe specialist assistive equipment at home, school and community settings to support the child and improve or maintain occupational performance.
To advise on and recommend minor adaptations to support the child improve or maintain occupational performance.
To complete complex assessments regarding specialist equipment to promote child occupational performance.
To provide supervision to lower grade staff and students to support them with both clinical and developmental needs

About us

Gateshead Health Foundation Trust provide a range of acute and community services from our leading facilities including the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Bensham Hospital, Blaydon Primary Care Centre.

The Community Children's Occupational Therapy team are currently based at Chowdene Children's centre. This is a small supportive and friendly team who work flexibly and creatively to meet the needs of a range of children in Gateshead area. The team would look forward to welcoming new members to our service, working together to further enhance the experience of the children receiving our intervention.

Date posted

10 May 2023

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£35,392 to £42,618 a year pa pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time

Reference number

297-5129755-A

Job locations

Bensham Hospital

Fontwell Drive

Gateshead

NE8 4YL

Job description

Job responsibilities

See job description for details

Dimensions

This post sits within the Childrens Occupational Therapy team providing a duty of care to children with a disability or developmental disorder but is part of a multi-professional service provision

To provide and implement assessment and intervention strategies for children aged 0-19 years with support and advice from senior clinicians as required.

To develop and provided evidence-based therapy (individual / group) in a range of settings with appropriate instruction and training for families and relevant professionals

To measure therapy outcomes and develop suitable intervention plans in-keeping with local guidelines

To provide clinical information, prepare reports advice and clinical resources for patients, parents/carers and other relevant agencies within and out with the NHS, for example local authority, education, EHCPs etc.

To plan and prioritise allocated patient caseloads based on patient need and local models of service delivery

To continually develop own clinical expertise, knowledge and clinical skills to enhance effective patient care through engagement with clinical and child safeguarding supervision and CPD. This will be promoted for example, through shadowing opportunities within the team and relevant training opportunities as agreed with clinical supervisors and identified within the appraisal process.

To undertake relevant auditing and R&D activities as identified within the community paediatric team.

To ensure all professional standards and codes of practice are adhered to.

To provide advice and support to junior members of the team and students.

To ensure an excellent standard of clinical care for children

Accept clinical responsibility for own caseload and prioritise children based on clinical need, making effective and efficient use of time/resources available

Regular Independent working on specified tasks as identified

Develop plan and implement specialist childrens occupational therapy programmes to enhance the childs ability to perform everyday activities through the use of verbal and written advice, individual treatment sessions and/or group therapy to enable children to become as independent as possible and develop skills in:-

o Personal Care

o Daily Living Skills

o Accessing education, social and leisure activities

o Self-organisation and coping abilities

o Personal safety

To plan and implement direct client centered individual and/or group interventions, using graded activity to achieve therapeutic goals

To monitor, evaluable and modify treatment in order to measure progress and ensure effectiveness of intervention

To establish realistic goals and meaningful outcomes with the child, parent/carer and education providers

To ensure that children and their parents/carers are involved in the planning and prioritization with their care plans wherever possible

To ensure children are referred to other services as appropriate

To be responsible for identifying the need for standardised/specialist equipment and minor adaptations

To act as a resource, and provide education, training and expert advice within specialty, to staff working in childrens services

Delivers face to face interventions and treatment programs to children and their families

Develops and leads group activities to meet defined intervention needs

Makes judgement on clients response to intervention and modifies the level of intervention programme if this is found to be inappropriate,

Provides carer/other professionals with complex information on good practice regarding OT therapeutic interventions, possibly through demonstration.

Provides excellence in clinical care, working to achieve the highest level of patient safety.

To provide advice and assessment findings to other professionals, e.g. GP/Consultant.

Act as a key resource for the patient and their family / carers providing direct care, clinical expertise, advice and support.

Act as the patients advocate in all matters relating to their care.

To work with all partners to ensure the patient and their families are at the centre of everything we do.

Ensure systems and processes are in place to maintain patient safety.

CONTROL OF INFECTION

All Trust staff have a duty to provide a safe environment by considering adherence to infection prevention and control as an integral part of their roles and responsibilities. The individual roles and responsibilities for staff are outlined in the Trusts Control of Infection policy (IC 1). There should be specific discussion of control of infection within the KSF/Appraisal process and as a minimum all staff must demonstrate good hand hygiene and practice and support the Clean Your Hands Campaign.