Paediatric Occupational Therapist

Job responsibilities

Clinical Responsibilities

To provide a specialist level of clinical skill in paediatric occupational therapy

Be responsible for a clinical caseload of children and young people attending Perseid special schools as identified by the service specification, managing the defined caseload independently and prioritising own workload to ensure effective service provision

Use standardised and non-standardised assessment, interview and observation skills to interpret a range of factors relating to the clients condition, determine needs and effectively set goals and plan intervention including implications for access to education, functional skills at home and the wider community

Contribute to the development of material that enables clients to understand and self manage their condition, whenever possible, and supports continuation of programmes in the clients environment (home, school, community)

Recommend, provide and advise on provision of equipment within the scope of the role and take responsibility for demonstrating and training clients/carers in its usage

Undertake risk assessments in complex moving and handling situations where appropriate

Have a full understanding of the workings of any equipment and ensure regular checks are completed to maintain safety

Communicate complex assessment findings and treatment plans with service users dealing sensitively with distressing or emotional circumstances and being realistic about clients and families expectations

Provide written, typed and/or verbal reports to referrers and other agencies involved in clients care and keep accurate up to date records

Monitor the effectiveness of intervention through goal setting, outcome measurement and evaluation of practice and communicate this information to relevant parties

Liaise and establish communication networks with the multidisciplinary team and external voluntary and statutory organisations, as appropriate, in planning for each clients treatment.

Management Responsibilities/Professional Leadership

Assist the Team Leader in planning and providing the commissioned occupational therapy input to clients attending Perseid schools, including attendance at appropriate meetings, developing guidelines and protocols and review service provision

Keep the Team Leader updated with service provision issues and report promptly any untoward incidences, clinical or non-clinical, cooperating with any investigation undertaken

Actively review efficacy of service delivery and facilitate setting up of new standards or amendment of existing ones, in close liaison with the Service Manager

Actively contribute to formulating policies for specialist area and proposals for general service changes

Support the development of the occupational therapy service in the special schools, facilitating development and implementation of effective client/care pathways and outcomes for clients in conjunction with the Team Leader

Keep up to date with the Department and Trust standards and policies and facilitate dissemination of this knowledge to colleagues

Develop good working relationships with multidisciplinary teams, outside agencies and voluntary agencies to ensure the professionalism and service delivery are maintained

Provide support and supervision to other occupational therapy staff, where appropriate, monitoring the standard of treatment and giving training and instruction as appropriate.

Education, Training and Personal Development

Be responsible for training/education of families and school staff to ensure understanding and need for treatment advised

Be aware of changing trends in treatment and promote evidence-based practice within own specialist area of work in order to provide the highest standard of care to service users

Participate in clinical audit, service development activities and research programmes as required

Carry out continual professional development as identified through supervision and PDR, including in-service training and courses as agreed

Participate in own supervision on a regular basis and work towards objectives set in PDR

Take responsibility for identifying suitable courses and training programmes to enhance your own professional development, keeping abreast of new developments within relevant clinical fields

Actively participate in delivering in-service training, tutorials, individual training sessions, external training and peer review. To demonstrate own willingness to learn

Participate in the clinical education of students on placement

Comply with the SHC/ESTH and occupational therapy service mandatory training requirements

Be actively involved in peer support and relevant specialist section support groups.

Clinical Governance

Ensure that statistics and notes are kept in accordance with local and national policies

Work in accordance with the standards and policies issued by the Royal College of Occupational Therapists, Health and Care Professions Council, the Trust and speech and language therapy department and to meet legal requirements

Keep up to date with clinical developments and changing trends in practice, including National Service Frameworks and Special Interest Groups

Be responsible for the safe use of equipment by other staff and outside agencies

Be involved in monitoring and evaluation of occupational therapy intervention as part of the multidisciplinary service and to liaise as necessary with other departments/disciplines and with the wider occupational therapy service

Undertake specific projects as necessary, support clinical governance and quality initiatives and assist in developing audit tools within Integrated Therapy.

Managing People and Resources

Ensure that satisfactory systems are in place to maintain effective communication within your area and be responsible for ensuring that any Trust communication systems are utilised

Observe and comply with the Trusts policies and procedures for health and safety ensuring the environment in which you and your staff work is safe, clean and tidy

Comply with standard infection control precautions to prevent or minimise the spread of micro-organisms and communicable diseases to clients, staff and surrounding community

To observe and continually promote equal opportunities in compliance with the Trusts policies on Equality and Diversity and Dignity at Work

Ensure that benefits to clients are maximised through careful economical and appropriate use of NHS resources including equipment, property, money, time etc.

Education and Qualifications

Essential

• Degree/Diploma in Occupational Therapy
• Registration with the Health and Care Professions Council
• Registration with the Royal College of Occupational Therapists

Desirable

• Relevant post-registration specialist education
• Evidence of attendance at short courses to develop clinical skills

Experience

Essential

• Specialist knowledge/experience in paediatric occupational therapy or appropriate experience in other occupational therapy setting which brings relevant transferable skills
• Experience of working with children and young people with complex needs, ASD, neurological conditions, coordination disorders and functional needs
• Experience of assessing for the provision of equipment such as specialist seating and splinting

Desirable

• Experience of delivering occupational therapy within a special school setting
• Experience of equipment prescription and principles and its application in a paediatric setting
• Experience of mentoring, supervising, managing and/or supporting junior staff/assistants/students
• Experience in setting up new projects/initiatives
• Experience in training others both formally and informally

Skills and Abilities

Essential

• Sound knowledge of clinical practice and issues relating to the delivery of OT services within a specialist environment
• Excellent written and oral presentation skills
• Good organisation/time management and ability to prioritise workload effectively
• Ability to perform manual handling tasks
• Problem solving skills
• Basic IT skills
• Knowledge of standards of record keeping and understanding of the principles of clinical governance

Other Relevant Requirements

Essential

• Ability to work autonomously
• Ability to work as a team member and promote collaborative multidisciplinary and multiagency approach
• Ability to be flexible to meet the needs of the role
• Ability to support and develop other team members
• Ability to take initiative
• Ability to delegate tasks
• Assertive, enthusiastic and with a strong client focus
• Evidence of own self development through appraisal, CPD and portfolio
• Ability to get to all sites required for the post

Desirable

• Membership of relevant specialist groups
• Professionally active in specialist section
• Local/regional groups

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).