Job summary
We are looking for a proactive Occupational Therapist with a keen interest in cognitive rehabilitation to come and work within our team. In this role the post holder will provide a high standard of Occupational Therapy to people with stroke and neurological conditions within both inpatient stroke units and the Community Stroke and Neuro Rehab Team. The post-holder will complete occupational therapy assessment supporting goal centred treatment plans for rehabilitation, including the assessment of people with complex cognitive disability and complex discharge planning.
We will also consider a developmental role working from band 5 to 6 working through competencies across a 1-2 year period depending on experience.
Main duties of the job
- To assess patient's condition using knowledge of anatomy, physiology, normal function, assessments, and test results
- To assess the impact of motor, cognitive and sensory problems on patients' performance
- To use highly developed therapeutic skills
- To take advise to the broader MDT on management approaches and develop treatment plans for delivery by rehabilitation support workers.
- To be responsible for maintaining own competency to practice through CPD activities and maintain a portfolio which reflects personal development. Maintain and develop current knowledge of evidence-based practise in the various aspects of Neuro Rehabilitation, developing specialist knowledge of particular conditions and patient types.
- Skills relevant to stroke and neurological rehabilitation developed through clinical practice.
- Post holder is expected to sign off knowledge and skills against the Stroke and Neuro Competencies within 6 months of taking up post.
- Basic and therapeutic, patient, and non-patient manual handling and ergonomic risk assessment
- Participates in clinical audit, research and quality monitoring i.e. Benchmarking.
- Basic resuscitation
- Basic IT skills
- Standard keyboard skills
About us
Why Work With Us
This post will form part of a Neuro Occupational therapy rotation, which also includes:
Rotation through different parts of the service approx. every 12 months depending on service need. There may be a requirement to work within different service areas as workload demands
The post-holder will provide occupational therapy assessment and treatment including assessment of people with complex cognitive disability.
This role includes shifts rostered to work weekends, and Bank Holidays.
The acute stroke unit is based at Torbay Hospital and admits approximately 1000 people with stroke each year; the stroke rehabilitation unit is at Templer ward Newton Abbot Hospital. Templer ward is a rehab unit with 15 stroke beds and 5 neuro rehab beds.
The community teams with sites at Paignton and Newton Abbot provide a stroke ESD service as well as a service for urgent input for people with other neurological conditions and longer-term rehabilitation.
On the wards the post holder will be expected to contribute to providing rehabilitation to all patients. There is an expectation that when working in the community the post holder will see an average of at least 4 community visits per day with a higher number of contacts when seeing people as outpatients.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Communication and working relationships
- Interview patients and carers as part of the assessment process.
- Communicate clinical information and other important aspects regarding patient centred care to colleagues, senior therapy, and nursing staff within the hospital.
- To communicate with people who have communication difficulties, partial hearing, mental illness or who are partially sighted.
- Foster an interdisciplinary approach to practice within the hospital and community.
Planning and organisation
- To be responsible for organising and planning own caseload to meet service and patient priorities, readjusting plans as situations change/arise.
- To be responsible for the supervision and co-ordination of skilled non-registered staff daily
- Conduct an average of at least 4 community visits per day with a higher number of contacts when seeing people as outpatients.
- Participate in planning care, therapy and patients own objectives.
- Using initiative to act on changes in patient circumstances under the guidance of registered staff.
- Recognise the need of when to seek guidance.
Responsibility for patients and client care
Undertakes all aspects of clinical duties as an autonomous practitioner, including professional and legal accountability and managing clinical risk for all aspect of own work and caseload.
- To formulate and deliver an individualised occupational therapy treatment programme, including functional practice, structured approaches to management of impaired cognition and behaviour, provision of equipment and other alternative options. This includes the appropriate selection of referrals for inclusion in a range of treatment programmes, one to one sessions using advanced treatment options, advanced communication, questioning and reasoning skills
- To work with colleagues in other professions to ensure that patient needs are met. This includes contributing to an enabling approach to personal care with other ward staff and conducting screening assessments which include PT and OT aspects of care.
- To have good working knowledge of and ensure compliance with National and Local guidelines, policies and procedures. To keep up to date with clinical developments using clinical databases and electronic technology
- Work with therapists in other services to ensure that patient needs are met (e.g. link with other therapists within DGH and community to both give and receive opinions when required)
To work without direct supervision and be responsible for a defined area of the service or a particular patient group delegated by a senior OT. Clinical work is occasionally (monthly) evaluated via joint assessment and treatment sessions with senior staff and audit.
Policy and service responsibility
- To have a good working knowledge of, and ensure compliance with, National guidelines, policies and procedures. To keep up to date with clinical developments using clinical databases and electronic technology
- Undertake the measurement and evaluation of your work and current practices through the use of evidence-based practice projects, audit, outcome measures, either individually or with more senior therapists
Responsibility for finance, equipment and other resource
- Participate in the organisations Performance Development Review (PDR) scheme as an appraisee and be responsible for complying with your agreed personal development programmes to meet set knowledge and competencies.
- Knowledge of using appropriate resources in a cost-effective manner
- Provide equipment to patients/carers in accordance with local policy.
- Maintain ward equipment and understanding risks associated with faulty equipment.
- Post holder will have no other budgetary responsibility.
Responsibility for supervision, leadership, and management
- Demonstrate skills and support less experienced staff, new staff, bank, agency and students as a feature of daily work routine.
- Provide education and training to patients and carers.
- To provide teaching and supervision of student placements to graduate level, on skills and knowledge within core clinical areas.
- Provide informal/ formal supervision to skilled non-registered staff
Information technology and administrative duties
- The post holder is responsible for maintaining records of all patient interventions, using agreed team/pathway documentation.
- All clinical activity needs to be recorded for IHCS.
- The post holder will contribute to accurate recording of their own data for SSNAP.
- Complete routine department and patient documentation, including electronic systems in line with agreed local policy.
- Contribute to the maintenance of stroke and other neurological condition patient and carer information (notice boards and information leaflets)
Responsibility for research and development
Demonstrate and utilise evidence-based practice within your clinical practice.
Support recruitment of participants for research within the team
Support and share evidence-based practice within the team and wider MDT.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Communication and working relationships
- Interview patients and carers as part of the assessment process.
- Communicate clinical information and other important aspects regarding patient centred care to colleagues, senior therapy, and nursing staff within the hospital.
- To communicate with people who have communication difficulties, partial hearing, mental illness or who are partially sighted.
- Foster an interdisciplinary approach to practice within the hospital and community.
Planning and organisation
- To be responsible for organising and planning own caseload to meet service and patient priorities, readjusting plans as situations change/arise.
- To be responsible for the supervision and co-ordination of skilled non-registered staff daily
- Conduct an average of at least 4 community visits per day with a higher number of contacts when seeing people as outpatients.
- Participate in planning care, therapy and patients own objectives.
- Using initiative to act on changes in patient circumstances under the guidance of registered staff.
- Recognise the need of when to seek guidance.
Responsibility for patients and client care
Undertakes all aspects of clinical duties as an autonomous practitioner, including professional and legal accountability and managing clinical risk for all aspect of own work and caseload.
- To formulate and deliver an individualised occupational therapy treatment programme, including functional practice, structured approaches to management of impaired cognition and behaviour, provision of equipment and other alternative options. This includes the appropriate selection of referrals for inclusion in a range of treatment programmes, one to one sessions using advanced treatment options, advanced communication, questioning and reasoning skills
- To work with colleagues in other professions to ensure that patient needs are met. This includes contributing to an enabling approach to personal care with other ward staff and conducting screening assessments which include PT and OT aspects of care.
- To have good working knowledge of and ensure compliance with National and Local guidelines, policies and procedures. To keep up to date with clinical developments using clinical databases and electronic technology
- Work with therapists in other services to ensure that patient needs are met (e.g. link with other therapists within DGH and community to both give and receive opinions when required)
To work without direct supervision and be responsible for a defined area of the service or a particular patient group delegated by a senior OT. Clinical work is occasionally (monthly) evaluated via joint assessment and treatment sessions with senior staff and audit.
Policy and service responsibility
- To have a good working knowledge of, and ensure compliance with, National guidelines, policies and procedures. To keep up to date with clinical developments using clinical databases and electronic technology
- Undertake the measurement and evaluation of your work and current practices through the use of evidence-based practice projects, audit, outcome measures, either individually or with more senior therapists
Responsibility for finance, equipment and other resource
- Participate in the organisations Performance Development Review (PDR) scheme as an appraisee and be responsible for complying with your agreed personal development programmes to meet set knowledge and competencies.
- Knowledge of using appropriate resources in a cost-effective manner
- Provide equipment to patients/carers in accordance with local policy.
- Maintain ward equipment and understanding risks associated with faulty equipment.
- Post holder will have no other budgetary responsibility.
Responsibility for supervision, leadership, and management
- Demonstrate skills and support less experienced staff, new staff, bank, agency and students as a feature of daily work routine.
- Provide education and training to patients and carers.
- To provide teaching and supervision of student placements to graduate level, on skills and knowledge within core clinical areas.
- Provide informal/ formal supervision to skilled non-registered staff
Information technology and administrative duties
- The post holder is responsible for maintaining records of all patient interventions, using agreed team/pathway documentation.
- All clinical activity needs to be recorded for IHCS.
- The post holder will contribute to accurate recording of their own data for SSNAP.
- Complete routine department and patient documentation, including electronic systems in line with agreed local policy.
- Contribute to the maintenance of stroke and other neurological condition patient and carer information (notice boards and information leaflets)
Responsibility for research and development
Demonstrate and utilise evidence-based practice within your clinical practice.
Support recruitment of participants for research within the team
Support and share evidence-based practice within the team and wider MDT.
Person Specification
Essential Criteria
Essential
- University Degree Qualification in Occupational Therapy
- Registered with HCPC
- Core rotations within an NHS setting at a band 5 level
- Demonstration of understanding of a range of neurological conditions
Desirable
- Experience in Stroke and Neuro rehab
- Experience in making decisions under pressure particularly in discharge management.
- Experience in management of patients with marked cognitive rehabilitation needs
Person Specification
Essential Criteria
Essential
- University Degree Qualification in Occupational Therapy
- Registered with HCPC
- Core rotations within an NHS setting at a band 5 level
- Demonstration of understanding of a range of neurological conditions
Desirable
- Experience in Stroke and Neuro rehab
- Experience in making decisions under pressure particularly in discharge management.
- Experience in management of patients with marked cognitive rehabilitation needs
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).
