Experienced Occupational Therapist

Job description

Job responsibilities

Care job family overview:

Support and assist the well-being of individuals and groups to assure their protection, security and development.

Safeguarding, protection and care.

Community, residential, day or field settings.

Ongoing risk/needs assessment of and advice for individuals/groups.

Specification of any non-council provision.

Individual or small group emphasis.

May involve personal care activities.

Likely to involve immediate response to client.

Service and Function Context

Reablement is a short term, therapist led service aiming to prevent, reduce and delay the need for ongoing services. Reablement supports people to be as independent as possible and includes the provision of information and advice, analysis of needs, provision of equipment and adaptations and targeted assistance from a team of support workers.

The reablement team seek to support people to make use of community and personal assets to achieve their goals.

The overall responsibilities of the reablement team are:

To work with customers and carers/families to identify goals and design creative reablement support plans to achieve them.

To connect customers with local resources and facilities.

To operate within legal frameworks and defined budgets for social care.

The team will work closely with colleagues from Health, private providers, the voluntary sector and others, to support the occupational needs of customers.

Job purpose

To uphold standards of practice for Occupational Therapists as determined by the regulatory body, the Health and Care Professions Council and the Professional Standards and Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists.

To undertake occupational therapy assessments with customers. To plan for the provision of support and/ or services with customers in order to assist them meet their outcomes and to live as independently as possible fulfilling their individual potential.

To support carers to continue in their role.

To provide professional supervision and support to Occupational Therapists and Customer Coordinators, working within the same locality/ environment.

To deliver this service in accordance with the statutory responsibilities as set out within social care and housing legislation.

To ensure that the primary responsibility of safeguarding adults is delivered in accordance with the law and local policy and guidance.

Specific duties and responsibilities:

Manage a busy caseload including complex and challenging cases; provide support and guidance for the management of complex and challenging cases. Be able to reprioritise work according to individual customer and service needs.

Undertake strengths based occupational therapy assessments working with customers with complex occupational needs and contentious situations (including assessment of mental capacity where appropriate); using your professional judgement to adapt your approach to the individual needs of the customer.

Design and implement innovative reablement plans for people living in complex situations to enable customers to meet their goals and reduce need for ongoing support and minimise demand for long term care. This will include liaison and negotiation with family members and support staff on options to encourage independence and safe practice.

Demonstrate competence in complex risk assessment and positive risk taking. Work with customers to manage risk and record actions and strategies agreed. Support other team members with management of risk.

Coordinate the customers reablement journey, in collaboration with the customer and/or family members. This will involve regular contact with the customer, members of the reablement team and relevant partners to evidence decision making in reviewing goals, planning interventions responding to change and evaluating progress for customers with complex physical, emotional or social needs.

Undertake complex moving and handling risk assessments, using your expertise to record the recommendations in an format appropriate to the customers and/or carers needs. Monitoring and evaluating risk and sharing information with the relevant parties including demonstration of recommended techniques.

Assess for and recommend minor and major adaptations in accordance with the Care Act and Housing legislation and guidance with customers with complex physical or social barriers, within the reablement service. Use expert professional skills and judgement to analyse, discuss and negotiate options with the customer to improve accessibility within their own home or recommend re-housing. Establish and maintain good working relationship and carry out joint visits and assessments with other professionals e.g. GP's, Consultants and HealthTherapists working with the customer. Seek advice from and refer to other disciplines as appropriate.

Consider the needs of carers in line with Care Act eligibility and make referrals to partner agencies for assessment and support as required.

Practice within the current legal framework, including health, social care and housing legislation; and Wiltshire Council policies and procedures. Provide guidance and advice to support other members of the team to work within the legal framework, policies and procedures.

Contribute proactively to the effective working of the team with positive attitude by sharing knowledge, offering advice and support and by preparedness to be involved in the development of services.

Take active responsibility for your own continuing professional development including attendance at statutory and non statutory training and participation in development opportunities.

Fully engage and prepare for own supervision and appraisal through self-evaluation, ensuring that continual professional development is evidenced.

To have a good awareness of safeguarding in line with Wiltshire policy, including making referrals and participation in safeguarding investigations.

Provide professional supervision and support to Occupational Therapists and other members of the team, promoting evidence-informed practice. Ensure that supervision is timely and recorded and that any practice and other concerns are communicated with senior staff/ line managers.

Actively engage in individual and group supervision and embed learning in practice.

Participate in appraisal and team meetings and contribute to individual and team development.

Record all occupational therapy and reablement contacts in a timely way, onto the Social Care records in accordance with work targets set by the Team Manager and Supervisor.

Understand and utilise universally available services within the voluntary and community sector, as well as maintaining knowledge of services commissioned by the Council to support effective provision of information to customers. Promote the use of universal services with reablement team members and the wider service.

Ensure that Council Policies and Procedures are followed at all times.

Be an ambassador for the Council at all times, always representing the Council positively, professionally and appropriately at meetings with customers, external partners and agencies.

Attend Civil Emergencies when a rest centre is set up.

Make decisions on Blue and Bus Badge appeals.

Specific requirements for this post:

Ability to travel on a daily basis and to undertake visits to customers in their own homes or in other settings e.g. hospital.

There will be a requirement to occasionally work outside of standard hours, including weekends to meet the needs of the service, for example assessing customers abilities at different times of the day or provide support to other members of the reablement team. The number of out of hours worked will not exceed 10% of the total contracted hours per week. To be flexible and work in other reablement teams as required.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Professional Qualification in Occupational Therapy (Diploma or degree).
• Registered with HCPC as an Occupational Therapist.
• Evidenced experience of professional and personal development following achievement of professional qualification, likely to be a minimum of 2 years post-qualification.
• Experience of working with adults.
• Significant knowledge and understanding of Health, Housing and Social Care legislation and wider policy context.
• Significant up-to-date knowledge of relevant legislation and guidance in relation to working with, and the safeguarding of adults.
• Significant knowledge and experience of delivering adaptations through the Disabled Facilities Grant process.
• Significant knowledge of reablement to support and promote independence.
• Significant and up-to-date knowledge and experience of undertaking moving and handling assessments and writing moving and handling plans.
• Experience of contributing to the supervision of staff and taking part in professional supervision.
• Well-developed interpersonal skills and ability to effectively communicate with people in a variety of ways and levels.
• Ability to professionally challenge.
• Literate, numerate and good computer skills.
• Ability to prioritise work and support others to do this.
• A self-starter, well organised person who is passionate about delivery of high quality customer-centric services.
• Must be able to write clear, accurate and evidence-informed documentation.
• Fully fluent in spoken and written English.

Desirable

• Experience of working in a social care setting.
• Experience of working in a reablement or intermediate care team.
• Experience of working as a Safeguarding investigating officer.
• Experience of supervising occupational therapy students on practice placements.
• Experience of offering formal supervision and appraisal to staff.
• Experience in offering training and support with moving and handling.

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Wiltshire Council

Address

Wiltshire Council

Monkton Park

Chippenham

Wiltshire

SN15 1ER

Employer's website

http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)