Specialist Occupational Therapist / Physiotherapist

Job summary
We're looking for a motivated Occupational Therapist or Physiotherapist to join our REACT Team at George Eliot Hospital on a fixed term basis. This role focuses on delivering rapid, high quality assessment and intervention to patients in Accident and Emergency, supporting safe discharge and preventing avoidable admissions. Working as part of a multidisciplinary team, you'll manage a caseload, contribute to clinical decision making and provide guidance to junior staff.

Main duties of the job

• Manage a specialist therapy caseload, providing comprehensive assessment, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation for patients with complex and long-term needs.
• Work autonomously to develop and deliver person-centred treatment plans that promote independence and support safe discharge, working closely with the multidisciplinary team.
• Assess, prescribe and arrange equipment
• Provide clinical leadership by supervising, supporting and developing junior staff, therapy support workers and students.
• Contribute to service development, quality improvement, clinical governance, audit and the implementation of evidence-based practice.
• Maintain accurate clinical records and ensure care is delivered in line with professional, Trust and statutory standards.
• Communicate effectively with patients, carers and colleagues, including those with complex communication or cognitive needs, to support rehabilitation and decision-making.
• Participate in a flexible 7-day service, ensuring safe, effective and high-quality patient care across the service.

About us
Here at George Eliot our vision to '_' excel at patient care' takes centre stage. An ever evolving clinically-led acute service provider we are on a journey to continually provide high quality, safe and responsive services delivered by inspiring, friendly and compassionate staff who share our corporate values which underpin everything we do. Our values are not just words on a piece of paper, they bond us together, reflect our ambition and shape who we are:
E ffective Open Communication
e x cellence and safety in everything we do
C hallenge but support
E xpect respect and dignity
L ocal health that inspires confidence

Benefits: On-site nursery, 27 days minimum annual leave plus bank holidays, cycle to work scheme, flexible working, in house training and development, buying and selling of annual leave, subsidised restaurant, tranquillity garden and generous subsidised on-site parking.

Job responsibilities

• Undertake assessments, clinical diagnosis and treatment of patients with a wide range of problems within the specialist area. These patients often have complex and / or chronic presentations.
• To work as an autonomous practitioner to undertake a significant specialist clinical caseload, working without direct supervision.
• To take a role in supervision and teaching of junior qualified therapists and assistants within clinical specialty.
• To take a role in supervision and teaching of undergraduate students.
• To demonstrate leadership skills and contribute to service development and monitoring of standards of practice.
• To work flexibly over 7-day period, as the service requires.

Clinical

• To undertake all aspects of clinical duties as an autonomous practitioner.
• To abide by relevant Profession's Code of Professional Conduct. Carry out assessments and treatments of patients with varying degrees of disability on a daily basis, using moderate physical effort. This may involve moving and handling patients and equipment.
• To conduct comprehensive assessments including activities of daily living assessments, and cognitive assessments.
• To ensure methods of treatment, its frequency and review are appropriate to specialist area and within the priorities of the Service.
• To plan and implement therapy intervention with the involvement of patients/carers, to facilitate independence, and to liaise closely with the wider MDT in planning discharge from A&E.
• To prescribe and instruct patients/carers in the safe use of equipment following assessment.
• To prescribe and organise minor adaptations to patients homes following assessment.
• To arrange for the supply of equipment and identify the need for major adaptations as defined under the Disabled Facilities Grant legislation, liaising with the Social Services Department.
• Frequent exposure to highly unpleasant working conditions on a regular/daily basis, e.g. bodily fluids, urine, faeces, blood and vomit and occasional exposure to verbal and physical aggression.
• Frequent concentration is required to analyse patient documentation and carry outpatient assessments and treatments.

Professional

• To assist in the supervision and co-ordination of the Therapy Team on a day-to-day basis.
• To be professionally responsible for the efficient organisation of own caseloadproviding a high standard of clinical care.
• To represent Therapy interests at meetings as agreed with the Therapy Service Manager and advise of any such meetings where attendance might be appropriate.
• To contribute to the Therapy Services Clinical Governance Strategy to ensure the quality of service delivered, including Evidence Based Practice, audit, risk management and patient focussed care.
• To ensure that all client intervention is documented in a timely, objective and confidential manner via Multi-disciplinary Care Plan, Medical Notes and specific Occupational Therapy reports, according to departmental and Trust Policy.
• To attend multi-disciplinary case conferences/planning meetings to give feedback regarding Therapy intervention.
• To undertake an active role in the maintenance and development of fieldwork education placements for Therapy students, and to supervise students on placement.
• To carry out the supervision and appraisal of Therapy Support staff.
• To undertake education of other disciplines about Occupational Therapy, as required, in liaison with the Therapy Service Manager and other colleagues.
• To be responsible for maintaining own competency to practice through CPD activities and maintain a portfolio which reflects personal development.
• To maintain and develop current knowledge of evidence-based practice and incorporate new developments into your specialist area of work.
• To accept clinical responsibility for a designated caseload of patients and to organise this effectively, efficiently and autonomously with regard to clinical priorities and time availability.
• To attend and participate in in-service training programmes, individual training sessions and external courses as expected and/or identified at Individual Performance Review, and to undertake reflective practice.
• To have specialist knowledge and skills in the use and application of relevant equipment and to be responsible for your own safe and competent use of all that equipment, aids and appliances and that of more junior staff, support workers and students within your team.
• To ensure that your own practice meets the required professional standards of physiotherapy practice.

Organisational

• To undertake, as directed, the collection of activity data to enable the Trust to monitor its performance.
• To ensure safe systems of work and ensure compliance with the Health & Safety at Work Act, Safety Executive regulations and Therapy Service policies by staff.
• To maintain and review current policies and procedures within the department including the development of new policies in conjunction with the Therapy Service Manager and senior colleagues.
• To work with the Therapy Service Manager and senior colleagues to undertake regular review of service provision, implementation of appropriate change and the formulation and delivery of strategies for the further development of the Therapy Team.
• To undertake any other duties delegated by the Therapy Services Manager/Professional Team lead commensurate with the grade and experience of the post holder.

Communication

• To deal sensitively with patients and relatives who have high levels of anxiety and occasional aggression caused by frustration, trauma, disability, pain or impaired ability to understand or communicate and to enable patients to come to terms with chronic disability, on a frequent basis.
• To ensure beneficial and positive communication with clients, their families/carers and other professionals involved, respecting individual needs and promoting user involvement/decision making.
• To use a range of highly developed verbal and non-verbal communication tools to communicate effectively with patients to progress rehabilitation and treatment programmes. This will include patients who may have difficulties in understanding or communicating, such as those who are sensory impaired, dysphasic or have some degree of confusion or dementia.
• To deliver presentations and training at Therapy and multi-disciplinary training events and on an individual basis.

Relationships
Internal:

• Patients and Carers
• Multi- Disciplinary Team Members
• Occupational Therapy Team Colleagues
• Physiotherapy Colleagues

External:

• Social Services Colleagues
• Statutory and Voluntary Agencies
• Ambulance services
• Primary Care/GPs

Person Specification
Experience and Knowledge
Essential

• Previous Acute NHS experience
• Minimum 18 months to 2 years post-graduate experience
• Previous experience in specialist clinical area
• Band 5 rotational experience
• Involvement in audit
• Supervisory experience
• Contribution to clinical education of less experienced staff

Qualification(s) and Professional Training
Essential

• Diploma/Degree in Occupational Therapy
• Registration with HCPC
• Evidence of CPD maintained in a portfolio including recent attendance at relevant post-graduate courses

Desirable

• BAOT
• Involvement /membership in Special Interest Group

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).

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