Team Leader Occupational Therapist

Job Summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an Occupational Therapist with a special interest in the community rehabilitation provision to join Liverpool Community Occupational Therapy Adult Rehabilitation Team known as COTART.

COTART provides intervention in the community settings and aims to deliver holistic, patient centred, evidence-based therapy intervention and maximise independence of adults (18+) in their place of residency across Liverpool neighbourhoods.

The successful applicant will be required to provide clinical / professional and operational leadership to the team Band 5 and Band 6 Occupational Therapists, Assistant Practitioners and an OT Technician whilst carrying own clinical caseload.

Main Duties of the Job

• Operational and clinical leadership of the team
• Effective coordination of leadership with peer Team Leaders within the service ensuring efficient, high quality, safe and responsive care delivery
• Support of the professional development, service improvement and transformation projects
• Monitor and manage service compliance with KPIs, service specification and agreed pathways
• Manage personnel, monitor and manage staff performance and assist with the recruitment process
• Manage own clinical caseload of patients with complex needs, frailty and chronic conditions, assessing needs in their place of residency, recommending specialist equipment and adaptations to promote safety and independence
• This role will require the applicant to work at different locations within Liverpool footprint.

About Us
Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands.

We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.

At the heart of all we do is our commitment to 'perfect care' - care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We're currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.

Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.

Job Responsibilities
1. To provide a high quality, safe and responsive Occupational Therapy service for service users referred to Mersey Care Occupational Therapy Services, monitoring team performance and linking in with Operational Leads and Managers where necessary.

2. The postholder will be responsible for the clinical triage of referrals into the service, allocating of caseloads to the wider team and autonomously managing their own clinical caseload.

3. Team Lead Occupational Therapists will support the professional development and supervision of Occupational Therapists, including Band 5 and 6 Occupational Therapists, Apprentice Occupational Therapists and support staff including Assistant Practitioners and Occupational Therapy Assistants. They will also participate in peer support for other Band 7 colleagues in conjunction with Professional and Operational Leads.

4. The post holder will chair and lead departmental meetings both within the trust and externally. This may involve representing the trust at external events and courses.

5. The post holder will take an active role in linking in with relevant stakeholders in the trust and wider ICB.

6. To participate in audit, research, and service development to improve patient experience and outcomes. To share this knowledge with others via appropriate channels.

7. To work closely with the wider MDT, with a focus on patient safety and quality of care, escalating concerns via appropriate channels and to relevant teams e.g. Safeguarding and signposting to other services.

Person Specification

Qualifications
Essential

• BSc Occupational Therapy/Diploma in Occupational Therapy
• Health and Care Professions Council Registration
• Evidence of post qualification study/short courses and Continuing Professional Development

Desirable

• Full member of British Association of Occupational Therapists (BAOT)
• Master's or postgraduate qualification in relevant clinical area
• Teaching/Student Training/Mentorship qualification
• Leadership or management course or qualification

Experience
Essential

• Experience of leadership and management in previous roles
• Evidence of service development and project management
• Experience of supervising and mentoring students and Occupational Therapy staff
• Experience managing/leading change
• Minimum of three years post qualifying relevant experience as an Occupational Therapist
• Involvement in research and clinical audit
• Evidence of professional development

Desirable

• Evidence of quality improvement or service development

Skills
Essential

• Ability to interpret current health service national and local policy and guidelines, including national and local public health agenda
• Ability to work under pressure and manage a diverse caseload
• Analytical and report writing skills
• Highly developed communication and clinical skills
• Ability to facilitate and lead discussions in professional/multi- agency meetings
• Presentation skills with the ability to present to large groups
• Ability to monitor competing commitments to reflect service priorities
• Ability to respond to unpredictable work patterns and frequent interruptions
• Proficient at time management, working to deadlines and good organisational skills
• Self-motivated and committed to best practice
• Access to a suitable means of transport to enable the post holder to commute across the Trust footprint

Knowledge
Essential

• Application of Occupational Therapy Models of Practice and Standardised Assessments & Outcome Measures
• Ability to assess and advise on the Occupational Therapy management of complex clinical conditions.
• Awareness of HR and other relevant policies relating to staff management
• Awareness of risk assessment and trust policies relating to staff management

Desirable

• Training in OT assessments relevant to area of practice (e.g. Sensory Integration, VdTMoCA, MoCA, VQ, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Psycho Social Intervention)

Values
Essential

• Continuous improvement - committed to making improvements to our services for the benefit of all
• Accountability - taking ownership to anticipate, develop and deliver high quality care
• Respect - how we treat others in an inclusive and supportive way
• Enthusiasm - demonstrate our passion and pride for what we do and how we do it
• Support - actively supporting others with compassion and courage

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.