Integrative Therapist

at  The Christie NHS Foundation Trust

The Complementary health & Wellbeing (CH&W) team at The Christie is looking for a multiskilled therapist to work within our integrated service. The CH&W team prides itself on offering personalised care that is supportive, compassionate, empowering, and resourceful, to all its service users. Our service is dedicated to offering a range of stress management techniques both virtually and face to face.
Our unique and award-winning service is caring, exciting, rewarding and actively facilitates the development of specialised skills and research. You will enjoy working as part of a highly skilled and motivated team to deliver excellent quality care.

This is a full-time position, working 37.5 hours a week Monday – Friday (Including satellites)

• Pending the number of successful applicants, there may be opportunities to join our CH&W therapist bank

When applying for this position, please refer to the person specification and demonstrate within your application form how you meet the criteria, providing examples where possible
We are looking for an enthusiastic therapist with a minimum of 2 years working in the field of oncology, with an understanding of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The post holder will be an integral part of the team and expected to offer support across all clinical areas (including satellites) which is dictated by clinical need. As a band 5 you will be expected to co-ordinate, supervise and assist trainee staff. You will offer a range of therapies, triage priority caseloads, making assessments and key decisions regarding service users’ needs and treatment. We have a passion for teaching others our skills and evaluating the therapies we provide. You will be confident and competent in using the required skills to fulfil the role, together with a genuine interest to develop complementary therapy skills and the ability to uphold our team’s and trust values.
The Complementary Health & Wellbeing team is Innovative, Passionate and Caring. It has won various awards throughout the years for the service it provides to service users. You will be working in a supportive and engaged team environment, with a management team who will enable you to broaden your experience and develop a wide range of skills. The Christie is one of Europe’s leading cancer centres, treating over 60,000 patients a year. We are based in Manchester and serve a population of 3.2 million across Greater Manchester & Cheshire, but as a national specialist around 15% patients are referred to us from other parts of the country. We provide radiotherapy through one of the largest radiotherapy departments in the world; chemotherapy on site and through 14 other hospitals; highly specialist surgery for complex and rare cancer; and a wide range of support and diagnostic services. We are also an international leader in research, with world first breakthroughs for over 100 years. We run one of the largest early clinical trial units in Europe with over 300 trials every year. Cancer research in Manchester, most of which is undertaken on the Christie site, has been officially ranked the best in the UK.
Management
1. To help monitor use of consumables and supplies for the CH&W department within areas of responsibility
2. To help with recording of departmental activities
3. To assist in the daily monitoring of attendance, sickness, and absence of the CH&W staff.
4. To help ensure all health and safety requirements are met.
Leadership
1. Provide a clinical profile, leading by example and having both an advisory and clinical input into care pathways of service users within clinical remit.
2. Act as a role model for standards of care, behaviour and professionalism, consistent with Trust guidelines.
3. Assist in ensuring appropriate use of resources in order to meet needs of service users within areas of responsibility under support & leadership of Clinical lead, Deputy Clinical Lead and Band 6 therapists.
4. Help identify gaps in provision of services
5. Act as an advocate for patients, carers, staff service users, services and organisation
6. Assist in facilitating change as required with support of Clinical lead, Deputy Clinical Lead and Band 6 therapists
7. Support the implementation of changes and evaluation of processes relevant to National policies, within areas of expertise, including advice on impact for services, in partnership with the Trust.
8. Ensure that child protection and vulnerable adult legislation is adhered to within own practice and service.
9. Contribute to the clinical governance process, including adverse incident reporting as appropriate.
10. Assist in collection of data as required in areas of expertise, to inform internal and external professional and operational bodies
11. Assist in the undertaking of risk assessments within areas of knowledge and provide advice to other professionals on specialty, relevant aspects of risk assessment and risk management
Clinical practice
1. Maintain own professional registration and practice through CPD.
2. Maintain professional portfolio to demonstrate competency in line with Trust competency framework.
3. Undertake skills appropriate to role, ensuring clinical competencies are maintained in accordance with the Trust framework for advanced practice.
4. Continually review and evaluate own role and clinical practice informing the annual review process.
5. Plan and manage own workload
6. Be involved in peer review of own practice
7. Support planning and implementation of programmes of care for service users, with re-evaluation of treatment plans as appropriate.
8. Inform and consent for the implementation of care plans with service users
9. Provide knowledge, advice and support to service users.
10. Adjust and refine treatment / therapy / care plan, as appropriate to progress of service users, taking into account clinical factors.
11. Triage / refer service users to other professionals as appropriate to treatment goals
12. Incorporate practice, in line with the framework of the Trust.
13. Provide advice, guidance and consultation to other staff contributing directly to formulation of service user’s care plan as appropriate.
14. Attend multidisciplinary meetings within areas of responsibility in order to provide advice to clinicians regarding provision of CH&W for oncology patients and carers, as appropriate, in the absence of a Band 6 therapist.
15. Communicate effectively with all professionals involved in the service user’s care as appropriate for speciality, including members of the MDT, general practitioners, community nurses, etc., to maximise the quality of service delivered.
16. Refer service users to primary, secondary or alternative tertiary care for therapeutic support following transfer or discharge where appropriate
17. Deploy effective communication strategies to ensure that information and knowledge is imparted sensitively according to the needs of service users, staff and students in training.
18. Relate communication processes to individual situations
19. Promote a positive relationship with all stakeholders within services.
20. Maintain accurate, comprehensive and up to date documentation on individual service users in line with local and national standards and Trust policy on confidentiality
21. Prepare accurate and concise reports both verbally and written, in a professionally acceptable manner as necessary, in accordance with Trust policies.
Education & Staff Development
1. Assist in the delivery of specific and relevant teaching programmes for all disciplines and grades of staff, client group and carers within the Trust in relation to areas of expertise.
2. Identify own development needs within personal development plan.
3. Assist in development of educational leaflets in relevant formats, for staff and patients relating to service and patient pathway.
4. Ensure personal, peer support and clinical supervision needs are met.
5. Act as a resource person for staff, as appropriate to the role.
6. Assist with provision of clinical placement & supervision in order to support development of individuals and practice as appropriate to the role.
7. Help ensure clinical environment is conducive to supporting the education and learning of staff and students.
8. Help provide educational and training opportunities to pre-registration nursing students to satisfy the relevant elements of their learning agreement as appropriate to the role.
9. Help provide an environment that encourages client centred involvement where clients are facilitated to ask for help, advice and education.
Research & Service Development
1. Assist in evaluation of clinical practice through audit of service within areas of responsibility.
2. Maintain active engagement with current developments in field of practice and utilise to support evidence-based practice in individual work and work with team members.
3. Assist in undertaking research as appropriate within areas of knowledge
4. Help provide support to other staff undertaking research within areas of responsibility as appropriate to areas of knowledge
5. Assist in implementation of research findings appropriate to practice, within areas of knowledge
6. Promote the shared objectives of the multidisciplinary teams by working closely to ensure that best practice is achieved, within areas of knowledge

Please refer the Job description for details