Senior Occupational Therapist

at  The Christie NHS Foundation Trust

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a motivated and enthusiastic Occupational Therapist with NHS experience to join our Band 6 rotation.
Rotations take place every 9 months across the following areas: Clinical and Medical oncology and Haematology/CAR-T. There is also the opportunity to gain experience in the Teenage and Young (TYA) service. All our rotations will provide you with the opportunity to develop a wide range of skills and competence within the field of oncology in one of Europe’s leading Cancer centres.
This is an ideal opportunity for an experienced Band 5 Occupational Therapist looking to progress or an existing Band 6 Occupational Therapist with an interest in oncology and palliative care.
As a dynamic Occupational Therapist, you will carry out assessments and interventions targeting often complex physical, psychosocial and cognitive problems as a result of cancer and its treatment. The post holder will work collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team to provide holistic care and they will be expected to support staff development via training and education.
You will be provided with regular supervision from the clinical leads and will be encouraged to participate in continuing professional development, with access to a wide range of training and networking opportunities.
The post holder will work as an integral part of the Occupational Therapy service, providing high quality and person-centred interventions for our patients. They will be responsible for:
The effective management of a clinical caseload
Contributing to and supporting the development of the Occupational Therapy service
Participation in junior staff and student supervision and development
The successful candidate will be required to work flexibly with a potential for 6-day working. They will also be expected to contribute to clinical audit, research, CPD and in-service training.
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.

Clinical

• To undertake comprehensive Occupational Therapy assessments of patients as an autonomous practitioner, including those with complex physical, psychosocial and cognitive problems. You will use clinical reasoning skills and knowledge of evidence-based practice to determine treatment plans, rehabilitation and discharge planning.
• To work collaboratively with the senior physiotherapists in delivering a high quality efficient service to patients.
• To undertake treatment planning and implementation of agreed goal-orientated interventions with patients/carers.
• To accept clinical responsibility for those patients referred to the Occupational Therapy service.
• To monitor, evaluate and modify Occupational Therapy treatment plans in order to measure progress and ensure effectiveness of interventions.
• To assess for specialist adaptive equipment.
• To carry out risk assessments and provide training and advice on safe moving and handling within the ward environment and to facilitate discharge to the patient’s home environment.
• To liaise effectively, as appropriate, with other National Health, Social Services, private and voluntary agencies to ensure the safety of patients whilst undergoing treatment.
• To provide accurate reports on patients’ functional abilities as required.
• To make appropriate and timely referrals to external agencies.
• To communicate complex and sensitive patient-related information to ensure effective, collaborative working between multi-disciplinary team members.
• To communicate discharge plans and Occupational Therapy interventions to patients and relatives and the multi-disciplinary team members.
• To participate in the supervision and management of assistant staff, students and other healthcare professionals.
• To be responsible for the safe use of all Occupational Therapy equipment within the Trust, by staff, patients and relatives.
• To assist the Band 7 Occupational Therapists to monitor referrals, caseloads and prioritising referrals as required.
• To monitor the effectiveness of interventions through goal setting, outcome measurement and evaluation of practice.

Professional
To be fully aware of and comply with the rules of professional conduct as set by The College of Occupational Therapists and Health & Care Professional Council.
To work within the guidelines of policies and procedures and standards set by the Christie Hospital NHS Trust.
To participate in an ongoing evaluation of the Inpatient Occupational Therapy Service and to demonstrate the role and contribution it offers to cancer care.
To promote the role of Occupational Therapy both internally and externally of the Christie Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
To ensure the health and safety of staff and patients and to report any areas of potential risk to the Senior Occupational Therapist or Divisional Manager.
To be responsible for Continuing Professional Development as directed by the Health and Care Professions Council.
Managerial
To contribute to the development of all staff within the rehabilitation department and actively encourage and participate in supervision, training and development opportunities within the team, including students and junior staff.
To delegate duties to the Occupational Therapy assistant.
To collaborate with other senior staff on ways to maintain, monitor and improve services and undertake audits or research projects as appropriate.
To behave in a professional manner at all times and to all people.
To supervise the education of Occupational Therapy students during their fieldwork practice.
To operate flexibly according to the needs of the service and the clinical area as directed by senior staff.
To discuss service provision issues with senior staff and to report any incidents, clinical or non-clinical, promptly