Specialist Occupational Therapist for Stroke and Neuro

at  Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust

Band 6
Full Time, 15 Month Fixed- Term Contract
This is an excellent opportunity to work within the specialism of Stroke and Neuro across the patient pathway. You will work within the bed based Stroke Rehab Unit and within the Community Neuro Rehab Team.
You will carry out occupational therapy assessments, plan and deliver treatment and offer education and support to patients and their families, both in an in-patient setting and within a variety of community settings.
You will be expected to practice autonomously but work as a part of an integrated multi-disciplinary team . You will be expected to carry a complex clinical caseload and be required to delegate work to support staff.
This is a fixed term contract for a period of 15 months.
Carry out occupational therapy assessments, plan and deliver treatment and offer education and support to patients and their families, in an in-patient setting and within a variety of community settings.
You will be expected to practice autonomously but work as a part of an integrated multi-disciplinary team. You will be expected to carry a complex clinical caseload and be required to delegate work to support staff.
Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust serves a community of 250,000 people across Tameside & Glossop. We provide a range of services both within the hospital and across our community for both adults and children. Our vision is to improve health outcomes for our population and influence wider determinants of health through collaboration with our health & care partners.
We have a clear set of values & behaviours which we expect all of our staff to demonstrate:
Safety
Care
Respect
Communication
Learning
We believe that the best organisations are those that reflect the communities they serve. We are therefore seeking to improve the diversity of our workforce to make it truly representative of our local population.
We actively encourage applications irrespective of race, age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marriage & civil partnership, or pregnancy or maternity. Recognising those communities that are underrepresented within our workforce, we would particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian & minority ethnic candidates, LGBTQ+ & Disabled people.
Benefits include; flexible working, 27-33 days annual leave plus bank holidays, sick pay, NHS Pension Scheme, free eye tests and health checks, gym discount, free bicycle loan scheme, salary sacrifice car scheme, support with stress, bereavement, relationships, finance, and much more.

SECTION 2 - KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:

Professional

• To hold a degree or diploma in Occupational Therapy and meet the standards for professional registration with HPC.
• To demonstrate in-depth knowledge of Acute Stroke and Long Term neurological conditions and the impact these have on the patient and their family.
• To promote and maintain high professional standards and to be accountable for own clinical actions, ensuring that actions adhere to professional code conduct and relevant Trust policies.
• To attend relevant training courses highlighted at appraisal and to clearly demonstrate continuous professional development through appraisal and lifelong learning.
• To ensure that mandatory training is regularly updated.
• To be involved in the induction and training of new staff in accordance with the Trust and local policies pertinent to the team.
• To be responsible for delegating appropriate tasks to unqualified staff within the multi-disciplinary team.
• To participate in regular supervision with line manager as needed.
• To participate in the training and supervision of occupational therapy student on fieldwork placements
• To provide supervision for junior staff within the acute stroke/rehab neuro speciality.
• To participate in the continuing development of the occupational therapy service
• To contribute to the development of relevant inter-disciplinary training at both qualified and unqualified level.
• To contribute to the development and implementation of occupational therapy and multi-disciplinary policies relevant to acute medical services.
• To be pro-active in the monitoring and auditing of services, providing clinical and therapeutic information as appropriate to support service development.
• To actively participate in yearly appraisal and formal supervision with your line manager and be committed to continual professional development through lifelong learning.
• To be up-to-date with changes locally and nationally, i.e., SSNAP, GMNISDN, NHS England long term plan and the national stroke plan and share new information with colleagues.
• The post holder is required to be responsive, innovative and adaptable to enable them to manage a varied caseload. They need to be able to work autonomously as well as within a team and require a high level of ability to communicate with statutory and non-statutory organisations at all levels to ensure a cohesive team approach.
• This position requires the post holder to be able to travel (often at short notice) between diverse clinical and non-clinical environments and bases, including patient’s homes, GP clinics, primary care facilities, community centres, hospitals, office spaces and residential/nursing homes, so access to reliable transport is essential. The post holder will be expected to complete nine clinical contacts a week, at separate addresses, to maintain provision of our services when working within CNRT.

Communications

• The post holder will need to: - Develop working relationships with the immediate team
• Communicate with a wide range of people to ensure that treatment planning and intervention is holistic and cohesive
• Use a variety of communication methods throughout the working day, eg: email, written records and telephone.
• Communicate difficult or sensitive information relating to patient care
• Ensure that all locally produced information documents are in the corporate style and that all written information complies with Trust policy

Responsibility for Patient Care

SECTION 1 - MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES:

Clinical

• To manage a clinical caseload using evidence-based and client centred principles to assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions.
• To conduct Manual Handling assessments to facilitate timely discharge. To create reports that direct the discharge planning process.
• To undertake clinical duties as an autonomous practitioner and be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own practice.
• To be responsible for maintaining own records of intervention in care pathways and for completing own contact data.
• In liaison with other team members to be involved in the development of consistently high standards of practice, within professional and national guidelines and contribute to the development and implementation of training within the team, the Trust and to outside agencies.
• To participate in the planning, development and evaluation of O.T. services within the stroke/neuro specialty taking responsibility for defined projects.
• To manage a caseload on the SRU and CNRT
• To carry out a full and comprehensive occupational therapy assessment and evaluation as part of the interdisciplinary team planning.
• To conduct and record comprehensive assessments of patients’ needs on the wards and within the home environment as indicated.
• To analyse complex problems and assist clients to determine realistic and achievable goals, which are measurable and appropriate to their current and longer-term needs.
• To plan individual treatment programmes which reflect the clients’ goals. This may include specific specialist occupational therapy assessments (such as complex cognitive or perceptual assessment, assessing activities of daily living, manual handling).
• To undertake clinical risk assessment on a daily basis within the ward environment, on home visits, in isolated assessment areas and when lone working.
• To provide junior and support staff with guidance and assistance with complex therapy intervention and discharge planning.
• In conjunction with the MDT, to set goals which are reviewed regularly.
• To monitor, evaluate and modify treatment in order to measure progress and effectiveness of interventions.
• To assess the occupational needs of a defined client group and establish and evaluate appropriate treatment programs in keeping with evidence-based practice.
• To participate in discharge planning to ensure safe, timely discharge and appropriate follow-up if indicated.
• To keep accurate records of client contact in the multi-disciplinary care pathways and to be pro-active in the further development of multi-disciplinary documentation.
• To prepare relevant specialist reports.
• To attend relevant clinical meetings.
• To attend family meetings and care planning meetings involving client, carers, family, colleagues and other agencies.
• To assess for, order and fit identified pieces of equipment for clients’ use at home in order to maximise function and quality of life.
• To use reflective practice to improve patient care.
• To liaise closely with specialist community services and complete ongoing referrals as required.

THE POST HOLDER WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR:

Carrying out appropriate occupational therapy assessments, based on good practice
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Developing treatment plans, tailored to the patient’s need and demonstrating sound clinical reasoning

Delivering therapeutic intervention based on the findings of your assessments

• Promoting self-management to all patients

N Supporting patients (and their carers if appropriate) by providing information which is well sourced and of good quality.

• Assist patients, carers, relatives during incidental contact

Planning and organising