Team Lead Occupational Therapist - General Medicine

at  Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust

To be responsible for the development, implementation, and delivery of Occupational Therapy as a specialist clinician, including assessment, treatment planning, carrying out treatment and discharge planning of own client caseload. To develop and implement specialist treatment programmes and initiate discharge planning. To be highly skilled in assessing and interpreting a range of complex factors relating to the patients condition, including diagnosis and prognosis. To lead and support the OT team in prioritising referrals including delegation of work to ensure equity of provision for patients referred.
To provide a positive check and challenge ability to reinforce strong clinical reasoning within the team. To provide awareness and education of the role of OT within the greater hospital site and promote flow positive decision making where appropriate. To create an environment that promotes effective communication to patients, carers, colleagues and the multidisciplinary team by establishing effective communication networks and demonstrating skills in empathy, reassurance and the ability to motivate others. To liaise and establish communication networks with the multidisciplinary teams, external voluntary and statutory organisations as appropriate in planning for clients treatment, discharge and resettlement.
To assess, recommend and where appropriate provide and fit a range of specialist equipment and or aids in the clients home, to facilitate patients rehabilitation and reduce risk around discharge. To be aware of changing trends in treatment and promote evidence-based/best practice within own team and interpret this into own specialist area of work, in order to provide the highest standard of care to clients. To conduct and/or actively participate in the in-service training, tutorials, individual training sessions, external courses and peer review. To participate in and contribute to the department and own teams training programme, demonstrating a willingness to learn.
To maintain good working relationships with patients, family/carers, colleagues, multidisciplinary teams and personnel from other external agencies. To contribute to the service, develop and provide an overview of the different specialties offered within the service, keeping up-to-date with developments and the expectations of patients, carers and colleagues. As a supervisor, provide individual performance reviews and contribute to the performance assessment and appraisal of qualified and non-qualified staff in line with departmental competencies. To be responsible for and facilitate a safe environment, recognising patient requirements for privacy and dignity.
To have a good knowledge of and to abide by the departments and Trusts policies and procedures, and to comment and contribute to the development of these policies and procedures within the defined clinical area. To participate in the process of recruitment and selection

Please refer the Job description for details