Band 7 Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist - Orthopaedics

Job overview

BAND 7 OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST - TRAUMA AND ORTHOPAEDICS

Up to 37.5 hours per week

9-Month Secondment/Fixed Term Contract with the potential to be extended to one year

(This post could be offered as Band 6 post for the right candidate)

This is an exciting opportunity to join our supportive, forward-looking Orthopaedic Therapy Team.

We are seeking a candidate to provide specialist assessment and treatment of patients admitted with both complex elective and traumatic orthopaedic injuries, those with spinal cord injuries and poly trauma patients.  You will have your own clinical caseload and work closely with physiotherapists as we are a truly integrated service, with excellent working relationships with our consultants, matrons and ward sisters.

We are an innovative team and were early adopters in stopping the use of hip precautions for total hip arthroplasties, with a well-established Enhanced Recovery Programme for our elective patients, to which occupational therapy is central.  We also have plans to offer enhanced occupational therapy-led clinics for frail patients undergoing elective orthopaedic surgery.  Our team have successfully presented their improvements at RCOT conferences, and our Out of Bed Project was published which has improved our hip fracture metrics.  We are particularly interested in candidates who share our passion for service development and increasing the profile of occupational therapy in the speciality of orthopaedics to improve patient outcomes.

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate will need to be a qualified and HCPC registered occupational therapist and will need to demonstrate previous experience working within orthopaedics.  We are looking for a positive, proactive clinician to join our team who can work flexibly and help us build a strong future for therapy.

You will be responsible for your own complex caseload consisting of patients with a variety of different conditions and lead on the development of junior colleagues within this specialist field.  Good prioritisation, organisational and time management skills will be needed to balance clinical and non-clinical duties.  You will be responsible for ensuring the use of advanced effective assessment skills to identify appropriate patients and to formulate, implement and evaluate individualised treatment and rehabilitation plans, some of which will be specialist in nature, based on expert analytical and clinical reasoning skills.  You will need advanced communication skills to ensure a successful multidisciplinary approach to patient care and will be in regular discussions with patients, carers, JPUH colleagues and community partners on therapy plans.  You will be responsible for other non-clinical duties such as leading on team meetings, in-service development ideas, training/supervision of students, therapy assistant practitioners and junior colleagues.  This will include the use of formal appraisal documentation.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

We are a research active team and are currently involved with the FAME, RaCeR-2 and OPAL trials.  If you are passionate about engaging in research, there is a supportive environment for you to develop this, but we expect you to aid the team with clinical audits when required.  You will be key to being actively involved in the measurement and evaluation of your work and current practices through the use of evidence-based practice projects, audit and outcome measures.

In return, we would strive to offer the suitable candidate a supportive, friendly working environment within a team who are open to new ideas.  Opportunities for learning within the Trust would be provided, alongside regular supervision and allocated time for Continuous Professional Development.  Opportunities for working with the wider multidisciplinary team will be available and strongly encouraged.

• The post-holder will act as a clinical specialist occupational therapist for the assessment and treatment of patients admitted with complex elective and traumatic orthopaedic injuries, those with spinal cord injuries and poly trauma patients
• They will be expected to contribute to the leadership and co-ordination of occupational therapy and physiotherapy to the Trauma and Orthopaedics Therapy Service and be professionally accountable for the delivery of patient care, including maintaining patient records
• They will be required to work autonomously and carry a clinical caseload, taking a lead role in the advanced assessment and treatment of patients within the speciality who may have complex and/or chronic presentation, in order to determine clinical diagnosis and occupational therapy treatment
• To work with the Team Leader and other Occupational Therapists to drive the profession and service forward alongside the multidisciplinary team in the development of treatment pathways, e.g. fractured neck of femur and enhanced recovery for elective orthopaedic procedures
• Ensure the team’s workload is appropriately prioritised and work is effectively distributed and coordinated across the team on a day-by-day basis
• To work closely with the multidisciplinary teams in order to receive referrals and use patient information to help prioritise the workload
• To develop team goals with the Team Leader and Clinical and Professional Leads for Integrated Therapies, and support the team in achieving them
• To engage with the orthopaedic consultants, matrons and ward managers representing Orthopaedic Therapies at elective and trauma meetings as required
• To provide highly specialist advice and teaching to occupational therapy, physiotherapy, and therapy assistant practitioner colleagues and to other members of the multidisciplinary team
• To keep abreast of new research and development within the speciality, identifying any learning needs within the team and arranging training as necessary
• To be proactive in service development and individual development within the team, implementing changes as and when appropriate
• To organise and lead clinical audits, ensuring regular monitoring of the quality of the service provided to patients and delegate work as necessary to other members of the team

If this advert interests you, please contact Julie Power via [email protected] to find out more or to arrange a visit.