Band 7 Occupational Therapist

Job overview

Are you an innovative Occupational Therapist, excited about a new way of working within the NHS?

• Experienced in neurodevelopmental conditions and looking for a new challenge?
• Are you passionate about working with children?
• Do you want the opportunity to be part of a friendly and supportive Multidisciplinary Team?
• Do you want to work in a vibrant city with a range of multicultural communities and be part of an inclusive Trust which is keen to reduce health inequalities?

If you are looking for an exciting role, we want to meet you!

Come and join us to work within a fast developing, dynamic and pioneering Neurodevelopmental (ND) Team across the city of Birmingham, working alongside a range of professionals, including from children’s therapy, clinical psychology and medical colleagues, education and local authority partners.

We are looking for highly motivated and committed therapists with established skills in holistic, client-centred practice, for a number of posts at Band 7. The successful candidates will be offering, evaluating and developing, assessment and support of children with neurodivergent conditions within a multi-disciplinary team. You will offer clinical leadership and support to more junior team members and students. You will already be trained to use a range of standardised autism assessments, as a member of the multi-disciplinary team. You will carry out audits of clinical practice and support the development of the service.

Main duties of the job

You will have strong clinical skills and a passion for working with children with SEND, with a specific interest and expertise in the assessment and diagnosis of Autism. You will have proven experience of successfully working with a range of children and young people, their families and others. You will have excellent communication and team working skills. You will be willing to work in a full range of locations across the city of Birmingham, as well as undertaking some assessments virtually. To make effective use of our mobile working technology and IT systems, you will also have good IT skills.

We offer a friendly and supportive working environment with a strong emphasis on Clinical Supervision and CPD to support your development. We have robust supervision arrangements through our team of Senior Therapists and AHP Leads. The Neurodevelopmental Team works as part of Inclusion Services within the Children and Families Division of Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. We work across the whole City, within a range of settings, thus requiring successful applicants to demonstrate a high level of flexibility.

We value our staff and advocate career progression internally. We encourage our staff to contribute to service development, and we welcome and value new ideas and experience.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical/ Professional Duties and Responsibilities:

• Carrying out specialist assessments in service area. Developing and implementing a range of programmes of care and treatment to meet the needs of the clients, families and their environments in accordance with agreed pathways and packages of care in specialist area
• Negotiating with multi-disciplinary team colleagues and carers with reference to case management of complex cases including instigating appropriate referrals as appropriate
• Using specialist knowledge to inform clinical judgments and decision making for highly complex cases including decisions to discharge
• Undertaking differential diagnosis of cases and contribute to overall decision-making for complex clients with a range of disorders as part of a team approach
• Identifying and planning appropriate intervention including delivering assessment and therapy in groups and one-to-one sessions, in accordance with the pathways & service agreed packages of care
• Taking responsibility for the delegation of therapy programmes to assistants acting as a mentor and supervisor in line with the local delegation policy
• Providing appropriate treatment based on best practice, adapted to client’s needs and priorities including advising other professionals and parent on the appropriate type and level of support needed to develop skills in the home / school environment.
• The post holder will assess, provide and monitor the use of therapeutic equipment as required. This will involve liaising with other agencies, teaching parents or carers about health and safety issues surrounding the equipment to enable it’s safe use
• To triage referrals as required, ensuring that they meet the service referral criteria
• Using highly developed communication skills to explain complex and sensitive information from clinical assessment and therapy outcomes to clients, carers and multidisciplinary team members
• Adapting own communication style and methods for individual circumstances as required based on cultural, social and linguistic differences
• Offering training and second opinions in specialist area including communication and negotiation around complex case management.
• Working closely with the Neurodevelopmental Services and AHP Lead and Operational Manager to address clinical issues and process matters related to the specialist area and identify opportunities for service transformation and innovation.
• Ensuring the clinical quality aspects of the service delivery in specialist area are maintained and taking early action to manage any clinical risk as appropriate.
• Leading in audits and reviews of evidence to underpin current practice within the Service.
• Contributing to the measurement of outcomes, evaluation and updating of packages of care used within the service in specialist clinical area
• As requested, to use specialist knowledge together with analysis of relevant data in the clinical area in order to contribute in matters of service delivery in the specialist clinical area and provide evidence for clinical outcomes
• As requested, collecting and collating statistical data in specialist area
• Demonstrating understanding of the demands and the changing local and national context in which the service operates
• Assisting or leading, as requested, on the management of complaints and incidents at local level
• Contributing to discussions around setting the direction for the service including foreseeing risks and opportunities.
• Linking in with regional & national colleagues via networks to benchmark best practice, build professional networks and bring practice back to the service to contribute to service planning within the specialist area.
• Reviewing and interpreting research evidence relevant to specialist area and contributing to discussions on how to implement findings to the benefit of the service in line with service priorities
• Liaising with other professional groups, organisations or voluntary bodies external to the Trust as required.
• Practising reflective learning and identifying and accessing appropriate Continuous Professional Development to work in accordance with professional standards and the Health Professions Council ‘Standards of Proficiency’
• Working autonomously prioritising in own work area, balancing all service-user area and professional demands
• Accessing the tools and support required to continue to develop the use of informatics and technology to deliver quality and cost-effective care
• Participate in the development of clinical protocols for use within the Service.
• To participate in the operational planning and implementation of policy and service development in the Service in line with the Trust’s strategic objectives.
• To participate in the development and application of National Guidelines and legislation relating to health and social care in practice, contributing to protocol development through participation in national organisations.

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.