Bank Therapy Technical Instructor

Job overview

Are you passionate about helping others return to health and function following acute illness or injury? Would you enjoy re-enabling patients so that they can return home, in the challenging and dynamic environment of an acute hospital?

If so, we are looking for enthusiastic and proactive people to join our Bank at Northampton General Hospital, working alongside Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists as a Therapy Technical Instructor. This is for a period of 3 months to support winter pressures. The Therapy Bank has zero committed contracted hours. Shifts will be offered on a service need basis in conjunction with your own personal preferences/commitments. Shifts cannot be guaranteed however where possible we will discuss and agree a routine with you to enable you to forward plan.

If you feel that you have the relevant skills, experience, and the desire to work in an ever-evolving acute hospital setting, then please apply. You will have the chance to work across a number of our speciality teams to learn and develop your therapy skills and knowledge. Clinical areas include surgery, trauma and orthopaedics, respiratory, stroke, acute medicine, elderly medicine urgent care and the artificial limb fitting service.

You will be joining a supportive team in delivering holistic care to patients, helping to assess and provide treatment as part of the therapy and MDT plan.

Main duties of the job

Implement and record planned programmes of care and comprehensive functional and mobility assessments of patients as directed by a Therapist.

Assess and make recommendations for equipment, home adaptations, care provision and ongoing rehabilitation, reporting these to a Therapist. Support patients through instruction and guidance in a range of activities, under the direction of a Therapist, in the achievement of identified treatment goals.

Provide advice to patients, their family and carers, teaching and demonstrating the safe use of equipment or other techniques to optimise the patient’s mobility, functional ability, safety and independence.

Build professional relationships with patients, their family and carers, through use of communication, reasoning and negotiating skills, respecting others views, culture and individuality.

Provide effective verbal and written reports to Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists and other multi-disciplinary team members relating to the patient’s performance and progress in their therapy interventions.

Respect the individuality, values, cultural and religious diversity of patients and contribute to the provision of a service sensitive to these needs.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Assess and make recommendations for equipment, home adaptations, care provision and ongoing rehabilitation, reporting these to a Therapist.

Support patients through instruction and guidance in a range of activities, under the direction of a Therapist, in the achievement of identified treatment goals.

Take an active role in home assessments and other therapy/treatment sessions alongside a Therapist.

Independently carry out access visits to patient’s homes, under the direction of an Occupational Therapist.

Contribute to the Therapy Services governance arrangements and to the work of selected groups (eg Risk Management, Health & Safety) acting as a service representative on such groups where appropriate.

Contribute towards service development activities through participation in team meetings and service development sessions.

Propose changes to processes and procedures carried out within own area of work to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the Therapy services.

Participate in team/departmental audit and evaluation as agreed with supervisor.

Ensure work areas are clean, tidy and well maintained, complying with Health & safety guidelines, ensuring the safe use of equipment and storage of materials.

Exercise good personal time management, punctuality and consistent reliable attendance, submitting accurate daily records of attendance on electronic timesheets.

Work flexibly across the week to include weekends, where weekend working is in operation.

Notify the team leader of sick leave as soon as possible in line with Trust policy.

In the absence of Therapy Technical Instructor colleagues through planned or unplanned leave, work flexibly to meet the prioritised needs of the Therapy services both within the team and across all service areas.

Comply with departmental guidelines for the safe use, care and maintenance of equipment and stock.

Take responsibility for the routine management of designated tasks in conjunction with Technical Instructor colleagues e.g. lease car maintenance, management of equipment orders.

Assist Therapy colleagues in the induction, training and education of other staff and students within the Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy services.

Applicant requirements

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.