Clinical Lead Occupational Therapist

Job overview

We have a rare vacancy arise, that provides the successful applicant the opportunity to join our diverse and supportive team at the Older Adult Inpatient Team.

You will work closely with the MDT team in the Thurrock area and in collaboration with the senior leadership expertise across the Care of Older Adults wards. You will have a clinical lead responsibility across the SE. This post is suitable for a new or developing band 7 as well as those with experience looking for a change. We are looking for an innovative and an enthusiastic team player to maximise the potential of the service and direct the team in its ongoing development. We are keen for a leader who is passionate about service development and innovation. It is an exciting time to join us at EPUT as we are implementing an Acute Therapeutic model across all our inpatient areas with lots of opportunities to showcase the expertise of Occupational Therapy. Applicants should be committed to delivering a high quality service based on your knowledge of evidence based practice and clinical governance. The successful applicant will be supervised by Head OT to ensure they are supported in their role and professional development. Peer support is encouraged and there are numerous CPD and Developmental Forums.

Main duties of the job

You will provide expert support and guidance to the Occupational Therapy provision and contribute to future service developments. You will undertake highly specialist clinical work and provide Occupational Therapy advice to other disciplines, providing training, supervision and support as required. You will carry out professional leadership responsibilities as delegated by the Head Occupational Therapist, and you may be asked to undertake research and other tasks that contribute to the implementation of the Trust Strategy for Allied Health Professions.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical Duties:

• 1.     To utilise specialist assessments when presented with complex cases. 2.     To make decisions on the level of treatment intervention required, utilising occupational therapy theory and outcome measures as appropriate. 3.     To undertake specialist treatment planning using expert clinical reasoning, communicating and negotiating treatment plans with clients and carers. 4.     To communicate agreed treatment/care plans to multi-disciplinary team colleagues and partnership agencies at formal and informal meetings. 5.     To work in collaboration with others to modify aspects of the environment in order to empower clients and facilitate optimal functional performance. 6.     To liaise with Social Services and Housing Organisations concerning provision of equipment and home adaptations. 7.     To manage a complex caseload and provide specialist Occupational Therapy advice on adaptive equipment and telecare. 8.     To apply a variety of specialist treatment modalities to meet the needs of clients in individual or group format, utilising clinical reasoning processes to determine the most appropriate setting for intervention. 9.     To make clinically informed decisions in order to delegate aspects of client care to assistants, junior staff, students, carers and statutory or non-statutory bodies. 10.  To regularly review clients’ progress in order to evaluate and interpret the effectiveness of treatment plans, and amend treatment or discharge clients accordingly. 11.  To undertake research and audit to develop and initiate interventions that are evidence based and reflect a sound integration of theoretical knowledge in order to meet client need. 12.  To keep up to date clinical records in line with professional standards and local record keeping policies. 13.  To provide written and verbal reports as required at any stage in the treatment process in line with Occupational Therapy Clinical Governance Standards.

Indirect Clinical Duties:

• 1.     To plan and co-ordinate the work of Occupational Therapy staff. 2.     To participate constructively in multi-disciplinary team working, attending MDT meetings and clinical case discussions and providing specialist professional advice and recommendations. 3.     To initiate and lead on projects to meet identified service needs. 4.     To lead or participate in research where appropriate and contribute to the development of service policies. 5.     To promote the roles and skills of Occupational Therapy to other professionals, students, clients and carers. 6.     To identify any aspects of the service which can be improved and implement appropriate change in conjunction with the Head Occupational Therapist. 7.     To participate and lead where appropriate in local service development and engagement events. 8.     To contribute to the strategic development of specialist dementia provision as directed by the Head Occupational therapist.