Highly Specialist Acute Paediatric Occupational Therapist

Job overview

We are seeking an enthusiastic and experienced Band 7 Occupational Therapist to join our dynamic Acute Paediatric Occupational Therapy team within St George's Hospital, one of London's four major trauma centres.

This is an exciting opportunity for a passionate paediatric OT to work across a diverse acute caseload, providing specialist assessment and intervention to children and young people across all paediatric wards and the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). The post holder will manage a varied and complex caseload, working alongside multidisciplinary teams within specialist areas including neurology, neurosurgery, orthopaedics, long term ventilation and major trauma.

The successful candidate will play a key role in supporting children and families through acute illness, injury and recovery, promoting participation, independence and safe discharge planning. They will contribute to complex discharge pathways, rehabilitation, functional assessments and specialist occupational therapy interventions within a fast-paced and rewarding environment.

We are looking for an OT who is passionate about paediatrics, committed to delivering high-quality, family-centred care, and motivated to develop services and support the ongoing growth of acute paediatric occupational therapy.

The successful candidate will have supervision responsibilities and opportunities to develop leadership skills.

Main duties of the job

As part of the Acute Paediatric Occupational Therapy team you will provide highly specialist acute occupational therapy assessment and intervention to children and young people admitted to the acute paediatric wards.

Alongside the Clinical Team Lead you will contribute to the ongoing growth and development of the service shaping the care of children and young people admitted to St George's Hospital.

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a forward-thinking, dynamic team that is committed to innovation, collaboration, and making a lasting difference in the lives of children and families admitted to hospital.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Job purpose

As a Band 7 Occupational Therapist working in paediatric inpatients the post holder will be

responsible for performing highly specialist assessment of patients with diverse presentations and complex medical, physical and psychological conditions, to develop and deliver an

individualised management/treatment programme, relevant to specialism. Following

assessment, the post holder will be responsible for making therapeutic diagnoses and treating their own caseload of specialised and complex patients/clients and maintaining associated records.

The post holder will be responsible for providing a highly specialist standard of care to patients.

The post holder will supervise the work of other more junior staff and support workers. The

post holder will be required to work across Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, Paediatric Step Down Unit, the three general medical wards and occasional outpatient clinics when required. Together with other senior staff, you will act as a resource of specialist advice to the rest of the therapy service and other professions.

This post will provide input to long-stay patients, complex neurological conditions and

complex discharges.

• Key stakeholders
• Patients, families and carers
• Acute Therapies Team (Speech and Language Therapists, Physiotherapists, Dietitians)
• Medical and Nursing staff within and external to GESH (St Georg’s, Epsom and St Helier hospitals)
• Other Allied Health Professionals in the acute and community settings
• Other External agencies e.g. Social Services
• Administration and Clerical staff
• QI team
• ·
• Key areas of responsibility
• Clinical Practice
• To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own work, including

management of patients in your care and undertake all aspects of clinical duties as an

autonomous practitioner.

• To provide comprehensive and specialist therapy assessment and diagnosis for patients

with a range of highly complex presentations, by utilising advanced clinical reasoning,

evidence-based knowledge, investigative and analytical skills and specialist assessment

techniques.

• To work both independently and within a team structure, demonstrating leadership to

manage own and team caseload. To efficiently manage a caseload and organise this

effectively with regard to clinical priorities and use of time.

• To formulate and deliver an individualised and specialist care plan / therapy

management programme based on advanced knowledge of evidence-based practice,

advanced clinical reasoning skills and a wide range of specialist treatment options. As a

specialist clinician to provide a second opinion where required.

• To provide clarity and communicate complex clinical findings to the patient/carers to gain

valid informed consent, prior to any intervention. To work within a legal framework for

those patients who lack the capacity to consent to treatment.

Please view attached job description for further details on main responsibilities.

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.