Highly Specialist Paediatric Occupational Therapist

Job overview

A rare and exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Band 7 Paediatric Occupational Therapist to join our team. We have hours available in the highly specialised services for paediatric neuromuscular disorders  & neonatal care based at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children & St Michael's Hospital. Please specify on your application which specialties you are applying for.

As part of this forward thinking and innovative team this  0.4wte (15 hour) post in neonatology will support staff, parents & babies on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at St Michael’s Hospital and be instrumental in the continued development of this new service. You will link closely with the South West Neonatal Operational Delivery Network  with opportunities for education & learning.

Within the specialist neuromuscular service this 0.6wte (22.5hrs) post at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children will work alongside the MDT to provide specialist assessment and advice for young children with neuromuscular conditions, including children with Spinal Muscular Atrophy undergoing gene therapy. You will provide a source of expertise for OT both locally and nationally.

The postholder(s) will be a valued member of the small but specialist OT team, including supervision and development of rotational band 6 Occupational therapists. We are looking for an innovative, inclusive clinical leader who is passionate about delivering a high-quality patient centred service.

Main duties of the job

• Provide a highly specialised Paediatric Occupational Therapy service including assessment and intervention to promote the neurodevelopment of infants during their admission to the neonatal unit and for children under the care of the specialist neuromuscular disorders service.
• To ensure occupational therapy clinical guidelines and referral criteria are in-line with latest evidence.
• Be a core member of the neonatal and neuromuscular MDTs, assisting in the development, planning and progression of service provision in accordance with local and national targets.
• To act as a source of expertise and demonstrate advanced knowledge and experience in the highly skilled management of high-risk infants requiring neonatal care and children with neuromuscular disorders.
• Support the wider Paediatric Occupational Therapy Team as required

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at St Michael’s hospital and the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children are specialised tertiary centres, taking the most complex referrals from both local and national centres. St Michael’s Neonatal Unit is a level 3 surgical and regional therapeutic hypothermia unit. The Paediatric Neuromuscular clinic is one of the largest in the Southwest of UK treating children and young people with neurolmuscular disease. You will work within a therapy team with a vast amount of experience and have easy access to wider teams at BRHC.

We are looking for an individual with advanced skills, who is confident to challenge current practice and ensure that our patients receive up-to-date evidence-based treatments. In service training programmes and staff appraisal systems are in operation to support your development to enable you to meet the demands of the post.

The successful candidate will need to demonstrate excellent abilities in IT. Excellent communication skills will result in strong working relationships with patients and their families, and the post holder will achieve excellent job satisfaction from parental feedback and the impact that this role can have on the child’s quality of life and outcome.

For a more detailed job description and main responsibilities, please refer to the job description document attached to this vacancy.