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Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced, dynamic, and enthusiastic Occupational Therapist with excellent multidisciplinary communication to join the Healthcare of the Elderly Occupational Therapy team at Derriford Hospital on a fixed term contract for 12 months.
This post is integral to the delivery of a high standard of therapeutic care and is integral to the multidisciplinary team's ability to provide smooth and appropriate discharge planning with the wider community MDT. The successful candidate will work as an experienced clinician across the Healthcare of the Elderly wards.
The successful candidate must be registered and have experience in the field of HCE & general medicine working in the acute environment; and be able to demonstrate an appropriate level of personal autonomy & clinical skill. You must have good inter-personal skills, work well in a multidisciplinary team environment, and be willing to support the Team Lead to deliver a specialist occupational therapy service in challenging times.
***Preference will be given to internal Trust staff, as well as ‘Priority’ and 'At Risk' status including NHS At Risk staff throughout Devon who are able to display recent relevant experience as dictated by the Person Specification.***
Main duties of the job
To perform a specialist Occupational Therapy role to a comprehensive Occupational Therapy service to the patients on the Healthcare of the Elderly wards. This includes carrying out a range of functional and cognitive assessments.
Be part of the multidisciplinary team, ensuring the Occupational Therapy input is an integral part of the patients overall care and discharge.
To deputise for the Team Lead when necessary.
Will be required to work on the 7 day rota.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Clinical
- Ensure the patients, relatives, and those the therapist encounters are aware of the role of the Occupational Therapist and components of the Occupational Therapy treatment programme.
- Obtain informed consent from the patient, and work within the current legal framework for patients who lack capacity to consent, prior to commencing any treatment.
- Select from a wide range of standardised and non-standardised assessments to assess and aid diagnosis of cognitive, perceptual, behavioural, physical, and social functioning of the patients referred. This includes, but is not limited to social environmental interview, cognitive tests (Mini ACE & ACE III), personal care assessments, kitchen assessments, feeding assessments.
- Make reliable interpretations of the assessment results, to inform other professionals in the diagnosis and management of the patients. Also to guide the Occupational Therapy treatment plan, and for the recommendation of the discharge destination, rehabilitation, or placement.
- Plan, deliver and review treatment programmes in close liaison with all members of the multi-disciplinary team, patients, carers, and family in accordance with any consent given. Addressing areas such as disease management, sensory, motor, splinting, psychosocial needs, and functional abilities.
- Carry out environmental home assessments & pre-discharge home assessments as required. Assess the patient carrying out functional skills to maximise independent living, arranging equipment provision, adaptations, and support services as required. Assess for disability access and safety, also ensuring access to community resources and assessing carer needs.
- Assess for and provide aids and adaptive equipment to increase / enable independent function, teaching compensatory techniques as required. These include but are not limited to feeding, dressing, domestic & leisure activities. Responsible for providing information and instruction for the safe use of the items provided.
- Rise requisitions for minor adaptation on behalf of Social Services; and OT equipment on behalf of the OT Department, Derriford Hospital, per referral.
- Assess for wheelchairs, specialist seating and positioning needs treating as appropriate, referring on to wheelchair and seating clinics as required.
- Responsible to plan, deliver and review treatment programmes in close liaison with all members of the multi-disciplinary team, patients, carers, and family in accordance with any consent given.
For further details please see attached JD&PS.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential
- To hold degree, or equivalent in Occupational Therapy.
- To be registered as required Healthcare professional
Desirable
- To have relevant qualification
Aptitude & Abilities
Essential
- To be skilled in handling frail, aging patients and their families.
- To be interested in promoting independence.
- To have interest and skill in persuading, teaching, and managing people of all age groups.
- To be skilled in helping people to problem solve.
- To have proven ability to attend to details.
- To have good time management skills.
- To be computer literate.
- To understand confidentiality.
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- To have extensive demonstrable experience as an Occupational Therapist in the physical field.
- To have worked with a wide range of medical & surgical conditions affecting the elderly person.
- To have specialist proven knowledge & demonstrable experience of a wide range of OT assessments and interventions relevant to this patient group, demonstrated by advanced clinical reasoning.
- To have good oral, verbal and written communication skills.
- To have proven knowledge of a wide range of OT equipment and minor adaptations.
- To have demonstrable experience in liaising with community services.
- To have demonstrable experience in caseload management.
- To have skill and demonstrable experience of staff appraisal.
- To have demonstrable experience of allocating and assessing the work of a team.
- To have proven evidence of continuing professional development
- To have completed clinical supervisor training.
- To have demonstrable experience in conducting audits and research & development activities.
Desirable
- To have worked in the physical field and have demonstrable experience of busy environment acute wards.
- To have demonstrable experience of supervising staff of all grades.
- To have demonstrable experience of supervising student occupational therapists.
- To have demonstrable experience in teaching other members of the MDT team both internal and external settings.
- To have demonstrable experience in delivering patient education.
Disposition, Attitude & Motivation
Essential
- To have a co-operative nature and be able to get on well with others, work as a member of the Multidisciplinary Team.
- To be a self-starter and be able to work without supervision.
- To be independent and able to accept responsibility.
- Be steady and dependable and able to persist in difficult situations without being distracted.
- Recognise own limitation
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Occupational Therapist with University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust in Plymouth, South West, England. It is listed as a Band 6 Occupational Therapist role. The advertised salary is £39,959 - £48,117 Per Annum. The contract type is 12 months (12 months Fixed Term Contract). The application deadline is 28 Jul 2026.
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