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Job overview
The Orthotics Department at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Hospital Oswestry, is looking for 2 experienced B7 Orthotists to join the large NHS team. Both positions are for clinically experienced Orthotists who will be based both at RJAH and Shrewsbury and Telford hospitals, working within the orthotics clinical team and in specialized MDT clinics and teams. A extensive range of clinical experience is required including specialist areas of acute diabetes and gait management.
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Main duties of the job
The team at Oswestry has 17 orthotists, 1 apprentice orthotist, 4 orthotics assistants and onsite manufacturing with a technical team of 11 technicians.
The Department treats a full spectrum range of patients, regularly supports undergraduate and post graduate placements and training, and has a strong focus on development and progression, supporting clinical development.
The main duties of this clinical role are contained within the job description.
The Orthotist is responsible for their own clinical caseload of patients, teaching and training of other orthotists and students and clinical development of themselves and the team around them. They also have responsibilities linked to audit, safeguarding and process development.
The trust ensures CPD is supported both in clinical and non-clinical development and has a strong team ethos, and integration within the hospitals were the service is provided.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
1. Accept referrals from medical and healthcare professionals and undertake clinical assessment and examination of patients to provide suitable orthotic clinical-technical prescriptions, including triage and prioritisation of patient need. Accept as an individual the legal responsibility for patients’ orthotic care.
2. Use measurement and data acquisition techniques in recording all pertinent information to ensure accuracy of patient prescriptions.
3. Perform plaster positive model rectifications as appropriate.
4. Specify the design, componentry, materials, fabrication method and suppliers of orthoses and order individual items to meet the patients’ clinical needs.
5. Perform risk assessments in the selection of components for customised devices to ensure patient safety.
6. Perform mechanical and technical adjustments to orthoses.
7. Evaluate the completed device on the patient to ensure the desired quality of body-device interface, functional alignment comfort, cosmetic appearance and mechanical integrity and safety.
8. Re-evaluate the above following an agreed time interval to meet patient needs or requirements of a care plan (review appointments).
9. Provide verbal, visual and written department information, explanation and highly specialised clinical advice to the patient and/or carers at every stage of device provision for informed consent including complex devices
10. Report patient adverse incidents related to the provision of orthoses to maintain patient safety and engage in national reporting and monitoring procedures for specialised medical devices.
11. Provide written updates to referrer as to orthotic treatment and status and refer patients to other disciplines to ensure appropriate care.
12. Give clinical and professional advice to the multi-disciplinary team regarding appropriate orthotic provision for patients.
13. Advise and maintain effective liaison with technical support personnel including assistance with training in order to ensure best current technical practice in meeting patients’ needs. 14. Ensure excellent written and verbal communications are maintained with patients, carers, relatives and members of the health and social care teams; convey complex and sensitive information at appropriate levels of understanding.
15. Use excellent negotiating and counselling skills and other tools to ensure the effective communication of complex, sensitive and emotional information and to overcome barriers to understanding in an empathic way. Such persons will include those “At risk”, the terminally ill, the vulnerable, those such as stroke patients, the learning disabled, the deaf and hard of hearing and those possessing poor communication skills. Also non-English speakers and those who speak some English but who have a different first language.
16. Be able to negotiate care plans with patients and carers using motivational and supportive skills to overcome any differences in opinions and understanding to ensure co-operation from a range of orthotic management options.
17. Agree and document outcome measures in patients’ treatment plan.
18. Record accurately up to date patient activity as required by the Department of Health for performance monitoring for the department and its purchasers.
19. Prioritise individual in-patient orthotic treatment and adjust the department’s out-patient clinical activity to facilitate timely rehabilitation and discharge of the in-patients.
The full details of the job description are within the the attached job description and person specification.