Senior Specialist Occupational Therapist

Job overview

We have an exciting and unique opportunity to join our General Medicine and Older Persons Team at St Thomas’ Hospital as a Band 7 Occupational Therapist.  This post sits within a supportive occupational therapy management structure which welcomes innovation and quality improvement whilst prioritising staff well-being.

You will need to be enthusiastic and flexible with excellent communication skills to manage a varied and interesting role. We are looking for a motivated clinician who will contribute to helping us to lead the way in defining a new Occupational Therapy role within the OPU/medicine pathway that will focus on those discharges that can be managed within a short time frame.

The successful candidate will have responsibility for overseeing the inpatient caseload which will include provision of holistic and client centred occupational therapy assessment and intervention. This post will allow you to develop and utilise your specialist clinical skills in the management of people with complex health, rehabilitation and social care needs whilst providing you with an excellent opportunity to develop your leadership skills, expand your professional development and participate in the wider local and national agenda’s for acute medicine and older people.

Main duties of the job

Job Summary

To provide a high quality expert Occupational Therapy Service to a specialist caseload of patients within the Older Persons Unit and medical wards at St Thomas Hospital.

• To manage a complex caseload within the Medicine and Older Persons team using critical thinking, reflection and analysis to support assessments using a client centred approach.

• To be responsible for a designated team of Occupational Therapists providing leadership for junior staff, Technical Instructors and Occupational Therapy Assistants through supervision and performance management as required.

• To assist junior staff in the management of complex cases requiring advanced clinical reasoning.

• To lead and advise on clinical Occupational Therapy developments within the Medicine and Older Peoples service within the hospital and nation-wide level, and other related Trust wide projects.

• To be responsible for the maintenance and development of own CPD identifying and contributing to the evidence base of Occupational Therapy.

• To educate Occupational Therapy Students on practice placements.

• To provide a patient centred approach and current evidence base to assess, treat, implement, evaluate and document Occupational Therapy interventions.

• To support the management of the Occupational Therapy Service as required by the Heads of Service.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical

• To be responsible for providing individual and group client centred assessments to inpatients and outpatients with complex conditions on the medical wards and Older Persons Unit, being aware of common precautions and complications and the impact these have on a patient’s lifestyle and Occupational performance.  To manage the most complex cases addressing Occupational performance skills, patterns, context or contexts and activity demands in collaboration with patients and carers.
• To undertake Occupational Therapy Specialist multi-needs assessments on patients with complex conditions, using complex and advanced clinical reasoning demonstrating critical thinking, reflection and analysis to develop individual and group goal and task oriented treatment plans, including education and advice to patients, their families, carers and staff.
• To carry out complex physical and functional assessments and treatments to facilitate and promote functional independence.
• To prepare and disseminate reports and data including highly sensitive information regarding clinical examination and prognostic indicators for functional performance to vulnerable patient groups.
• To act as a source of clinical expertise and advice providing clinical leadership within the medicine and Older Persons team and a resource for other teams as appropriate.
• To develop collaborative treatment plans with patents, carers and colleagues both in the hospital, workplace and patient’s home environment, demonstrating ethical clinical reasoning and problem solving techniques to determine agreed outcomes across health and social care.
• To maintain high professional standards, continuously promoting and developing quality improvements appropriate to the needs of the Occupational Therapy Service and profession.
• To be responsible for clinical and managerial caseload management ensuring clinical governance, quality assurance and Occupational Therapy professional standards are met.
• To regularly undertake complex risk assessments and to advise others in determining appropriate management specifically relating to moving and handling and safe use of equipment, both in the hospital environment and in the patient’s home.
• To understand and apply National Guidelines and legislation relating to health and social care in Occupational Therapy practice and in geriatric medicine.
• To take a lead in developing and implementing clinical training programmes and inservice training for Occupational Therapy staff, patients and staff, and other professionals.

Managerial

• To operationally lead and manage designated Occupational Therapy Staff within the team and department, providing effective guidance, supervision and performance management including the education and management of students on practice placements.
• To contribute to the Trust’s, Directorates and Departmental Clinical Governance and Quality assurance programmes, setting and monitoring practice standards within the Occupational Therapy Service and in liaison with interdisciplinary colleagues.
• To inform the Occupational Therapy Service of changes in Clinical practice which may influence Occupational Therapy Service delivery, business planning and strategic reviews to support the delivery of the annual Occupational Therapy plan, meeting agreed objectives.
• To ensure accurate and up to date records of all professional judgements, decisions taken, related statistical information are kept and reported in accordance with Occupational Therapy policies.
• To participate as required in the recruitment selection and induction of Junior Occupational Therapy Staff.
• To participate in the operational planning and implementation of policy and service development within Occupational Therapy leading on delegated projects.

Communication

• To articulate and work to the value base and principles which underpin Occupational Therapy practice representing the unique role of Occupational Therapy in relation to interdisciplinary working.
• To use effective interpersonal skills to communicate complex and frequently unwelcome news regarding prognosis where agreement and co-operation is required and there are barriers to understanding such as vulnerable and at risk patients.
• Utilise formal and informal reporting mechanisms including electronic reporting to ensure effective communication across health and social care.
• Use effective interpersonal skills to encourage patients and carers active participation in the Occupational Therapy process.
• Use verbal and non-verbal communication to receive and disseminate complex clinical information in all therapeutic, educational programmes and professional contexts acknowledging sensitivity and utilising approaches appropriate to the complexity of the context or culture.
• Maintain confidentiality consistent with Trust and Service policies.
• Act as an advocate on behalf of patients and carers by adopting a client centred approach to support meaningful participation in life roles.
• To provide legal assessments and reports on patients where litigation is pending.  To provide work assessments where necessary.
• To maintain and develop professional communication links across health and social care including representation at multidisciplinary collaborative forums and networks.
• To provide support to the multidisciplinary team and be involved in the training of other hospital staff and students, educating other disciplines in the role of Occupational Therapy within the Medicine and  Older Persons service and to participate in the education of patients and carers.
• To utilise advanced communication skills acting as a prime educator of other professionals including doctors, nurses, qualified and unqualified AHPs and students on own area of clinical expertise and on the role and scope of Occupational Therapy.

Professional Development

• To maintain professional status and competence at a senior specialist level taking responsibility for keeping own knowledge and skills up to date by engaging in and directing continuous professional development and lifelong learning.
• Actively participates in internal and external post registration education programmes.
• Use supervision monitoring and performance development plans to promote clinical and personal effectiveness of self and others.
• Share expert acquired clinical knowledge and specialist skills with colleagues and peers both at a local and national level.

Research Audit and Quality

• To commit to evidence based practice by undertaking and contributing to audit projects and research opportunities relevant to Occupational Therapy within the Medicine and  Older Persons Service at Guy’s and St. Thomas’ Hospital, and at a national level.
• To participate in Therapies Directorate research forum and activities to develop research knowledge and skills base.
• To lead and develop designated Occupational Therapy Service audits reporting findings and actions at local and directorate levels.