Specialist Occupational Therapist - Walsall ESD/Community Stroke Team

Job overview

The Walsall Early Supported Discharge (ESD) and Community Stroke Team is seeking an enthusiastic and highly motivated Specialist Occupational Therapist to join our multidisciplinary team. This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in delivering high-quality, patient-centred rehabilitation for individuals recovering from stroke within their own homes and community settings.

The post holder will provide specialist occupational therapy assessment, treatment, and rehabilitation to adults with complex physical, cognitive, perceptual, and psychosocial needs following stroke. Working as part of an integrated multidisciplinary team, you will support patients to maximise their independence, achieve their rehabilitation goals, and facilitate a smooth transition from hospital to community-based care.

Main duties of the job

To undertake all aspects of clinical duties as an autonomous practitioner, including professional and legal accountability and managing clinical risk for all aspects of own work. Some aspects of work will involve delivery of the care as an individual practitioner or as part of a multi-disciplinary team, providing an evidence-based Occupational Therapy service for adults with a stroke. To use specialist clinical skills to assess and deliver Occupational Therapy intervention to service users with highly complex needs. In most cases to be the sole health professional with responsibility for that patient’s episode of care.

To provide support to the Assistant Practitioners/Technical Instructors via supervision and Professional

Development Review. To work collaboratively with and to provide technical support to colleagues within community stroke rehabilitation services. To act as an accredited fieldwork educator for Occupational Therapy Students on placement.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To manage a caseload of service users with highly complex needs due to stroke,
• Using specialist Occupational Therapist assessment and intervention skills i.e. Vision, cognition, vocational rehab to include equipment orders and home adaptions.
• Use specialist clinical skills to provide assessment and treatment programmes in community setting.
• To supervise band 4 and 5 grades of therapy staff within the community stroke rehabilitation service
• To act as an autonomous practitioner with advanced practitioner skills. This involves assessing clinical needs, planning, delivering, and evaluating therapeutic rehabilitation programmes to support community living of clients with complex needs and discharging from the service when appropriate.
• To perform specialist stroke rehabilitation Occupational therapy assessments and interventions to facilitate improvement in upper limb function, cognitive, vision and perceptual skills within recognised frameworks of practice and treatment approaches. This may involve use of recognised standardised assessments e.g. VISA, OCS, R-Bands, Brainwave R and Rivermead perceptual assessment battery.
• To assess for and fit a wide variety of adaptive equipment to meet clients’ needs regarding community living and performance of roles. This involves identifying potential risks and using highly developed clinical reasoning skills to identify the appropriate piece of equipment and monitor and evaluate its use
• To assess for and prescribe minor adaptations to property and identify needs for major adaptations and liaise with Social Services colleagues regarding provision
• To assess clinical needs and manufacture specialist orthoses to meet clinical needs related to management of muscle tone, joint stability, and pain. This will include monitoring and evaluating use and change in clients’ health status within a planned review system.
• To organise, facilitate and evaluate, group treatment and health education programmes for specific client groups i.e. upper limb group and cognitive groups.
• To effectively manage and prioritise a caseload of service users with complex needs acting as an autonomous practitioner with advanced specialist practitioner skills.
• To provide appropriate written clinical reports within Single Assessment Processes and maintain client case notes to agreed departmental and professional standards.
• To construct and monitor care plans. This includes supervising the practice of generic workers, Assistant Practitioners or Technical Instructors and care workers within the enablement service.
• To liaise and work jointly with, appropriate health and social care providers to ensure that all identified issues requiring intervention are addressed within available resources. This may include attendance at multi-professional and multiagency meetings, case reviews and joint visits.
• To provide technical support and advice to other health and social care providers regarding appropriate interventions to address clients’ issues.
• To identify best / evidence-based practice related to appropriate client groups and implement within resources available.

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.