Therapy Assistant Practitioner

Job overview

This position is part of the Therapy Assistant Practitioners rotation in the community. It will provide therapy intervention and care in the patient’s home. The position contributes to the community therapy pathway to support initiatives to avoid hospital admission, shorten patients’ stay in hospital and maximise clinical outcome when discharged from hospital.

The rotation includes the Community Stroke Team, Supported Discharge Team and the Urgent Community Response Therapy Team.

The Therapy Assistant Practitioner will work under the supervision of qualified therapy staff, providing assessment and treatment programmes for patients in the community and in intermediate care beds if required.

Main duties of the job

The Therapy Assistant Practitioner is able to carry out a full episode of care from assessment to discharge, for a specified and designated clinical caseload identified by a qualified clinician.

The post holder will assist in the administration and clerical duties for the team and department.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Job Summary:

This position is accountable to Head of Therapy. It will provide therapy intervention and care in the patient’s home, in the hospital setting or in intermediate care beds. The position contributes to the community therapy pathway to support initiatives to avoid hospital admission, shorten patients’ stay in hospital and maximise clinical outcome when discharged from hospital.

The Therapy Assistant Practitioner will work under the supervision of qualified therapy staff, providing assessment and treatment programmes for patients in the community and in intermediate care beds if required.

The Therapy Assistant Practitioner is able to carry out a full episode of care from

assessment to discharge, for a specified and designated clinical caseload identified

by a qualified clinician.

The postholder will assist in the administration and clerical duties for the team and

department.

Key Result Areas & Performance:

• To undertake all aspects of clinical and care duties under the supervision, direct and indirect, of a therapist.

• To carry a full caseload of patients under the supervision, direct and indirect, of a therapist

• Assess and provide for equipment needs

• Progress patients in their homes to maximise their function and independence

• To provide information, teaching and instruction to relatives, carers, colleagues, other disciplines and agencies. To promote understanding on the aims of Therapy and to ensure continuation of the treatment programme.

• Contributes to advice and education sessions for relevant patient groups

• To participate in multidisciplinary / multi-agency team meetings and case

conferences to ensure the co-ordination of patient care.  This may include the

review of patient progress, and discharge planning.

• To employ appropriate skills such as persuasion, motivation and negotiation to gain

co-operation in the continuation of the agreed treatment programme.

• Maintain accurate clinical records of all interventions

• To produce patient related reports for other disciplines or agencies relating to

assessment findings and/or treatment outcomes

• Input to databases as required

• Referring to the qualified practitioner when necessary, to work independently with a

specified client group to manage equipment provision and functional assessment

and rehabilitation, from pre- operative phase to post-op rehabilitation

• Deliver and install simple aids and equipment in the patient’s home and instruct

patients and carers in use of this equipment as appropriate

• To carry out home visits and access visits, with or without a therapist, as required

• To manage own day to day workload and maintain level of service within the

pathway at the local site, and assist other members of the team to make appropriate

prioritisation choices.  To ensure the effective exchange of information across the

pathway team and co-ordination of service delivery.

Work force

• To provide guidance and teaching to therapy assistants working for Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust

• To be proactive in the community with therapy and nursing staff within the Lewisham Enablement Team to feedback on patients’ progress, immediately highlighting any clinical concerns

• To participate in supervision and appraisal with a designated senior therapist

• To attend staff meetings

• To contribute to the clinical induction of therapy staff

• To be able to independently progress patients’ exercise programme and mobility,

including issuing walking aids, for the specified patient group

Financial

• Ensure adequate activities of daily living equipment is available and accessible,

and work with Transferring Community Equipment Services (TCES) agenda

Partnerships

• Communications and Relationships

To communicate directly with ward staff any relevant information for patient care

and discharge facilitation

• To provide information and instruction to other disciplines to ensure a consistent

approach to patient care

• To educate patients / relatives/ carers regarding the nature of the condition and the

aims of the therapy intervention

General

• To maintain accurate computer and written records that meet professional Trust and council standards

• To undertake general administrative tasks as required including filing, appointment

booking, processing referrals, answering the telephone, and other duties as

required

• To drive a lease car to visit patients’ homes, with or without passengers

• To be able to work flexibly between community and hospital, depending on

demand, and be able to prioritise and organise own workload to facilitate this

Care duties include, but not exclusively, help with personal hygiene, management of continence, medication management in line with LBL policy on Medication Administration, light housework, shopping and meal preparation.

Able to participate in weekend / out of hours rota.