Band 8a Senior Manual Handling Advisor

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Our trust has around 10,000 staff serving 1.6 million patients. It comprises Barnet Hospital, Chase Farm Hospital, the Royal Free Hospital and more than 30 services in the community. This larger scale organisation provides an unprecedented opportunity for us to continue our pioneering work, particularly in finding ways to deliver even better care to our patients.

Our mission is to deliver world class care and expertise in our clinical services, underpinned by world class teaching and research and we will continue to measure our progress against our five governing objectives: excellent outcomes, excellent patient and staff experience, excellent value for taxpayers' money, being safe and meeting our external duties, and building a strong organisation.

Everyone is welcome at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. We're proud of our diversity and we continue to undertake new initiatives to advance equality for LGBT+, BME, gender equality, staff carers and people with disabilities and lived experiences to promote good relations and understanding between our staff.

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Click on the logo below to see the video of the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust values

Job overview

An excellent opportunity has presented itself to lead a manual handling team through a whole range of manual handling service functions.

As a specialist independent practitioner, some aspects of the job will involve working outside the normal scope of practice of manual handling advisors and provide specialist assessment and support in the management to a specific, highly specialised clinical caseload. This involves supporting clinical staff with the assessment of patients within the specialty who may have complex and or chronic conditions to develop comprehensive management plans.

The post holder will be responsible for developing, implementing and managing systems and processes for safe and effective manual handling including supporting the Learning and Development team on training requirements and advising the Medical Devices team on manual handling related equipment.

The ideal candidate will be the Trusts recognised expert on manual handling and ergonomics, demonstrating comprehensive knowledge of relevant legislation, policies and industry best standards whilst promoting and developing a safety culture and strategising to reduce musculoskeletal injuries within the Trust.

Main duties of the job

Responsible for devising and leading a programme which systematically recognises, reports, analyses, evaluates and minimises risks of manual handling activities and to ensure that staff are confident and competent to deal with moving and handling issues in a safe manner.

Act as the Trust competent person, as designated under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 by providing expert advice on all areas of manual handling (clinical and non-clinical) to minimise risk and provide a safe working environment.

The ideal candidate will have a relevant professional registration e.g. nurse, occupational therapist, physiotherapist, or ergonomist, be a member of a professional body (HCPC, NMC, IOSH) and a BSc and / or Post Graduate qualification in Ergonomics / Human Factors or equivalent recognised qualification (e.g. Back Care Management) based on the National Back Exchange Interprofessional Curriculum. in order to be able to take on an extended role within the specialist clinical area and develop the manual handling service (including speclalist bariatric support) within the multidisciplinary team.

Working for our organisation

Royal Free World Class Values

The post holder will offer World Class Care to service users, staff, colleagues, clients and patients alike so that everyone at the Royal Free can feel:

• Welcome all of the time
• Confident because we are clearly communicating
• Respected and cared for
• Reassured that they are always in safe hands

You will be working within the Patient Safety and Risk Department under the management of the Group Head of Health, Safety and Risk where you will work closely with colleagues from the Health & Safety, Risk, Patient Safety, Legal and Datix teams.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Job Description included in the documents section.

Responsible for devising and leading a programme which systematically recognises, reports, analyses, evaluates and minimises risks of manual handling activities and to ensure that staff are confident and competent to deal with moving and handling issues in a safe manner.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• A relevant professional registration e.g. nurse, occupational therapist, physiotherapist, ergonomist
• Membership of a professional body e.g. HCPC, NMC, IOSH
• BSc and / or Post Graduate qualification in Ergonomics / Human Factors or equivalent recognised qualification (e.g. Back Care Management) based on the National Back Exchange Interprofessional Curriculum.
• A relevant teaching qualification such as NVQ/QCA level 4 (CTTLS)

Desirable criteria

• A relevant professional health and safety qualification e.g. NEBOSH Certificate

Experience

Essential criteria

• At least 5 years experience of delivering manual/patient handling training, risk management and safe systems including the demonstration of manual handling equipment in a variety of settings preferably acute NHS
• Recent clinical healthcare experience (within 2 years)
• Knowledge of workplace musculoskeletal health issues, current best practice guidance and healthcare standards.
• Experience of moving and handling activities specific to the plus-sized patient group and bariatric management.
• Experience of moving and handling activities specific to complex groups of patients including paediatrics, neurorehabilitation and spinal issues / trauma.

Skills and Apptitudes

Essential criteria

• Excellent written and interpersonal skills and the ability to challenge constructively
• Computer literate (Word, Excel and PowerPoint) and ability to use web based systems
• Ability to work to tight deadlines delivering high quality results
• Demonstrate the ability to lead and motivate others to bring about change and improvements to the clinical / working environment.

Desirable criteria

• A knowledge of the NHS, its structures and objectives and their application within the Trust

Personal Qualities

Essential criteria

• Willingness to undertake training sessions to develop self and improve service provided to patients and staff by the manual handling team members.
• Able to work well as a team member and form professional relationships with wider Trust colleagues.
• Has a caring, compassionate and professional nature.

Royal Free World Class Values

Essential criteria

• Demonstrable ability to meet the Trust Values

• Covid-19 Vaccination

  Getting vaccinated, and getting a booster, remains the best defence against COVID-19.
  We encourage and support staff to get COVID-19 vaccine and a booster dose as and when they are eligible.

• AT* - Apprenticeship Training. Where AT* is entered next to the job title indicates that this vacancy is for an apprenticeship role.
• By applying for this role, you accept if successful, that your personal data may be transferred from the Trust to another NHS organisation where your employment transfers within the NHS. This is in accordance with the streamlining programme which aims at saving you time and improving efficiencies within the NHS when your employment transfers. Therefore we require you to complete your stat and Man e-learning modules prior to joining our organisation.
• If you are an EU/EEA citizen who does not have EU Settlement or Pre-Settled status, you will require a visa to work in the UK.
• Applications from job seekers who require sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. Before submitting your application and to avoid disappointment please check that you are eligible under the UKVI points based system.
• If you are offered a role with one of the NLPSS partner trusts, as part of pre-employment checks your identity and right to work documentation will be verified remotely (in most circumstances), using a certified identity verification service provider TrustID. You will be asked to capture an image of the relevant documents as well as a "selfie" using your smartphone/tablet (if available) for facial matching. TrustID will also perform a digital address check using Trunarrative and Equifax, which is a soft check and does not leave a footprint on your credit rating. For more information, visit www.trustid.co.uk
• The Trust uses electronic new starter forms on Trac to collect personal details. Information collected is securely stored and used to set up the employee record on the ESR HR system.
• The Trust will request a DBS (CRB) if post involves regulated activities. The Trust is compliant with the Disclosure and Barring Service Codes of practice and the Rehabilitation of offenders act.
• By applying for this post you are agreeing to Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are offered a job, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.
• Please be aware of scams - unless specified above, we will only communicate with you via @recruit.trac.jobs or nhs.net e-mails and we will never ask you for any payments.

Applications are welcome from people wishing to job share or work flexible patterns. We are committed to equal opportunities.

Please note:

• Due to the high number of applications that are received for some posts we may close this vacancy before the advertised closing date. Therefore please apply for this post as soon as you can, if you are interested and you meet the requirements of the Person Specification
• Only those candidates who clearly demonstrate how they meet the person specification will be shortlisted for this job.
• Interview arrangements will be communicated via email so please check your email regularly following the closing date.

Please be advised that due to exceptionally high demand, all Royal Free accommodation is at full capacity and waiting lists are being held. Average waiting times are 12 months. Please do not rely on Trust accommodation when you commence your role and ensure you investigate alternative accommodation for your arrival.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Documents to download

• 8a Senior Manual Handling Advisor Job Description (PDF, 280.4KB)
• FR (PDF, 111.5KB)
• Corporate, Admin & Clerical, Other - benefits, about RFL, values and governing objectives (PDF, 935.8KB)