Senior Neuro and Stroke Occupational Therapist

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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Key responsibilities:

Clinical

1. To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own work, including the management of patients in your care.

2. To undertake a comprehensive holistic assessment of patients including those with diverse or complex presentations/multi pathologies. Use advanced clinical reasoning skills and highly developed manual assessment techniques to provide an accurate diagnosis.

3. To formulate and deliver appropriate individual evidence based occupational therapy treatment programme for all patients, including patients with complex presentations. This necessitates high levels of autonomy and the analysis of information from a wide range of sources, interpreting results to inform assessment and treatment planning, selecting an appropriate treatment/management programme, often from a range of options, and evaluating the effectiveness of treatment interventions.

4. To formulate accurate prognoses and recommend best course of intervention, developing comprehensive discharge plans.

5. To assess patient understanding of treatment proposals, gain valid informed consent and have the capacity to work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment.

6. To have a good working knowledge of the multidisciplinary team (MDT) and follow-up rehabilitation and treatment services. To work as an effective member of the MDT and make appropriate and timely referrals to MDT colleagues.

7. To liaise effectively with MDT members to formulate holistic, integrated plans of treatment. To request and provide accurate and comprehensive occupational therapy reports and assessments. To give specialist advice to other staff within the Trust as required.

8. To organise and plan MDT meetings, case conferences and home visits as needed. Represent the occupational therapy service and/or individual patients at such visits/meetings, to ensure the delivery of a co-ordinated multidisciplinary service. This will include discussion of patient care, patient progress and involvement in discharge planning.

9. To use recognised outcome measures, assessment tools and advanced clinical skills to evaluate patient progress, reassess and alter treatment programmes if required.

10. To manage clinical risk within own patient caseload.

11. When working in domiciliary settings, to work as a lone practitioner with telephone support from a specialist occupational therapist if required.

12. To be responsible for maintaining accurate and comprehensive written patient assessment and treatment records and any other documentation required, in line with professional and Trust standards. This includes report writing, discharge summaries, referral letters and written communication with other health care professionals and agencies.

13. To be responsible for the safe and competent use of all equipment and patient appliances and aids (e.g. functional aids and manual handling equipment) used within the role. Check all equipment prior to use and report any faults to the relevant authority. Ensure that staff under the postholder's supervision attain competency prior to use. Accurately complete, seek authorisation and process equipment orders on a timely basis.

14. To develop and evaluate written information for patients and carers as agreed with the specialist occupational therapist.

15. To adhere to all trust and government policies/ recommendations regarding social distancing, PPE and safety measures to prevent the spread of COVID 19.

Communication

1. To use a wide range of skilled verbal and non-verbal communication tools to communicate effectively with patients for accurate assessment and progression. This will include patients who may have difficulties in understanding or communicating. For example, patients may be dysphasic, depressed, hearing impaired, have cognitive difficulties or may be unable to accept diagnosis.

2. To use above communication skills to persuade, negotiate and motivate patients to co-operate with all aspects of their treatment, both on an individual and group basis. Use tact and reassurance when dealing with patients, relatives and carers.

3. To provide and receive highly complex and/or sensitive information including information regarding prognosis, limitation to function and or mobility, and changes in social situation. To further communicate this information in an appropriate, sensitive and timely manner to other occupational therapy and medical staff, MDT members, patients and carers. To deliver unwelcome news to patients and carers regarding expected treatment outcomes and long-term changes in physical or social functioning, and to support less experienced staff to do likewise.

Organisational and Managerial

1. To ensure that your own practice and that of staff under your supervision meet the required professional standards of occupational therapy practice and hospital policies and procedures

2. To be responsible for the supervision, co-ordination and wellness checks of named basic grade staff, students, assistants/technical instructors on a daily basis, as directed by the specialist occupational therapist.

3. To delegate work appropriately to named basic grade and assistant/technical instructor colleagues within their scope of competence. To take clinical responsibility for work undertaken by therapy assistants and technical instructors under your direct supervision.

4. To be responsible for prioritising, organising and planning own caseload to meet service requirements. Liaise with the wider occupational therapy team to work co-operatively in order to meet service and patient priorities (medically fit patients and the completion of onward referrals etc).

5. To be adaptable and readjust plans as situations change/arise.

6. In conjunction with, and with the support of senior staff, participate in and conduct the appraisal of basic grade and assistant/technical instructor staff.

7. Alongside specialist therapy staff, to actively support basic grade staff or less experienced staff within the current rotation through strategies such as mentorship, peer review, clinical reasoning sessions, clinical supervision and wellness checks.

8. To support the specialist occupational therapist in the analysis, dissemination, implementation and monitoring of national guidelines and standards applicable to occupational therapy for neurology and stroke patients.

9. To assist in the recruitment and retention of all staff within the department.

10. To demonstrate developed leadership skills for effective intra and inter team communication and foster a culture of co-operation, team working and respect.

Education and Training

1. To be responsible for teaching and assessing student occupational therapists to graduate level on occupational therapy skills and knowledge within core clinical areas. Plan appropriate programmes of learning for students under your supervision.

2. To support the specialist occupational therapist in the planning, facilitating and evaluating in-service training programmes to the orthopaedic and surgery occupational therapy team and/or groups of staff. Attend and participate in departmental in-service training programmes, staff meetings, tutorials, individual training sessions, agreed external courses and peer review

3. To provide formal and informal teaching sessions regarding occupational therapy practice for members of the MDT to include nursing staff, medical staff and physiotherapists when required.

4. To attend any Trust mandatory training sessions annually and ensure that all e-learning modules are updated as required.

5. To support the specialist occupational therapist in the planning, facilitating and evaluating in-service training programmes to the neurology and rehabilitation occupational therapy team and/or groups of staff. Attend and participate in departmental in-service training programmes, staff meetings, tutorials, individual training sessions, agreed external courses and peer review

Quality and Effectiveness

1. To work within Trust wide clinical guidelines, policies and procedures and also those agreed locally within the Occupational Therapy & Physiotherapy Department. To adhere to the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct of Occupational Therapists (COT 2000) professional standards and guidelines. To have a good working knowledge of relevant national and local standards and monitor own quality of practice and that of others under your supervision.

2. To undertake the measurement and evaluation of your work and current practices through the use of advanced clinical skills, evidence based practice projects, audit and outcome measures, either individually or with more senior therapists.

3. To undertake and manage with support of the occupational therapist, audit and research into specific areas of clinical practice and service delivery using a range of research methodologies as part of MDT audit and departmental research initiatives.

4. To participate in the identification, development and implementation of appropriate standards, protocols and operational policies.

5. To participate in the development and monitoring of the service in line with local and national requirements and standards.

Person specification

Experience

Essential criteria

• Broad based postgraduate experience to include experience in neurology, stroke or rehabilitation
• Experience working within an acute hospital environment
• Experience within the NHS
• Experience of supervision of staff or students including staff appraisal

Desirable criteria

• Involvement in service improvement via project management or clinical audit
• Experience of contributing to the development of treatment guidelines

communitcation

Essential criteria

• Excellent verbal and non verbal communication skills
• Ability to present information, written and orally, in a clear and logical manner

Skills

Essential criteria

• Ability to organise, prioritise and delegate appropriately
• Competent IT skills
• Ability to be highly organised and responsive to changing workloads and situations
• Ability to work to deadlines and under pressure
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced work environment

It is an exciting time to join the newly formed Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. We run two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Our 7,500 staff provide high quality care for a growing population of around 700,000 across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas.

You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. Travel between hospital sites may be required. We have state-of-the art facilities placing us at the heart of cutting edge health care. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.

All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering their first six months in post.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.

Documents to download

• Job Description (PDF, 208.4KB)
• Person Specification (PDF, 136.4KB)
• Functional Aspects (PDF, 152.6KB)
• L&D Hospital site map (PDF, 96.8KB)
• Disclosure & Barring Information and Recruitment of Ex-Offenders (PDF, 78.5KB)
• Staff Diversity Network (PDF, 140.3KB)
• Information for Disabled Applicants (PDF, 98.7KB)
• Staff Benefits (PNG, 1.6MB)