Advanced Occupational Therapist

Job overview

The Adult Occupational Therapy Service are pleased to be able to advertise for an Advanced Occupational Therapist specialising in acute care.

We are looking for a dynamic Occupational Therapist with a passion for delivering the highest quality clinical care, and an enthusiasm for supporting the development of others.

The Advanced Occupational Therapist will use expert knowledge and advanced clinical reasoning skills to provide specialist support, complete comprehensive assessments, devise individualised person centered treatment interventions and management plans.

They will have an overview of the acute Occupational Therapy caseload and will work clinically to support the team with assessment and treatment of the most complex patients, ensuring safe and timely discharges from the acute setting.

They will work alongside the clinical team lead to provide a well led and coordinated seven day acute Occupational Therapy service.

This post requires the individual to participate in seven day working during core hours (08:30 16:30).

For further information please contact Ruth Campbell (Clinical Team Lead) on 01325743589 or ruthcampbell3@nhs.net.

Main duties of the job

Works as an autonomous practitioner with a variable caseload of complex patients, supporting patients during their time in hospital and ensuring safe, prompt return to the community.

Uses expert knowledge and advanced clinical reasoning skills in the management of complex patients, providing specialist support and advice to the departments, wards and healthcare staff as required.

Specialist skills in the assessment and treatment of patients requiring Occupational Therapy input, including completion of evidenced based assessments and interventions.

Work alongside the medical teams and the rest of the MDT to ensure every patient presenting with acute health or social care need receives the most appropriate care in the most appropriate setting in a timely manner.

Support the ongoing development of Adult Occupational Therapy Services with an integrated approach to the delivery of care involving all relevant stakeholders.

Providing leadership and line management to Occupational Therapy staff members, overseeing service provision to ensure the delivery of safe, effective, high quality care.

Job responsibilities

Be responsible for the efficient, effective and safe management of patients referred or identified to the Occupational Therapy Service.

Be able to manage your own caseload in response to unpredictable patterns of work. Accept referrals from other health care professionals and work unsupervised.

To maintain an overview of, and support the wider team to manage their caseloads, providing them with support with complex cases.

To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of your own work, including the management of patients in your care. To ensure a high standard of clinical practice for patients under your management.

To work with medical, nursing, allied health professionals and the wider MDT to provide the highest possible standards care for all patients you come into contact with.

Use expert knowledge of occupational therapy interventions to provide a highly specialist assessment to patients in acute, sub-acute and community settings.

To ensure assessment is evidence based, detailed and holistic. Ensuring patient preferences are incorporated and that physical, psychological, social and environmental factors are considered.

To make professionally autonomous decisions and be accountable for the direct delivery of care, exercising judgement on the parameters of safe practice and guided by broad policies and guidelines e.g. NICE guidelines. They are accountable for his/her actions or omissions. They can discuss / refer to other members of the multidisciplinary team in circumstances where this is necessary and appropriate.

To develop and deliver personalised, effective programs of care, recording, documenting and maintaining these within trust policy.

Responsible for solving wide ranging routine and complex problems and issues, exercising highly developed specialist knowledge for advanced judgments/decision making, demonstrating expanded and autonomous knowledge and advanced skills within clinical practice.

Where role requires, to carry out the extended role of an Advanced Therapy Practitioner working outside of traditional role but within the agreed competence-based framework where competencies have been agreed and achieved.

To contribute to the development and implementation of the competence-based framework including training modules to ensure that competencies are met.

To recognise and advocate the different strengths of team members, where role requires, to carry out agreed generic tasks identifying where tasks are profession specific.

Provide highly specialised advice to patients, carers and relatives to ensure compliance with the diagnosed condition, treatment and interventions. Advise on health promotion and prevention of disease in accordance with NHS policy and agendas in order to achieve optimum health and independence.

To exercise highly developed skills to identify patients who may be at potential risk e.g. vulnerable adults, self-neglect, patients at risk of abuse or where abuse is suspected. To act accordingly within guidelines to safeguard these patients.

Actively participate in ward huddles, communicating planned patient care from Occupational Therapy Team.

To formulate and deliver an individual discharge plan based on advanced clinical knowledge of current practice, evidence based practice and community support options. To identify and coordinate appropriate transfers to community hospital sites, rehabilitation and step down beds, and complete trusted assessor pathway where local agreements are in place.

Liaise with colleagues in other areas of the hospital and in other hospitals and trusts to ensure the safe, smooth transfer of patients to and from the department.

Assist the department team to develop innovative and flexible approaches to care.

Ensure that personal performance meets the job requirements, professional codes and standards, trust and post competency standards at all times.

To be aware of and respond to operational pressures, supporting operational management across the acute and sub-acute sites as appropriate.

Responsibility for recording and evaluating patient outcomes and agreeing on and recording quality metrics for the evaluation of service provision.

To provide clinical leadership to occupational therapy staff within area of practice.

Be responsible for the efficient, effective and safe management of patients referred or identified to the Occupational Therapy Service.

Be able to manage your own caseload in response to unpredictable patterns of work. Accept referrals from other health care professionals and work unsupervised.

To maintain an overview of, and support the wider team to manage their caseloads, providing them with support with complex cases.

To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of your own work, including the management of patients in your care. To ensure a high standard of clinical practice for patients under your management.

To work with medical, nursing, allied health professionals and the wider MDT to provide the highest possible standards care for all patients you come into contact with.

Use expert knowledge of occupational therapy interventions to provide a highly specialist assessment to patients in acute, sub-acute and community settings.

To ensure assessment is evidence based, detailed and holistic. Ensuring patient preferences are incorporated and that physical, psychological, social and environmental factors are considered.

To make professionally autonomous decisions and be accountable for the direct delivery of care, exercising judgement on the parameters of safe practice and guided by broad policies and guidelines e.g. NICE guidelines. They are accountable for his/her actions or omissions. They can discuss / refer to other members of the multidisciplinary team in circumstances where this is necessary and appropriate.

To develop and deliver personalised, effective programs of care, recording, documenting and maintaining these within trust policy.

Responsible for solving wide ranging routine and complex problems and issues, exercising highly developed specialist knowledge for advanced judgments/decision making, demonstrating expanded and autonomous knowledge and advanced skills within clinical practice.

Where role requires, to carry out the extended role of an Advanced Therapy Practitioner working outside of traditional role but within the agreed competence-based framework where competencies have been agreed and achieved.

To contribute to the development and implementation of the competence-based framework including training modules to ensure that competencies are met.

To recognise and advocate the different strengths of team members, where role requires, to carry out agreed generic tasks identifying where tasks are profession specific.

Provide highly specialised advice to patients, carers and relatives to ensure compliance with the diagnosed condition, treatment and interventions. Advise on health promotion and prevention of disease in accordance with NHS policy and agendas in order to achieve optimum health and independence.

To exercise highly developed skills to identify patients who may be at potential risk e.g. vulnerable adults, self-neglect, patients at risk of abuse or where abuse is suspected. To act accordingly within guidelines to safeguard these patients.

Actively participate in ward huddles, communicating planned patient care from Occupational Therapy Team.

To formulate and deliver an individual discharge plan based on advanced clinical knowledge of current practice, evidence based practice and community support options. To identify and coordinate appropriate transfers to community hospital sites, rehabilitation and step down beds, and complete trusted assessor pathway where local agreements are in place.

Liaise with colleagues in other areas of the hospital and in other hospitals and trusts to ensure the safe, smooth transfer of patients to and from the department.

Assist the department team to develop innovative and flexible approaches to care.

Ensure that personal performance meets the job requirements, professional codes and standards, trust and post competency standards at all times.

To be aware of and respond to operational pressures, supporting operational management across the acute and sub-acute sites as appropriate.

Responsibility for recording and evaluating patient outcomes and agreeing on and recording quality metrics for the evaluation of service provision.

To provide clinical leadership to occupational therapy staff within area of practice.