Team Lead Occupational Therapist

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Main Tasks and Responsibilities

Clinical

1. To be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of own professional activities.

2. To undertake assessment of patients as an autonomous practitioner, including those with highly complex presentations, using expert clinical reasoning skills, knowledge of evidence based practice and advanced expertise to determine appropriate care plans utilising specialist treatment skills and options.

3. To interpret and analyse clinical and non-clinical facts to form accurate diagnoses in a wide range of highly complex conditions.

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

5. To continually evaluate and reassess patients in order to progress and modify treatments effectively.

6. To be responsible for own and team’s patient care plans and to be consulted frequently for expert advice and guidance by junior and senior team members and other health care professionals.

7. To assess a patient's capacity to understand and to gain valid, informed consent for treatment. To work within a legal framework with patients who lack the capacity to consent or refuse treatment.

8. To co-ordinate intervention, which may include other disciplines, advise and educate patient/ carers/relatives/ other health professionals.

9. To demonstrate expert ability to communicate complex and sensitive information to patients, carers and other staff, where there may be barriers to communication e.g. non-English speaking patients; those with communication disorders, impaired speech, hearing, and ensure all members of the team do likewise.

10. To liaise with and advise other therapists, relevant medical staff, nursing staff, social workers and other health care professionals who may be in direct contact with the post holder with regard to patient care.

11. To communicate effectively with all other disciplines involved in the patient's care both in the Hospital and in the community thus ensuring a multidisciplinary approach and integrated service.

12. To use specialist knowledge to refer to other health disciplines as appropriate.

13. To attend meetings and seminars / case conferences as appropriate, and liaise with, and advise other disciplines, as appropriate, to achieve comprehensive, effective and confidential patient care.

14. To be able to motivate and persuade others (including staff and patients) through advanced communication skills, with the benefit of verbal and non-verbal skills, using written and electronic information where needed.

15. To sensitively deal with distressing or emotional circumstances regarding patient care e.g. imparting news of poor prognoses such as chronic pain management or lifelong disability.

16. To support more junior staff when indicated in the management of challenging patients.

17. To deal effectively with patients suffering from conditions which may lead to anxiety and aggressive behaviour.

18. To teach, support and supervise staff within the team – this will include developing and maintaining their skills, and competency assessments to the appropriate level.

19. To manage clinical risk within own caseload and that of designated team at all times.

20. To demonstrate physical ability to carry out therapy assessment and interventions including manual therapy techniques and therapeutic handling.

21. To demonstrate highly developed dexterity, co-ordination and palpatory sensory skills for assessment and manual treatment of patients.

22. To be responsible for maintenance of accurate written records in accordance with RCOT/CSP/HCPC standards. To include comprehensive progress and discharge reports.

Management

1. To be responsible for policy and service development and implementation across the stroke ward to ensure that quality standards and effectiveness of patient care are continually monitored and improved. 
2. To liaise with other Allied Health Professionals ensuring multi professional care of patients. 
3. To ensure as team leader that staff implement policy and service developmental changes. 
4. To support the organisation of an appropriate weekend rotas to provide optimum cover. 
5. To ensure that the service responds to national initiatives and policy within the framework of clinical governance including clinical effectiveness, evidence-based healthcare, managing clinical risk and, research and development issues. 
6. To contribute to the management of the department including the development and implementation of departmental policies, which will impact on the therapy service. 
7. To be responsible for competent use, repair and maintenance reporting of equipment, and as team leader, to ensure that designated staff attain competency prior to use. 
8. To be responsible for the daily management, supervision and co-ordination of the staffing including staff appraisal. 
9. To attend mandatory fire, manual handling and resuscitation training on an annual basis and be familiar with local procedures within speciality areas of work and ensure that staff within the team are aware of their responsibilities. 
10. To work in an environment where as team leader the work patterns may be disrupted by frequent demands from patients, clinical staff, and students and any emergency situations. 
11. To provide statistics and analysis reports utilising databases in an accurate and timely manner. 
12. To skilfully and flexibly plan and manage own time and organise the team, to include patient care, training, and supervision. 
13. To achieve the effective daily management of a caseload of patients including responding to urgent referrals, prioritising clinical work and balancing other patient related and professional activities in accordance with departmental standards. 
14. To resolve informal complaints and to be well versed with the Trust’s formal complaints procedure. To ensure that the Clinical Lead Therapist is informed of complaints. 
15. To support the Clinical Lead Therapist, when indicated, in the management of staff disciplinary matters. 
16. To contribute to the recruitment of staff, including short-listing of applicants and being a member of the interview panel.

Education

1. To be responsible for the provision of specialised teaching to peers and junior staff and students; this may be to large groups. 
2. To provide specialist training to other professional groups as required. 
3. To provide expert teaching to undergraduate and post graduate students external to the Trust as required and agreed with the Clinical Lead Therapist. 
4. To be responsible for own personal professional development and keep abreast of new clinical practices. To attend and contribute to, specialist continuing education programmes. To attend external courses / education as appropriate. 
5. To maintain a CPD portfolio reflecting personal professional development and ensure all members of the team have a comprehensive performance plan. 
6. To initiate and maintain contacts with local and national clinical interest groups, and to demonstrate the ability to share and disseminate knowledge with colleagues working in other care settings.
7. To clearly convey complex knowledge of techniques, biomechanics, anatomy and physiology to patients and staff. 
8. To supervise and lead on the professional development of therapy staff on rotation through the clinical area. 
9. To be responsible for the training of therapy staff and students on placement within the clinical area. 
10. To supervise undergraduate students as required, and to liaise, as team leader, with academic institutions regarding student performance and placement within the team. See Further Information and Guidelines. 
11. To support and advise less experienced clinical educators as required.

Research and Audit:

1. To develop an ongoing audit and appropriate work-related research/evaluation projects 
2. To supervise evidence-based projects for rotational staff, and the professional presentation of the project to the therapy department. 
3. To keep abreast of evidenced based practice in appropriate related clinical areas, by use of relevant reading, attendance at in-service training, external courses and database searches. 
4. To develop local service standards based on good working knowledge of National Standards where they exist and on best evidence. To ensure these standards are adhered to and monitored by all members of the team. 
5. To participate in appropriate work-related research projects and in clinical trials as required.