Specialist Paediatric Occupational Therapist

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see detailed job description and person spec for further details. 

Clinical

• • To provide occupational therapy assessments for children with a variety of conditions.
  • To plan and implement a occupational therapy treatment programmes on an individual basis, using graded activity to achieve therapeutic goals.
  • To monitor, evaluate and modify treatment in order to measure progress and ensure effectiveness of intervention.
  • To manage your own caseload of children with support and supervision from senior team members.
  • To adopt a client centred and sensitive approach to therapy, collaborating with children, parents and / or carers and education staff in all aspects of the therapy process.
  • To demonstrate a broad knowledge of typical child development and the impact of disability to children and their families.
  • To make referrals to appropriate health professionals and paediatric services within the community and acute services as appropriate.
  • To adopt a mutli-disciplinary way of working
  • To provide occupational therapy reports as appropriate, ensuring that all correspondence relating to caseload is dealt with promptly.
  • To participate in team meetings and multi-disciplinary meetings as required.
  • To work to the standards and comply with professional ethics for occupational therapy practitioners as laid down by the College of Occupational Therapists (COT 2010), relevant DoH and other local and national standards.
  • To ensure that up to date records and activity data are maintained in accordance with professional and Trust standards and policies.

Management and Leadership

• To manage your own caseload and day to day activities.
• To assist in the co-ordination of day to day activities of unqualified staff in the service area.
• To work effectively as a team member, operating flexibly to meet the needs of the service and collaborating with other team members.
• Ensure the Team Manager is kept informed of all aspects of the work, especially the development needs of the service.
• To participate in service development.

Communication

• To contribute to and receive information as part of a multi-disciplinary/multi-agency team to provide a co-ordinated and effective service to clients and carers.
• To communicate accurate and sensitive information to clients and carers using an appropriate and accessible medium, taking into consideration relevant factors such as background, culture, gender, age and any physical, sensory or learning difficulties, adopting an empathic approach at all time.
• To provide advice and information regarding occupational therapy and communicate clinical skills and knowledge to others.

Personal and Professional Development

• To review and reflect on own practice through effective use of professional and operational supervisions.
• To demonstrate ongoing professional development through reflective practice and participation in internal and external development opportunities as evidenced in a Continuing Professional Development portfolio.
• To participate in the Trust’s appraisal process and ensure that agreed objectives are achieved, taking responsibility for directing own learning and development activities (eg private study, e-learning, webinars).
• To develop and apply clinical practice skills, knowledge and values within the specialist area.
• To participate in continuing professional development within your specialist area.
• To participate in provision of supervision and review of unqualified occupation therapy staff within the team.
• To participate in clinical training placements for occupational therapy students as required within the area of work.

 Quality

• To apply skills and knowledge in order to establish professional competence and fitness to practise.
• To demonstrate ongoing personal development through participation in internal and external development opportunities, recording learning outcomes in a portfolio.
• To participate in the development of the best practice and governance agenda and in the development of a culture that improves quality.
• To work within national and local policy guidance and adhere to the current legal framework relevant to specific client group and their carers.
• To utilise standardised assessments and outcome measures that are based on the best available evidence and maintain up to date knowledge of developments in the evidence base related to area of practice.
• To contribute to service related audit to contribute to evidence-based practice in the specialist area.

Health Safety and Security

• To adhere to national and local policy and work within a legal framework (eg child protection, health and safety at work, moving and handling, data protection).
• To be responsible for the health and safety of self and others in the work place, monitoring work areas and practices of self and other staff and ensuring safe and appropriate provision of equipment and appliances.
• To take timely and appropriate action where hazards and risks are identified in line with Trust guidelines.
• To undertake risk assessments as appropriate and to inform the Team Leader of the risk areas as appropriate.
• To contribute to improvement in health, safety and security by sharing learning from incidents.

Equality and Diversity

• • To work within the legal, ethical and Trust policy framework, adopting an anti-discriminatory approach that promotes equality and values diversity.
  • To contribute to the development of anti-discriminatory practice and values within the occupational therapy service.
  • To adhere to the Sex Discrimination Act (1975 as amended), the Race Relations Act (1976, as amended) and the Disabled Persons Employment Act (1994, 1998).