Senior Occupational Therapist

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see attached JD for full details but main responsibilities as follows.

Main Duties and Responsibilities
Communication
 To work closely with the Head of Occupational Therapy and other Occupational Therapy Leads to ensure a professional and co-ordinated Occupational Therapy service.

To work closely with the MDT to ensure a professional and co-ordinated discharge.

To ensure that the team maintains up to date written and electronic activity data in accordance with professional and Trust standards.

To establish and maintain robust communication networks with clients, carers, colleagues,and other agencies, communicating with them in a way that respects their abilities, views, autonomy, and culture.

 To communicate effectively with patients, carers, colleagues and other agencies, demonstrating developed verbal and non- verbal skills to communicate often complex concepts, managing barriers to communications such as dysphasia, learning difficulties, cognitive or sensory issues and different languages.

 To establish and maintain communication with various individuals and groups on complex, potentially stressful topics in a range of situations.

 To develop and maintain effective professional communication structures.
To promote awareness of the role of Occupational Therapy within the multidisciplinary team, negotiating priorities where appropriate.
To provide accurate and up to date documentation of all interventions, complying with Trust, departmental and professional standards and provide Occupational Therapy reports as appropriate and relevant to your clinical specialty.

Service Delivery and Improvement
To support and assist the Team leader in planning and delivery of Occupational Therapy service developments and policy in line with departmental development strategies, Trust objectives and current government agenda, and in consultation with the Head of 
Occupational Therapy. 

To be actively involved in the Multidisciplinary Team service developments, in consultation with your Team Lead, leading on projects where appropriate.
To assess risk and manage it effectively within designated team, clinical and community settings used for occupational therapy.

 To take responsibility for risk management and health and safety in the workplace by adhering to and promoting Health and Safety regulations, UHS and departmental policies.
To ensure the safe use, maintenance, and storage of equipment; and to report faulty equipment in accordance with local policy and national procedures.
 To regularly attend and contribute to Occupational Therapy staff meetings and other 
meetings as required.
 To identify unmet needs and gaps in service provision and highlight to Team leader

 To have good working knowledge of good resource management and budgetary constraints.
 To be familiar with all project developments/initiatives and cascade to team members.
To participate in quality assurance service audit and outcome measures.
To participate in a 7-day rota as required.
 To be willing to work cross-site and in other Teams on a short-term basis in times of service 
need.
People Management and Development
To support the Band 7 OT, OT lead, AHP Lead and Head of OT with providing leadership within your designated team.
To ensure that you and team members adhere to Health and Safety guidelines and maintain safe working environments and practices.
 To represent Occupational Therapy at all appropriate service meetings.

 To deputise for the Team Lead in their absence in the prioritisation of referrals and caseload allocation, balancing patient related and professional demands, discuss staffing implications with the Head of Occupational Therapy when appropriate.
 To review and reflect upon own practice and performance through effective use of professional and operational supervision in line with Service and Trust policies.
 To contribute to an effective supervision framework for Occupational Therapy staff and participate in the Trust’s appraisal process.
 To support your Team Lead with the induction, training, development, and appraisal of the other members of staff.
 To contribute to the recruitment and induction of Occupational Therapy staff and other staff as appropriate.
 To provide training to staff and students on specialist topics as agreed with the Team Lead
 To initiate, plan and implement the induction, training and education of students on placement and any other new staff as delegated by Team lead.
 To provide clinical supervision to other members of the Occupational Therapy Team as agreed with Team Lead.
To carry out staff appraisal in the capacity as supervisor as agreed with the Team Lead.
 To be a student practice educator and to provide student practice placements.

Patient Care Delivery
To independently manage a caseload of patients with complex and variable needs using evidence-based principles to plan and implement effective assessments and treatment programmes.
To undertake comprehensive and timely assessments of patients utilising advanced clinical reasoning and analytical skills, responding rapidly to changes in patients’ clinical needs, functional needs and mental health status including assessing their ability to give informed 
consent for therapy.
 To interpret and analyse clinical and non-clinical facts to inform accurate diagnoses and prognoses.

 To carry out a wide range of interventions and treatment approaches.
 To monitor, evaluate and modify treatment to measure progress and ensure effectiveness of interventions.
 To use specialist activity analysis techniques in conjunction with patient centred practice to select and grade activities to achieve therapeutic goals.
To take the lead in recommending and carrying out the best course of action to develop goals and discharge plans.
 To delegate appropriate tasks to more junior staff taking into account their skills and competencies.
 To use persuasive skills to empower patients to engage with self-management through advice, education, coping strategies and therapy.
 To use advanced analytical skills and flexibility to monitor, evaluate and modify treatment in order to measure progress and identify changes in patient’s medical status which is liable to change /deteriorate rapidly in both hospital and community settings.
 To demonstrate a robust understanding of the implications of manual handling legislation and current best practice, applying this knowledge to the practice of therapeutic manual handling.
 To develop effective therapeutic relationships with patients who may have complex cognitive, perceptual and behavioural needs demonstrating empathy and sensitivity to issues which may arise in hostile and emotive situations.
 To apply specialist knowledge of the effect of disability and provide education and advice on lifestyle changes and any adaptations to patient environments to reduce recurrence of admissions.
To seek advice from MDT to inform analysis and reasoning where appropriate
 To provide specialist advice within own field of expertise to colleagues working within other clinical areas.
 To arrange for the rapid provision of appropriate standard and non- standard specialist equipment in order to facilitate discharges.
 To conduct access visits and home visits to facilitate safe discharge and prevent readmissions, including the rapid provision and fitting of necessary equipment and frequent lone working.
 To represent the OT Department participating in relevant meetings/ward rounds, to contribute to the planning of patient care and maintain a strong OT profile within UHS.
 To provide advice and demonstration to patients and carers in the use of equipment and other techniques to optimise patients’ functional ability, independence and safety.
 To identify and justify when a patient does not require OT intervention but needs other multi-disciplinary input or referrals to other services.
 To refer to Community Services as appropriate, to provide short-term inpatient and community rehabilitation/carer input to address ongoing needs on discharge and manage risks at home.
 To refer to third sector services as appropriate.
 To be able to handover clearly and accurately the patient’s current needs.

Learning and Development
 Attend mandatory training updates as required.
 Undertake training as necessary in line with the development of the post and as agreed with the line manager as part of the personal development process.
 Achieve and demonstrate agreed standards of personal and professional development within agreed timescales.
 Identify own learning needs and jointly plan training requirements with your line manager.
 To encourage and support research activity within the team.
 To engage actively in practice development, evaluation, audit and research activity relevant to Occupational Therapy and/or service area(s)
 To promote evidence-based practice.
 Participate in the Trust’s appraisal process to discuss how your role will help deliver the best possible care to our patients and help to deliver any changes in service and to achieve and demonstrate agreed standards of personal and professional development within agreed timescales.
 To participate in the promotion of the profession through involvement in informal and formal events, such as careers conventions, work experience placements etc
 To develop skills as a Student Practice Educator in order to supervise and assess Occupational Therapy students.
 To record learning outcomes and CPD in a portfolio, in line with the requirements of the HCPC.