Therapy Assistant

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CLINICAL

·       To be responsible for direct delivery of therapy programmes and CDT multidisciplinary packages of care, providing individual and group client centred treatment packages and advice to a diverse paediatric caseload, as directed by trained staff members.  This will include delivering the therapy programme, adapting and monitoring it according to clinical changes in the child, reporting back to the qualified therapist as to its ongoing suitability for the child and recording progress and measuring outcomes in the standard format. This will also include co-delivery of packages of care alongside other CDT clinical staff.

·       To assist the running of small therapy groups, for example for children with a diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorder.

·       To assist the physiotherapy departments with small group hydrotherapy sessions including working in the pool as required.

·       To be responsible for providing  parent advice and support in designated areas such as toilet training, and communication supports as directed by CDT clinicians.

·       Using skills developed to continually assess child’s progress and contribute to the professional discussion regarding child’s response to treatment and their ability for further progress programmes.

·       To have a basic understanding of the clinical features of complex conditions such as autism, Down’s syndrome, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, severe learning difficulties and various syndromes in order to anticipate health and safety issues which may affect the delivery of therapy programmes. To have a willingness to learn more about these conditions and the relevant approaches within the team.

·       To recognise the boundaries of your role in order to identify those children requiring qualified therapy input, or those needing referral to other agencies.

·       To work with outside agencies, such as nurseries and KIDS, to co-ordinate therapy goals for caseload.

·       To be responsible for the coordination, organisation and overall running of designated Parent Programmes and MDT packages of care.

·       To practice safe manual handling at all times, using the appropriate techniques and adaptive equipment, such as a hoist when required.

·       To make use of alternative means of communication when working with children e.g. Makaton, Augmentative and Alternative Communication, Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) and choice boards.

·       To be actively involved in implementing clinical service policies and care pathways.

·       To be an active member of the multi-disciplinary team, and participate in specific projects as agreed and supported by the MOSAIC Service Manager and CDT leads, and participate in service developments, audit and review of the service.

·       To be aware of risk within own caseload including observing patients in all situations applicable to therapy ensuring safety and security at all times and seeking support where it is required.

·       To demonstrate awareness of local safeguarding policies and escalate concerns appropriately. 

COMMUNICATION

·       Be an integrated member of the Child Development Team and Down’s Syndrome Pathway and share information with team members as directed and appropriate, keeping confidentiality at all times.

·       To maintain effective communication at all times with staff, patients, carers and external service providers, using all forms of communication available, including e-mail, note writing and telephone.

·       To document outcome of patient intervention sessions in electronic patient records, adhering to local and professional standards, including data protection and confidentiality at all times.

·       To be IT literate and to use Trust IT resources to maintain accurate statistical information as necessary.

·       To communicate effectively with patients and carers to maximise rehabilitation potential  and ensure understanding of condition, which will frequently require flexible communication skills including:

a.    Motivation

b.    Persuasion

c.    Gaining consent

d.    Negotiation

e.    Empathy

f.      English not first language requiring both language and cultural interpretation

·       To communicate effectively and work collaboratively with medical and other therapy colleagues to ensure delivery of a co-ordinated MDT service.

·       To be able to problem solve situations that arise during patient intervention, and ensure that progress is fed back to the referring therapist.

·       To be able to manage a variety of distressing circumstances, such as assisting those experiencing loss and grief, demonstrating empathy at all times.

·       To undertake intervention within the clinic or home environment. To undertake risk assessment of these environments as appropriate to protect self and any other parties present.

PROFESSIONAL

·       To be able to manage own workload, effectively prioritising between day-to-day admin duties and patient treatment sessions.  This will require adopting a flexible approach at all times with the competing demands of administrative duties and patient related activities, some of which may frequently require re-prioritisation of workload.

·       To support therapy staff in gathering evidence (including research database and website searches), assisting in clinical audit and developing procedures or resources.

·       To participate in regular supervision from a trained member of staff.

·       To participate in the staff appraisal scheme and personal development planning (PDP).

·       To be responsible for and actively record own continuing professional development (CPD) and maintain CPD portfolio.

·       To have knowledge and understanding of a variety of cultural backgrounds and beliefs in order to respect individual rights and dignity.

·       To be aware of health and safety departmental policies and implement into own work.

·       To implement new practice as requested under guidance.

·       To attend mandatory training.

·       To reflect on practice to aid learning.

·       To adhere to professional, local and trust procedures at all times.

ADMINISTRATION

·       To assist therapists in the department with other administrative duties as requested. 

·       To support the administration and organisation of the MOSAIC CDT packages of care.  

·       To assist with general light cleaning/tidying tasks with the departmental clinical areas.

·       To maintain resources on behalf of the team for example the ADOS assessment tools

and resources, and the linen supply.