Occupational Therapist

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

CLINICAL RESPONSIBILITIES

1. To assess and treat patients with complex needs who would benefit from specialist intervention provided by an occupational therapist, both in a hospital and in community settings. 

2. To accept appropriate referrals and prioritise clinical caseload and non-clinical responsibilities. 

3. To identify risks, complete risk assessments and implement risk management strategies including the use of therapeutic manual handling techniques and the lone working policy and document this accurately. 

4. To recognise any change in the condition of the patient and alter treatment or escalate to medical teams as required. 

5. To work within local policies and procedures, national standards and guidelines and adhere to the Royal College of Occupational Therapy professional standards and ethics. 

6. To support patients to set goals and plan, organise and implement appropriate treatment programs. 

7. To plan and implement individual and/or group interventions, in collaboration with clients and carers, to achieve therapeutic goals. 

8. To select evidence based techniques as part of a coordinated treatment program. 

9. To reflect on treatment and evaluate outcomes and adapt accordingly. 

10. To advise clients and carers on specific aids, equipment and adaptations and recommend provisions.

11. To respect the individuality, values, culture and religious diversity of clients and contribute to the provision of a service sensitive to these needs, ensuring equity of service provision. 

12. To make appropriate clinical observations and keep accurate records of assessments and interventions in accordance with local and national guidelines. 

13. To compile clear assessment reports and recommendations for future care, for the multi-disciplinary team and other external agencies. 

14. To actively contribute to and coordinate multi-disciplinary working. 

15. To work as an autonomous practitioner and display appropriate problem solving, analytical and judgement skills. 

16. To comply with all relevant trust policies, procedures and guidelines, including those relating to equal opportunities, health and safety and confidentiality of information. 

COMMUNICATION

1. To communicate complex information to patients and family/ carers who may have barriers to understanding. 

2. To actively participate in team meetings within the occupational therapy department and the multi-disciplinary team (MDT), including weekly MDT meetings, case conferences and best interest meetings. 

3. To be skilled in communication reasoning and motivating patients to participate in sessions. 

4. To liaise with managers and administrative staff. 

5. To communicate professionally in person and by telephone with families/ carers and other professionals. 

6. To manage differences of opinions and difficult conversations. 

ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES

1. To have good IT skills and use a variety of IT systems to input patient and staff data as required. 

2. To assist in developing services and standards according to the occupational therapy objectives. 

3. To delegate to unqualified staff and provide supervision and support for these tasks as well as supervising and supporting them as instructed by the senior occupational therapist. 

4. To be aware of the importance of staff well-being, accessing trust support as required and raising any concerns with supervisors or senior staff. 

5. To participate in the planning, evaluation and audit of practice, using appropriate outcome measures, clinical pathways and protocols. 

6. To contribute to the hospital’s clinical governance arrangements and quality agenda. 

7. To be responsible for competent use and maintenance of equipment, raising any concerns and reporting when further resources are needed. 

8. To be aware of the Health and Safety Act and your own responsibility to maintain a healthy and safe working environment. 

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

1. To proactively engage in supervision, identify own training and development needs and document conversations. 

2. To access internal and external training and education as required to meet competencies or develop specialist skills relevant to objectives. 

3. To provide support and education to service users and staff regarding aspects of occupational therapy. 

4. To review and reflect on own practice and performance through effective use of professional and operational supervision and appraisal. 

5. To participate in the induction, training and education of students and other staff members. 

6. To demonstrate the ability to critically evaluate current research and apply this to practise. 

7. To maintain a professional portfolio for CPD, recording learning outcomes through participation in internal and external development opportunities. 

General

·        The post holder has a general duty of care for their own health, safety and wellbeing and that of work colleagues, visitors and patients within the hospital, in addition to any specific risk management or clinical governance accountabilities associated with this post.

·        To observe the rules, policies, procedures and standards of King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust together with all relevant statutory and professional obligations.

·        We want to be an organisation where everyone shares a commitment to delivering the very best care and feels like their contribution is valuable and valued.

·        At King’s we are a kind, respectful team:

Kind. We show compassion and understanding and bring a positive attitude to our work

Respectful. We promote equality, are inclusive and honest, speaking up when needed

Team. We support each other, communicate openly, and are reassuringly professional 

·        To observe and maintain strict confidentiality of personal information relating to patients and staff.

·        To be responsible, with management support, for their own personal development and to actively contribute to the development of colleagues.

·        This job description is intended as a guide to the general scope of duties and is not intended to be definitive or restrictive. It is expected that some of the duties will change over time and this description will be subject to review in consultation with the post holder.

·        All employees must hold an 'nhs.net' email account which will be the Trust's formal route for email communication.

Everyone is responsible for promoting inclusion no matter their role or team. At King’s, we want to create an environment where everyone feels valued, respected and welcomed

Safe Guarding

The Trust takes the issues of Safeguarding Children, Adults and addressing Domestic Abuse very seriously. All employees have a responsibility to support the organisation in our duties by;

·        attending mandatory training on safeguarding children and adults

·     familiarising themselves with the Trust's processes for reporting concerns

·        reporting any safeguarding child or adult concerns appropriately

Infection Control Statement

The post holder has an important responsibility for and contribution to infection control and must be familiar with the infection control and hygiene procedures and requirements when in clinical areas.

The post holder has an important responsibility for and contribution to make to infection control and must be familiar with the infection control and hygiene requirements of this role.

These requirements are set out in the National Code of Practice on Infection Control and in local policies and procedures which will be made clear during your induction and subsequent refresher training. These standards must be strictly complied with at all times