Highly Specialist Community Occupational Therapist

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Main Responsibilities:

Communication & Relationship Skills

Provide and receive complex information; persuasive, motivational, negotiating,training skills required.

Explains complicated issues relating to long term health conditions, legal and health and social care systems.

Works with clients and carers to support self-management, engagement in interventions and manages sensitive interactions when discussing treatment plans, interventions and topics such as advanced care planning.

Able to adapt communication style to match the clients understanding and communication

Knowledge, Training & Experience

Highly developed specialist knowledge across range of procedures underpinned

by theory and experience.

Specialist knowledge of the full range of client groups plus further theoretical study

and in depth experience of legislation and policy appropriate to the setting.

Advanced skills relating to Occupational Therapy community practice supporting clients to maintain and improve functioning and management of long term health conditions.

Skills acquired through degree or equivalent plus clinical experience working with clients with complex care needs in the community or skills that can be transferred into the community setting.

Working with client groups plus further theoretical study and experience within a community environment to master’s level equivalent (desirable).

Analytical & Judgemental Skills

Complex facts or situations requiring analysis, interpretation and comparison of a range of options.

Initial and ongoing assessment of service user needs taking into account a range of physiological, psychological and environmental factors.

Ability to assess urgency of clinical need and ensure client receives high quality care within appropriate time limits (urgent, standard and ongoing complex case coordination).

Planning & Organisational Skills

Plan and organise and prioritise complex activities.

Initiates and co-ordinates e.g. case conferences with multidisciplinary and agencies.

Able to chair and contribute to MDT teleconferences, MDT meetings, best interest meetings and other clinical activities (safeguarding, Datix, MASP)

Able to manage a caseload and respond to clinical priorities.

Physical Skills Physical skills obtained through practice/ developed physical skills, manipulation of objects, people; narrow margins for error

Ability to move around Haringey Borough and access clients properties.

Driving (desirable)

keyboard skills

Advanced moving and handling experience/training.

Responsibility for Client Care

Develop specialised programmes of care; provide highly specialist advice concerning care at the right time and right place by the right professional.

Ability to provide a variety of profession specific and role blurred interventions with support of MDT members; provides advice to clients, carers, and other departments/agencies departments regarding ongoing care.

Ability to co-produce client centred goals and interventions. Ability to determine when interventions have been achieved, requirement for review and ability to close cases when client stable and linked in with appropriate ongoing support. Ability to develop effective and compassionate relationships with clients and their support network, to be able to case-manage and coordinate care on behalf of the client when under the care of MACCT.

To contribute to the triage of the referral and allocation process for new referrals received by the service.

To maintain a role as care coordinator of a case load of clients whose range of needs require ‘complex’ arrangements of care

To ensure good caseload management in including that discharges or transfers of care are progressed in a safe and timely manner.

Management Responsibilities

To collaborate with partner agencies in the development of the local delivery of services provided by the MACCT.

To deputise for the Haringey Proactive Care Services Manager/Team Manager/AHP lead as required.

In conjunction with senior managers, participate in recruitment, selection and appointment of staff.

Responsibility for Policy/Service Development; Propose policy or service changes, impact beyond own area.

To participate in the formulation and implement legislation ,suggests changes to policies and protocols relating to which impact on working practices for staff within the MACCT service and the clients the team serves.

To act as a role model for integrated working and collaboration between professions, services and  organisations to ensure the best care is provided to the client.

To actively participate in team reviews and service development projects through team meetings, Quality Improvement projects and audits.

Responsibility for Financial & Physical Resources

Responsible for authorising recommendations for equipment orders.

Supporting service leads with requesting and maintaining adequate stock levels of equipment and resources required to provide safe and effective care.

Responsibility for Human Resources Day to day supervision; clinical supervision; training in own discipline

Allocates work to other MDT staff through agreed pathways/processes.

Provides regular clinical supervision to one or more junior service members.

Engages and actively participates in reflection and continuing professional development in professional and operational supervision.

Provides practical training to other MDT staff and ensures annual student placement support.

Maintains clinical portfolio professional registration and professional body membership.

Responsibility for Information Resources Record personally generated information

Maintains client records and statistics as necessary and expected with the service.

Adheres to all information governance policies and mandatory training.

Responsibility for Research &Development

Actively undertakes surveys and audits as necessary to own job/ regularly undertake R&D, Quality Improvement activity.

 Freedom to Act Broad occupational policies

Works within trust, and all connected services legal frameworks. 

 Physical Effort Occasional moderate effort for short periods

Moving patients/clients with mechanical aids, assisting patients or clients to stand during assessments, across borough travel. 

You will be required to work, predominantly through out the borough of Haringey using your own means of transportation or public transportation. 

In patient’s homes you will often work in cramped conditions such as small bedrooms with cluttered furniture. 

Mental Effort Frequent concentration, work pattern predictable/unpredictable

Concentration for preparation of complex assessments, writing up complex assessments, detailed reports and interruptions for advice and support from colleagues. 

 Able to use high level de-escalation

You will consistently be engaged in frequent periods of intense concentration – in meetings, during assessments and treatment sessions, while preparing teaching, during supervision and appraisal time and during report writing. 

You will be required to provide high-level information with structure and clarity to both managers and to the MDT, often with little or no notice and with frequent interruptions from junior staff who may need immediate help.

 Emotional Effort 

Frequent distressing or emotional circumstances; occasional highly distressing or emotional circumstances

Frequent distressing or emotional circumstances; occasional highly distressing or emotional circumstances

Sharing unwelcome news regarding functional ability/ prognosis’s, progression, end of life or available support to patients/clients and carers; 

Manage patients/clients or carers with severely challenging behaviour. 

On a daily basis you will be working with acutely/chronically unwell patients, some of who have low rates of survival and / or limited rehabilitation potential. You will also be working with patients with chronic conditions helping them come to terms with their conditions. 

Working Conditions Frequent unpleasant working conditions

Possible contact with body fluids, odours, dust, dirt, verbal aggression when visiting Clients