About this role
Job summary
Our Occupational Therapy Assistant Practitioner will work as part of the Cancer services joint team as an Assistant Practitioner occupational therapy member.
You work independently to cover a delegated caseload of oncology in-patients at Torbay hospital and support community inventions as required e.g. D2A / equipment.
You will be supported by qualified therapist within the team
Main duties of the job
Main duties of the job
* To work independently and autonomously, providing assessment, support, care, treatment and advice to individuals, within guidelines and protocols identified for the role.
* To work within a multi-professional team undertaking practitioner role.
* To implement treatment and care to patients under the guidance and supervision of a registered professional. e.g. Mobility, Personal Care, Equipment Provision
* Wherever possible to contribute in reducing inpatient length of stay to ensure that patients receive the appropriate care in the most appropriate setting.
* To keep the cancer patient at the centre of their care, ensuring patient and carer participation in decision making.
* To take responsibility for the daily care and support of delegated patients. To support qualified staff in maintaining Best Practice within Cancer Services pathways to include support with data collection.
* Deliver treatment/care within a variety of settings, under the guidance of a registered practitioner.
* To practice the principles and philosophy of individualised person-centred patient care in accordance with Trust Policy, procedures and regulatory body's guidelines
About us
Why Work With Us
One of the most rewarding parts of working as an AP in Oncology/Haematology caring for patients undergoing treatment for a cancer diagnosis is that you are part of their strongest support system, and you often have long term, ongoing contact with them and their relatives.
You get to know them as people and build strong meaningful relationships. This creates a very rewarding bond. Being there for them and their family during their most difficult and challenging moments in their life offering comfort and alleviating some of their fears and concerns is incredibly rewarding.
You can make such a difference to what an incredibly difficult journey for them. This is not always emotionally easy but made possible with the help and incredibly important support of the Turner and Ricky Grant team.
Job description Job responsibilities
Detailed job description and responsibilities
Communication and working relationships
Assess patient understanding of treatment proposals, gain valid formal consent and jointly agreed goals. To have the capacity to work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment.
Communication will include imparting comprehensive information on Assess patient understanding of treatment proposals, gain valid formal consent and jointly agreed goals. To have the capacity to work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment.
Communication will include imparting comprehensive information daily relating to diagnosis, prognosis, physical and functional recovery and lifestyle adjustments to patients and their relatives/carers.
Regular and spontaneous use of verbal and non-verbal communication tools to discuss basic information on condition, progression of rehabilitation and treatment programmes with patient or carer. This will include patients who may have difficulties relating to complex emotional, psychological as well as physical conditions relating to their cancer diagnosis. This client group includes those who have difficulties in understanding or communicating, patient may be dysphasic, depressed, deaf, blind or who may be unable to accept diagnosis. Communication will involve use of skills in motivating, negotiating, counselling, training, empathising and reassuring.
Contribute to the planning, development and implementation of educational programmes for staff, patients and carers. To seek out, recognise and value the contributions of others and the role they play in a patients life
Communication with colleagues
To maintain accurate comprehensive and up to date documentation, in line with legal, departmental and Trust guidelines. To communicate assessment and treatment results to the appropriate disciplines in the form of reports, letters or verbally.
Represent therapy and/or individual patient to ensure the delivery of a coordinated multi-disciplinary service and to integrate Occupational Therapy management into the overall management plan. This may involve health and social care staff, voluntary and private sector. This will involve advising to the multi-disciplinary team on management of physical recovery and discussion of patient care, progress and discharge planning.
Communication External
External communication may include discussion with multidisciplinary team members regarding patient management including G.P.s, Consultants, District Nurses, carer services and Social Services. A daily basis relating to diagnosis, prognosis, physical and functional recovery and lifestyle adjustments to patients and their relatives/carers.
Regular and spontaneous use of verbal and non-verbal communication tools to discuss basic information on condition, progression treatment programmes with patient or carer. This will include patients who may have difficulties relating to complex emotional, psychological as well as physical conditions relating to their cancer diagnosis. This client group includes those who have difficulties in understanding or communicating, patient may be dysphasic, depressed, deaf, blind or who may be unable to accept diagnosis. Communication will involve use of skills in motivating, negotiating, counselling, training, empathising and reassuring.
Contribute to the planning, development and implementation of educational programmes for staff, patients and carers. To seek out, recognise and value the contributions of others and the role they play in a patients life
Communication with colleagues
To maintain accurate comprehensive and up to date documentation, in line with legal, departmental and Trust guidelines. To communicate assessment and treatment results to the appropriate disciplines in the form of reports, letters or verbally.
Represent therapy and/or individual patient to ensure the delivery of a coordinated multi-disciplinary service and to integrate occupational therapy management into the overall management plan. This may involve health and social care staff, voluntary and private sector. This will involve advising to the multi-disciplinary team on management of physical recovery and discussion of patient care, progress and discharge planning.
Communication External
External communication may include discussion with multidisciplinary team members regarding patient management including G.P.s, Consultants, District Nurses, carer services and Social Services.
Planning and organisation
Undertakes clinical duties as an autonomous practitioner, under the guidance of a qualified Occupational Therapist, including professional and legal accountability and managing clinical risk for all aspects of own work and caseload.
To be responsible for organising and planning appropriate caseload, to meet service and patient priorities, readjusting plans as situations change/arise.
To undertake comprehensive assessments of appropriate patients with a range of physical, psychological, cognitive and behavioural conditions. To formulate and deliver an individualised therapy treatment programme and any onward referral, under the guidance of a qualified therapist, based on a sound knowledge of evidence-based practice, including therapeutic handling, patient education, provision of exercise (individual / group), provision of routine equipment/orthotics, classes, and other alternative options.
Policy and service development
To have a good working knowledge of, and ensure compliance with, National and Local guidelines, policies and procedures. To keep up to date with clinical developments using clinical databases and electronic technology.
To be responsible for maintaining own competency to practise through CPD activities and maintain a portfolio which reflects personal development. Maintain and develop current knowledge of evidence-based practise, developing specialist knowledge of conditions and patient types
To prepare for and actively participate in the staff yearly achievement review, to include setting of yearly personal objectives and be responsible for complying with set agreed personal development programmes. To maintain competencies required for this role.
To attend and comply with all mandatory training sessions / responsibilities and update knowledge and skills as required by Trust policies
Finance, equipment and other resources
This position holds no budgetary responsibility
People management and training
To support junior members of staff and student Occupational therapists as delegated by senior staff, promoting and monitoring best practice.
Information technology and administrative duties
To be competent in the use of data recording systems used within the Trust to include EPIC etc to record patient related activity and data. To be responsible for accurate and timely data input for Milbrook Healthcare equipment ordering to facilitate patient discharge.
To support qualified staff with audit and maintaining data collection within speciality.
To be competent in online training via The Hive
Freedom to act
To work without direct supervision and be responsible for a defined area of the service or a particular patient group delegated by a senior therapist. Supervision takes the form of regular formal and informal training and clinical reasoning sessions. Daily access to advice and support from senior therapists is available as required.
Clinical work is evaluated via notes audit and joint assessment and treatment sessions with senior staff. Ongoing evaluation of competencies by use of competency framework. Feedback to line managers.
Some aspects of work will involve delivery of the care as part of a multidisciplinary team. In other cases, to be the sole therapist with responsibility for that patients episode of care.
To participate in cancer services 7 day working rotas to include bank holidays.
To support an occupational therapy service as part of a wider therapies team based on service needs and requirements of the Trust. This may include home visits or assessments in alternative settings and the ability to be flexible or move between wards/areas.
Undertake the measurement and evaluation of your work and current practices using evidence-based practice and actively participate in projects and audits within speciality.
Be an active member of the in-service training programme by attendance at, participation in and contribution to in-service training programmes, tutorials, individual training sessions, external courses and peer review.
Person Specification
Qualifications and training Essential
Qualified Assistant Practitioner Evidence of continuous professional development
Desirable
Experience in working with cancer patients
Knowledge and Experience Essential
Varied experience in Occupational therapy within NHS setting Competent IT skills Knowledge of relevant clinical guidelines/processes Evidence of feedback/presentation skills
Desirable
Experience of working as part of OT team/MDT
Physical/Mental and Emotional Effort Essential
Ability to carry out assessments and tratments for patients with psychlogical, cognitive, beahaiour impairment and poor mobilty
Desirable
Evidence of reflective practice
Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Employer details Employer name Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust
Address Turner Ward
Torbay Hospital
Torquay
TQ2 7AA
Employer's website https://www.torbayandsouthdevon.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)