About this role
Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Band 7 Occupational Therapist to join the Respiratory, Surgical and Vascular Team at Warrington and Halton Hospitals.
We are looking to appoint an individual successful candidate who has experience of working within a fast paced and dynamic clinical environment and will play a key role in advancing the service and promoting best practice.
The successful applicant will be responsible for a personal clinical caseload of complex patients and to provide clinical support and supervision to the wider integrated team of Physiotherapist, Occupational Therapists and Therapy Assistants who provide a therapy service to inpatient wards across both Warrington and Halton Hospitals.
Main duties of the job
The postholder will manage a complex caseload, working across the surgical and respiratory wards, including ICU, the acute respiratory unit, surgical and gastroenterology wards.
Collaborative working is key to the role, as the postholder will be working closely with Physiotherapists, the wider MDT and community services.
The postholder will provide clinical supervision to junior members of the therapy team, and lead on service development initiatives.
Additionally, the postholder will have a comprehensive understanding of the 'Home First' approach to patient care, where health and care systems work together to provide a safe and timely discharge of people who no longer need to stay in hospital.
The working hours for this post will be 30.0 hours over 5 days Mondays to Fridays. In the future it will include supporting seven day working.
About us
Our mission, vision and values are at the heart of North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust (NCM). They underpin everything we do and everything we aspire to be as an organisation
Our mission is to be exceptional for our patients, our communities and each other
Our vision is to be a great organisation providing excellent healthcare and opportunities to work and learn
Our approach to healthcare is founded on our four core values:
Kind - we are caring, supporting and respectful to everyone
Open - we are honest, transparent and open to new ways of working
Fair - we listen, value our differences and are inclusive to all
One team - we work well together and with our communities
We employ almost 6,500 people from more than 80 nationalities and are fully committed to being an equal, diverse and inclusive employer. Our culture and values ensure that everyone is treated with dignity and respect, and that no job applicant or employee is disadvantaged at any stage of their journey.
We are also proud to be an Armed Forces Friendly organisation and welcome applications from members of the Armed Forces community, including veterans, reservists and families.
Working at NCM means becoming part of a dedicated team of clinical and support staff who are passionate about keeping people well and supporting wellbeing. If you share our values and are motivated by making a difference for our patients, we'd be delighted to receive your application
Job description Job responsibilities
Patient / Clinical Care
1. To manage your clinical caseload with autonomy, guided by policies, procedures, codes of practice and departmental working practices.
2. To undertake a comprehensive assessment of patients including those with a complex presentation, using investigative and advanced analytical skills and clinical reasoning.
3. Using developed knowledge and experience to make a therapeutic diagnosis of a patients condition and interpret clinical findings and documentation to formulate a comprehensive specialised programme of care, including decision making about the most appropriate treatment options. For example, where self-referral occurs, clinical diagnosis is made and a programme of care is developed.
4. To supervise less experienced staff and students in the provision of patient care.
5. To provide planned and spontaneous advice to patients/clients, junior staff, staff of other disciplines, formal and informal carers and relatives.
6. To have highly developed physical, dextrous and manipulative skills for the treatment of patients, which may involve the use of specialist equipment relating to the area of therapy.
7. To be responsible for maintaining and managing accurate and comprehensive treatment records in line with professional and local standards for themselves and their team.
8. To frequently exert physical effort in cramped conditions and sustained postures for periods of up to 40 minutes several times a day. This would include moving patients as part of their treatment or moving equipment.
9. With every patient, concentration is required to listen, observe, evaluate, document, plan and act on information gathered. Work can frequently be unpredictable and interrupted.
10. To deal frequently with distressing or emotional situations, such as dealing with patients and families who are distressed due to acute or a terminal illness, those who are elderly, those with special needs and those experiencing prolonged ongoing deterioration.
11. To have daily contact with patients bodily fluids, odours, dust, etc.
Management Responsibilities
1. To be the line manager for a multi-professional team managing referrals into the service, workload prioritisation and allocation within the team, taking into account the changing/competing demands.
2. To be responsible for the day-to-day management of a team, including annual leave, sickness, initial handling of complaints, disciplinary issues and recruitment. This will also include dealing with staff who may be upset. This may be due to clinical and managerial issues.
3. To play a key role in the coordination of activities with other agencies, such as discharge planning and case management.
4. To propose and implement policy/procedures and service improvements, which may impact across the directorate as a whole.
5. To be responsible for the safe and competent use of equipment and resources by staff and patients and ensure that equipment is monitored and maintained in good condition.
6. To ensure that accurate management information is collected and collated for the team.
7. To act as an authorised signatory for the team, including the signing of travel expense sheets, locum and overtime time sheets and equipment purchases, totalling more than £1000 per month.
FULL JOB DESCRIPTION ATTACHED
Person Specification
Experience/Qualifications Essential
Previous NHS experience Bsc Hons Occupational Therapy / Msc or working towards
Desirable
Previous experience working on ICU / Complex rehab
Skills, Knowledge and Competency Essential
Demonstration of clinical knowledge and skills across the service Leadership skills Up to date knowledge on policies and procedures relevant to area
Desirable
evidence of previous research / audit in specialist area evidence of teaching
Specific Role Requirements Essential
experience working with delirium and altered neurological presentations experience in the management of cognitive and motor impairments
Desirable
Previous experience managing head injury patients
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details Employer name North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust (WHH)
Address Warrington Hospital
Lovely Lane
Warrington
WA5 1QG
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://northcheshireandmersey.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)