Community Band 5 Occupational Therapist

Job Overview
Are you an innovative & motivated Occupational Therapist to work in Ealing Community Short term Rehabilitation service? We have an exciting opportunity for a Band 5 Occupational Therapist to join our short term rehab service who are motivated to provide rehabilitation to help patients improve their abilities and achieve their rehabilitation goals, through therapy led care. We focus on achieving goals and enabling people to regain independence and social integration effectively and efficiently after discharge from acute hospitals and community services in the borough.
The post holder will work within the short term rehab team, with the Band 7 Occupational Therapist and Physiotherapist, Band 6 Physiotherapist and Occupational therapist, Band 5 Physiotherapist and Occupational therapist, and rehabilitation assistants to provide rehabilitation in their own home environment.
You will be supported to build your competencies and develop as an independent Occupational Therapist in the community.
Main Duties of the Job

• To provide specialised rehabilitation assessment, education, advice and treatment to adult patients in primary care, who have complex health and social care needs.
• To work in a variety of community locations including patient’s homes, intermediate care ward, nursing homes, and residential homes and provide intensive rehabilitation.
• To independently manage a defined caseload of complex cases contributing to the provision of a rehabilitation service.
• To undertake seven day working as needed by the service. The service is part of the Maximising Independence Directorate and has strong links with other NHS community services and local organisations to ensure community short term rehabilitation is provided and learning opportunities are supported for staff.
  You will work cohesively within the team and we offer extensive support to build your clinical skills and expertise.
  Working for Our Organisation
  We will support you to develop your clinical skills. Funding is available for external learning opportunities.
  We value clinician autonomy and encourage all team members to contribute to the development of the service.
  Detailed Job Description and Main Responsibilities
  Please see attached JD&PS for full details of duties and responsibilities.
  Main Duties and Responsibilities
• To manage own caseload, prioritise referrals, assess, plan and implement intervention autonomously or with the guidance of senior therapists, ensuring clients and carers receive optimum level of therapy within available resources.
• To work together effectively within the team, which may include working with support staff.
• To make recommendations based upon findings from assessments and use clinical reasoning skills based upon treatment approaches, frames of reference and evidence-based practice. Gather information from relevant parties (i.e. patient, family, carers) to enhance effective, empathic and holistic intervention.
• To carry out functional, environmental, cognitive and psychosocial assessments, liaising with relatives, patients, carers, multidisciplinary team and external agencies, to make recommendations including the provision of equipment. To use activity analysis to assist with assessment of patient’s areas of dysfunction.
• To keep accurate, up-to-date records on patient care and equipment provision, complying with local policies.
• To provide written and verbal reports or recommendations to referrers, patients, other agencies involved in patient care.
• To represent Occupational therapy and/or individual patients at multidisciplinary team meetings to ensure the delivery of a coordinated multidisciplinary service and integrate Occupational therapy into the treatment/management programme.
• To provide supportive and sensitive communication to establish rapport and provide emotional support to the patient and family/carers.
• To carry out equipment assessment and patient suitability depending on physical, cognitive and psychosocial environment.
• To assess and recommend minor equipment to assist/maximise individual patients’ mobility, ordering equipment as required via the equipment loan service.
• To work closely with seating services to ensure postural support and seating in complex disability.
• To advise, instruct and teach patients, relatives, carers and other professionals to promote understanding of the aims of Occupational therapy and to enable the patient to self-manage their condition and optimise their potential.
  Person Specification
  Skills and Knowledge
  Essential Criteria
• Able to complete a comprehensive assessment for a patient who has fallen or is at risk of falls.
• Able to demonstrate a good understanding of role of the occupational therapist in rehabilitation as well as the role of other professionals in MDT.
• Excellent communication skills, fluency in written and verbal English.
• Understanding the principles of Multidisciplinary Teamwork.
• Awareness of developments in NHS and service delivery and improvement.
• Evidence of maintenance of a CPD portfolio.
• Demonstration of knowledge of standards of practice, evidence and best practice guidelines.
• Demonstrates a commitment to working with older people.
• Able to demonstrate insight into the problems of disability and its effects.
• Able to demonstrate an understanding of the application of Health and Safety.
  Desirable Criteria
• Excellent IT skills including Outlook, Word, Excel, databases, etc.
  Previous Experience
  Essential Criteria
• Experience of teaching/supervising juniors & assistants.
• Previous general experience to include the following:
  • Older people/elderly rehab
  • Community working
  • Medicine & general surgery
  • Orthopaedics
  • Falls
  • Dementia
  • Long term conditions
• Previous experience of working in the UK, NHS or a similar health economy as an occupational therapist.
  Desirable Criteria
• Experience of working as an autonomous practitioner in a community setting.
• Previous general experience to include the following:
  • Community working
  • Neurology
  • Pain Management
  • Group work
• Experience of completion of audit and service developments.
  Other
  Desirable Criteria
• Car Driver
  Education and Qualifications
  Essential Criteria
• Registration with HCPC as an Occupational Therapist.
• Degree/diploma in Occupational therapy.
  Desirable Criteria
• Membership and/or involvement in RCOT Professional Network.
• Post graduate training, in-services or clinical placement training relevant to physical disability, falls prevention or community rehabilitation with elderly population.
  Attitudes, Aptitudes, Personal Characteristics
  Essential Criteria
• To be flexible, to be able to motivate self and others.
• The ability to work under pressure and set priorities, delegate and manage own time.
• The ability to work in a team.
• Leadership skills and an interest in management skills.