Band 6 Occupational Therapist

Job Summary

The Community Independence Service in Westminster is looking for a motivated and enthusiastic Band 6 Occupational Therapist to join our friendly Community Rehabilitation Team. You will be passionate about the value of community and rehabilitation, have had clinical experience and be ready to step into a community role to further develop your clinical and non-clinical skills.

The community setting is THE PLACE TO BE with care being prioritised at home and patients being cared for in the community wherever possible - this is clearly outlined in the NHS Long Term Plan and can already be seen on the ground.

We are part of a wider Community Independence Service, which is also offered in Hammersmith & Fulham and Kensington & Chelsea. You will be connected with peers across the tri-borough to support you and to work on service improvement partnerships. You will also be working closely with our other CIS teams, and acute partners, such as Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Chelsea & Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

You will enjoy the rewards of working with a client group for whom you can make a significant difference every day, and you will experience the strong motivation of being part of a supportive multi-agency effort which includes Medical, Mental Health, Nursing, Allied Health Professional, Social care and Reablement staff.

Main Duties of the Job

The Community Independence Service (CIS) is a provider partnership which focuses on hospital admission avoidance; where clinically appropriate care can be provided in the community, facilitation of early supported discharge from hospital, maximising independence and reducing dependency on longer term services. The band 6 post holder will see clients in their own homes, use evidence based/patient centred principles to assess, plan and deliver individual treatment plans to achieve the patients goals. The post holder will undertake all aspects of clinical duties as an autonomous practitioner, with supervision from senior therapists within CIS.

The post holder will be expected to promote, maintain and develop a high quality, efficient and effective physiotherapy service to clients in accordance with the philosophy and operational policies of the team. The post holder will be encouraged to develop skills in providing undergraduate placements to students.

About Us

This is what some people have recently said about working in our team:

"The team are lovely, hard-working and knowledgeable, supportive"

"The team has a nice atmosphere"

"The work is flexible, I feel in control, empowered and trusted to do things"

CNWL is a fantastic trust to continue your Occupational Therapy career:

• We have recently launched our Community Strategy to enable us to align with the NHS England Ageing Well Community Strategy of which AHPs have a key opportunity.
• We have a dedicated Director of AHPs, a Professional Lead Physiotherapist and a Professional Lead Occupational Therapist.
• We have an annual therapies conference.
• The entire CIS Leadership team is made up of Nurses and AHPs, most of which have been with the service for a number of years.

If you come and work with us, we will ensure you are able to follow your clinical and leadership development priorities identified through your personal development and appraisal plan. We will equip you for mobile working and actively support flexible working practice. You will be invited to our monthly professional and team in-service learning events, have access to a large catalogue of learning and development opportunities offered by CNWL and a whole host of staff benefits and discounts, including season tickets, flexible working opportunities, access to childcare vouchers and cycle to work schemes.

Job Responsibilities

• To promote, maintain and develop a high quality, efficient and effective Occupational Therapy service to clients referred to Community Independence Service, in a multi-disciplinary context, and in accordance with the philosophy and operational policies of the team.
• Expected to be an active member of the multi-disciplinary team, and participate in specific clinical projects as agreed and supported by Team Lead, and participate in service developments, audit and review of the service.
• To provide supervision to Rehabilitation Assistants and OT students whilst on placement in the service.

Service Profile

The Community Independence Service is an inter-disciplinary team comprising Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Nurses, Paramedics, Rehabilitation Assistants, Pharmacists and Administrators. The remit of the team is to provide community rehabilitation to adults to promote independence, prevent unnecessary hospital admission, and reduce the length of stay for those admitted to hospital. Treatment takes place in a variety of settings including the client's home, residential homes or nursing homes. Visits may be made on foot, by public transport, bicycle, motorcycle or own car.

Person Specification

Education and Qualifications Essential

• Degree / Diploma Occupational Therapist
• Registration with HCPC as a Occupational Therapist

Desirable

• Member of COT
• Post-Graduate MSc degree
• Post Registration courses
• Membership and/or involvement in a COT Professional Network

Previous Experience Essential

• Previous experience of working in the UK or a similar health economy as a occupational therapist
• Previous general experience to include the following: older people, medicine/general surgery, orthopaedics, falls, dementia, long term conditions
• Experience of teaching juniors & assistants
• Experience of completion of audit and service developments

Desirable

• 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 teaching students

Skills and Knowledge Essential

• Excellent communication skills, fluency in written and verbal English
• Demonstrates flexibility, problem solving, initiative and leadership skills
• Able to demonstrate clinical and professional development
• Understanding the principles of Multi-Disciplinary Teamwork
• Understanding of the problems of disability and its effects
• 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
• Able to demonstrate a good understanding of role of the occupational therapist in rehabilitation as well as the role of other professionals in MDT
• 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

• Excellent IT skills including Outlook, Word, Excel, databases etc

Attitudes, Aptitudes, Personal Characteristics Essential

• Personally and professionally responsible
• 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

Other Desirable

• Car driver

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.