Senior Occupational Therapist

We are pleased to advertise an exciting opportunity to join the hospital avoidance and complex care therapy team as a Senior Occupational Therapist.

The role is part time 22.5 hours per week and is predominantly based at Pinderfields Hospital and occasional shifts on the frailty ward at Dewsbury Hospital. The team cover 7 days, with shifts times of either 8am-4pm or 10-6pm; some flexibility can be applied.

We are looking for a dynamic, compassionate, experienced Occupational Therapist who has a range of experience working in an acute hospital setting. You will be supported in joining a forward-thinking and ambitious therapy team, who strive to support staff to develop and deliver high-quality care.

The main focus of the role is working in the emergency department and acute assessment units areas aiming to avoid admissions whenever safe and possible. The therapists collaboratively work with nursing and social care colleagues who are collectively known as the "EAT" (emergency assessment team). The team also provides therapy assessments and ongoing rehabilitation on the elderly care ward and the gastro ward at Pinderfields.

If you are interested in this opportunity and feel you have the qualities and skills required to fulfill this role, then please do not hesitate to contact us to discuss further.

Main duties of the job

The hospital avoidance and complex care team strive to ensure the best possible outcome for their patients when discharging back into the community, and we always aim for home first as the preferred option. We work closely with the wider MDT ensuring safe discharge plans are in place.

We provide therapeutic holistic assessments, treatments, and rehabilitation for a wide variety of acute and chronic medical presentations in the areas we cover. Knowledge in cognitive assessments, specialist equipment needs, and enhanced communication skills are imperative to this role, as well as positive risk-taking.

The post holder will contribute to the leadership of the team by coordinating and will be supported by the senior management team on a daily basis and will be responsible for supervising junior members of staff, students, and delivering training to peers and the wider MDT.

About us

We are an acute trust caring for over half a million people in Wakefield and Kirklees. Our 10,000 staff work in patients' homes, the community, and our three hospitals in Pontefract, Dewsbury, and Pinderfields (Wakefield). We prioritise our people and values so we can deliver the best possible care to patients. Our team is friendly, passionate, and innovative, always seeking better ways to work.

We support work-life balance and foster a diverse, inclusive environment where everyone belongs. Our staff networks offer safe spaces to share ideas and concerns so we can increase awareness and appreciation of equality, diversity, and inclusion. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and especially encourage members of the LGBTQ+ community, ethnic minority groups, and people with disabilities or neurodivergence to apply, as they are currently underrepresented in the Trust.

If you value caring, high standards, improvement, and respect, join the MY team to make a difference every day.

Job responsibilities

Clinical Duties/Patient Contact

• To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own practice, including the management of individuals in your care.
• To understand and apply the Occupational Therapy Process in order to effectively self-manage a complex, multiple caseload within the Acute Assessment Team, addressing occupational performance and skill deficits, enabling the patient in components of self-care, productivity, and leisure.
• To be responsible for coordination and management of discharge arrangements for patients with complex needs.
• To be able to initiate and carry out complex Occupational performance assessments within a variety of settings, including access visits and home assessments with clients and technicians.
• To know the professional and personal scope of own practice and make referrals to other agencies.
• To demonstrate specialist knowledge and understanding of the key concepts of biological, physical, social, psychological, and clinical sciences in relation to occupational performance relevant to and of patients' ability to participate in Occupational Therapy.
• To utilise and advise others on the range of standard and non-standard Occupational Therapy assessments and techniques in areas of occupational performance (work, leisure, personal, domestic, environment) and skill deficits relevant to the Acute Assessment Team.
• To be responsible for the assessment, prescription, and evaluation of specialist equipment and adaptations for patients with multiple and complex needs.
• To demonstrate a detailed working knowledge of Acute Medical conditions and current Occupational Therapy approaches to their treatment and apply a high level of knowledge of the effect of disability and provide training and advice on lifestyle changes and adaptations to the individual's social and physical environment.
• To be able to use research, clinical reasoning, and problem-solving skills including activity analysis to identify the therapeutic benefit of client-centred interventions and make professional judgements with individuals with diverse or complex needs, or multiple problems according to outcome, changes in patient needs, and environmental influences.
• To use specialist knowledge, training, and experience to plan and implement client-centred individual and/or group treatment programmes for people with complex physical, mental health, and social needs.
• To be able to formulate specific and appropriate management plans including the setting of time scales to accurately prioritise needs with individuals and the multi-disciplinary team, in relation to available resources and professional demands.
• To monitor, analyse, evaluate, and modify the Occupational Therapy process and treatment in order to measure progress and ensure the effectiveness of intervention.
• Using highly specialised knowledge, carry out and supervise a variety of physical interventions that require a high level of physical and manual dexterity.
• To apply a high level of knowledge of the effect of disability and provide training and advice on lifestyle changes and adaptations to the individual's social and physical environment.
• To work in a variety of environments, which may include confined and unhygienic spaces that could present a risk to personal health and safety.
• When necessary, to be responsible for the coordination of the individual's clinical care package, ensuring effective and safe discharge practice of following through complex discharge arrangements with the client to their home environment, linking in with other agencies.
• To use clinical reasoning and assessment of risk skills to make decisions regarding patients' safety and ability to manage in their own environment.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Occupational Therapy Degree or Dip COT
• HCPC registration
• Professional practice educator course.
• Leadership course

Experience

• Demonstrable experience as a qualified Occupational Therapist
• Involvement in professional practice education
• Experience of working within inpatient settings or related areas
• Supervision of junior and/or support staff
• Understanding of acute medical conditions and their effect on the patients' ability to participate in therapy
• Experience of a diverse range of clinical settings
• Involvement in a clinical special interest group
• Experience in complex discharge planning
• Experience of having a lead role for designated projects and leading a team

Personal Attributes

• A wide range of interpersonal skills including the ability to prioritise, delegate, and negotiate.
• Ability to demonstrate a flexible approach to working practice to facilitate effective team working.
• Ability to adapt to fluctuating environments and complex situations.
• Ability to work on own initiative and take responsibility for specific tasks.
• Knowledge of the impact of disability and its effect on lifestyle.
• Commitment to change management processes.

Knowledge and Skills

• Knowledge of the key concepts of the biological, social, psychological, and clinical sciences, which are relevant to their profession-specific practice
• Awareness of factors that can influence team working
• Ability to demonstrate/discuss the Occupational Therapy Process
• Understanding of the need to establish and maintain a safe practice environment
• Evidence of the use of reflective practice for personal development
• Awareness of National guidelines and legislation relating to health and social care provision
• Involvement in research and audit
• Evidence of post-graduate study
• Awareness of the knowledge and skills framework
• Knowledge about assessing and using equipment e.g. hoists
• Knowledge regarding positioning/seating/wheelchair assessments

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.

£37,338 to £44,962 a year; pay is pro-rated for part-time positions.