Occupational Therapist

Description:

We are looking for a Occupational Therapist based in Peterborough.

Pay:£40 per hour

Contract: Temporary 3 Months

Hours: 37 hours per week

Ideal Start Date: ASAP

Job Purpose:

The post holder will provide assessment and provision of Occupational Therapy interventions to adults and older people with challenging physical and functional difficulties in the community resulting in the need for specialist housing adaptation, simple and challenging equipment needs taking into account the needs of the client and their relatives and carers. Emphasis will be placed upon rehabilitation, health promotion, equipment and adaptations, etc where appropriate, while maintaining links with other members of the team and health care professionals. The post holder will work under the guidance of lead practitioners within the team to gain best practice and consolidation of knowledge

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

-To have a working knowledge of relevant legislation including Care Act & housing legislation, with a detailed knowledge of the eligibility criteria, relevant procedures and policies relating to social care, health and housing organisations.

-To develop a working knowledge of the principles of housing construction and design, technical plans and housing adaptations with a good understanding of the complex interaction between health, housing and social issues and their impact on functional ability.

-To use communication, reasoning, and negotiation skills to establish a therapeutic relationship in all cases with a diversity of difficult needs, managing barriers to communication.

-To carry out an initial contact assessment with either the client, carer or other healthcare professional to establish eligibility for occupational therapy intervention using Care Act legislation and other relevant procedures and policies relating to social care, health and housing organisations. To advise and support with supervision of Caseworkers and Occupational Therapy Assistants.

-To use a detailed knowledge of a wide range of medical conditions and their functional effects to the client in terms of socio-economic, psychosocial and personal implications and carry out and record comprehensive assessments of people with challenging and specialist needs within the home environment.

-To perform occupational analysis and risk evaluation leading to the formulation of intervention options which reduce the consequences of disability and deteriorating conditions.

-To identify and select, with the client and their carers, the most appropriate intervention options which balance the difficult interaction of risk, safety, client choice, independence, areas of conflict, eligibility for services and cost effectiveness.

-To provide help and advice to service users, their family and other carers - teaching and demonstrating use of equipment or other techniques to optimise the service users' functional ability and independence. To arrange for the provision of standard specialist disability equipment and obtain authorisation from Therapy Services Manager for non-standard equipment using professional judgements against budget lines to ensure cost effectiveness, need and suitability.

-To independently manage a caseload of clients with a diversity of difficult needs in accordance with the needs led assessment (in consultation with Grade 11 Occupational Therapist as necessary) and to take into account the views and wishes of service users, carers and families, respecting their diversity and cultural needs.

-To seek opinion from other relevant professionals to inform analysis and reasoning where appropriate.

-To make recommendations for Disabled Facilities Grants and housing adaptations.

-To actively participate in critical response rota by carrying out urgent difficult functional assessments and implementing treatment plans in crisis situations.

-To liaise with health and social care professionals and other related statutory, private and voluntary organisations, providing written reports, recommendations and referrals when appropriate.

-To progress the intervention to a satisfactory closure, evaluating outcomes and completing reviews as appropriate.

-To identify unmet needs and gaps in service provision and highlight these to the appropriate manager.

-To maintain accurate and up to date documentation consistent with legal and organisational requirements.

-To comply with all relevant social care legislation, housing legislation, departmental policies and procedures, health promotion strategies and to adhere to and apply the RCOT Professional standards for occupational therapy practice, conduct and ethics (2021)

-A working understanding of moving and handling legislation, and a detailed knowledge of current moving and handling best practice and associated equipment.

-To provide risk assessment in difficult moving and handling situations for other agencies when appropriate and make necessary recommendations and review.

-To develop and maintain an agreed area of professional interest and expertise and act as a resource to other team members for this subject area, accessing relevant external training.

-To provide support, guidance, teaching and clinical supervision to junior qualified staff, Caseworkers, and to Occupational Therapy Students. To ensure that individual and junior grade practice is in accordance with the Peterborough City Council standards, procedures and objectives of quality assurance, and that they are consistent with best professional practice.

-To actively participate in supervision and appraisal, using reflection and analysis to inform practice and identify training needs.

-To maintain and develop professional knowledge and be conversant with professional developments, evidencing critical appraisal skills and Continuing Professional Development.

-To participate in staff and service development through attendance at service meetings and in-service training sessions, including taking a lead in facilitating such events and presenting information as appropriate.

-To actively support service improvements.

-To assist the Therapy Services Manager by carrying out agreed delegated tasks as required and to undertake any other appropriate additional duties, as required by the Therapy Services Manager

-To contribute to the evaluation of the service through use of audit, outcome measure and in-service research projects and where appropriate take a lead in implementing these.

Personal Specifications:

Knowledge-

-Current knowledge of, and practical implementation of Housing, Moving and Handling, and Community Care and other relevant legislation

-Knowledge and understanding of good customer care.

-Awareness of recent developments in health and social care.

-Knowledge of rehabilitation skills appropriate to medical conditions encountered in community settings.

-Knowledge of difficult psychosocial and/or environmental needs

Skills & Abilities-

-Working competency relating to assessment and care management, monitoring and reviewing of services to individuals and carers

-Ability to determine the best fit between an individual’s and/or carer’s assessed needs, their wishes and the resources available

-Wide understanding and knowledge of clinical conditions

-Knowledge and practical experience of major housing adaptations

-Knowledge and practical experience of moving and handling skills

-Ability to identify and manage risks to oneself, service users and carers and the organisation

-Knowledge and practical experience of specialist equipment

-Knowledge of rehabilitation skills appropriate to medical conditions encountered in community settings

-Ability to organise and prioritise caseload efficiently to meet competing demands

-Ability to demonstrate initiative

-Willingness to undertake and maintain own continuing professional development and attend relevant training and development activities

-Ability to maintain effective and accurate records in accordance with departmental policies and procedures

-Good oral and written communication

-Ability to communicate well with other professionals, clients and their family/carer

-Ability to present information in a concise manner

-Able to liaise effectively with other statutory and voluntary organisations

-Good presentation and teaching skills

-Effectively prioritises and co-ordinates own work

-Effective management and planning of client interventions independently

-Previous experience and positive approach of close multi-disciplinary team working

-Ability to ensure cost effectiveness and efficiency of service provisions

-Ability to develop partnership working with colleagues and peers.

-Demonstrates ability to be a good team member and assume designated leadership responsibilities.

-To be innovative, flexible and adaptable to meet service needs

-To take a client-centred approach in interventions

-Well developed negotiation and problem solving skills.

-Good interpersonal skills including observation, listening and empathy skills.

-Ability to work with clients and their representatives who may be abusive and aggressive

Experience-

-Experience of direct work with people who use the services of the Department

Qualifications-

-Diploma or Degree in occupational therapy

-Hold state registration with the Health Professions Council

Personal Circumstances-

-Ability to frequently exert moderate physical effort for long periods of time, e.g. carrying and fitting equipment, moving and handling clients

-Ability to frequently concentrate for a prolonged period of time where work pattern can be unpredictable.

-Ability to frequently deal with highly stressful situations at work.

-Willingness and ability to occasionally work in highly unpleasant housing situations.

-Willingness & ability to travel between different locations