Specialist Children\'s Occupational Therapist

We are a specialist health service for children and young people aged 0-19 years with primarily physical, communication, learning and developmental difficulties affecting their health and well-being. The occupational therapist provides skilled assessment, advice and interventions for children and young people and offers support and guidance to families and carers.

Responsibilities

• To work as part of an interdisciplinary team in providing and contributing to the development of children’s occupational needs.
• To be autonomously responsible for a caseload of children with complex and multiple needs.
• To provide occupational therapy assessment, intervention and evaluation for children requiring inpatient care, or within clinic or community settings and within local authority targeted provisions.
• To undertake complex clinic, community and school based assessments with intervention programmes that have a focus on improving occupational performance and maximising participation.
• To work within allocated special schools that serve children with complex health and care needs and complete postural and functional assessments to maximise the child’s occupational performance and participation.
• To work closely with children, families, carers and colleagues in partnership agencies, to identify individualised and meaningful goals that are measurable and achievable.
• To plan and implement individual and/or group interventions in collaboration with everyone involved, but with the child’s health and well being needs and wishes at the forefront.
• To advise on and prescribe specialist, assistive equipment at home, school and community settings to support the child and improve or maintain occupational performance.

Main Duties

• Provide Occupational Therapy to children and young people with varying and complex health care needs.
• To undertake assessment, provision and review to children in local authority targeted provision across North Yorkshire Council (NYC) and to provide training to teachers and parents in these provisions and across NYC.
• Take an active role in using outcome measures to ensure the quality and effectiveness of the service.
• To work as an autonomous practitioner within the context of a multidisciplinary service.
• Undertake statutory assessments regarding SEND provision.
• To ensure high standards of service to the client group, their relatives and carers.
• To offer advice and training on areas of specialist expertise and make recommendations where appropriate.
• To liaise with other professionals and agencies in the best interests of the caseload.
• To be able to use the equipment required for the fulfilment of the role.
• To effectively use available systems.
• Work within organisational guidelines, HCPC standards and Royal College of Occupational Therapists guidance.
• To apply national and local standards and monitor own quality of practice.
• To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own work, caseload and ensuring a high standard of care within the service.
• To manage clinical risk within own complex patient caseload.

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust (HDFT) cares for the population in Harrogate and the local area, as well as across North Yorkshire, Leeds and parts of the North East.

About HDFT

At HDFT we provide outstanding care to both our patients and our staff and we value Kindness, Integrity, Teamwork and Equality. If you’re looking for an interesting and rewarding career in the NHS, where you can make a real difference to patients’ lives, HDFT could be the place for you!

We Offer Colleagues

• A supportive culture so colleagues can bring their whole selves to work.
• Staff Recognition – as well as regular appraisals, we recognise achievements with our Making a Difference & Team of the Month Awards, along with annual Colleague Recognition Awards.
• Employee Support and wellbeing – we offer a wide range of staff benefits including an Employee Assistance Programme, counselling service and a fast-track Physiotherapy service.

Please Note

• Due to high levels of interest, posts may close early if we reach a sufficient number of applications.
• Visa sponsorship is only available for certain roles. Please ensure the role you are interested in meets the criteria for a visa before submitting your application.
• Please also be aware that the Trust does not offer relocation packages for Agenda for Change roles.
• All job offers are subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks.

For further details / informal visits contact:
Name: Eleanor Jones
Job title: Principal Occupational Therapist
Email address: eleanor.jones42@nhs.net
Telephone number: 07796941614