Occupational Therapist in Peterborough

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 person 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. To perform a specialist community Occupational Therapy role with disabled people of all ages who have difficult health, social, psychological / psychosocial and housing needs and who have been referred. To assess the functional needs of disabled people (18 years and older), including those with multi-pathology and variable conditions, physical and mental health conditions, chronic and terminal illness and learning disabilities residing currently in the community.

To provide a specialist response for difficult cases, formulating and implementing intervention plans aimed at reducing the impact of disability and ill health. To manage a defined caseload of challenging needs as an autonomous practitioner, evidencing high-level problem solving and reasoning skills, and independence of judgement.

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 person, their 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 person 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 person and their carers, the most appropriate intervention options which balance the difficult interaction of risk, safety, person 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 people 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.
• 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.