Band 6 - Occupational Therapist - Barts

St Bartholomew's Hospital (Barts) are searching for a highly Specialist Stroke Occupational Therapist to join their team. Our group of hospitals provide a huge range of clinical services to people in east London and beyond. We operate from four major hospital sites (The Royal London, St Bartholomew’s, Whipps Cross and Newham) and a number of community locations, including Mile End hospital. Around 2.5 million people living in east London look to our services to provide them with the healthcare they need.

Job Purpose: To provide clinical leadership on the Hyper Acute (HASU) and Stroke Rehabilitation Unit (SRU) at the Royal London Hospital (RLH) to include the Stroke Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) pathway from the Emergency Department (ED). Undertake a team leader role, working alongside the Clinical Lead and fellow Band 7 therapists, in planning, co-ordinating, delivering, and evaluating the Occupational Therapy service provided for patients across the Stroke pathway. To take a lead role in the assessment, treatment, and management of highly complex Stroke patients including those with multiple comorbidities and complex social situations. To communicate effectively with other health and social care professionals, regarding patient care, progress, and planning of rehabilitation and/or discharge needs. To be responsible for the day-to-day clinical and operational management ensuring professional delivery of the Occupational Therapy service with support from the wider Stroke therapy team. To deputise for and support the Clinical Lead when and where required. To take a lead role in the development of the Stroke therapy team in line with RLH therapies and team objectives. To participate in weekend/bank holiday work as part of a rota.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

• To be able to take an active role, including chairing where necessary, in departmental, MDT, case or inter-agency meetings. This may include feedback, planning patient progress, and departmental planning.
• To communicate effectively throughout each day, both verbally and written with professional colleagues, to ensure that information is disseminated throughout the whole team.
• To be able to act upon any matters arising and to also ensure that all staff are aware of management plans and decisions including information on departmental and team organisation for the day.
• To ensure collaborative working communicating daily with internal and external colleagues across the Stroke pathway in a professional, concise, accurate and detailed manner via telephone, letter, e-mail, ward rounds, or in person including daily MDT handovers. This may include the sharing of sensitive information relating to patient progress, Occupational Therapy input or other matters affecting clinical intervention.
• To advise and educate patients and carers on their injuries/condition using all available resources including provision of evidence-based information on treatment/management.
• To frequently use both verbal and non-verbal communication skills to effectively communicate with patients who often present with complex barriers to effective communication.
• To have a detailed understanding of the implications of these difficulties on the service delivery, and to ensure that consent to treatment is gained and effective intervention is undertaken, or when this is not possible due to cognitive or arousal issues, treat in the patient’s best interests.
• To communicate with patients and carers/family using advocates/interpreters as appropriate.
• To be able to negotiate goals with patients across complex psychological, social, cultural, and emotional barriers considering widely differing understandings and expectations of disease status and outcome.
• To be able to facilitate and support other occupational therapy staff in doing likewise.
• To be able to use effective and innovative communication skills and techniques to motivate patients/clients who are unwilling to participate in treatment due to e.g. depression, psychological illness, fatigue, pain, poor cognition, terminal illness etc.

Requirements:

• Band 6 level experience in managing Stroke patients
• Knowledge/experience of acute and rehab pathways for Stroke
• Knowledge and experience of the SSNAP dataset
• Knowledge of current and emerging NHS strategy, frameworks and RCP guidelines that guide practice for self and wider team
• Extensive clinical acute inpatient and rehabilitation experience within the NHS
• Experience of junior staff supervision (e.g B5)
• Experience in leading or supporting a team.
• Experience of service improvement and/or audit
• Evidence of CPD maintained in a portfolio including attendance at post graduate courses/training relevant to specialty.
• Experience of impact of Stroke on psychological wellbeing, including PTSD
• Ability to assess, treat and appropriately discharge patients following Stroke, including those with complex presentations, demonstrating evidence-based practice (EBP).
• Ability to work autonomously, prioritise, organise and delegate a caseload of complex patients for self and wider team.

Why Join Barts Health?

• Be part of a diverse and inclusive team committed to excellence
• Access to NHS benefits including pension scheme and generous annual leave
• Work in a state-of-the-art facility at the heart of East London
• Contribute to a service that supports over 2.5 million people across London
• Access to free Core Skills training via Bank Partners