Band 5 Occupational Therapist in Littleton

Blackstone Recruitment are working with an NHS Trust based in Hampshire who are looking to recruit Band 5 Occupational Therapists for a rotational role in Basingstoke, Winchester and Andover. The rotations cover: surgery, ED, medicine, cardiology, elderly care, hand therapy, orthopaedics including trauma and elective, stroke and inpatient rehab.

Job Summary: To provide a high standard of physiotherapy service in a variety of clinical areas, including but not exclusive to acute, orthopaedic, stroke, rehabilitation and hand therapy. To be empowered to work autonomously in given area in the knowledge support is available as needed. To hold responsibility for own caseload and be responsible for a defined area of the service. To actively participate in supervision and teaching opportunities, including preceptorship as applicable. To actively contribute to service development using quality improvement methodology.

Key Responsibilities:

• Ensure professional and legal accountability for all work within the scope of practice.
• Conduct comprehensive patient assessments, including complex cases, using investigative and analytical skills.
• Develop and implement individualised therapy plans based on evidence-based practices, reassessing and adjusting as needed.
• Formulate accurate prognoses and create detailed discharge plans, including referrals to other specialties.
• Adhere to clinical guidelines and standards, monitoring the quality of practice.
• Ensure the safe and competent use of medical equipment and devices, training junior staff as necessary.
• Maintain accurate patient statistics.
• Demonstrate physical and mental ability to perform treatments requiring moderate physical effort and sustained concentration.
• Work independently as a lone practitioner, including extended hours and community settings.
• Supervise and train students and assistants, ensuring professional standards and safe use of therapy equipment.
• Address professional behaviour, quality, or safety issues promptly, and participate in the appraisal process.
• Review work performance, manage work allocation, and participate in recruitment and selection processes.

Our values help us in what we do and how we do it. It is important that you understand and use these values throughout your employment with the Trust to define and develop our culture. The post holder will be:

• Inclusive, valuing and celebrating everyone's diversity and success.
• Compassionate, caring about our patients.
• Accountable and responsible, always looking to improve.
• Respectful for all and show integrity in everything.
• Encouraging and challenging each other to always do our best.

Customer Care for patients and/or service users:

• Assess patient understanding of treatment proposals, obtain informed consent, and work within legal frameworks for patients lacking capacity.
• Manage stressful, upsetting, or emotional situations empathetically.
• Represent the Therapy service and patients at various meetings.
• Handle patients with high anxiety and aggression due to pain, dementia, limited mobility, distressing news, or illness.
• Occasionally work in unpleasant conditions, including exposure to bodily fluids and potential verbal and physical aggression, while supporting the wider team working in these environments.
• Ensure care empowers patients to regain independence as soon as possible.

Communication:

• Effectively communicate complex and sensitive information to patients, carers, and staff, including the delivery of unwelcome news.
• Ensure all written patient information is relevant and appropriate.
• Maintain accurate and timely patient records according to professional standards.
• Present information to a diverse audience to inform, promote, encourage, and educate, while communicating effectively on professional matters.
• Ensure seamless communication with all members of the MDT, GPs, and colleagues external to the Trust.
• Actively participate in specialty and peer group meetings and keep absent staff informed of any issues.
• Ensure all equipment defects are reported to the Operational Team Manager immediately, and appropriate actions are taken by the concerned parties to prevent safety hazards.
• Promptly report all complaints and accidents to the immediate senior staff member and document them accordingly to manage risks effectively.

Planning and organisation:

• Support Team Lead and Senior Clinicians when required with daily operations and strategic needs, keeping the line manager informed and escalating issues as needed.
• Manage a caseload of patients, respond to urgent referrals, prioritise clinical work, and balance patient-related and professional activities.
• Delegate tasks effectively while retaining professional responsibility.
• Collaborate with multi-professional teams to improve services and optimise patient outcomes.
• Regarding health and safety, be aware that all tasks are to be performed under significant time pressures, with interruptions, and in an environment of increasingly high patient and referrer expectations.
• Support the investigation of concerns and complaints when asked to identify and mitigate potential risks.

Essential criteria:

• BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy / MSc Occupational Therapy / Grad Dip Phys or equivalent
• HCPC registration / COT membership

Experience:

• Diverse clinical placements
• Evidence of undertaking safe practice
• Willingness to undertake and complete tasks
• Evidence of continuous professional development (CPD) and reflective practice
• Knowledge and experience of multi-disciplinary team working
• Proficiency in IT skills

Skills and Ability:

• Effective verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills.
• Effective delegation of duties to other staff.
• Demonstrate understanding and appropriate application of all principles surrounding risk management, data protection, consent, confidentiality etc.

Please APPLY now or contact Kirsty from Blackstone Recruitment.