Occupational Therapy Assistant

We are looking to recruit an Occupational Therapy Assistant to work within our Adult Occupational Therapy Inpatient Service at CDDFT. The position is situated at the Stroke Rehabilitation Unit at Bishop Auckland Hospital. You will be an active member of the Adult Occupational Therapy team and work closely with the wider multi-disciplinary team.

The role would consist of providing support to the Occupational Therapist, within a hospital rehabilitation setting. This is an exciting opportunity for any individual who enjoys working as a team and who has a passion for providing excellent care to patients with the ultimate aim of the patient returning home as safely and as independently as possible. The Adult Occupational Therapy service supports this transition by completing extensive assessments, providing additional aids, completing home visits, providing professional advice, rehabilitation and compassionate care. All individuals would be fully inducted and additional departmental training will be provided.

Main duties of the job include:

• Working alongside qualified Therapists; gathering relevant patient history, supporting the Occupational Therapist with assessments and therapeutic interventions such as activities of daily living, mobility and transfer practice, cognitive tasks and social engagement.
• Ordering, delivering and fitting suitable pieces of equipment, providing verbal instruction and demonstrating the safe use of equipment in a range of environments.
• Liaising with patients, their carers and family members, carrying out follow up telephone calls and ensuring patient documentation is accurate and up to date.
• Working closely with other Allied Health Professionals to provide excellent care and support, following the Stroke pathway.

As a successful candidate, you will be expected to work as a member of the Adult Occupational Therapy Team, contributing to team developments and provision of a high quality service to patients. You will assist qualified Occupational Therapists in the delivery of Occupational therapy assessments and interventions with patients on an individual or group basis and in a variety of settings (Wards, and Community). You will work under the direction of qualified staff across identified service areas and carry out planned interventions of care as directed and provided by Therapists.

Essential skills and knowledge required include:

• Good interpersonal and communication skills both written and verbal.
• Good organisational skills.
• Ability to reason and problem solve.
• Good observational skills.
• Ability to follow verbal and written instruction.
• Knowledge of Occupational Therapy profession and its core values.
• Ability to teach practical skills to patients.
• Competent in the use of IT, including email, word and excel.
• Ability to work under own initiative and seek guidance when required.
• Commitment to professional development and attainment of competencies.

Experience required includes:

• Experience of working with clients with various medical conditions and physical disabilities.
• Experience working in a health or social care setting.
• Experience of documenting accurate, clear and concise patient records.

Qualifications required include NVQ Level 3 or equivalent.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.