Band 7 Occupational Therapist for Medicine (including Neurology) in Harlow

This band 7 role is the joint team lead therapy position for our integrated medicine team alongside a band 7 physiotherapist. Together you will be responsible for the therapies intervention across 6 wards and the management of 11 staff members. You will provide a high quality expert Occupational Therapy to a specialist caseload of medical and neurology patients which consists of patients on our acute medical wards (including cardiology and respiratory) as well as having oversight of patients within the hospital with a neurological diagnosis. You will require advanced clinical reasoning, critical thinking, reflection and the ability to analyse to support assessments. You will be supported with induction, probation and yearly appraisals and be responsible for the maintenance and development of own continuing professional development identifying and contributing to the evidence base of occupational therapy. You will educate occupational therapy students on practice placements and support the management of the occupational therapy service as required by the deputy therapy manager and therapy manager. This is a full time position, including working at weekends when rostered. We’re an inclusive employer that values its people and welcomes applicants from all backgrounds and experiences.

Main duties of the job

• To be responsible for providing individual and client centred assessments to medicine & neurology managing the most complex cases addressing occupational performance skills, patterns, context or contexts and activity demands in collaboration with patients and carers.
• To undertake occupational therapy specialist multi‑needs assessments using complex and advanced clinical reasoning demonstrating critical thinking, reflection and analysis to develop individual and group goal and task oriented treatment plans.
• To act as a source of clinical expertise and advice providing clinical leadership within the medical team and provide a resource for other teams in regards to neurology.
• To develop collaborative treatment plans with patients, carers and colleagues in the hospital and if necessary in the patient’s home environment, demonstrating ethical clinical reasoning and problem solving techniques to determine agreed outcomes across health and social care.
• To maintain high professional standards, continuously promoting and developing quality improvements appropriate to the needs of the occupational therapy service and profession.
• To be responsible for clinical and managerial caseload management ensuring clinical governance, quality assurance and occupational therapy professional standards are met.
• To undertake complex risk assessments and to advise others in determining appropriate management specifically relating to moving and handling, safe use of equipment, pre‑discharge access assessments and home assessments ensuring safety during occupational therapy interventions both in hospital and the patient’s home.
• To understand and apply National Guidelines and legislation relating to health and social care in occupational therapy practice.
• To take a lead in developing and implementing clinical training programmes and in‑service training for occupational therapy staff and other professionals.
• Be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of your work, ensuring a high standard of care for your patients and support more junior staff to do likewise.
• This includes the use of autonomy to work within the scope of practice and treat patients within general professional guidelines and standards as determined by the Royal College of Occupational Therapy and any other appropriate source.
• To operationally lead and manage designated occupational therapy staff within the medical team, providing effective guidance, supervision and performance management including the education and management of students on practice placements.
• To inform the occupational therapy service of changes in clinical practice which may influence occupational therapy service delivery, business planning and strategic reviews to support the delivery of the annual occupational therapy plan, meeting agreed objectives.
• To ensure accurate and up to date records of all professional judgements, decisions taken, related statistical information are kept and reported in accordance with occupational therapy policies.
• To participate as required in the recruitment selection and induction of junior occupational therapy staff.
• To participate in the operational planning and implementation of policy and service development within occupational therapy, medicine & neurology leading on delegated projects.

Please see attached job description and personal specification of the role for further information.