Job overview

An exciting opportunity for a skilled Occupational Therapist to join the Communication Aid Service East of England (CASEE) Team.

You would join our specialist multi-professional team comprising Occupational Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists, a Healthcare Scientist, a Rehabilitation Engineer, an Advisory Teacher, Clinical Technicians and Administrative support on an 8 - 12 month external secondment/fixed term contract. 

 This is a unique opportunity to develop a raft of specialist skills and experience in the exciting field of alternative and augmentative communication (AAC).

 You will have the opportunity to engage in invaluable supported professional development and learn a multitude of transferable skills to  add to your professional repertoire.

 Ideally, you will be experienced in working with people with complex needs.  You will be familiar with high level assessment, working as part of a multi-professional team and bringing your unique professional expertise to meet service user goals. You will also be confident in providing training to professionals and families and be able to communicate effectively with a broad range of individuals.

 Whilst experience and high level AAC/AT skills are desirable, we welcome applications from Occupational Therapists who have an interest in AAC/AT and who are committed to developing the necessary specialist knowledge and skills.

Applicants interested in part-time opportunities are also welcomed.

Main duties of the job

You will contribute to the provision of the Regional Specialised AAC services within the East of England.  To provide highly specialist clinical input to children and adults with complex disability including severe communication problems who need to use alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) as described in NHS England Service Specification for AAC/Communication Aids D01/S/B.

You will carry out assessments across the region, as a member of the Multi-disciplinary team (MDT) and make recommendations for AAC provision including providing training and overseeing assessment trials with local teams.

To lead/contribute to the development and delivery of AAC training, to a wide range of audiences.

To actively contribute to the development of the service within the area of specialism, and act as a resource for other therapists and members of the multidisciplinary team in the area of expertise. 

You will take delegated responsibility for aspects of service development and monitoring as required.

Working for our organisation

Our Trust

Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) NHS Foundation Trust comprises Addenbrooke’s Hospital and the Rosie Hospital in Cambridge. With over 13,000 staff and over 1100 beds the priorities of the Trust focus on a quality service which is all about people – patients, staff and partners. Recognised as providing ‘outstanding’ care to our patients and rated ‘Good’ overall by the Care Quality Commissioner, is testament to the skill and dedication of the people who work here. CUH’s values – Together - Safe, Kind, Excellent – are at the heart of patient care, defining the way all staff work and behave. The Trust provides accessible high-quality healthcare for the local people of Cambridge, together with specialist services, dealing with rare or complex conditions for a regional, national and international population.

CUH is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community - a place where we can all be ourselves. We value our differences and fully advocate and support an inclusive working environment where every individual can fulfil their potential. We want to ensure our people are truly representative of all the communities that we serve. We welcome applications for all positions in the organisation irrespective of people’s age, disability, ethnicity, race, nationality, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marriage and civil partnership status, or pregnancy and maternity status or social economic background.