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Job summary

Main area
Occupational Therapy
Grade
Band 6
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Part time - 24 hours per week
Job ref
310-MOPAC-6122966
Employer
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Botolph Bridge Community Health Centre
Town
Peterborough
Salary
£35,392 - £42,618 per annum pro rata
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
02/05/2024 23:59

Employer heading

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust logo

Specialist Occupational Therapist, ME/CFS

Band 6

Job overview

We are currently looking to recruit an enthusiastic and motivated Occupational Therapist to join our Adult ME / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) Team. The ideal candidate will have a strong team work ethic, sense of accountability, accompanied by an ability to work under considerable pressure at times. This post is open to professionals with the right attributes to enhance a team.

 If you are looking for a new challenge, enjoy variety in your work and wish to be part of a team striving to make a difference for our community by supporting people with ME/CFS, we want to hear from you. We are ideally looking for someone with knowledge of this condition and experience working with patients who have ME/CFS or other similar neurological conditions. The post mainly entails managing a caseload of complex patients who require self-management advice and support in the form of one-to-one and group therapy sessions. Experience of implementation of the NICE guidelines for ME/CFS would be an advantage.

 We will provide the necessary support to ensure your development within this role. The service is based in Botolph Bridge Community Health Centre in Peterborough and the post worker will be required to work 24 hours a week at band 6 either at base or remotely. The successful applicant will also need to be able to travel to area clinics in Huntingdon, Doddington and Cambridge.

Main duties of the job

Please note for this role you will be required to travel independently around the county meeting strict time deadlines. You will need to hold a full UK driving licence* and have use of a vehicle. You cannot use public transport for this role as this is not a reliable form of transport and will not allow you to meet service needs. Please confirm in your application that you meet the specified criteria.

This is an exciting post to work seamlessly with patients across community care services within our region. The key aims and objectives of the service are listed below.

  • To work autonomously as a member of the ME/CFS Service, multidisciplinary team, in providing care, advice & support to patients referred to the service with a diagnosis of ME/CFS or multifactorial fatigue.
  • To promote education & guidance to patients, their carers & Healthcare professionals across Peterborough & Cambridgeshire .

The ideal candidate will have a strong team work ethic, sense of accountability, accompanied by an ability to work under considerable pressure at times. The post is open to professionals with the right attributes to enhance a team.

*DVLA have a number of reciprocal arrangements with overseas countries, for further information please visit the DVLA website 

Working for our organisation

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust is a health and social care organisation dedicated to providing high-quality care with compassion to improve the health and wellbeing of the people we care for, as well as supporting and empowering them to lead a fulfilling life.

Our clinical teams deliver many NHS services, not only via inpatient and primary care settings, but also within the community. These services include children's, adult and older people's mental health, forensic and specialist mental health, learning disabilities, primary care and liaison psychiatry, substance misuse, social care, research and development.

To achieve our goal, we look to recruit high-calibre candidates who share our vision and values. As an equal opportunities employer, we encourage applications from all sectors of the community, particularly from under-represented groups including people with long term conditions and members of our ethnic minority and LGBTQ+ communities.

 

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of responsibilities.

  • To undertake holistic assessment (including those with complex presentations and multi pathologies) making use of specialist clinical reasoning skills.
  • To promote independence and wherever possible to avoid hospital admission and reduce inpatient length of stay to ensure those patients receive the appropriate care in the most appropriate setting.
  • Conduct risk assessments and health and safety assessments, immediately reporting any changes/newly identified risks.
  • To demonstrate the importance of gaining patient and carer consent in all interventions.
  • To effectively communicate verbally with patients, carers and colleagues using tact and persuasive skills. This may involve using skills where patients have difficulties in communication, e.g. hearing loss, diminished sight, depression, speech problems, cognitive impairment, behavioural problems and pain.
  • To actively manage positive relationships with other agencies involved in the patient’s pathway e.g. adult social care, psychological well-being service
  • To contribute to the development of a high-quality specialist service for adults with ME/CFS in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire.
  • Manage a caseload of highly complex and challenging cases, as an autonomous practitioner. Assess, develop and implement occupational therapy programmes of care evidencing a high level of problem solving and reasoning skills.
  • The post holder will be responsible for providing expert advice, education, & guidance on ME/CFS, to patients, carers and healthcare Professionals within Peterborough & Cambridgeshire, .
  • Provision of care will be virtual (working from home) and clinic based including outreach clinics and occasional home visits across Peterborough & Cambridgeshire,

Person specification

Education / Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Registered with the Health Professions Council (HCPC)
  • BSc /Dip COT

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Experience and good knowledge of carrying out complex assessments
  • Evidence based approach to practice
  • Practical experience of the management of ME/CFS
Desirable criteria
  • Personal and / or professional experience of ME/CFS
  • Use of either standardised or non-standardised Outcome Measures
  • Experience in complex fatigue management and/or talking therapeutic approaches such as cognitive behavioural therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, compassion focussed therapy.

Skills & Abilities

Essential criteria
  • Able to demonstrate commitment to high quality care and service provision
  • Knowledge and good experience of a wide range of medical conditions and different treatment approaches
  • Ability to organise and prioritise caseload efficiently
  • Knowledge of NICE guidance for the management of ME/CFS
Desirable criteria
  • Reflective practice.
  • Can demonstrate how s/he has promoted ‘best practice’
  • Evidence of service improvement project
  • Teaching skills / experience of implementation of group work

Knowledge & Understanding

Essential criteria
  • Accepts responsibility and accountability for own work and can define the responsibilities of others
  • Knowledge of relevant outcome measures
  • Seeks and uses professional support appropriately
  • Appreciates the significance of safeguarding and interprets this accurately for all individual children and young people/vulnerable adults whatever their life circumstances.
Desirable criteria
  • Systmone
  • Knowledge of current research in the field of ME/CFS
  • Knowledge of BACME guidance for the management of ME/CFS

Physical Requirements

Essential criteria
  • Car owner / driver with the ability to travel across the Locality as required.
  • Work from a laptop, at a desk, (either in the office or from home) for long periods.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

NHS Pastoral Care Quality AwardApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyAge positiveDisability confident leaderInvestors in PeopleDefence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) - BronzeImproving working livesCare quality commission - GoodMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.We offer Wagestream - A financial wellbeing benefit which lets you access your pay as you earn it.NHS Rainbow badgeStonewall equality policy. Equality and justice for lesbians, gay men, bisexual and trans people.Prince's Trust - Proud to support the Prince's trust - Youth can do itArmed Forces Covenant

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Danielle Duffill
Job title
Neuro Conditions Clinical Manager
Email address
[email protected]
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