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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To work as an integral member of the therapy team using the principles of Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy in an integrated and client-centred way. The post holder will implement assessments and treatment plans to promote independence through the use of occupation, exercise and physical modalities, taking into consideration a person’s affect and cognition.

To implement and progress delegated treatment programmes using clinical reasoning skills to include the teaching of patients on functional exercise, the issuing and fitting of equipment and the practice of activities of daily living. It will also include assessing patients in the safe use of mobility aids, such as safety on the stairs and personal care.

To assess patients with non-complex mobility and occupational difficulties. To instruct and motivate patients in accordance with the therapy plan, in order to achieve goals set by the registered practitioner, monitoring the patient’s condition at all times.

To undertake specific unaccompanied work and organise own caseload comprising of patients with predictable and unpredictable conditions. To monitor and report back to the registered practitioner and/or other members of the multi-disciplinary team (MDT), regarding progress and changes in the patient’s condition or deviation in the expected care pathway, to ensure safety, the achievement of agreed goals and planning safe discharge.

To use verbal and non-verbal communication tools to communicate effectively with patients/carers. This may include motivation, empowerment and education and will include patients/carers who may or may not have barriers to communication through cognitive or physical impairment e.g. dysphasia, deafness, blindness and depression.

To prepare the clinical area and the patient, for delivery of safe and effective treatments in a clean environment e.g. securing drips, drains, wounds and catheters. To maintain treatment and storage areas to ensure compliance with Health and Safety and Infection Control standards. To monitor and maintain stock levels of equipment and consumables to ensure smooth service delivery.

To participate in the weekend working rota at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and/or Cheltenham General Hospital following appropriate induction, training and assessment.

To participate in own continuing professional development (CPD), including supervision, appraisal, and training to ensure competency, service quality and meet the clinical governance agenda and organisational goals.

To undertake administrative tasks to support the therapy team and ensure the ongoing care and rehabilitation of the patient. To include making accurate and legible entries in the therapy and multidisciplinary patient records. To contribute to measuring the treatment outcomes and audit activity related to the service

To comply with Trust and Departmental policies and procedures e.g. Health and Safety at Work Act (1974), Manual Handling, clinical equipment competency, risk management, Data Protection Acts and patient confidentiality at all times, ensuring the safe use of equipment and storage of materials. This will include demonstrating compliance with the terms of all safeguarding policies and processes relevant to the safeguarding of adults and children in the care of GHNHSFT and to undergo regular mandatory training concerned with safeguarding matters.

COMMUNICATIONS AND WORKING RELATIONSHIPS:

To provide, receive and interpret routine information to and from the following to achieve effective patient care:

- Patients

- Families and carers

- Therapy team

- Multidisciplinary team

- Internal and external organisations

- Voluntary organisations

- Public       

MOST CHALLENGING PART OF THE JOB:

- To embrace the principles of both Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy, bringing them together to work in an integrated and client-centred way

- To provide high quality therapy in a fast paced, changing working environment within the resources available, to ensure the delivery of Trust targets

- To motivate the patient to take part in rehabilitation and to promote independence, when there may be reluctance or communication difficulties

PHYSICAL EFFORT AND WORKING CONDITIONS:

- Frequent daily manual handling of patients with or without equipment with a range of weights and disabilities.

- Daily manual handling of equipment with a range of weights, sizes and shapes and over varying distances.

- Frequently carrying out tasks involving bending, kneeling, and reaching on occasions in confined spaces as part of therapy intervention in the hospital setting and occasionally in the service user’s home.

- Daily exposure to contagious/bodily fluids and, or home environments which pose infection control risks.

- Frequent exposure to emotional distress when dealing with relatives and/or carers of service users coping with uncertainty, loss of status/role and physical change.

- Use of VDU equipment.

- Occasional exposure to intoxicated, aggressive or abusive patients or relatives.

- Exposure to patients with cognitive deficits leading to; agitation, lack of insight, distress, denial, anger and challenging behaviours.

- Occasional need to travel within Gloucestershire, taking patients and or equipment as necessary.

This job description may be amended by management through consultation with the postholder in order to reflect changes in, or to, the job.