Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Operational Delivery

• To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own clinical practice and work. To ensure a high standard of clinical care for the patients under your management.

• To undertake a comprehensive assessment of stroke patients and use advanced clinical reasoning skills and assessment techniques to provide patient specific treatment plans.

• To formulate and deliver an individual occupational therapy treatment programme, based on a sound knowledge of evidence-based practice and treatment options using clinical assessment, reasoning skills and knowledge of treatment skills.

• To formulate patient centred goals.

• Assess patient understanding of treatment proposals, gain valid informed consent and have the capacity to work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment.

• Evaluate patient progress and treatment programmes, reassess and alter treatment programmes as required, using recognised outcome measures, assessment tools and advanced clinical skills.

• To assess and manage clinical risk within own patient case load. 

• To be registered with the Health Professional Council/ Occupational Therapy register

• To be responsible for maintaining accurate and comprehensive records in line with legal, professional and HCT’s standards of practice.

• Represent the Occupational Therapy service and/or individual patients at the multi-disciplinary team meetings, to ensure the delivery of a coordinated multidisciplinary service. This will include discussion of individualised patient care and treatment packages, patient progress, involvement in discharge planning from bed bases and management plans following transfer from the ESD team. 

• When working in the community and domiciliary settings, to work as a lone practitioner with telephone support from a senior therapist if required.

• To be responsible for the safe and competent use of all equipment used within the role including manual handling equipment, ADL equipment, splinting devices and other patient appliances and aids. Check all equipment prior to use and report any faults to the relevant authority.

Management

• To be responsible for the delegation to, and supervision and co-ordination of band 5 Occupational Therapists, Occupational Therapy students and rehabilitation assistants daily.

• Ensure that your own practice and that of staff under your supervision meet the required professional standards of Occupational Therapy practice. 

• To be responsible for organising and planning your own caseload to meet service and patient priorities. To be adaptable and readjust plans as situations change/ arise.

• To be aware of the Health and Safety aspects of your work and implement any policies which may be required to improve the safety of your area of work, including the prompt recording and reporting of incidents.

• To be responsible for the safe and competent use of therapy equipment by patients, rehabilitation assistants and student Occupational Therapists, through teaching, monitoring, training and supervision of practice.

Service Development and Education

• To maintain own clinical professional development (CPD) by keeping abreast of any new clinical evidence and developments and incorporate them as necessary into your work. To maintain a portfolio which demonstrates personal development and shows evidence of reflective practice. To develop and enhance skills and incorporate them as necessary into everyday practice.

• Maintain develop and enhance current knowledge of evidenced based practice developing specialist knowledge of stroke and other neurological conditions where relevant.

• Participate in the staff appraisal scheme as an appraisee and appraiser and be responsible for complying with your agreed personal development programmes to meet standard of knowledge and competencies.

• To be an active member of the in-service training programme by attendance at, and participating in, in-service training programmes, tutorials, individual training sessions, external courses, reflective practice and peer review. To prepare and present at training sessions as part of this programme.

• To actively participate in health promotion and health education initiatives including promoting active/healthy lifestyles.

• To audit and monitor performance against local and national guidelines and standards, both professional and clinical. 

• Undertake the measurement and evaluation of your work and current practices using evidence based practice projects, audit, research and outcomes measures, either individually or with more senior therapists.

• To undertake as directed the collection of data for use in service audit and research projects.  To participate in research into specific areas of clinical practice and service delivery using a range of research methodologies as part of MDT audit and departmental research initiative. 

• To undertake evidence-based audit and research projects to develop and enhance personal and team’s clinical practice.  Make suggestions to clinical lead/manager of service for changes to practice by the team.  Will assist in the implementation of specific changes to practice or contribute to service protocols.

Management and Leadership 

• To deputise for more senior staff in their absence, taking responsibility for operational management of the Occupational Therapy team and allocating and organising the work of assistant staff to meet service priorities daily.

• To supervise the record keeping of Band 5 and student Occupational Therapists and rehabilitation assistants according to HCT and professional standards.

• To be responsible for teaching student Occupational Therapists to graduate level on Occupational Therapy skills and knowledge within core clinical areas.

• To teach, assess and contribute to the performance assessment and appraisal of band 5 Occupational Therapists, and rehabilitation assistants.

Communication and Relationship Building

• Develop and maintain good communication with all levels of staff and management.

Information Management

• To provide statistical information on OT treatments, activities and outcomes daily.