Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities

 Clinical

·       To carry out specified treatment programmes as set by qualified staff, and to use experience to report back any changes or responses to the staff.

·       To use treatment modalities initially as directed by a therapist, using good coordination and handling techniques to progress through the programme identified.  This will involve some unsupervised contact (work) with the ability to work on own initiative.

·       To carry out joint and individual therapy sessions, in different locations, with children of varying levels of disability.  These children often have behavioural or learning difficulties, sensory problems (blindness, deafness), or combinations of such difficulties.  These sessions may have minimal direct supervision by the therapist but are supervised indirectly.

·       To follow procedures and treatment plans, occasionally working alone in the community with qualified therapist advice available if needed.

·       To risk assess manoeuvring dependent children in the treatment sessions and to use experience to position them correctly in chairs etc.

·       To complete maintenance and safety checks on specialist paediatric equipment and report any problems to therapist / team leader.

·       Following appropriate training, to be able to monitor and review therapy equipment, including standing frames and specialist seating as fit for purpose and report any concerns/problems to the qualified therapist/team leader.

·       Following appropriate training, to be able to demonstrate safe use of therapy equipment, including standing frames and specialist seating to parents, carers, education staff and other relevant professionals.

·       To complete organisational and departmental documentation in relation to issuing of equipment.  

·       To have knowledge of and to use, equipment e.g. hoists and wheelchairs.

·       To use moving/handling techniques in the moving of patients, or equipment including changes in position.

·       To assist with hydrotherapy sessions ensuring safe transfers in and out of the pool, undressing and dressing of clients and transfers to staff in the pool.  This often includes contact with bodily fluids and toileting dependent children.  This requires the use of hoists and knowledge of transfer techniques.

·       To participate in hydrotherapy sessions, working directly with children and young people in the pool and by completing pool side duties. To complete pool safety checks, including pool chlorine level testing in line with departmental procedures.

·       Needing physical fitness to deal with patients who are unpredictable in movement, assuring their support and your and their safety.

·       To work with infection control and health and safety guidelines in order to deal appropriately with unpleasant conditions related to client contact as they arise.

·       To be able to use mental concentration to pick up signs showing distress of the patient, seizures, or compromised respiratory status.

·       To assist the therapist//team leader with the organisation of specific clinics, including attending the clinic, participating in and following up on any duties as delegated by the therapist, for example, tone management clinic.

 Communication/Organisational

·       To use communication techniques and often persuasiveness to ensure optimal cooperation and effectiveness from clients to carry out their programmes.

·       Under the supervision of the team leader/therapist use communication tools and methods to gain informed consent with patients where there may be barriers to effective communication, for example, hearing loss, altered perception, pain, fear etc.

·       To communicate verbal information with team members, multidisciplinary members and other agencies, e.g. social services, education staff, parents as necessary.  This information may be advice, support to parents, liaison from professionals or appointments and feedback.  This often requires tact and a reassuring attitude.

·       To have ability to understand and often to deal with the emotional difficulties for families, associated with severe and long term, life limiting conditions.

·       To work with some emotionally demanding situations e.g. where parental concerns or reactions are high due to the emotive predicaments of their children and to deal with such situations in a professional and understanding manner.

 Principle Responsibilities:

·       To assist the therapist/team leader in the day to day organisation of activities within the team which will contribute to the effective running of the service

·       To undertake, independently, routine duties for the therapy team e.g. the booking and sending of appointments, re-organising cancelled appointments, organising referral lists with knowledge of priority level as issued by the team lead, ordering stationary when required to support administration staff.

·       Dealing with telephone enquiries and liaison between involved parties e.g. parents, health professionals, teachers.

·       To work within the office setting and deal with interruptions whilst completing the planned work.

·       To plan and monitor document catalogues of equipment for loan and to check status of such, referring on to therapists when needed.

·       To independently organise appointments within clinic sessions, weekly, and also those needing follow on appointments thus monitoring timescales, to ensure the efficient running of the effective use of clinic time.

·       To work within the organisation codes of conduct and guidelines e.g. manual handling, safety procedures, service delivery.

·       To ensure prompt reporting and recording of incidents in line with trust policies and procedures.

·       To be independently responsible for record storing and archiving.

·       To collect and submit data for the trust within timescales.

·       To attend and complete mandatory training.

·       To attend relevant courses CPD/IPA as per local guidelines.

·       To contribute to service delivery via team meetings, comments on proposals etc.

·       To occasionally collate data/audit for teamwork.

·       To have practical experience and attend, in-house training as relevant to clinical work. To participate in regular supervision and individual performance development review

·       To assist physiotherapy and occupational therapy staff in induction and training of new staff and education of students on placement within the service.

 Planning and Organisational Duties

The postholder must attend any training that is identified as mandatory to their role. 

 The range of duties and responsibilities outlined above are indicative only and are intended to give an overview of the range and type of duties that will be allocated. They are subject to modification in the light of changing service demands and the development requirements of the postholder.

 Communications and Key Working Relationships

The Trust has a responsibility to ensure that all children / young people and adults are adequately safeguarded and protected. As a consequence, all Trust employees are required to adhere to national and local safeguarding policies / procedures and to act upon any concerns in accordance with them.

 Responsibility for Finance

To raise the needs of any equipment orders to team lead.

 Responsibility for Health & Safety

Compliance with the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 – the post holder is required to fulfil a proactive role towards the management of risk in all of their actions. This entails the risk assessment of all situations, the taking of appropriate actions and reporting of all incidents, near misses and hazards, and a statutory duty of care for their own personal safety and that of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions. 

 The NHS is Smoke - Free. Smoking is not permitted on any of our premises or the surrounding land including car parking facilities.

 It is Trust policy to reduce the risk of Healthcare Associated Infection by having in place Infection Prevention and Control Policies. These policies must be adhered to by all staff to ensure patients are cared for in a clean environment and receive the highest standards of clinical care.

 Responsibility for Teaching

It is the responsibility of every person to act in ways that support equality and diversity and work within the spirit and detail of legislation including the Equality Act 2010 and the Human Rights Act 1998.

 The Trust is an Equal Opportunities Employer and aims to challenge discrimination, promote equality and respect human rights.

 Work Circumstances & on-call

Working Monday – Friday. No weekend working or on-call requirements.