Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Job Purpose: 

The post will provide therapy intervention to patients in the Acute Medical Unit, and other areas in the teams remit such as A+E, Ambulatory Care and the Clinical Decision Unit. 

The Therapy Assistant Practitioner will work under the supervision of qualified Therapy staff, providing assessment and treatment programmes for patients in the in hospital. This will include working in a wide variety of settings including the ward, the inpatient gym and activities of daily living suites. It will also include some Access Visits to a patient’s home, and potentially supporting on Home Visits with a qualified Therapist.

The Therapy Assistant Practitioner is able to carry out a full episode of care from assessment to discharge, for a specified and designated clinical caseload identified by a qualified clinician.

This post requires the ability to work over a 7 day pattern between the core hours of 8-6 pm. The shift pattern is currently working four long days.

The post holder will assist in the administration and clerical duties for the team and department.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

INTERNAL INCLUDE: Supervising specialist clinician team leads and clinical pathway leads, clinical pathway teams, referring clinicians, MDTs, therapy administrative team.

EXTERNAL INCLUDE: GPs, Community Services, Social services, Local authorities, Voluntary Services, DoH Networks.

Key Result Areas & Performance:

1. To undertake all aspects of clinical duties and to carry a full caseload of patients under the supervision, direct and indirect, of an Occupational Therapist or a Physiotherapist.

2. To work to departmental standard operating procedures and clinical protocols and in conjunction with the supervising clinician to decide priorities for own work area, balancing other patient related and service demands.

3. To be responsible for implementing programmes of care assessing patient progress and using initiative to suggest changes to treatment plan within agreed competencies. When care deviates from standard operating procedures report back to therapist.

4. To own competency level to be accountable for all aspects of own work. This will include the management of clinical risk, clinical governance, knowledge of indications and precautions of chosen techniques in line with National and Trust clinical guidelines and protocols where they exist.

5. To assess patients’ capacity, gain valid informed consent to treatment and where such capacity is lacking/absent to work within a legal framework in the management of the patient.

6. To undertake the assessment and treatment planning for patients identified within a specific and designated caseload.

7. To carry out home visits and access visits, with or without a therapist, as required.

8. To implement individualised clinical management programmes, utilising a range of treatment skills and options to plan a suitable programme of care.

9. To use recognised outcome measures to evaluate the effect of Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy interventions and ensure that treatment programmes are progressing appropriately.

10. To provide information, teaching and instruction to relatives, carers, other disciplines and agencies. To promote understanding of the aims of Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy.

11. To participate in multidisciplinary/multi-agency team meetings and case conferences to ensure the co-ordination of patient care. This may include the review of patient progress and discharge planning.

12. To ensure accurate, comprehensive and up to date clinical records are maintained in accordance with Trust guidance and agreed criteria.

13. Deliver and install simple aids and equipment in the patient’s home and instruct patients and carers in use of this equipment as appropriate.

14. To identify and employ suitable verbal and non-verbal communication skills with patients where there may be barriers to understanding or the inability to accept diagnosis. To facilitate the best possible communication outcome in every situation and use appropriate services e.g. interpreters, SALT.

15. To ensure that individual practice and that of the local pathway team is user focused and patient views are incorporated into treatment planning.

16. To employ appropriate skills such as persuasion, motivation and negotiation to gain co-operation in the continuation of the agreed treatment programme.

17. To communicate with empathy, patient information which may be of a complex and sensitive nature

18. To receive complex patient related information from patients, relatives, carers and other professionals to effectively plan and develop individual case management.

19. To communicate and advise regarding complex patient related information effectively to ensure collaborative working within the Therapy service and with other professionals across health and other agencies to ensure the delivery of a coordinated multidisciplinary service.

20. To be integral in discharge planning including liaison with referring hospitals or community staff to which patients are discharged, providing timely discharge reports.

21. To produce patient related reports for other disciplines or agencies relating to assessment findings and/or treatment outcomes.

22. To participate in the measurement and evaluation of own work through audit, outcome measurement.

23. To follow service policy regarding current clinical and service developments.

24. To be accessible and provide clinical information to colleagues.

25. To fully participate in whatever pattern of working is required by the service in the future.

Financial

Ensure adequate activities of daily living equipment is available and accessible, and work with Transferring Community Equipment Services (TCES) agenda.

Service Development

1. To contribute to the development of a designated Therapy speciality in line with Trustwide Pathway development.

2. To contribute to the implementation of service agreed policy and service changes for local work area in line with policy agreed for Pathway as a whole. The post holder will work with the other members of the Pathway Team to achieve this.

3. To contribute to developments within the Therapy service and the wider multidisciplinary/multi-agency team and if requested participate in related project groups.