Job summary
- Main area
- Wheelchair technical instructor
- Grade
- Band 4
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (8:30 - 16:30)
- Job ref
- 350-CC7278854
- Employer
- Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Southport and Formby Wheelchair Service
- Town
- Southport
- Salary
- £26,530 - £29,114 Per Annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 03/07/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Wheelchair Technical Instructor
Band 4
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Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust celebrates diversity and promotes equal opportunities; we are committed to challenging and eliminating racism and other forms of discrimination and advancing and promoting equality of opportunity in the provision of services and creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We believe that everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect.
We take positive action to support disadvantaged groups and also particularly encourage applications from ethnically diverse, disabled and LGBTQIA+ people that are under-represented in our workforce. Furthermore we welcome applications from reservists and ex-armed forces personnel as we recognise the benefits of the values, skills, training and experience that they bring to their work with us. We encourage all applicants to share their equality information with us.
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Job overview
Mersey Care are looking for an enthusiastic, hardworking Band 4 wheelchair technical instructor to join their innovative and dynamic team within Southport and Formby Wheelchair Service.
The role involves working in clinic and within the community in the assessment, prescription and provision of wheelchairs and pressure care as well as offering technical support with parts compatibilities and assembly. You will hold your own caseload and support the therapists to assess and prescribe wheelchairs, specialist buggies and powered wheelchairs.
Main duties of the job
The successful candidate will provide assessment and provision of wheelchairs and pressure management to clients of all ages with a wide variety of medical conditions across Southport and Formby area under the supervision of a qualified practitioner.
We are an innovative service with a goal of providing a high quality service to our patients to achieve their mobility goals and enable their independence. We are looking for a forward thinking wheelchair technical instructor who will add to the team’s dynamic approach and be committed to their own continuing professional development. An effective team player with excellent organisational and communication skills is required to work in a busy service.
We are a friendly, supportive and proactive team looking to provide the best experience and service provision possible for our patients.
The service works collaboratively with many other services around Southport and Formby and are always open to new ways of working together to ensure safe and effective equipment is provided in a timely manner.
Wheelchair Service will provide relevant training necessary to enable you to have the skills and knowledge to provide the high quality service we aim for. There will be plenty of opportunities to gain experience in this specialist area of practice, through shadowing and learning from others.
Working for our organisation
Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands.
We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.
At the heart of all we do is our commitment to ‘perfect care’ – care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We’re currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.
Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
1. Under the direction of Wheelchair Therapists to carry routine assessments and follow
up visits in a variety of settings.
2. To assist Wheelchair Therapists and other clinical staff both in clinic and in other setting
3. To provide technical expertise and advice to other clinical staff undertaking complex
assessments. Including specialised controls.
4. Independently fit and adjusts seating systems and postural devices.
5. Adjust drive profiles on powered wheelchair
6. Design minor modifications.
7. To modify existing equipment via build ups or add on as required by Therapist’s
prescription
8. Following assessment as directed by Wheelchair Therapist to independently undertake
domiciliary visits to hand over and adjust wheelchairs and associated equipment.
9. To plan and organise own schedule for wheelchair users with non-complex needs.
10. To manage own case load under the supervision of a Wheelchair Therapist.
11. To problem solve and consider alternative solutions where routine prescription would
not address specific client need.
12. To recognise and respond appropriately to urgent and emergency situations.
13. Contribute to the effective and efficient use of resources.
14. Report concerns with regards to patient care and safety to line manager.
15. To act as a lone worker in delivering a community-based service
16. To maintain accurate and up to date clinical records using ELM
17. To manage, supervise, support, advise and delegate work to junior members of the
Wheelchair Repair Service Team on a day-to-day basis.
18. To assess wheelchairs and associated equipment to determine the need for repair and
maintenance.
19. To oversee repairs and maintenance of NHS powered and manual wheelchairs and
associated equipment with the technical team.
20. To oversee the operation of planned preventive maintenance schedules.
21. To ensure a high quality of refurbishment of NHS manual and powered wheelchairs is
achieved and maintained.
22. To ensure all work areas are kept well maintained, complying with relevant Health and
Safety guidelines. Ensuring the safe use of equipment and storage of materials.
23. To oversee work for visits, prioritising urgent requests and putting work to maximum
activity during the working day.
24. To adjust drive profiles on powered wheelchairs in liaison with Wheelchair Therapists.
25. To oversee adequate stock levels of wheelchair spares are maintained, identifying which
parts need to be ordered and liaising with the Equipment Coordinator.
26. Maintenance of Wheelchair Spares stock records.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- BTEC/HNC Level or City and Guilds plus relevant post apprenticeship training or equivalent experience – or willing to work towards
Desirable criteria
- Trusted Assessor.
VALUES
Essential criteria
- Continuous Improvement
- Accountability
- Respectfulness
- Enthusiasm
- Support
- High professional standards
- Responsive to service users
- Engaging leadership style
- Strong customer service belief
- Transparency and honesty
- Discreet
Knowledge & Experience
Essential criteria
- Dexterity to repair wheelchairs
- Supervisory experience
- Risk assessment experience
- Experience of maintaining and repairing Disability equipment/medical devices in a Health Care setting
- Experience of working with the public
- Ability to schedule work to achieve maximum deliveries
- Delegation skills
- Time management
Skills
Essential criteria
- Excellent interpersonal skills
- Proven Leadership Skills
- Good communication skills
- Working without supervision
- Organisational skills
- Willing and motivated
- Sensitive to others, especially in stressful situations
- Flexible to suit the needs of the service
- Assessing the safety of environment/equipment
Other
Essential criteria
- Flexible approach to working
- Commitment to effective teamwork
- Commitment to service development
- Good time management
- Demonstrate continuous professional development
- The ability, means and willingness to travel between multiple sites in the course of performing duties is essential in this post
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
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
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Paula McNulty
- Job title
- Clinical Lead
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07773947465
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