Job summary
We are developing an Integrated Community Stroke Service (ICSS) within Great Yarmouth & Waveney, bringing together community stroke pathways into a more coordinated, responsive and patient-centred model of care. As part of the wider left shift ambition, this service will support earlier discharge from hospital and improve outcomes through timely, multidisciplinary rehabilitation in the community. Our Year 1 focus is on building a more responsive and integrated local service, increased MDT capacity and improved continuity of care across the stroke pathway. You will be joining a service at a key point of development, with the opportunity to shape how care is delivered and contribute to a more integrated, forward-thinking model of community stroke rehabilitation.

A seven day service will be developed in the future.

Main duties of the job
Working alongside the other MDT members including nurses, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists and assistant practitioners your duties will include:

• To promote recovery and well-being, whilst empowering patients to self-manage and maximise their independence using health coaching techniques and meaningful activity.
• To be responsible for delivering Occupational Therapy in the assessment and treatment of stroke patients, some of which may have complex and/or chronic presentation.
• To collaborate with other services to support the stroke pathway.
• To assist with teaching and supervision of other team members and students.
• To assist evaluation of the Integrated Community Stroke Service and to be actively involved with service development within the speciality and to implement changes in stroke services delivery as required.
• To work as part of an integrated Stroke MDT, following evidence based practice. This will include a combination of face-to-face and telerehab sessions, devising therapy programmes carried out by yourself or an Assistant Practitioner, writing self management plans for patients and signposting to community-based communication and support groups (such as those provided by voluntary organisations).

About us
ECCH is well established health care provider and has been successfully delivering NHS care within the community since 2011. We provide a range of NHS, community health and social care services predominantly across the easterly region of the Norfolk/Suffolk borders.We are aligned to NHS terms and conditions, and offer many employee benefits, to find out more about us visit our website - www.ecch.org. We are a social enterprise and staff owned organisation which means staff can opt to be shareholders and have a real say in how ECCH is run and evolves to deliver healthcare for the future.At the heart of our ambition, we work in partnership with and for the community to become the provider and employer of choice for community healthcare.

Job responsibilities
Clinical

• To be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of your own work including the management of patients in your care.
• To ensure a high standard of clinical care for the patients under your management, and support assistants to do likewise.
• To accept clinical responsibility for a designated caseload of patients, and to organise this efficiently and effectively regarding clinical priorities and use of time.
• To undertake the detailed assessment of patients, some of whom may have complex needs, using investigative and analytical skills.
• To collaboratively work with patients to develop rehabilitation goals.
• To formulate an individualised treatment plan, using clinical reasoning skills and utilising a wide range of skills and treatment options.
• To develop specialised skills in relation to cognition, perception, and upper limb therapy.
• To provide advice to the MDT regarding the management of patients requiring therapy input.
• To provide spontaneous and planned advice, teaching and instruction to relatives, carers, schools, workplace and other professionals, to promote understanding of the aims of Occupational Therapy to ensure a consistent approach to patient care.
• To communicate effectively with patients and carers to maximise rehabilitation potential and to ensure understanding of their stroke. Communication skills of persuasion, motivation, explanation and gaining informed consent will be used with a wide variety of patients. Barriers to effective communication may include loss of hearing, cognitive difficulties, aphasia, pain and fear.
• To assess capacity, gain valid consent and have the ability to work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment.
• To help facilitate patients to self-manage their rehabilitation.
• To take responsibility for appropriate delegation of tasks.
• To train, supervise and manage performance of assistant practitioners, therapy assistants and students, with assistance from more senior members of the team. This will include the use of formal appraisal documentation.
• To maintain up-to-date knowledge of the full stroke care pathway.

Professional

• To maintain own clinical professional development (CPD) by keeping abreast of any new trends and developments and incorporate them as necessary into your work.
• To be an active member of the in-service training programme by the attendance and presentation at staff meetings, tutorials, training sessions, external courses and reflective practice.
• To communicate effectively and work collaboratively with medical, nursing and therapy colleagues to ensure delivery of a co-ordinated multidisciplinary service. This will include case conference and medical reports. To provide teaching/training to other members of the multidisciplinary team.
• To participate in the staff appraisal scheme and personal development.
• To undertake the measurement and evaluation of your work and current practices using Evidence Based Practice projects, audit and outcome measures. To make recommendations for and assist with change.
• To demonstrate a sound understanding of Clinical Governance and Risk Management and apply to work situation.

Organisational

• To be responsible for a designated area of work, as agreed with the Team Leader. To plan and organise this efficiently with regard to patient management and use of time.
• To decide priorities for own work, balancing other patient related, professional and service demands.
• To be responsible for ensuring the effective selection and use of all treatment resources.
• To be responsible for equipment used in carrying out clinical duties, and to adhere to departmental policy, including competence to use equipment and to ensure the safe use of equipment by others through teaching, training and supervision of practice including manual handling in accordance with professional guidelines.
• To maintain concise, accurate, comprehensive and up-to-date documentation in a timely manner in line with legal and departmental requirements, including letters and reports as appropriate.
• To be actively involved in the collection of appropriate data and statistics for the use of the department.
• 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 work area, including the prompt recording and reporting of accidents / incidents to senior staff, and ensuring that equipment used is safe.
• To comply with the organisational and departmental policies and procedures and to be involved in the reviewing and updating as appropriate.
• To undertake any other duties that might be considered appropriate by the Band 7 Team Leader and Line manager.
• To deputise for the Band 7 Specialist Occupational Therapist.
• All roles within East Coast Community Healthcare CIC (ECCH) require staff to demonstrate our Values and Signature Behaviours in the care and service they provide to patients, service users, stakeholders and colleagues. All members of staff should consider these as an essential part of their job role.
• Our Values outline the core behaviours that we can all achieve and are summarised as an acronym within the word 'CARE'. These stand for: Compassion, Action, Respect and Everyone.
• Underpinning our Values are our Signature Behaviours which highlight by taking the right actions we continue to build a strong culture. Our four Signature Behaviours are: Compassion - We Listen, We Learn, We Lead| Action - My Accountability, My Responsibility | Respect - Respect Our Resources: People, Time and Money | Everyone - Work Together, Achieve Together.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Diploma/Degree or equivalent in Occupational Therapy
• HCPC registration
• Evidence of relevant post graduate courses/CPD in neurology or rehabilitation

Desirable

• Membership of relevant specialist group e.g. RCOT SSNP
• Clinical Educator's course

Experience
Essential

• Band 5 experience which includes relevant work in variety of settings, community and /or acute within specialities of stroke, neurology and multi-pathology
• Experience of variety of assessment skills within different clinical areas, including standardised assessments
• Evidence of involvement in service development, e.g., working on projects

Desirable

• Worked as a band 6
• Rehabilitation ward/community experience
• Cognitive Rehabilitation Training
• Basic Psychology training
• Health Coaching/ Motivational interviewing skills
• Posture, wheelchair and seating assessment

Additional Criteria
Essential
SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Ability to act as an autonomous practitioner, organising, prioritising and delegating workload as appropriate
• Good communication skills, including empathy, motivational and assertiveness skills
• To be able to work well with others
• To be able to pass on skills and knowledge and also learn from others
• Ability to work flexibly across clinical areas and adapt to the needs of the service
• Problem solving skills
• Good IT skills
• Goal setting skills
• Good time management skills
• Good listening skills
• Working knowledge of clinical governance/current topics in the NHS
• Knowledge of stroke pathology, symptoms, neuroplasticity and risk factors

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

• Recognises limitations and knows when to ask for help
• Self-directional learning
• Forward thinking
• Able to work under pressure with a positive approach
• Evidence of interest / motivation to work for East Coast Community Healthcare
• Willingness to work across different sites and travel to alternative sites and across the community as required.
• Ability to embrace our Culture, Values and Signature Behaviours:
• (Compassion - We Listen, We Learn, We Lead| Action - My Accountability, My Responsibility | Respect - Respect Our Resources: People, Time and Money | Everyone - Work Together, Achieve Together).

Desirable
SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

• Relevant clinical courses
• Knowledge of SystmOne and Microsoft Office, Virtual working platforms
• Presentation skills
• Evidence of taking initiative, taking lead role
• Critical appraisal
• Supervisory skills
• Ability to teach / train / coach
• Student clinical super

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

• Ability to reflect and evaluate own performance
• Interest in research and / or audit
• Experience of change process
• To be flexible to new ways of working

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).