Job summary
We have an exciting opportunity for a Band 7 Clinical Team Lead Stroke Specialist Occupational Therapist to join our Integrated Stroke Therapy Service. This role will be across the stroke pathway with a focus on community stroke rehabilitation.

The job focus will be to clinically lead the Occupational Therapy team in collaboration with our current band 7 OT. You will work closely with the wider MDT providing highly specialist advanced assessment and treatment of patients with complex stroke rehabilitation needs on the stroke pathway. You will be a HCPC registered therapist with sound knowledge and experience of stroke.

As the clinical lead, you will plan, coordinate, deliver and evaluate the OT community stroke service in partnership with the other clinical leads and operational manager.

We have an experienced leadership team working across the stroke and neuro service therefore you will have a strong support system in place for anyone new into a band 7 role.

Flexibility in working patterns will be required to meet the needs of the service. Access to a vehicle is essential to commute between sites.

Main duties of the job
The role will require you to undertake advanced stroke OT assessment and rehabilitation with patients, allocated to your caseload, along with providing close supervision to junior staff in your team.

As part of the community stroke rehabilitation service, you will work closely with the wider MDT to set collaborative rehabilitation goals and treatment programmes to support timely discharge into the community. As such you will be expected to build close links with our inpatient stroke therapy staff to support a seamless early discharge into the community setting supporting acute patient flow.

You will be responsible for the day to day running of the OT team which will include both clinical and operational management responsibilities.

The suitable candidate will have a broad understanding of the stroke rehabilitation pathway from admission through to the community setting and have post graduate stroke or neuro rehabilitation experience and wishing to specialise in this clinical field.

About us
The Integrated Stroke Team provides specialist stroke services to adults within the acute and rehabilitation setting across Pennine Lancashire within a range of settings including outpatient departments, patients' homes, and care home settings.

The Integrated Community Stroke team consists of a whole MDT team including an ACP, Occupational Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists, Physiotherapists, Clinical Psychology, AHP Professor in Neurorehabilitation and Stroke along with Therapy Assistant Practitioners.

As a service we are actively involved in research developments and as the clinical lead you will have opportunities to participate in service improvement projects. We also have a robust training and supervision structure in place to support staff to fulfil their role.

As part of the therapy service, you will work across the stroke therapy pathway at weekends. The weekend rota includes a 7-day working rota including bank holidays.

Job responsibilities
Clinical practice

• Be responsible for providing clinical care to a defined caseload of patients that require highly specialised assessment, planning and intervention skills.
• Undertake a comprehensive assessment at a highly specialist level with patients on a designated caseload, including selection and application of standardised and non-standardised assessment, along with evidence-based treatment planning and intervention.
• Undertake comprehensive assessment of patients, including those with highly complex presentations, using investigative and analytical skills. Formulate individualised management and treatment plans, including effective discharge planning and onward referral.
• Assess capacity of patients in order to gain valid informed consent for intervention and work within organisational policy with patients who lack capacity.
• Formulate goals in partnership with the patient, clearly communicating your clinical reasoning, in order to justify your recommendations and utilising most appropriate treatment or intervention for the patient's needs.
• Undertake risk assessment and manage and document risk. Advise senior and junior staff in appropriate therapeutic management of patients in relation to risk.
• Work as an autonomous practitioner in a variety of settings (clinic, patient's own home, school, care home, hospital, etc.) where there is a requirement to make decisions spontaneously.

Clinical leadership

• Responsible for the effective caseload management of a complex caseload individually and within team and allocation of work to senior and junior staff, support staff and students. This will require an overview and re-allocation of workload on a daily basis due to changing priorities, in order to support delivery of key quality and performance targets.
• Actively involved in research activities and practice development in work area; seeking out evidence-based practice, appraising, and applying knowledge as appropriate.
• Lead on the development of a clinical network within designated clinical area or pathway supporting delivery of best practice and relevant clinical guidelines.

Team leadership

• Manage departmental issues for staff within the designated service area, including workload management, holidays, sickness and performance.
• Inform Clinical and Operational Service Leads of clinical caseloads, referrals, waiting lists and other statistics and information as required.
• Responsible for staff supervision, including compliance for appraisals and associated personal development plans.
• Responsible for the management of HR of delegated staff including sickness reviews, return to work and maternity leaves.

Person specification
Qualifications

• Essential: Profession specific Degree or Diploma; Registration with Health and Care Professions Council; Evidence of management and/or leadership development or training.
• Desirable: Member of relevant professional body.

Experience

• Essential: Significant post graduate experience, including experience in a relevant specialist role; Demonstrate clinical expertise in the management of highly complex patients within clinical area; Experience of working as part of a multidisciplinary team and wider system partners; Experience of leading service change and quality improvement projects for safe, personal, and effective care; Experience of undergraduate student and/or support staff supervision; Clinical supervision, including formal appraisal and objective setting.

Knowledge

• Essential: Advanced knowledge of a variety of assessment and clinical intervention skills relevant to service area of stroke.
• Desirable: Additional training relevant to clinical area.

Disclosure and Barring Service check
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.

Certificate of sponsorship
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.

UK registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

Employer contact details
Contact for questions about the job: Adam Partington, Interim Operational Service Lead, adam.partington@elht.nhs.uk, 01282803643

Location: Pendle Community Hospital, Leeds Road, Nelson, BB9 9SZ
Working pattern: Full-time
Contract: Permanent

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