Job summaryWe are excited to be able to advertise a role which will be ideal for an Occupational Therapist who is looking to gain further experience within a specialty clinical area, consolidating and developing on previous experience. You will deliver occupational therapy care to our inpatients and will work closely with Occupational Therapy and Macmillan Therapy colleagues to assess, rehabilitate, and discharge patients across the oncology and haematology wards. Patients are admitted for elective chemotherapy, emergency admissions with new diagnosis or complications from treatment or disease and those requiring palliative management and end of life care.
The Churchill Hospital is a centre of excellence for cancer and haematology services and other specialties, including renal services and transplant, clinical and medical oncology, dermatology, haemophilia and palliative care. It is part of Oxford University Hospitals which is one of the largest acute teaching Trusts in the UK and is one of the busiest tertiary cancer centres, treating patients within the Thames Valley Cancer Network. There is a purpose-built development including a Surgery and Diagnostics Centre and an integrated Cancer and Haematology Centre. The OUH has a national and international reputation for the excellence of our services and our role in teaching and research.
Main duties of the job- To deliver high-quality, safe and effective occupational therapy services primarily to oncology and haematology patients as part of a cohesive multidisciplinary team, with flexibility to support other clinical areas in response to service need.
- To provide occupational therapy services across inpatient wards and contribute to targeted community follow-up for patients who meet defined clinical criteria, supporting safe discharge, continuity of care, ongoing rehabilitation and the reduction of avoidable readmissions.
- To work collaboratively with patients and their carers to undertake comprehensive assessment, goal setting, intervention planning and rehabilitation, with the aim of maximising independence, function and quality of life.
- To provide clinical supervision, teaching and support to junior occupational therapists, therapy support workers and students, contributing to workforce development and learning.
- To actively contribute to service development through participation in quality improvement initiatives, clinical audit, research activities and the ongoing development of rehabilitation pathways across inpatient, outpatient and community settings.
About usOxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest NHS teaching trusts in the country. It provides a wide range of general and specialist clinical services and is a base for medical education, training and research. The Trust comprises four hospitals - the John Radcliffe Hospital, Churchill Hospital and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Headington and the Horton General Hospital in Banbury.
Our values, standards and behaviours define the quality of clinical care we offer and the professional relationships we make with our patients, colleagues and the wider community.
We call this Delivering Compassionate Excellence and its focus is on our values of compassion, respect, learning, delivery, improvement and excellence.
These values put patients at the heart of what we do and underpin the quality healthcare we would like for ourselves or a member of our family. Watch how we set out to deliver compassionate excellence via the OUH YouTube channel.
Job responsibilitiesCommunication- To consistently deploy effective communication and engagement skills enabling effective working relationships with all members of the multi-professional team.
- To effectively communicate with patients and their carers/family members, including the sensitive management of complex or contentious issues.
- To communicate effectively with patients suffering from conditions that may lead to psychological distress including anxiety, depression, and aggressive behaviour
- To overcome barriers to effective communication, such as those caused by pathological impairment or language differences, by deploying effective mitigating strategies.
- To engage and build relationships with external agencies and providers to enhance patient care continuity and outcomes.
- To be able to motivate and positively influence others through effective verbal and non-verbal communication skills.
- Be able to write complex reports accurately describing patients clinical status and ensuring that the information provided aids effective continuing care and clinical management.
Clinical- To enact the professional and legal responsibilities for all aspects of the post-holders own clinical practice.
- To carry out comprehensive assessments of patients following hospital admission and surgery, including those with complex presentations, and form treatment and rehabilitation plans in partnership with the patient and their carers/family.
- To interpret and analyse multiple sources of clinical information to form accurate occupational therapy assessments and clinical reasoning, seeking guidance from senior occupational therapists when appropriate.
- To formulate and deliver comprehensive treatment, rehabilitation and discharge plans, based on clinical skills, evidence-based practice, and patient preferences.
- To evaluate patient progress against agreed treatment goals and be able to modify plans accordingly.
- To determine a patients mental capacity to understand and to gain informed consent for treatment. To work within a legal framework with patients who lack the capacity to consent and are deprived of their liberty.
- To co-ordinate intervention where there is a need to collaborate across multiple disciplines.
- To maintain accurate written records using an electronic patient record system and maintain fidelity to professional standards.
- To determine and mitigate for risk of patient and staff harm using the agreed risk assessment frameworks and the Trusts manual handling policy.
- To demonstrate physical ability to carry out occupational therapy assessments and interventions, including functional assessments, therapeutic handling and equipment provision.
- To represent occupational therapy and individual patients at multidisciplinary team meetings to support coordinated care planning.
- To contribute to the development of rehabilitation pathways across inpatient, outpatient and community settings, including targeted community follow-up for patients who meet defined clinical criteria, supporting safe discharge, continuity of care, admission avoidance and independence.
Leadership and management- To be responsible for the competent use and maintenance of rehabilitation equipment and support others in the effective and safe use of this equipment.
- To assist in the supervision, teaching and appraisal of junior staff and assistants.
- To undertake delegated tasks and roles from the team lead and be able to deputise for them on occasions.
- To effectively plan and organise own time, patient caseload, meetings, training and be able to adjust plans as required according to staffing levels and unpredictable factors.
- To assist in the planning of junior staff, students and assistant timetables and deputise for senior staff in organisational duties.
- To contribute to the development of integrated oncology outreach pathways and rehabilitation services across inpatient, outpatient and community settings.
Education and training- To organise and contribute to the teams training and post-registration education programme.
- To contribute to the education of multidisciplinary groups, patients, families and carers as appropriate.
- To be responsible for individual undergraduate student occupational therapists supervision and practice-based learning.
- To adopt a proactive approach in learning from others within, and outside of the occupational therapy profession.
- To be responsible for continuing professional development and maintain a portfolio record to evidence this.
- To maintain contemporary knowledge and apply best practice in oncology, haematology, rehabilitation and community-based occupational therapy.
Research and development- To actively participate in the departments quality improvement and clinical audit programme through the completion of authorised projects
- To implement and maintain evidence-based occupational therapy practice through continuing professional development.
- To ensure good working knowledge and application of national and local clinical standards
- To participate in local and national clinical interest groups appropriate to the clinical field, and to demonstrate the ability to share and disseminate knowledge with colleagues working in the team.
Effort- To be able to undertake episodes of moderate physical effort for several short periods during a shift.
- To be able to effectively maintain concentration at work despite frequent interruptions and, at times, an unpredictable working pattern.
- To tolerate and manage frequent exposure to distressing or emotional circumstances and maintain a high level of professionalism.
- To tolerate and professionally manage frequent exposure to unpleasant working conditions, such as exposure to bodily fluids and offensive odours.
Person SpecificationQualificationsEssential- Degree in Occupational Therapy.
- Registered with the Health & Care Professions Council.
- Evidence of continuing professional development.
ExperienceEssential- Broad range of experience at Band 5 level including core areas, such as general medicine, orthopaedics, neurology, older adults.
- Experience of working as part of a multidisciplinary team.
- Experience of working with students and support workers.
- Competence in OT assessment, rehabilitation and the models and theory underpinning practice.
Desirable- Experience of community working
- Experience working with oncology patients
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). 
