Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an Advanced Clinical Practice Hand Therapist (either Occupational Therapist or Physiotherapist) to join our welcoming, knowledgeable, and innovative team at The Royal Free Hospital. We are looking for a driven, autonomous and forward-thinking individual with genuine enthusiasm for the role.

The Hand Therapy team consists of 16 hand therapists supported by 2 therapy assistants across the Royal Free Hospital, Mount Vernon Hospital and with further links to the North Middlesex Hospital. We have a growing team of ACP Hand therapists and a Consultant Hand therapist.

Main duties of the job
You will manage a complex caseload of patients with traumatic and elective hand and upper limb injuries, both surgically and non-surgically managed, from initial assessment through to discharge. In Advanced Clinical Practice you will be integral to the closed hand trauma pathway and work within elective orthopaedic wrist and hand clinics. Working as part of a skilled hand therapy team, you will bring leadership and expertise to ensure patients receive consistently excellent care. You will work closely with the Consultant Hand Therapist, Clinical Lead and fellow Advanced Clinical Practitioners to drive service innovation. The post-holder will be expected to work with a high degree of personal and professional autonomy, exercising sound judgement to meet the demands of the role with integrity. Excellent communication skills are also essential. If you have the skills to fulfil this role we look forward to receiving your application. Full time and part time positions available. For further information about this post, please contact Nikki Burr at nikki.burr@nhs.net.

About us
The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK's biggest and most innovative trusts. Across three main hospitals, our dedicated army of staff care for over 1.6million patients, treat more than 200,000 in A&E, deliver over 8,000 babies and carry out more than 17million tests.

Our size, scale and influence offer you unrivalled career opportunities and a forward-thinking approach to working that works around your lifestyle. From flexible hours and generous benefits, to next level training, we make it easier to take your career to the top.

Person Specification
Education & Professional Qualifications
Essential

• oDegree / Diploma in Physiotherapy or Occupational Therapy
• oHPCP registration
• oQualified Physiotherapist or Occupational Therapist who has extensive experience in the field of Hand Therapy and plastic surgery.
• oEvidence of study at MSc level or being awarded accredited Hand Therapist (BAHT) status
• oPostgraduate Leadership or Management training

Desirable

• oEvidence of post-graduate study in adult education theory
• oMembership of a specialist interest group
• oIndependent prescriber qualification
• oMusculoskeletal injection therapy qualification

Experience
Essential

• oSubstantial post registration experience of working as a Hand therapist managing patients with hand and wrist dysfunctions under plastic surgery and orthopaedics, including elective and trauma hand surgery, and other plastic surgery conditions
• oSignificant experience of working at advanced practice level in Hand therapy
• oAdvanced knowledge and experience of a wide range of approaches to the management of complex hand and wrist conditions, demonstrated by clinical reasoning
• oExperience of successful multi-disciplinary team working
• oExperience of leading service development and delivery
• oExperience of student supervision and clinical education
• oPost graduate experience of audit, research, QI and evidence-based practice.
• oEvidence of CPD - reviewing current practice and research developments within hand therapy and its application to clinical practice
• oExperience of research methodology and clinical audit
• oUnderstanding of the role of hand therapy within current evolving health environment
• oUnderstanding relevant guidelines, standards and changes in healthcare policy
• oExperience of delivering staff development
• oExperience of treating and managing highly distressed patients in group and individual settings

Desirable

• oClear understanding of other disciplines' roles and expectations
• oEvidence of presentation of own research locally/nationally/internationally
• oExperience of facilitating change by collaborating with stakeholders

Skills and aptitudes
Essential

• oExceptional team building and team working skills
• oLeadership qualities and proven clinical leadership ability
• oAbility to work autonomously and across professional boundaries
• oExcellent time management and organisational skills
• oAbility to work with multi-disciplinary team
• oKnowledge of plastic surgery, orthopaedic surgery, wound care and trauma surgery locally and nationally
• oCompetent IT skills
• oAble to present information both written and orally, in a clear and logical fashion
• oExcellent presentation skills
• oAbility to focus on project tasks on the computer or desk-side for prolonged periods of time
• oAbility to comprehend and work within trust policies, including data protection, equal opportunities, and health and safety, to meet the differing needs of the patient
• oAbility to focus in an environment with frequent interruptions

Personal Qualities & attributes
Essential

• oAble to recognise in yourself and others work related stress and pressures
• oTo manage stressful situations by remaining calm, objective and professional at all times
• oExcellent interpersonal and written communication skills with attention to detail
• oConfidence in teaching multidisciplinary staff groups
• oConfident and assertive when conducting professional affairs

Others
Essential

• oAble to comply with trust manual handling guidelines
• oAbility to exert moderate to intense physical effort for frequent periods throughout the day

Royal Free World Class Values
Essential

• Demonstrable ability to meet the Trust values

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. 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).

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