Specialist Occupational Therapist
Children's Core Occupational Therapy Service

Band: 6
Directorate: CYPS
Location: Daisy Hill Hospital / Oakdale House Children's Centre (Newry & Mourne) in first instance, base negotiable across trust
Reports to: Professional Lead Occupational Therapist within the Service
Accountable to: Head of AHP, CDC & RISE

Job Summary
The Occupational Therapist will share the responsibility for the delivery of an Occupational Therapy service to Children and Young People referred to the Children's Core Occupational Therapy Service within the Directorate for Children and Young People.

Description of Post

• The post holder will provide a quality Occupational Therapy service to patients/clients across a range of facilities within the Southern Trust in accordance with local and national guidelines and standards of practice.
• The post holder will be responsible for the assessment, treatment, management and delivery of Occupational Therapy services to patients/clients referred and on their caseload.
• The post holder will provide a seamless service, which encompasses the provision of a total package of care including specialized therapeutic, rehabilitation and/or equipment/adaptation needs for those with disabilities and their carers.
• Participate actively in the multi-disciplinary/integrated care team and work in partnership with voluntary and statutory agencies.

Key Duties and Responsibilities
Duties will be flexible according to the requirement of the specific area of work and day-to-day treatment and management needs can/will include the following:
Operational Delivery and Clinical Responsibilities

• Assist with the development of the Occupational Therapy Service within the specialty and be responsible for prioritisation, organisation and management of own caseload and workload.
• Apply a high level of understanding of the effect of disability and be responsible for the assessment and implementation of appropriate person centred treatment.
• Demonstrate detailed knowledge of the presenting conditions and the impact on occupational performance.
• Be responsible for assessment, treatment management including formation of treatment and rehabilitation plans, providing appropriate intervention and delivery of an Occupational Therapy Service to clients on own caseload. Also in supervisory capacity to line managed staff, including those clients with a complex level of management needs.
• Carry out a holistic Occupational Therapy Assessment as part of the overall multi-disciplinary assessment of the client to aid in the diagnostic process.
• Use evidence based practice to evaluate, monitor and review outcomes of therapeutic intervention provided for each client, implementing necessary changes to maximise functional independence and quality of life.
• Provide advice and training on lifestyle changes and adaptation to improve the client's social, home and working environment, taking account of the psychosocial impact of the various stages of the disease with the aim of assisting clients and carers to maintain their maximum level of function, independence and quality of life.
• Carry out risk assessments and implement risk management strategies in relation to Manual Handling in areas of personal and domestic activities of daily living and environment.
• Following appropriate risk assessments, ensure safe systems are in place and monitored and reviewed on a regular basis.
• Provide expert advice, assessment, prescription and training in use of specialised equipment and/or minor adaptations to reduce the risk for clients, carers and other professional staff.
• Assess client's home environment and advise on and supervise all recommendations for minor modification/adaptation alongside agencies as appropriate including Northern Ireland Housing Executive and voluntary bodies.
• Work to regionally agreed criteria when recommending adaptations whilst ensuring appropriate utilisation of public funds.

Information Management

• Prepare and submit timely clinical reports and participate in multi-disciplinary meetings and for other statutory agencies as required.
• Maintain and update own case files and care plans within patients'/clients' own home and other facilities, as required.
• Be responsible for submitting timely statistical returns.
• Maintain and update all clinical equipment and materials.

Key Working Relationships

• Be an active member of the multi-disciplinary team, establishing joint goals and care planning, and liaise and engage in multi-disciplinary team meetings including Hospital and Community teams.
• Establish a collaborative working relationship with other professionals providing a specialist advisory role to ensure carry-over of treatment and management goals.
• Provide a collaborative working relationship with family and carers, taking into account their needs and wishes, with respect for diversity.
• Be responsible and accountable to the Lead Occupational Therapist and respective service operational manager, as well as the Head of Occupational Therapy, for the provision of an effective, efficient and high quality Occupational Therapy Service.

Quality

• Identify, implement and evaluate best/innovative practice with new models of service delivery relevant to clinical area in consultation with Occupational Therapy Professional Lead.
• Initiate, co-ordinate and undertake quality and audit activities and contribute to multi-professional audit and quality initiatives relevant to the clinical area.
• Adhere to national and local standards and guidelines in relation to professional practice and ensure clinical competence; report any difficulties in achieving these to the Occupational Therapy Lead immediately.
• Contribute to the development of departmental policies and procedures both within Occupational Therapy and the multi-disciplinary team.
• Adhere to and maintain knowledge of current Government, Trust and AHP legislation, strategies, policies, procedures and guidelines.
• Participate in and contribute to evidence-based practice, identify and contribute to research opportunities for Occupational Therapy Practice.
• Work in accordance with the College of Occupational Therapists Code of Professional Conduct and the HCPC Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics.

Education and Training

• Participate in clinical supervision of Occupational Therapy Assistants and Band 5 Occupational Therapy staff and contribute to in-service training programmes.
• Maintain and develop professional, clinical and management skills and specialist knowledge through appropriate professional development, including relevant courses and conferences, and provide feedback to colleagues as appropriate.
• Maintain a professional portfolio in line with HCPC CPD Standards.
• Provide undergraduate Occupational Therapy practice education placements within the team.
• Participate in the Trust's appraisal and training scheme and identify own continuing professional development needs in conjunction with relevant senior staff.
• Assist the Team Lead in the induction of new staff into the Trust / Department in accordance with the Trust's induction programme.
• Provide advice, learning and training for other professionals and colleagues within the multi-disciplinary team as required, and participate in departmental in-service training.
• Participate in regular supervision, appraisal and PDP review with the Occupational Therapy Lead and/or Operational Manager.
• Provide training and advice to carers, voluntary agencies and support groups as required.

Human Resource Management Responsibilities
The Trust supports and promotes a culture of collective leadership where those who have responsibility for managing other staff:

• Establish and promote a supportive, fair and open culture that encourages and enables all parts of the team to have clearly aligned goals and objectives, to meet the required performance standards and to achieve continuous improvement in the services they deliver.
• Ensure access to skills and personal development through appropriate training and support.
• Promote a culture of openness and honesty to enable shared learning.
• Encourage and empower others in their team to achieve their goals and reach their full potential through regular supportive conversation and shared decision making.
• Adhere to and promote Trust policy and procedure in all staffing matters, participating as appropriate in a way which underpins Trust values.

Raising Concerns

• Promote and support effective team working, fostering a culture of openness and transparency.

The post holder will ensure that they take all concerns raised with them seriously and act in accordance with the Trust's 'Your Right to Raise a Concern (Whistleblowing)' policy and their professional code of conduct, where applicable.

General Requirements
The post holder will be required to:

• Assist the organisation in fulfilling its statutory duties under Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 to promote equality of opportunity and good relations and under the Disability Discrimination (Northern Ireland) Order 2006. Staff are also required to support the organisation in complying with its obligations under Human Rights Legislation.
• Ensure the Organisation's policy on equality of opportunity is promoted through their own actions and those of any staff for whom they have responsibility.
• Co-operate fully with the implementation of the Organisation's Health and Safety arrangements, reporting any accidents, incidents or equipment defects to their manager, and maintaining a clean, uncluttered and safe environment for patients/clients, members of the public and staff.
• Adhere at all times to all Trust policies and codes of conduct, including Smoke Free policy, IT Security Policy and Code of Conduct, and standards of attendance, appearance and behaviour.
• Contribute to ensuring the highest standards of environmental cleanliness within their designated area of work.
• Co-operate fully with Trust policies and procedures relating to infection prevention and control.
• Take responsibility to minimise the Trust's environmental impact wherever possible, including recycling, switching off equipment when not in use, reducing paper waste and water usage, reporting faults and heating or cooling concerns promptly, and minimising travel.
• Be legally responsible for all records held, created or used as part of their business, including patient/client, corporate and administrative records whether paper-based or electronic, and emails, which are subject to public access under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
• Take responsibility for their own ongoing learning and development, in order to maximise their potential and continue to meet the demands of the post.
• Represent the Organisation's commitment to providing the highest possible standard of service to patients/clients and members of the public, by treating all those with whom they come into contact in the course of work in a pleasant, courteous and respectful manner.

This Job Description will be subject to review in the light of changing circumstances and is not intended to be rigid and inflexible but should be regarded as providing guidelines within which the individual works. Other duties of a similar nature and appropriate to the grade may be assigned from time to time.

It is a standard condition that all Trust staff may be required to serve at any location within The Organisation's area, as needs of the service demand.

Essential Criteria

• BSc (Hons) or DipCOT in Occupational Therapy
• Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) Registration
• 2 years post graduate experience as an Occupational Therapist, with a minimum of 4-6 months experience working with children and young people
• Evidence of post graduate training/education in keeping with CPD
• Hold a full current driving licence valid for use in the UK and have access to a car on appointment

Desirable and Interview Criteria

• Excellent understanding of Occupational Therapy rehabilitative principles and techniques of treatment
• Effective clinical reasoning and decision-making skills
• Effective planning and organisational skills with an ability to prioritise own workload
• Ability to work as part of a team and use own initiative
• Effective communication skills, verbal and written, and interpersonal skills
• Commitment to high quality and safe services with an ability to drive continuous improvement
• Ability to identify solutions to problems and implement them effectively
• Ability to work to tight timescales whilst meeting targets
• Ability to use Microsoft Office products including at least one core package (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Ability to undertake a supervisory or mentoring role
• Experience of research or service development
• Evidence of HSC Values
• Practice education
• Knowledge of Occupational Therapy assessments, interventions and techniques relevant to the specialty area
• Knowledge of health and safety
• Knowledge of governance within Occupational Therapy services

As part of the Recruitment and Selection process it may be necessary for the Organisation to carry out an Enhanced Disclosure Check through Access NI before any appointment to this post can be confirmed.

The Organisation is an equal opportunities employer.

Successful applicants:

• May be required to attend for a Health Assessment.
• Can expect to be placed at the minimum point of the pay scale, although a higher starting salary within the range of the pay band may be available if the person appointed has relevant and equivalent experience. If the successful candidate is an existing HSC employee moving to a higher band, AfC Pay on Promotion will apply.
• Are able to request Flexible Working from the 1st day of their employment. A number of flexible working provisions are offered by all HSC Organisations including Full-time working, Fixed working patterns, Part-time working, Flexitime, Compressed/elongated hours, Average hours working patterns, Term-time working, Job-share or Homeworking for some or all of the working pattern, depending on the role being undertaken.

All staff are expected to display the HSC Values at all times.