The Access to Community Services Team (ACST) currently have a vacancy for an enthusiastic and dynamic practitioner. This can be a nurse, an occupational therapist or a physiotherapist. The vacancy is permanent full time (37.5 hours).
The ACST are based primarily on the Emergency Care Centre at Royal Albert Edward Infirmary where their remit is to plan and facilitate safe and early discharge from the Emergency Care Centre.
The team is dynamic and proactive in their approach to healthcare and currently provide a full operational service between the hours of 8am - 6pm, 7 days per week.
The successful candidate will have a good understanding of working within an acute setting with patients presenting with complex medical, functional and social problems. Experience of working in a range of settings and knowledge of community services would be an advantage. This post involves working across professional boundaries and challenges traditional practice. To support this we provide a sound supervision structure and training.
Evidence of personal development is essential.
Main duties of the job
The successful candidate will work with our established team consisting of Nurses, Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists and will have the ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team. You will be expected to perform comprehensive generic assessments within the Emergency Care Centre and short stay areas to achieve a safe and effective discharge from hospital.
Job Responsibilities
* To work as part of the ACST within Emergency Care, Short Stay areas, and Clinic areas to provide a quality service to all patients identified for or referred to the Team.
* To proactively seek out patients who would benefit from ACST assessment and ensuring patients are signposted to a wide range of community based services.
* To act as a source of knowledge on the management of patients, regarding facilitated discharge and preventing unnecessary admissions, providing an advisory service to patients, relatives, carers and other healthcare professionals.
* To take a role in the specialist assessment and treatment of patients, who may have complex and or chronic presentation and to determine clinical diagnosis and management indicated and to maintain records as an autonomous practitioner.
* Develop specialist knowledge around community services to enable appropriate signposting of patients being discharged.
* To develop knowledge and skills to support frail elderly patients through an evidence-based falls pathway from the acute hospital into the community.
* To work in conjunction with other ACST members ensuring patients follow a seamless care pathway and receive the highest standard of care.
* To participate in service improvement activities to ensure ACST achieve Team and Organisational Objectives.
* To educate and train health professionals and students in the management of patients identified for or referred to the ACS.
* Following training will be able to interpret basic investigations as abnormal e.g. bloods and x-rays to contribute to the overall patient management plan.
* To produce informative and detailed information for out of Trust patient transfers for continuing patient management.
* To take delegated responsibility from the team leader for managing patients appropriate for the ACST and be responsible for providing specialist assessment and management plans for patients, relevant to your discipline.
* To support Team Manager and Clinical Lead by engaging in specific projects to target and address the root cause of inappropriate readmissions to hospital.
* To support Service Manager and ACST Clinical Lead in the achievement of Team and Organisational Objective.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
* Diploma or degree in occupational therapy/physio/nursing (as relevant).
* Professional registration.
* Evidence of post qualification personal and professional development.
Skills
Essential
* Have an understanding of the core skills of Occupational Therapy within the D2A process.
* Supervisory skills.
* Able to maintain judgement under pressure.
* Effective written, verbal and non-verbal communication skills.
* Able to manage own workload and determine priorities.
* Able to reflect and critically appraise own performance and utilise self-directed learning.
* Effective overall personal time management.
* Comprehensive clinical reasoning skills relevant to caseload.
* Ability to work flexibly.
* Good IT skills.
Knowledge
Essential
* Post graduate training/ CPD in relevant area of practice.
* Knowledge of current best practice.
* Comprehensive knowledge of a range of relevant medical clinical conditions.
* Knowledge of a range of assessment tools.
* Comprehensive knowledge of relevant interventions.
* Understanding of Health, Safety and Risk Management Policies.
* Documented evidence of continuing professional development.
* Knowledge of the principle elements of Clinical governance.
* Knowledge and/or specific training in relevant moving and handling techniques.
Experience
Essential
* Range of experience of treating patients within an acute and/or community setting.
* Experience of managing own clinical caseload including ability to priorities and delegate when appropriate.
* Advising and supporting junior staff and/or students the formal and informal supervision.
* Experience of working as an autonomous practitioner.
* Experience of working as part of a multi-disciplinary team and contributing to ward meetings/handovers.
* Experience of assessing and treating patients with more complex needs.
Additional
Essential
* Clear vision of professional role.
* Clear interest in this area of practice.
* Access to own transport for work purposes (with business insurance).
* Participation in 7 day service provision.
* Speak English to an appropriate standard relevant to their role, i.e. with confidence and accuracy, using correct sentence structures and vocabulary, and without hesitation.
Employer details
Employer name
Wrightington Wigan & Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Address
Royal Albert Edward Infirmary
Wigan Lane
Wigan
WN1 2NN #J-18808-Ljbffr