Job responsibilities Job title: Senior Occupational Therapist Location: Kingston Rehabilitation Centre Responsible to : Therapy Team Lead / Clinical Head of Rehabilitation Services Occupational Therapist Role/Job Purpose To develop and maintain Occupational Therapy (OT) services leading on planning, development and evaluation of OT services, ensuring a consistently high standard of assessment, treatment planning and documentation To assess and treat own caseload of people using our services and to maintain own records as an autonomous practitioner. To manage a varied caseload of people using our services including supporting those with Acquired Brain Injury, complex long-term disability and general rehabilitation using evidence based, person centered principles to assess, clinically reason, plan, implement and evaluate interventions. To provide knowledge, skills and advice to people using our services, and be a source of expertise for therapy staff, the care team, other members of the MDT and outside agencies. To support neuro-rehabilitation pre-admission assessments alongside the multidisciplinary team. To identify, initiate and implement service development in line with local and national guidelines and ensuring any initiatives are maintained through regular review. To work collaboratively with care and wellbeing staff to achieve rehabilitation using a holistic approach To be professionally responsible and accountable for all aspects of own work, including the management of people using our services. To maintain your registration through compliance with registration requirements and follow HCPC code of conduct Occupational Therapist Main duties and key responsibilities : The following are not intended to serve as an exhaustive list of all duties to be performed but is intended to provide a summary of major duties and responsibilities. You may not be required to perform all duties listed and may instead be required to perform additional, position-specific duties. Communication / Relationship Skills To communicate effectively with all members of the multidisciplinary team, people using our services, where appropriate persons of importance to them and all other stakeholders involved in a persons care to maximise rehabilitation potential and to ensure understanding of condition To promote understanding of the aims of rehabilitation across the service and ensure a co-ordinated team approach to care provision. To demonstrate communication skills of persuasion, motivation, explanation and gaining informed consent from a wide variety of people using our services and to recognise and overcome barriers to effective communication To provide advice, teaching, and instruction to people using our services, persons of importance to them and other professionals. Clinical Reasoning & Clinical Skills To undertake evidence-based assessment of people wishing to use our services using investigative and analytical skills. To use appropriate evidence- based clinical reasoning to determine and justify appropriate treatment plans and goals. To support other members of the team to utilise and develop evidence- based clinical reasoning skills to determine and carry out appropriate treatment plans and goals To be able to assess and identify appropriate equipment for use by staff and people using our services and to ensure safety of use and maintenance at all times To recognise own scope of practice and seek guidance or further training if required To evaluate rehabilitation progress and to reassess, alter and adapt treatment programmes if required. Independently select and apply OT assessments (standardised and non-standardised) for a designated specialist case load, addressing occupational performance and skill deficits, and enabling the patients in the areas of self maintenance, productivity, leisure and discharge planning To provide neurorehabilitation, long term disability management and slow stream rehabilitation to those with acquired brain injury and other neurological conditions To appropriately support person centered goals and outcome measures to facilitate, where appropriate, a safe and timely discharge into the community When required to assess and provide OT intervention in a persons own home following lone worker guidelines To provide comprehensive occupational therapy written reports relevant to the caseload To utilise specialist clinical reasoning skills to inform therapy policies and guidelines Leadership & Team Work To be responsible for supervision of therapy assistants at CHD Rehabilitation, carrying out regular supervision in line with local policy To work collaboratively with the therapy team, nursing and care team promoting an individuals independence and delivering a team approach to rehabilitation To be a role model to all members of staff displaying excellent attitude to work and working in line with all company policies and procedures To delegate clinical tasks, as appropriate, to rehabilitation assistants providing detailed treatment plans to other non-qualified members of staff Be an active participant of in-service training within the therapy team and when required lead training sessions To participate in annual appraisal, identifying objectives for service and personal development (in collaboration with senior/Lead OT) To participate in regular clinical and non-clinical supervision (in collaboration with senior/Lead OT) To provide supervision when required for OT students in introductory placements, and explain the role of the Occupational Therapist to departmental visitors and those undertaking work experience placement Health, safety and security To understand all emergency procedures. To participate in and attend all mandatory training and be familiar with local procedures within speciality areas of work. Be aware of Health and Safety aspects of your role and implement any policies which may be required to improve the safety of your work area (including the prompt recording and reporting of accidents) To ensure that all equipment used is in safe working order and that action is taken where deficits or concerns are identified To ensure the compliance with all relevant policies, procedures and guidelines including those relating to Health and Safety, Equal Opportunities, Confidentiality of Information and Data Security. Responsibility for Policy and Service Improvement & Development To follow CHD Rehabilitations guidelines for obtaining consent, and to work within a legal framework at all times. To assist in the collection of data as directed by the Clinical head of Rehabilitation Services. To ensure the continual development and improvement of the OT services to meet the needs of people using our services. To use evidence-based practice, audits, and published research to inform practice. To participate in audits/research projects and support the wider governance programme. Quality To maintain a high standard of clinical care for people using our services under your management. To maintain comprehensive and accurate patient records in line with legal, professional and departmental requirements. To attend appropriate post-graduate courses and disseminate to the team as required To adhere to the HCPC code of conduct and ensure compliance by rehabilitation assistants and other members of the therapy team To be a member of the RCOT and remain up to date with current profession specific guidelines and current issues Equality, diversity and rights To support, promote, and develop a culture which supports equality & values diversity. To respect the individuality, values, cultural and religious diversity of people using our services and contribute to the provision of the service sensitive to these needs Responsibility for financial and other physical resources To be responsible for all equipment used, and to adhere to guidelines on equipment use, including competence to use equipment. Responsibilities for information resources To use computerised record systems to access patient information and to record data accurately in line with the data protection act and guidelines. To utilise computer systems to accurately provide regular reports regarding people using our services for external health care providers Other To promote the rehabilitation services across a range of networks including health communities To frequently deal with emotional and distressing situations and circumstances with patients and families to promote achievement of goals (e.g. Patients with terminal illness, patients with limited rehab potential, including occasional exposure to highly emotional circumstances such as the death of patient or patient needing resus) Communicating complex and sensitive information relating to medical conditions and OT process, requiring skills of empathy and reassurance To be able to complete required documentation and clinical work by deadlines agreed, which may be stressful at times