An exciting opportunity has arisen in our adult community mental health services for an Advanced Practitioner Band 7. This post supports our OT staff across our MHWTs and EIP in a purely clinical role.
Following the Transformation Agenda, there are some exciting clinical opportunities for OT within our teams, one of which means our OTs will be working exclusively as OTs and not need to care coordinate clients under the CPA framework.
You will be providing professional support for both qualified and unqualified staff.
We have a well established network of OTs both within our Directorate (Waltham Forest) as well as across the Trust and are the largest profession amongst our AHP professions.
Providing professional Occupational Therapy leadership, supervision, training, appraisal and service development to the Occupational Therapy staff across our three Mental Health Wellness Teams.
Participating fully in the work of the Waltham Forest Directorate management team.
Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team, to provide Occupational Therapy assessment and interventions to identified clients open to the Waltham Forest Mental Health Wellness Teams.
The post holder will be a Registered Occupational Therapist with comprehensive mental health experience, responsible for patients allocated to them. They will assess, manage, plan and deliver care, including being professional and legally accountable.
The post holder will support their OT peers and Mental Health & Wellness Team Operational Lead and be an effective team member whilst working on their own initiative. They will supervise Peer Support Workers, OT Assistants and OT students of their professional background. They will have a commitment to collaborative working and actively supporting and liaising with other health and social professionals and agencies.
Probationary Period
This post will be subject to a probationary period. Internal applicants are exempt from the probationary period (unless you are an internal applicant currently part way through a probationary period or currently a bank member of staff).
Starting with NELFT
NELFT place a great deal of importance on new starters being properly welcomed and inducted into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and will undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks which will include mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process new starters will have the opportunity to also meet the executive team, senior managers and attend a number of drop in sessions focussing in engagement, health and wellbeing and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Rainham, Essex.
High Cost Area Supplement - Outer London
This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 15% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £4,313 to a maximum of £5,436 p.a. pro rata for part time).
High Cost Area Supplement - Fringe
This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 5% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £1,192 to a maximum of £2,011 p.a. pro rata for part time).
Personal and People Development
• To be responsible for organising and prioritising own and others OT workload in the day to day allocation of work, whilst being able to work flexibly to meet the needs of their patients, relatives and carers of the service.
• To have organisational knowledge relating to Trust protocols and procedures and adhere to them, e.g. Incident reporting, CPA, administration of medicine and moving and handling etc.
• To ensure effective risk management at team level by incident reporting, assessing and controlling risk and ensuring residual risks are added to the Trust register.
• To be responsible for own professional development through the use of monthly supervision and annual appraisal.
• To ensure staff receive appropriate training in line with their own professional development needs.
• To act as a mentor and positive role model for all staff, helping others to identify their current level of knowledge and skills, learning needs and preference, including as a student mentor.
• To ensure awareness of the current developments in clinical practice and to incorporate good clinical practices into the workplace.
• Provide an educational contribution through regular workshop programmes, formal teaching sessions and to promote a culture of innovation and excellence through researched evidenced based practice.
• To take a lead in their own specialism and ensure the promotion of the recovery agenda is embed within the teams.
• To be responsible for providing accurate records of information required by the Trust for audit purposes.
• At all times act as a role model for Occupational Therapy, raising the profile and value of the role.
Clinical Skills
• To act as an autonomous, registered practitioner who is legally and professionally accountable for own unsupervised actions guided by their professional code of conduct and Trust guidelines and protocols.
• The post holder will have Current Effective Status on the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC)
• Further professional knowledge will have been gained through accredited courses workshops, study and in house training programmes.
• To be responsible, and accountable, for service delivery to clients / service users.
• To be able to assess and develop plans of care to meet the complex needs of patients with a variety of conditions within own competencies, recognising own limitations and seeking advice when necessary. This will include continuously evaluating and acting on outcomes.
• To be able to initiate referrals to other health professionals, specialist services and agencies.
• To provide patients and relatives with information and education thus ensuring they have meaningful choices that promote dignity, independence and quality of life.
• To ensure practice is supported by research, evidence-based practice, literature and peer review.
• Continuing evaluation and reassessment of patient progress and the altering of treatment programmes if required of own caseload and of others as appropriate.
• To be responsible for maintaining accurate and evaluative / comprehensive patient records in accordance with the Service / organisation standards on record keeping, and in line with BAOT standards of practice.
• To take a lead role in the guidance of student Occupational Therapists to adhere to best practice.
• Work with others to establish a service which facilitates the patients’ timely discharge from the service.
• Ensure treatment offered is based on the best available evidence for effectiveness in the specialist area where it is applied.
• Work within Trust clinical guidelines and HCPT/BAOT professional guidelines to monitor own and others quality of practice.
Leadership
• To manage, lead, co-ordinate and take overall responsibility for the day to day work of the OTs within the three MHWTs and EIP team through clinical prioritisation and work planning ensuring the provision of a high quality service.
• To develop and revise operational policies and procedures as appropriate. To review paperwork and ensure statistics are kept and collated and to organise appropriate team meetings.
• To foster positive links and good working relationships within the team setting and with partner agencies including commissioners.
• To initiate and develop new ideas and methods in consultation with the Service Manager, staff and local teams.
• To participate in the audit process, linking in with the clinical governance agenda.
• To advise, encourage and share knowledge utilising the latest research and practice development, through literature and peer reviews.
• To facilitate the development of a positive and ‘supportive’ team culture by taking responsibility for dealing effectively with potential conflict.
• To maintain good professional standards of behaviour and appearance.
• To participate in the audit process, linking in with the clinical governance agenda.
• Report all complaints and or incidents with accordance with Trust procedures and ensure Manager is informed.
• To have an awareness of patient metrics and information for example KPI’s and CQUIN targets.
Administration
· To be computer literate and encourage implementation of the Trust’s IM&T Strategy.
· To ensure accurate recording of actions, and updating patient’s records, maintaining confidentiality at all times.
· Responsible for maintaining accurate and comprehensive patient records, in line with professional standards of practice and within the parameters lead down in Trust Record Keeping policies and Information Sharing Protocols.
· To take part, and assist, in the planning and administration relating to day to day running of the caseload.
· Responsible for own time management and monitoring of others through supervision.
Communication
To support and manage the CRT staff in understanding and valuing others’ roles and contributions. To enable others to contribute effectively, acknowledging the nature of and context of their work, sharing and taking account own and others’ knowledge and skills, and differences in working and professional practice.
• To establish effective links with clients, their carers and advocates. To use a range of skills to improve communication between everyone involved, being proactive in seeking out different styles and methods of communicating effectively to assist longer term needs and aims.
• Provide written and verbal reports as required at any stage in the treatment process.
• To ensure clear communication with other NELFT departments and partner agencies, statutory, independent and voluntary.
• To ensure communication channels are consistent, understandable and reviewed regularly and that information provided is relevant and informed.
• To promote a positive image of the CRT and its consumers to the public at large, in order to minimise the discrimination experienced by those receiving the service.
Training
• To act as mentor to students, providing effective education, facilitating their development and promoting high standards of Occupational Therapy.
• Ensure students are actively supported to enable them to achieve their learning needs.
• To ensure own continued professional development and support a culture of lifelong learning in self and others.
• To undertake, and assist, in the planning of own mandatory training and workshops.
• To undertake a regular appraisal, developing a personal development plan that includes clinical competencies reflecting the health needs of the local population and relates to Trust strategy.
• To support new staff and their integration within the team.
• To support training as part of the role including changes to professional development and implementation of new policies and guidelines.
This advert closes on Thursday 12 Dec 2024