Job summary
North Yorkshire Council is seeking motivated andpassionate Occupational Therapists to join the Scarborough and WhitbyOccupational Therapy team. You would work as part of the team to cover theScarborough and Whitby area, with the ability to work at either the Whitby orScarborough office. North Yorkshire Council also offers a hybrid working policyand opportunities to work from home.
Main duties of the job
The Occupational Therapy Team work innovatively tosupport people in their own home, completing assessments and interventions topromote independence and wellbeing. The team offer information, advice,guidance, and signposting to local services, working closely with our partneragencies.
You would be joining us at a pivotal time for NorthYorkshire Council's development as we move towards our 2025 willwork across the Scarborough and Whitby area. North Yorkshire Council have ahybrid working policy, so there will be opportunities for you to work from ourWhitby or Scarborough office and to also work from home.
About us
NorthYorkshire as a county has it all, rich in history and culture,outstanding natural beauty, vibrant cities, market towns, quaint villages,stunning rural and coastal landscape, and wide-open spaces.Harrogate has some fantastic places to visit including the Valley Gardens,Brimham Rocks, Pine Woods, Harrogate Theatre and RHS Harlow Carr and we are nottoo far from the Lake District, a jewel of the North. We also benefit from excellent road and rail links, with easy accessto Leeds, York, Newcastle, Durham and even London.
1. A market-leadingpension scheme.
2. Generous leaveentitlement.
3. Retail, travel andleisure discounts and salary sacrifice discount schemes through our EverybodyBenefits offer.
4. Commitment to staffdevelopment and continuous learning.
5. Progression andcareer-enhancement opportunities.
6. Access to moderntechnologies to aid flexible working practices.
7. As a MindfulEmployer, we are committed to promoting and protecting your mental health andwellbeing at work, find out more on theMindfulEmployer website
8. Green travel loanscheme which offers interest-free loan towards an annual season ticket to getyou from home to work.
9. In addition toin-house occupational health services, preferential rates on a private healthscheme are available through payroll deductions.
10. Staff who use acomputer as a regular part of their job are entitled to a free eye test andpotentially computer-specific glasses.
11. Further training anddevelopment opportunities.
Job description
Job responsibilities
JobContext
Care andSupport Customer Service Centre
You willwork within the Care and Support Team in the Customer Service Centre. The Careand Support team is a professionally qualified team made up of social workers,occupational therapy (OT), brokers and safeguarding decision makers and is thefirst point of contact for Adult Social Care. The aim of this service is toprovide a better opportunity to ensure people get the right help at the righttime, including diverting many people to other more appropriate solutions fortheir care needs thus reducing demand for formal social care services througheffective screening and triage to universal services and existing communityresources.
The Care and Support team operate a 7-dayservice. Hours of operation to beconfirmed.
Locality Occupational Therapy Team
There are two distinct parts to thisservice, an assessment function, and a delivery function.
TheOccupational Therapy service will be delivered by a distinct team in eachlocality area who will respond to urgent and general requests for OccupationalTherapy assessments, supported and managed by an OT qualified manager wherepossible. The Occupational Therapyservice will deliver targeted and specialist aspects of the service, whileuniversal elements can be supported by trusted assessors both internal andexternal to HAS. This will evolve tosupport the future integration agenda working with all external partners andcolleagues.
OTs will provide the assessment andplanning function to people to maximise and promote independence. This willgenerally be in a persons own home. Working with colleagues to promote safedischarges and support for the person, alongside District and Borough Councils.
OTs will support the reablement andrecovery services also.
The reablement offer within thisservice is a period up to 6 weeks, and the assessment function could be for upto 12 weeks and with OT interventions being longer as they respond to requestsfor Disability Facilities Grants for major adaptations. The service will alsobe responsible for the review of work that sits within the OT work tray.
This service is a 7-day service.
Servicesin the Occupational Therapy Team will operate over 7 days, Mondayto Sunday. The specific requirements regarding operational working hours willbe determined by service and operational team requirements on a local basis.Therefore, you will be expected to work on a weekend and extended hours,subject to service needs, on a rota basis.
Enhanced DBS clearance is required. This role involves spoken communications,so a confident use of English language is required. Registration with theHealth Care Professionals Council (HCPC) is required.
JobPurpose
The core focus ofthe Occupational Therapist (OT) role is to maximise the independence and safetyof vulnerable people in North Yorkshire who have social care needs. The post holder will do this by undertakingassessments with vulnerable people using the Directorates procedures. The postholder will support people and carers who have been assessed as being in needthrough the provision of advice, support equipment and adaptations to develop appropriate supportplans to meet their preferred outcomes within specified resources.
OperationalManagement
12. Undertake occupational therapy assessmentswith adults with care and support needs and/or their carers and where requestedto undertake assessments of need with carers in any setting.
13. Assess for and arrange equipment andadaptations to maintain/improve the persons independence in daily livingactivities.
14. Undertake manual handling assessments, riskassessments and the production of a manual handling plan when appropriate.
15. Work with Discharge Hubs and Community SocialCare teams to facilitate appropriate assessment access to more complexequipment and major adaptation solutions to individuals, including the processingof applications for disabled facilities grants.
16. Following assessments, identify whether or notpeople and carers fall within the eligibility criteria and communicate this tothe adult with care and support needs or a carer, and work creatively and innovativelywith them to develop an agreed support or intervention plan to achieve theidentified outcomes.
17. Produce agreed support intervention plans orreablement intervention plans.
18. Undertake financial assessments relating toTop-Up Grants for adaptations.
19. Provide support and advice to people andcarers on how their needs could be partly or wholly met by access to universaland other non-care services.
20. Avoid unnecessary hand-offs when the OT is theonly worker involved, by arranging simple services to meet the persons orcarers needs.
21. Demonstrate and educate people, carers andappropriate colleagues/care workers in the correct use of equipment and/ortechniques to enable the person to achieve optimal independence in activities ofdaily living.
22. Provide training, assessment and sign-off ofcompetencies in the provision of an agreed range of simple equipment and minoradaptations to assessment and reablement staff.
23. Provide appropriate day-to- day consultation, advice,and support to other staff.
24. Undertake or contribute tore-assessments/review of services as required.
25. Maintain regular contact with people andcarers during an active involvement or reablement to monitor and respond tochanges in their situation.
26. Represent the Directorate in court proceedingsand with other agencies as required.
27. Undertake a practice education role withstudents as required.
28. Assist in proactively working towards theincreased uptake of direct payments and other service development initiativesincluding (but not limited to) reablement, personalisation, individual budgets,self-assessment, and self-directed care.
ResourceManagement
29. Provide day-to-day advice and support (asrequired) and act as Professional Practice Educator to students who are placedin or visiting the team as agreed.
30. As appropriate contribute to wider team andorganisational performance targets.
31. Support the adult with care and support needsand / or their carer to meet their assessed needs within the indicative budgetand in a way which maximises resources, where this is not the case you willseek advice from your Line manager at the earliest opportunity.
32. Research or select most cost-effectiveequipment to meet a persons needs.
Partnerships
33. Participate in training and development andproject activity including multi-disciplinary and multi-agency activity.
34. Contribute to the development of the localcommunity to enable the empowerment of vulnerable people, including liaisingwith local, universal, and other services to promote vulnerable peoples accessto them.
35. Work with colleagues and other agenciesincluding health partners, district and borough councils, housing organisationsand private and voluntary sector to ensure maximising of resources and opportunitiesfor people.
36. Liaise with colleagues and other agencies toensure the development and provision of co-ordinated and effective services.
Communications
37. Maintain clear, concise, and timely records ofcases, care packages and actions in line with the Directorate's policies onfile maintenance, this includes electronic and paper records.
38. Communicate to the adults with care andsupport needs and carers in an appropriate manner.
39. Effectively negotiate and manage conversationswhere there is a disagreement.
40. Engage with a range of other agencies tomaximise choice and resources.
41. Communicate effectively and in a manner andtimescale appropriate for the level of urgency, to your manager, other colleagues,and professionals.
Systemsand Information
42. Ensure that you utilise the current businessprocesses to support the Adult Social Care function in relation to caserecording, financial monitoring, ICT.Assisting in the collection of data and making appropriate use of ITsystems.
43. Assist in the timely and accurate collectionof performance data using appropriate IT systems and
44. processes.
45. Contribute to the on-going improvement anddevelopment of AdultSocial Care processesand systems.
46. Assist in the collection of performance datausing the appropriate IT systems.
Safeguarding
47. Be committed to safeguarding and promote thewelfare of children, young people, and adults, raising concerns as appropriate.
48. UndertakeSafeguarding Adults Investigations, as delegated by the Designated SafeguardingManager and in line with procedures.
49. Intervene in emergency situations, includingmoving and handling, to protect vulnerable people and to initiate theappropriate statutory and other actions required.
50. Identify and report any concerns regarding thesafety and welfare of a child or young person.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
51. Knowledge of relevant social care legislation and associated guidance, for example the Care Act.
52. Knowledge and understanding of the impact of physical and sensory impairments and learning disability on independence and activities of daily living for all age groups.
53. Understanding and application of the social model of disability.
54. Knowledge and understanding of how Equality & Diversity, Dignity & Respect and Human Rights apply to this role.
55. Wide knowledge base of disability equipment and its application.
56. Theoretical and applied medical, surgical, sociological, psychological and psychiatric knowledge.
57. Knowledge of the basic framework of community care legislation and regulations.
58. Knowledge of basic health and social care policy.
59. Knowledge of statutory requirements, including requirements in respect of carers, equality and anti- discrimination legislation, maintaining a safe working environment, data protection and confidentiality.
60. Knowledge of childrens safeguarding procedures.
61. Knowledge of Direct Payments.
62. Knowledge of Mental Capacity Act.
63. Post qualification experience of occupational therapy practice in a community setting. (Desirable for newly qualified OTs).
64. Experience of undertaking assessments and interventions with people of all ages.
65. Experience of inter-agency working.
66. Experience of working positively in a changing environment.
Desirable
67. Knowledge of Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards legislation.
68. Knowledge of Mental Health Act.
69. Knowledge of relevant legislation in relation to children and young people.
70. Demonstrable experience of contributing to the safeguarding of vulnerable adults.
Qualifications
Essential
71. Degree or diploma in Occupational Therapy and
72. Professional skills and registration in line with the Health and Care Professions Council.
Desirable
73. Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards Best Interest Assessor Qualification (or its successor).
74. Practice Educator or a commitment to undertake the Practice Educator post graduate programme.
Occupational Skills
Essential
75. A person-centred approach to working with adults.
76. Manual handling assessment and practical skills.
77. Demonstration/teaching skills.
78. Excellent communication and presentation skills. Able to use persuasion, influencing and/or negotiation techniques to influence others.
79. The ability to converse at ease with customers and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post.
80. Effective written communication skills communicates effectively in writing to produce documents in a range of formats and styles to suit a range of audiences. Excellent case recording and report writing skills.
81. Resilience skills.
82. Works productively in a pressurised environment and supports others to do so. Ability to act calmly during difficult circumstances and recover quickly from setbacks.
83. Effective time management and planning skills meets deadlines.
84. Good IT skills including use of email, intranet, internet, word, excel and inputting data.
85. Flexibility and adaptability.
86. Decision making skills can make decisions within own area of responsibility which may involve considering risks.
87. Problem solving skills uses creativity and innovation to generate solutions to problems.
Desirable
88. Able to undertake Mental Capacity Assessments, including complex decision making for those who are over 12 months qualified.
89. Able to present evidence for continuing health care assessments.