Job overview
Would you like to work with an excellent interdisciplinary chronic pain and fatigue management service? An opportunity has arisen for an occupational therapist to join our dedicated and well-established interdisciplinary service.
The service works with people with a wide range of chronic pain conditions and ME/CFS. The post holder will be involved in interdisciplinary assessments and chronic pain and fatigue management group and individual programmes. The service is delivered from sites in Aylesbury and Amersham. The therapist for this role will be based in Amersham. Good communication and team working skills are essential but you do not have to have had prior experience of chronic pain and fatigue management.
You will be provided with regular clinical and managerial supervision
and access to CPD.
Main duties of the job
To take the lead role in planning, co-ordinating and delivering the specialist Occupational Therapy service provided to chronic pain and chronic fatigue patients as part of the interdisciplinary Chronic Pain and Fatigue Management Service.
To provide specialist Occupational Therapy assessment and treatment to a wide range of patients with complex problems resulting from chronic pain conditions and ME/CFS.
To be autonomous as an occupational therapist practitioner, whilst working with senior therapists from other disciplines within the team, to deliver both group treatment and individual programmes of treatment for these patients based on cognitive behavioural therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and motivational techniques.
Working for our organisation
Why colleagues think we are
What does Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust offer you?
As part of our BHT family, you’ll benefit from learning and development opportunities to support your career progression.
Alongside NHS benefits of generous annual leave entitlement and pension scheme, you'll have access to NHS discount schemes.
We provide a range of health and wellbeing services to promote a healthy, happy workforce.
What do we stand for?
Our vision is to provide outstanding care, support healthy communities and be a great place to work.
Our mission is to provide personal and compassionate care every time.
We are working hard to increase diversity at all levels within the trust. We believe a diverse workforce can have a positive effect on both staff wellbeing and patient outcomes.
We welcome applications from black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates, LGBTQ+ candidates, candidates with disabilities and care-experienced candidates.
We make employment decisions by matching our service needs with the skills and experience of candidates, regardless of age, disability, gender, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, or sexual orientation.
Person specification
EDUCATION, QUALIFICATIONS & TRAINING
Essential criteria
1. Diploma or BSc degree in Occupational Therapy
2. Registered with Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
Desirable criteria
3. Post-graduate training in pain or fatigue management
4. Member of The British Pain Society PMP SIG or The British Association of Clinicians in ME/CFS (BACME).
5. Basic cognitive behavioural therapy training
EXPERIENCE
Essential criteria
6. Experience including experience working with people, multi-disciplinary team working and therapeutic group work.
7. Substantial post-graduate experience including experience working with people with chronic pain or chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), multi-disciplinary team working and therapeutic group work.
Desirable criteria
8. Some experience of assisting people in returning to or starting work/study
9. Evidence of leading service development projects.
SKILLS, ABILITIES & KNOWLEDGE
Essential criteria
10. High level of understanding of the complex interaction between physical, functional and psychological factors that contribute to the development and maintenance of chronic pain and ME/CFS.
11. To have a good knowledge of group processes and dynamics and of working with therapeutic groups.
Desirable criteria
12. To have a high level of understanding of chronic pain/fatigue management strategies and techniques.
13. To have a good level of knowledge of cognitive behaviour therapy and its application to chronic pain/fatigue management strategies.
14. To have a good level of knowledge of medical treatments/investigative procedures for chronic pain and chronic fatigue.
15. To have a good level of knowledge of the role of other health professionals working in chronic pain/fatigue management.
16. To be involved in research.
17. To have good level of knowledge of motivational interviewing techniques
Other
Essential criteria
18. To have excellent team working skills.
19. To have excellent verbal and written communication skills including listening skills.
20. To have excellent organisational and time management skills.
21. To be flexible, highly motivated and enthusiastic
22. To be sufficiently physically and emotionally robust to support patients and their relatives in emotional and stressful situations with support from the team and clinical supervisor.
Special Circumstances
Desirable criteria
23. Ability to travel between sites within Buckinghamshire
PPE requirements: Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust requires all colleagues to wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) in accordance with our infection prevention and control procedures.
COVID-19 and Flu vaccinations remain the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course our patients from the viruses when working in our healthcare settings. We encourage our staff to be vaccinated when recommended.
Application deadline: This post will close on the closing date stated at midnight, however if we receive a large number of applications or there is a change in circumstance, we may be required to close a job before the advertised date.
Application information: If you are offered a job, information will be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records (ESR) system.
Shortlisting: The monitoring and safeguarding sections are not made visible to the shortlisting panel. The safeguarding section may be made visible to the interview panel, dependent on the role being recruited into.
Travel expenses: It is Trust policy that travel expenses for interviews will not be reimbursed.
Smoking: All Trust sites are NO SMOKING. Smoking in all areas of the buildings and premises is prohibited.
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