Overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Lead Therapist (Physiotherapist or Occupational Therapist) specialising in or with a keen interest in complex discharge to join our new Therapies Complex Discharge Team. This is a 5 month fixed term post; internal secondments may be considered. The aim of this initiative is to reduce length of stay by enabling accurate discharge decisions first time, improving functional outcomes for our patients and improving patient experience. The role provides senior clinical and professional leadership to the Therapies Complex Discharge team and serves as a point of contact for colleagues across the Therapies department.
Northampton General Hospital is part of the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire, with a Group Model in partnership with neighbouring trusts. We value compassionate, accountable, respectful, proactive and collaborative behaviour and are committed to inclusive recruitment across all communities.
Key Responsibilities
* Lead and manage the Therapies Complex Discharge Team on a day-to-day basis, providing senior clinical leadership and development for Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists and Therapy Support staff.
* Represent therapy at discharge hub meetings and provide consistent, expert therapy advice to inform accurate hub decisions first time.
* Provide advice and support to ward therapists on complex discharge cases identified via discharge hub, bronze, stranded or therapy staff delays.
* Provide therapy cover to escalation areas and ensure prioritisation comparable to base wards.
* Act as a senior therapy decision maker on medically fit wards to enable positive risk discussions and improve patient flow.
* Lead on annual appraisals, staff development plans, and succession planning within the team.
* Identify and manage clinical performance issues within the team and develop guidelines and practices aligned with national and Trust policies.
* Lead the implementation of action plans from national and local strategies, benchmarking standards and clinical audits.
* Represent therapy services at specialty and trust-wide forums and feed back actions to therapy teams as appropriate.
* Deputise for other Therapy Leads as required and lead on day-to-day operational management within the Directorate.
* Coordinate recruitment, rotations, workload management, and support staff development in collaboration with the Deputy Head of Therapies.
* Ensure compliance with Trust policies and mandatory training, and supervise pre-registration placements and student mentoring.
* Provide regular reporting on team management and performance to the Head of Therapies and Deputy Head of Therapies.
* Contribute to policy development, service improvement, and patient experience initiatives; promote evidence-based practice and participate in audits and research as appropriate.
Requirements / Qualifications
* Registration as a Physiotherapist or Occupational Therapist with relevant clinical experience.
* Experience in treating patients with varied clinical presentations and a track record of service development or leadership in a multidisciplinary therapy setting.
* Ability to lead, develop and support a multidisciplinary team and to participate in seven-day working patterns as required.
* Strong communication skills with the ability to liaise with patients, families, and multi-disciplinary teams.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
We welcome applications from people identifying with protected groups, and we aim to create an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcome and has a sense of belonging. Active Networks support colleagues from all backgrounds to promote inclusion and belonging.
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