Paediatric Occupational Therapist
Location: Based near Leeds or Bath, with travel to Northern Ireland quarterly
Hours: 3 days per week
Contract type: Fixed Term contract for 1 year
Designability is a national charity that supports disabled people to live with greater independence.
Our expertise is in person-centred design: to understand the needs, challenges and aspirations of disabled people by placing them at the heart of everything we do. Through this approach, we gain invaluable insights which we combine with creativity and specialist skills to help inform decisions throughout every stage of a project. This results in innovative, engaging and practical designs of accessible products and services to transform the everyday lives of disabled people.
Over the last 50+ years, we have worked on a range of pioneering projects from the multi[1]award-winning Accessible Pushchair design and national guidance on Accessible Electric Vehicle Charging to our flagship Wizzybug powered wheelchairs for very young children. We collaborate with organisations, businesses and partnerships to help create positive change in the world of accessible design. To date, we've transformed over 300,000 lives in the UK.
As a charity, we respond to specific needs with the aim of our products and services reaching those who need them, whilst also inspiring new markets to blossom. We strive for a future where disabled people live the life they choose, every day.
The role
The purpose of this role is the delivery of Designability’s clinical services for our Wizzybug Loan Scheme programme. To be effective, the post holder will require the confidence to work autonomously and possess strong organisational and communication skills, in addition to being committed to assisting disabled people to live life to the full.
The Wizzybug Loan Scheme is Designability’s flagship programme, providing a powered wheelchair for children from 14 months upwards, free of charge to families in the UK. The Wizzybug offers children fun, independence and freedom of movement for the first time in their lives and helps children with conditions or development delay that affects their ability to walk. Designability have a team of therapists that assess and support eligible children that are accepted onto the programme. As an organisation we are unique and proud that we deliver our flagship programme from end to end, from manufacturing the Wizzybug to in loan support for all our families both in a clinical sense and technical product support.
The post holder will also provide ongoing input into the development and maintaining of Designability’s Clinical Governance processes to ensure provision of an exemplary standard of practice.
You will be driven by achieving excellence in your work, living and breathing the Designability behaviours every day; Reflective, Tenacious, Collaborative, Curious and Honest.
Essential Criteria For The Role
* Degree in Occupational Therapy and HCPC Registered.
* Uphold professional therapy and HCPC standards, maintain and develop own clinical competence through clinical supervision, reflective practice, training, annual appraisal, special interest groups, peer review, literature and internet resources. This information to be recorded within a CPD portfolio to meet registration requirements.
* Post qualification experience in a relevant field.
* Knowledge and experience in the assessment and provision of wheelchairs, general mobility aids and 24-hour posture management.
* Experience and depth of relevant clinical knowledge in posture management, mobility equipment and paediatric conditions.
* Experience of therapeutic assessment and manual handling skills to be able to accurately assess posture and establish joint range of motion.
* Experience of working with service users with a range of physical disabilities.
* Knowledge and experience of medical and surgical conditions.
* Thorough knowledge of health, social care and safeguarding policy and practice, particularly relating to paediatrics and wheelchair services.
* Knowledge of clinical governance, professional and ethical issues and of legal issues (data protection, confidentiality, health and safety).
* Experience of multi-disciplinary working, including development of effective networks/partnerships.
All applicants must be willing to undergo safeguarding checks, including checks with the Disclosure and Barring Service and employment references.
All applicants must have a legal right to work in the United Kingdom without the need for visa sponsorship - Designability is not able to provide visa sponsorship.
Benefits That Come With Working For Designability
Looking after its employees is important to Designability – supporting everyone to be happy and healthy means that we live our values of being creative, practical and inclusive and in turn meet our mission to enable disabled people to live with greater independence. We offer a range of employee benefits, including flexible working, a generous annual leave allowance and substantial employer contribution pension scheme.
Designability is a Real Living Wage and Disability Confident Employer. We are committed to recruiting the best person for the job, based solely on their ability and individual merit as measured against the criteria for individual roles; through a process that is fair, open, consistent and free from bias and discrimination.
All applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, age, disability status or length of time spent unemployed. As a Disability Confident Employer, we are committed to making reasonable adjustments.
‘Offer an Interview’ Scheme
Designability welcomes applications from disabled applicants and is committed to offering an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role, as set out in the job description. If you wish your application to be considered under the ‘Offer an interview’ scheme’, please indicate this in your covering letter, or email HR@designability.org.uk
To apply
Please submit your CV and a covering letter (detailing how your skills and experience meet the essential criteria detailed above and in the Job Description to HR@designability.org.uk.
We are happy to provide information about this role in alternative formats where possible and receive applications in alternative formats. Please contact HR@designability.org.uk should this be required.
Further information
Applications are being taken on a rolling recruitment basis.
Interviews will be held online and/or in person at our Bath office at a mutually convenient time.
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Further Details
* Job Description & Person Specification
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