Therapy Clinical Lead Occupational Therapist
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Job Summary
This is a 12‑month fixed term contract covering maternity leave. The role is 32 hours per week within the Respiratory team at Northampton General Hospital, part of the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire. We are looking for a hardworking, motivated and dedicated individual with experience in acute adult wards, particularly respiratory and critical care, and an interest in leading and developing a team.
Responsibilities
* Be the Occupational Therapy Clinical Lead for the Respiratory and Critical Care Therapy Team.
* Manage a clinical caseload in this area, including complex cases.
* Work flexibly to cover other clinical areas as required by patient needs and service demands.
* Provide clinical expertise and leadership to a large team of Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists and Therapy Support staff on wards and in departments.
* Lead on the annual appraisal of allocated staff, collating a training needs analysis for the Head of Therapies.
* Assist with continued learning for all staff, promoting personal development and succession planning.
* Identify and manage clinical performance issues within therapy staff in the area.
* Develop guidelines, protocols and practices to enhance patient experience in line with national and Trust policies.
* Lead on the implementation of action plans from national and local strategies, benchmarking standards and audits.
* Represent therapy services at specialty and trust‑wide forums, providing feedback and leading on arising actions.
* Act as deputy for other therapy leads as required.
Additional Duties May Include
* Lead the therapy team on a day‑to‑day basis, coordinating cover for absences and addressing minor operational issues.
* Work with the Head and Deputy of Therapies on budget, facilities and resources to provide a safe, high‑quality, cost‑effective service.
* Lead recruitment of staff within the team with support from the Deputy Head of Therapies.
* Participate in operational planning and implementation of policy and service development.
* Ensure staff have access to Trust policies and take action where compliance is breached.
* Mentor and assess pre‑registration students allocated to the team.
* Provide regular verbal reports to the Deputy Head of Therapies on management and performance of the team.
* Provide opportunities for staff to receive support and have a forum for discussion and planning.
Provision of Clinical Services
* Apply a high level of understanding of illness, injury and disability and balance risk, safety, patient choice and independence.
* Select, implement and evaluate the most appropriate interventions and act as an authorised signatory for adaptation and equipment requests.
* Communicate effectively with patients, carers, clinical team members, Therapies colleagues and other agencies.
* Maintain accurate and up‑to‑date records of clinical interventions.
* Apply and develop specialist knowledge and skills to maintain fitness to practice.
Improving Patient and Visitor Experiences
* Serve as a point of contact for patients and relatives.
* Lead on developing and sharing patient and carer information.
* Implement patient feedback methods to improve services.
* Respect diversity and provide culture‑sensitive care.
* Reflect on ethical issues and provide guidance to staff.
* Develop guidelines, protocols and practices that enhance patient experience in line with policies.
Using Audit, Evaluation and Research
* Promote evidence‑based practice and audit processes.
* Ensure agreement on action plans from national and local strategies and audits.
* Broaden research and development skills through audit and research projects.
* Foster a culture of innovation and practice development.
Management and Teamwork
* Promote safe and effective communication channels within therapy and multi‑professional teams.
* Facilitate staff access to clinical support and supervision.
* Keep Therapy leads informed of issues affecting patient care.
* Participate in skill‑mix reviews based on patient data.
* Represent therapy services and deputise for senior leads as appropriate.
* Work flexibly to meet priority needs in the clinical area and across services.
* Promote awareness of Therapy and Physiotherapy roles within the Trust.
* Apply guidelines and legislation and provide guidance to junior staff.
* Ensure staff meet training and development requirements.
* Submit and sign claim forms in a timely manner.
* Coordinate rotas, cover, return‑to‑work interviews and performance management.
* Lead recruitment and selection of therapy staff.
* Investigate complaints and adverse incidents and implement lessons learned.
* Ensure staff have formal annual reviews.
* Monitor resource use and collaborate with management to achieve targets.
Trust Wide Responsibilities
* Provide expertise to multi‑disciplinary teams through teaching and training.
* Demonstrate customer service role model to visitors.
Person Specification
Essential
Education, Training & Qualifications
* BSc Honours (or equivalent) in Physiotherapy or Occupational Therapy
* Health and Care Professions Council Registration
* UK Work Permit (if applicable)
Desirable
* Clinical Educator Training
* Evidence of involvement in research and clinical audit
Knowledge & Experience
* Experience of assessment, goal setting, planning, implementation and review of clinical therapy interventions.
* Experience working in the NHS.
* Experience working in a multi‑disciplinary team and contributing to its effective functioning.
* Experience managing a clinical caseload and prioritising work.
* Clinical experience across acute medicine, health care of the elderly/frailty, respiratory and orthopaedics.
* Desirable: Experience leading a team.
* Desirable: Knowledge of inpatient elderly medicine settings or common conditions such as Parkinson’s and cognitive impairments.
Skills and Abilities
* Effective communication with patients, carers, team members and agencies.
* Self‑management skills.
* Leadership and motivation of a team.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post requires a Disclosure and Barring Service check under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975.
Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current skilled worker sponsorship will be considered alongside all other applications.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration.
Employer Details
Northampton General Hospital
Cliftonville
Northampton
NN1 5BD
Employer's Website
https://www.northamptongeneral.nhs.uk/Home.aspx
Seniority level
Mid‑Senior level
Employment type
Part‑time
Job function
Health Care Provider
Compensation: £47,810 to £54,710 per annum (pro‑rata).
Benefits
Agenda for change band and benefits as per job details.
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