Advanced Wheelchair Therapist

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust; Amersham; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 32,000; Part time

Job summary

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust is seeking an experienced Wheelchair Therapist (Advanced Band 7) for a 23.75 hour post. You will assess long-term wheelchair use, perform complex postural and seating assessments, and work closely with clinicians, social services, and education to optimise mobility and posture.

You will deputise for the team lead when needed, supervise staff, and stay up-to-date with equipment developments while contributing to policy development and research activities.

Qualifications

• Occupational Therapy or Physiotherapy degree and registration required.
• Evidence of specialised learning in wheelchairs and postural support.
• Experience working in a wheelchair setting; ability to lead MDT work.
• Moving and handling training and cross-agency collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Support and deputise for the team lead when required.
• Provide assessments for long-term wheelchair use (manual and powered).
• Undertake complex postural, pressure care and seating assessments.
• Carry out environmental and functional assessments and action plans.
• Manual handling interventions related to equipment provision.
• Supervise staff and address training needs; contribute to policies.

Skills

Team leadership

MDT collaboration

Caseload management

Communication skills

Manual handling knowledge

Computer skills

Professional relationships

Work under pressure

Education

Occupational Therapy or Physiotherapy degree and registration

Evidence of learning in specialist field

Specialist interest group member e.g. PMG

Moving and handling training

Experience in wheelchair setting

Job description

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust (BHT) is an integrated provider of acute hospital and community services for people living in Buckinghamshire and the surrounding area.

We care for over half a million patients every year:

• Provide specialist spinal services at our world renowned National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, the birthplace of the Paralympics
• Nationally recognised for urology and skin cancer services
• Regional specialist centre for burns, plastic surgery, dermatology, stroke and cardiac services
• Deliver community services in health centres, schools, patients’ own homes, community hospitals and community hubs.

More than 6,500 people from different nations, cultures and backgrounds work for us.

We would be happy to discuss possible flexible working options. We strive to be a family friendly, inclusive employer.

If you require any assistance in making this application, please contact [e-mail] or phone [phone].

We pride ourselves in being a great place to work and invite you to join our BHT family.

Job overview

Are you an experienced Wheelchair therapist?

We are in the unusual position of having a 23.75 hour Advanced Band 7 Wheelchair therapist vacant at Buckinghamshire Wheelchair service!

You will work closely with and give advice to other health care professionals, social services and education personnel to ensure mobility and seating is provided effectively to adults and children who have severe disabilities and complex health, social, mobility and postural needs.

You will also deputise for the Team lead when required.

Main duties of the job

Support and deputise for the team lead when required

Provide an assessment service for patients requiring long term wheelchair use both manual and powered in a variety of settings

Undertake complex, postural, pressure care and seating assessments in relation to wheelchair mobility using a person centred approach and problem solving skills including custom made postural supportive equipment

Carry out detailed environmental and functional assessments and formulate action plans

Carry out manual handling intervention in regard to the equipment provision

Supervise other staff including admin with performance, appraisals and address training needs

Contribute to development and monitoring of policies

Liaise with the approved repairer service

Keep up to date with equipment developments and take part in research and audit activities

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 are proud to achieve the Gold award for the Armed Forces Covenant and support applications from the Armed Forces Community. Please contact [e-mail] (our Armed Forces Covenant Lead) if you would like guidance or assistance with your application.

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.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For a comprehensive list of responsibilities and duties, please kindly refer to the Job Description and Person Specification by downloading the JD and PS attachment in the advert.

If you are an internal applicant there is the option for secondment, all applicants must have the endorsement/support of their line manager prior to application.

If you have a disability that makes submitting this online application difficult and would like assistance, please contact us on [e-mail] quoting the vacancy reference number.

Person specification

Education, Qualifications and Training

• Occupational Therapy or Physiotherapy degree and registration
• Evidence of learning in specialist field.
• Member of a specialist interest group e.g. PMG
• Moving and handling training
• Experience of working in a wheelchair setting

Experience

• Experience at a senior level
• Advanced experience of working in an MDT way across agency boundaries
• Strategies for organising own caseload and prioritisation of workload
• Advanced level experience of working in a multidisciplinary way and frequently working across agency boundaries.
• Demonstrate strategies for organising own caseload and prioritisation of workload.
• To have worked autonomously.
• To have participated in student training

Skills, Abilities and Knowledge

• Ability to work under pressure and be flexible and adaptable to meet competing priorities
• Supervisory skills
• Highly specialised level of knowledge and advanced clinical reasoning skills
• Ability to communicate complex messages to service users and team members in written, verbal, formal and informal ways appropriately
• Ability to form professional relationships with clients that may need motivating and encouraging in a way that respects their views, autonomy and culture
• Access to a car
• Knowledge of manual handling techniques and equipment
• Needs appropriate computer skills for the role.
• Hardworking and tenacious, willing and able to extend professional knowledge to others.
• Proven team leadership.
• Ability to work as part of a team

Special Circumstances

• Able to travel to other sites and off site as necessary

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.

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.

Contacting you: We will contact candidates through the email address supplied on their application form. Please make sure you check this regularly.

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.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Name Charlotte Slinger Job title Head Occupational Therapist Email address [e-mail] Telephone number 07979655453 Additional information

Nicola Patel - 8a Wheelchair service lead - [e-mail]