Assistant Practitioner

NHS; Sefton; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional healthcare provider in the UK is seeking a practitioner to join its Planned Therapy Service. This role involves managing a caseload, assessing patient needs, and working under the supervision of a qualified therapist. The ideal candidate will hold a Foundation Degree or equivalent experience, possess excellent communication and organizational skills, and be committed to developing their professional competencies. Flexible working options are available.

Benefits

Formal and informal training opportunities

Apprenticeship opportunities for career development

Flexible working requests considered

Qualifications

• Experience in assessing, planning, and implementing individualised programmes of care.
• Understanding health care delivery and influences on public health.
• Actively involved in professional development.

Responsibilities

• Take responsibility for a designated caseload and assess rehabilitation needs.
• Work collaboratively within the team to deliver health priorities.
• Provide clinical support and mentoring to junior staff.
• Communicate effectively with patients and adapt communication methods.

Skills

Excellent communication

Organizational skills

Interpersonal skills

Education

Foundation Degree or equivalent work-based experience

Job description

You will be joining a friendly, hard-working, motivated and enthusiastic team.

You will be required to work as an active part of The Multi-Disciplinary Team within South Sefton Planned Therapy Service, accepting clinical responsibility for a manageable caseload, under the supervision of a qualified therapist, where appropriate.

Cases will be allocated following triage by a registered therapist and the post holder will be responsible for the initial assessment, prescription and implementation of specific therapeutic interventions.

The post holder will also support registered therapists with specific therapeutic interventions, developing their skills and knowledge within each clinical area.

There are a range of formal and informal training opportunities and a number of apprenticeship opportunities within the organisation each year for Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy, which may interest those who wish to progress their career in this way

Main duties of the job

You will take responsibility for a designated caseload as an autonomous practitioner assessing for simple equipment or straight-forward rehabilitation needs, identifying risks and escalating concerns according to local and national policies and procedures.

You will be expected to work in an innovative way to support the smooth running of the Service and to be accountable for your own clinical practice.

You will provide a high standard of clinical care for individuals and groups within a defined area of the population under the supervision of a registered practitioner.

You will liaise with other agencies to promote and maintain the health and wellbeing of the identified client group as appropriate.

You will maintain, develop and evidence your clinical knowledge, skills and competencies at all opportunities and act within the standards, protocols and guidelines for the delivery of care.

You will ensure the delivery of the quality strategy within the designated area incorporating establishment of systems and processes

About us

Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands.

We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.

At the heart of all we do is our commitment to 'perfect care' - care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We're currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.

Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.

Job responsibilities

Work collaboratively within the team and with other agencies to deliver local and national health priorities and objectives.

Accept clinical responsibility for a manageable caseload, where appropriate.

Be accountable for own clinical practice.

Deliver care in line with national quality standards and Trust policy.

Work within the skills and competencies expected of the role.

Provide clinical support and knowledge to support staff.

Act as an advocate and champion for clients.

Support clinical staff in managing long term conditions.

Organise and facilitate groups and /or individuals to develop self-care skills.

Identify the need for and initiate referrals to internal/external partners, within agreed parameters.

Develop person specific goals with individuals, carers and colleagues.

Enable individuals to develop the necessary skills to improve own health and lifestyle.

Contribute to health needs assessment of a defined area of the population.

Undertake risk assessment on a defined patient population in line with relevant guidelines.

Lead on health promotion activities as required.

Undertake clinical tasks, following patient specific direction.

Communicate effectively with patients and carers recognising the need for alternative methods of communication to overcome different levels of understanding, cultural background and preferred ways of communicating.

Provide leadership, mentorship and role modelling to support staff within the clinical team.

Participate in individual clinical supervision.

Participate in mentorship and clinical supervision with the team.Produce accurate, contemporaneous and complete records of patient consultation, consistent with legislation policies and procedures.

Provide information as requested.

Participate in audit as required by the organisation.

Undertake the relevant foundation degree..

Undertake all relevant mandatory training.

Develop and maintain own knowledge and skills through the use of competency frameworks and continuous professional development (CPD) and personal development process (PDP).

The post holder shall as necessary provide cover for and undertake duties of absent colleagues.

The post holder shall follow all the policies and procedures of the organisation.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Foundation Degree or equivalent or equivalent work-based experience

Knowledge

• Assessing, planning and implementing individualised programmes of care
• Understanding local and national influences on health care delivery, including Public Health
• Experience of previous work in health care
• Clinical Governance and Risk Management
• Actively Involved in professional development
• Knowledge of Health Promotion strategies
• Knowledge of developing self care skills in patients/clients

Skills

• Excellent communication, organisational and interpersonal skills

Values

• Accountability
• Support
• High professional standards
• Responsive to service users
• Engaging leadership style
• Transparency and honesty
• Discreet
• Change oriented

Other

• Ability to travel, for work purposes

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.