Frailty Occupational Therapist Practitioner

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust; Slough; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 57,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare organization in Slough is seeking an experienced Frailty Occupational Therapist Practitioner to join their multidisciplinary team. This role involves conducting Comprehensive Geriatric Assessments for older patients and providing holistic assessments and treatment plans. Candidates must have a degree in occupational therapy along with HCPC registration. A background in elderly care, emergency medicine, or rehabilitation is preferred, and the role includes working weekends and bank holidays as part of the team.

Benefits

First-class development opportunities

Supportive work-life balance

Inclusive and disability confident employer

Qualifications

• Degree in occupational therapy is required.
• Registered with HCPC as an Occupational Therapist.
• Experience working with older adults and frailty is essential.

Responsibilities

• Provide evidence-based holistic assessment for frail patients.
• Conduct Comprehensive Geriatric Assessments for complex needs.
• Work collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team.

Skills

Broad range of enhanced clinical skills

Knowledge of health and safety and risk management

Experience with long-term conditions and frailty

Experience in caseload management

Proficient in computer systems and report writing

Education

Degree in occupational therapy

Registered Occupational Therapist HCPC registration

Post registration qualification or equivalent experience

Teaching and assessing qualification

Job description

Frailty Occupational Therapist Practitioner

This is an exciting role for an experienced Occupational Therapist to work within the multidisciplinary frailty team. The Frailty Team is responsible for providing Comprehensive Geriatric Assessments and advice to older people attending the acute hospital trust with a frailty syndrome (e.g., falls, reduced mobility, altered cognition, new incontinence, and polypharmacy). You will work collaboratively with, and be supported by, the Frailty team leads, Consultant Geriatricians, in‑reach GPs and a team of multidisciplinary frailty practitioners that includes nurses, medics, and a pharmacist.

You will work within the Frailty Same Day Emergency Department and the main Emergency Department assessing older patients who have experienced a frailty crisis leading to hospital admission, and also within the hospital on the wards.

This post would suit an Occupational Therapist with experience of elderly care, emergency medicine and/or a rehabilitation background. The frailty service operates 7 days a week, currently 07:30‑19:30. The post holder will be required to work within these operating hours, including sharing weekend and bank holiday cover with the other members of the team.

Main duties of the job

• To work closely with the Frailty team leads, the Frailty Practitioners, medics and Consultant Geriatricians to proactively identify and manage patients with frailty and support them in the development of supportive management plans.
• To undertake Comprehensive Geriatric Assessments for individuals presenting with a frailty crisis and their carers where needs are highly complex. This will involve planning, implementing and evaluating the care delivery according to changing healthcare needs.
• To provide evidence‑based holistic assessment and treatment planning for patients with frailty referred to the service, without direct supervision.
• To work in conjunction with a wide range of clinical colleagues, specifically primary care and community teams and Social Care professionals, to lead and facilitate a patient focused, co‑ordinated case management approach across primary and secondary care for people who are most vulnerable to, and at high risk of repeat admissions to hospital.
• To provide expertise in their own discipline to the wider team and seek professional supervision from colleagues within their professional discipline.
• To complete onward referrals to specialist teams, assess for and order any necessary equipment as appropriate for the longer‑term maintenance and prevention of further frailty crises.

About us

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust is committed to being an inclusive and disability confident employer and has been awarded the Gold for the Armed Forces Employment Recognition Scheme. We provide first class development opportunities for all staff and have a wide range of professional, management and leadership, and clinical skills training available.

Here at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, we know how important it is to have a healthy work‑life balance; this benefits not only individuals but the patients we care for too.

We encourage applications from people who wish to work on a flexible basis, recognising that flexibility may mean a range of different working patterns and hours, we do our utmost to work with our staff to meet their needs and the needs of our service and its users.

Frimley Health Trust benefits on Vimeo

Job responsibilities

Clinical

• To provide evidence‑based holistic assessment and treatment planning for patients with frailty referred to the service, without direct supervision.
• Use assessment tools/skills that will ensure an appropriate level of recovery intervention so that patients who present with highly complex needs are timely referred to the appropriate clinicians/teams.
• Complete complex risk assessments, both as an independent clinician and drawing on the wider MDT as appropriate.
• Complex manual handling including urgent prescription of specialist equipment to manage immediate risks to patients during a crisis situation.
• Profession‑specific assessments, generalist assessments and, where appropriate and within scope of extended practice, cross‑profession assessments to maintain patient safety during acute medical / social crisis.
• Refer to appropriate clinical services to ensure patient safety is maintained.

Non‑clinical

• Line‑management of other members of the Frailty team, and be involved in management tasks, for example recruitment, retention and education.
• Promote and contribute to our open reflective learning culture by supporting and educating others within the multidisciplinary team, particularly those from different professional backgrounds.

For more information please see attached job description and person specification

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Degree in occupational therapy
• Registered Occupational Therapist HCPC registration.
• Post registration qualification or equivalent experience gained by undertaking on‑going personal development and training focused on older adults / frailty advanced practice skills.
• Teaching and assessing qualification / mentorship qualification.
• Evidence of delivering education and training in practice.
• Master's level or working towards an equivalent training in specialist area or evidence of significant practical experience.

Experience

• Experience of caseload management including responsibility for complex care packages for vulnerable people (OT specific)
• Experience, underpinned by knowledge of working with and understanding the complex needs of patients in a primary care / community setting.
• Experience of developing specialist programmes of care for an individual or groups of patients / clients and of highly providing specialist advice.
• Confident in the use of computer systems, spreadsheets, databases, data collection, word processing and report writing.
• Involved in the implementation and management of change
• Experience of initiation of participating in clinical audit. Research relating to clinical practice.
• Experience of working with long‑term conditions and frailty

Skills and knowledge

• Broad range of enhanced clinical skills
• Good knowledge of health and safety and risk management
• Knowledge and understanding of the Trust Strategy relevant to the role.
• Demonstrates an understanding and insight into current issues and developments within the NHS

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.

£50,008 to £56,908 a yearper annum incl HCAS