Highly Specialist Occupational Therapist (Adaptations)

NHS; Blackpool; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider seeks a Highly Specialist Occupational Therapist to manage the assessment and treatment of children with complex needs. This role involves working within a multi-disciplinary team to provide tailored occupational therapy solutions and support to families. Candidates should possess a degree in Occupational Therapy and have significant experience in paediatric settings.

Qualifications

• Extensive general post graduate occupational therapy experience in relevant settings.
• 18 months relevant experience at band 6 level or equivalent.
• Evidence of leadership and post graduate development.

Responsibilities

• To take clinical responsibility for the management of a specific paediatric caseload.
• To provide specialist occupational therapy advice in the process of housing adaptations.
• To participate in the training of occupational therapy assistants and students.

Skills

Clinical planning and organizational skills

Sound knowledge of current best practice

Ability to work under pressure

Education

Graduate Diploma/Degree in Occupational Therapy

Member of HCPC

Job description

Go back Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Highly Specialist Occupational Therapist (Adaptations)

The closing date is 02 June 2025

To be responsible for provision of highly specialist assessment, treatment and management of children and young people, aged 0-19 years, who present with a wide variety of conditions; these will include chronic, complex, behaviours that challenge, disabling and life limiting conditions, who require adaptations to the home environment.

To provide assessment and recommendations with regards to safety in the home environment.

To work with the Team Leader and occupational therapy Service Lead to ensure efficient and effective operation of the paediatric occupational therapy service.

To provide support, advice, guidance and information to children and young people, their parents/carers and professionals regarding occupational therapy management.

To work in the community as a lone practitioner in line with the Trusts lone worker policy.

Main duties of the job

To demonstrate sound knowledge and skills in the field of housing adaptations.

To educate and train other healthcare and multi-agency professionals and occupational therapy students in this specialist field of adaptations.

To participate in the occupational therapy management of complex paediatric cases within a multi- disciplinary team setting, providing guidance and support to junior members of the team.

To work in the community as a lone practitioner in line with the Trusts lone worker policy.

To provide assessment for and provision of equipment and adaptations for children with complex needs within a community setting and to provide and support for other practitioners in this area of work.

About us

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is ideally situated just a forty five minute drive from Manchester. The Trust provides services to the 440,000 residents of Blackpool, Fylde & Wyre and North Lancashire, as well as specialist tertiary care for Cardiac and Haematology patients.

As one of the United Kingdom's largest coastal resort, Blackpool has plenty to offer its residents -it's not just a good place to work; it's a great place to live. In addition to its bustling centre and historic seafront, the town is world famous for its many attractions, including the famous Blackpool Tower. Blackpool also offers a number of scenic cycling routes round our local parks and across the surrounding countryside, as well as boasting panoramic views of the coast on its picturesque Promenade. Further afield, Blackpool also benefits from less than three-hour connections via rail to Edinburgh in the north and London in the south.

Job responsibilities

To take clinical responsibility for the management of a specific paediatric caseload; to assess and review level of need and to organise this efficiently and effectively regarding clinical priorities and available resources.

To undertake skilled assessment of the needs of children and/or young people with complex needs requiring housing adaptations.

To provide specialist occupational therapy advice in the process of housing adaptations to other professionals including architects, housing officers and colleagues in social care.

To explain and discuss treatment options and develop an agreed individualised, outcome-focussed treatment plan with the child or young person and their parent / carers using excellent clinical knowledge and sound clinical reasoning skills.

To discuss prognosis with child or young person and their parent / carers and develop negotiated person-centred goals.

To assess patient and parent / carer understanding of treatment proposals and methods, gaining valid informed consent from appropriate person(s) taking into account factors such as age, mental capacity, parental responsibility etc.

To continually assess and manage clinical risk within patient caseload.

To demonstrate safe therapeutic manual handling skills continually assessing the frequently changing levels of risks involved.

To prescribe specialist moving & handling equipment, demonstrate its safe use to carers, providing training where required and completing relevant risk assessment documentation, which may include that from other agencies e.g. Education and/or Social Services.

To assess for, trial and prescribe, specialist, non-stock items of equipment from specialist suppliers. This will include demonstration of safe use of this equipment to all appropriate agencies, the provision of training where required and the completion of relevant risk assessment documentation, which may include that from other agencies e.g. Education and/or Social Care.

To provide planned specialist advice, teaching and instruction to parents, carers and other relevant professionals in health, social and educational services, to promote understanding of the aims of occupational therapy and to ensure a consistent, coordinated approach to optimise patient care.

To act as a consultant for the paediatric occupational therapy service regarding housing adaptations, particularly working closely with the child's therapist

To provide advice for Education, Health & Care Plans and child specific advice for Educational Manual Handling Risk Assessment.

To provide specialist advice and peer support to health, social care and educational colleagues in the overall management of the child presenting with complex problems in a range of community settings.

To work collaboratively with multi-agency professionals to develop comprehensive support packages for children and their families living with complex disabling conditions and to ensure that occupational therapy aims are included within the integrated care plan. This will include the discussion of patient treatment, patient progress and involvement in discharge planning and may necessitate the preparation of reports and attendance at multi-disciplinary and multi-agency meetings and case conferences.

To delegate tasks to occupational therapy assistants, ensuring that the assistants have the competencies required to undertake these tasks, including competencies regarding the safe use of items of equipment.

To participate in the training of occupational therapy assistants and students within the department.

To promote evidence-based practice within the occupational therapy team by challenging and supporting all occupational therapy practitioners to access up-to-date information regarding clinical conditions, therapy approaches etc.

To represent the occupational therapy team when requested by the Service Lead, Team Leader or more senior managers.

To provide clinical support to more junior members of the paediatric occupational therapy team.

Person Specification

Education and Qualification

• Graduate Diploma/Degree in Occupational Therapy
• Member of HCPC
• Evidence of Post Graduate development
• Evidence of leadership

Skills and Ability

• Sound knowledge of current best practice.
• Understanding of professional conduct and confidentiality
• Sound understanding of the requirements of clinical governance.
• Experience of research, audit, reflective practice or outcome measures
• Sound understanding of relevant legislation, eligibility criteria / policies and procedures relating to children.
• Maintenance of a comprehensive portfolio of evidence of CPD
• Post graduate training related to relevant clinical areas.
• Ability to relate theory to clinical situations.
• Clinical planning and organizational skills.
• Demonstrable knowledge of a wide range of paediatric therapy assessment and intervention, including equipment.
• Knowledge and practical experience of manual handling skills
• Able to use own initiative
• Ability to work under pressure and recognize when support is required.
• Ability to lead in a given situation.
• Car owner/driver.

Experience & Knowledge

• Extensive general post graduate occupational therapy experience in relevant settings including experience within paediatrics
• 18 months relevant experience at band 6 level or equivalent
• Recent experience of working within community settings
• Experience of supervising junior and support staff
• Experience of educating and supporting student occupational therapists
• Experience of delivering training to colleagues in health/social care and/or other agencies.
• Experience of working with major adaptations.

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.

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust