Highly specialist OT/Physiotherapist - Hand Therapy

Surrey Downs Health and Care; Epsom; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Surrey Downs Health and Care is seeking a highly skilled Hand Therapist/OCCupational Therapist to lead the MSK Hand Therapy Team. The post requires autonomous clinical delivery within a busy NHS setting and a focus on education, governance and service development.

The role emphasizes leadership, complex case management in acute trauma and elective hand surgery, and education of multidisciplinary staff, with strong emphasis on research, audit and CPD within the Hand Therapy service.

Qualifications

• Diploma/degree in Occupational Therapy or Physiotherapy with HCPC registration.
• CPD including evidence of reflective practice and clinical experience.
• Accredited Hand Therapist BAHT or equivalent accreditation.
• Master's level training in related subject (or equivalent).
• Experience in Hand Therapy within NHS settings preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver specialist hand therapy services autonomously.
• Organise, manage, evaluate and develop the hand therapy service; deputise for Operational Lead.
• Educate and train undergraduate and postgraduate staff; provide expert support.
• Identify priorities for research, audit and data collection.
• Maintain clinical governance and evidence-based practice.
• Keep up-to-date with mandatory CPD and training.
• Maintain high clinical and professional standards; align with national guidelines.
• Stay current with new hand therapy treatments and innovations.
• Assess, recommend, and provide equipment for home/work environments.
• Supervise and support staff; ensure clinical competence.
• Provide clinical education and in-service training; facilitate attendance.
• Participate in appraisals and professional development plans.
• Contribute to staff appraisals and performance management.
• Teach/mentor student OT/PT and other professionals.
• Lead clinical audit and participate in research programs.
• Engage in peer support and hand therapy specialist groups.
• Maintain good relationships with team, patients and external agencies.
• Ensure documentation using SOAP notes and patient records.
• Comply with data protection, equality and health & safety policies.
• Advise on hand therapy protocols and guidelines.

Skills

Good clinical reasoning

Organise prioritise delegate

Clear communication (English)

Team leadership

Operational & staff management

Education

Diploma/Degree in OT or Physiotherapy

HCPC Registration

CPD incl. reflective practice

BAHT accreditation

Master's level training or equivalent

Job description

Highly specialist OT/Physiotherapist - Hand Therapy

NHS AfC: Band 7

Job overview

We are looking for a highly skilled, dynamic, enthusiastic and motivated Hand Therapist to join and help lead our wonderful MSK Hand Therapy Team. Experience of working within a Hand Therapy Service is essential, preferably within the NHS and with experience of managing patients from Acute Elective, Acute Trauma, Plastics and Rheumatology.

We have an active In-Service training programme and excellent links with our Consultant Surgical colleagues who also provide training for the team.

The caseload is varied with the majority being acute trauma or post-elective surgery but also includes community referrals from local GPs and FCPs.

The Hand Therapy unit is very busy but the team are very cohesive and supportive of one and other. The Hand Therapy Service is also part of the wider Surrey Downs Health & Care MSK Service.

Main duties of the job

Role Summary

1. To develop and provide effective and efficient specialist hand therapy services to patients within the context of a hand therapy setting, working autonomously and without direct supervision

2. To be responsible for the organisation, management, evaluation and development of the hand therapy service and to deputise for the Operational Lead as required.

3. To educate and train undergraduate and postgraduate healthcare professionals, in the management of hand conditions. To provide expert support and advice to clinical staff within and outside the organisation

4. To identify clinical research, audit, and data collection priorities within area of expertise to drive departmental clinical development strategy, in line with the governance agenda and in conjunction with the multidisciplinary team, using evidence-based practice

Working for our organisation

Surrey Downs Health and Care deliver care closer to people’s own communities through our Primary Care Networks, Community Hospitals, Specialist Services and our innovative partnership of local NHS organisations.

Surrey Downs Health and Care has a track record of providing person centered care that goes beyond organisational boundaries to do what is best for the individual. This partnership includes:

• The three GP federations GP Health Partners, Dorking Health Care and Surrey Medical Network representing practices that operate in the Surrey Downs area
• Epsom and St Helier's University Hospitals NHS Trust
• Surrey County Council

Historically, there have been boundary lines between the organisations that provide care to people in their homes, in GP surgeries and in hospitals, but we have always been united in our mission to provide great care to the people who need us.

It’s on those grounds that the Surrey Downs Health and Care was formed – we want local people to receive the care that they need in the right environment. By bringing together our expertise, we can improve patient care and enable local people to access the right support, care and treatment more easily than ever before.

In bringing this partnership together, we are working to the same set of values that will translate into better care for our residents.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Professional

1. To be responsible for the development, implementation, and delivery of Occupational Therapy, within the context of hand therapy including assessment, treatment planning and implementation of treatment for a patient caseload. This caseload may be a combination of adults or paediatrics. To develop and implement treatment programmes and initiate discharge planning. To be skilled in assessing and interpreting a range of complex factors relating to the patients’ condition, including diagnosis and prognosis.

2. To communicate hand therapy assessment and treatment plans with patients and carers, dealing sensitively with distressing or emotional circumstances and being realistic about patients’ expectations.

3. To create an environment that promotes effective communication to patients, carers, and colleagues, being an effective communicator and demonstrating skills in empathy, reassurance, and the ability to motivate others.

4. To communicate with patient, carer and colleagues and multidisciplinary team members in relation to patient care, participating in decisions made. This will require communicating complex sensitive diagnostic and prognostic information.

5. To keep up-to-date and accurate clinical records on observations and treatment input to patient caseload within the Codes of Practice and professional guidelines for Occupational Therapy or Physiotherapy and, where appropriate, inform others of the patient’s clinical status, aims of treatment and ongoing management plan.

6. To be responsible for own learning, knowledge, and skills relevant to hand therapy. To be responsible for initiating access to appropriate training to address these in line with continued professional development (CPD).

7. To be responsible for keeping up to date with mandatory training.

8. To be aware of the current evidence base relating to professional practice and to interpret and apply this specialist knowledge in work.

9. To maintain the highest possible clinical and professional standards and to abide by national guidelines and standards relevant to a clinical caseload within hand therapy

10. To be aware of changing trends in treatments and the need to keep up to date with clinical developments. To be able to provide the highest standard of specialised care to patients in an effective and efficient way.

11. To assess, recommend and where appropriate provide a range of equipment and/or aids for the patient’s home and or workplace, to facilitate patients’ rehabilitation and discharge from hand therapy.

12. To supervise, monitor and ensure that staff are knowledgeable and trained in the effective use of Medical Devices inline with the Medical Devices Policy.

13. To provide support and supervision to a range of qualified and unqualified occupational therapy and physiotherapy staff, monitor the standard of treatment; give training and instruction as appropriate. To provide staff with clinical support and advice as necessary to enable the development of their skills.

14. To actively participate in clinical education and in-service training programmes and promote learning by encouraging all staff to attend and participate in in-service training, tutorials, individual training sessions, external courses, and peer review. To evaluate learning competencies as required.

15. To participate in staff appraisals as an appraisee and as an appraiser. To be responsible for complying with the agreed professional development programme and oversee that of supervisees.

16. As a supervisor assess and contribute to the performance assessment and appraisal of qualified and non-qualified staff.

17. To be responsible for teaching and training student Occupational Therapists to Graduate Level and students from other professions on the role of Occupational Therapy, clinical developments and techniques within the defined clinical area of expertise.

18. To actively participate and take a lead in the clinical audit within hand therapy and to participate in multidisciplinary research programmes as appropriate. To undertake the measurement and evaluation of occupational therapy practice through the use of evidence-based practice projects, audit and outcome measures, within hand therapy and / or the multidisciplinary team.

19. To be actively involved in the peer support and development groups and occupational therapy specialist sections within hand therapy and other professional development activities, as appropriate.

20. To maintain good working relationships with the team, patients, carers, and personnel from other agencies.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Diploma/Degree in Occupational Therapy or Physiotherapy
• HCPC Registration
• CPD including evidence of reflective practice and clinical experience gained
• Accredited Hand Therapist BAHT or equivalent.
• Master's equivalent level training in related subject.

Experience

• Comprehensive post registration experience, of which a sufficient amount must be in Hand Therapy
• Experience of standardised assessments relevant to hand therapy
• Experience and proficiency with treatment modalities used in hand therapy
• Clinical teaching of OT’s/PT’s and MDT in local setting
• Experience of supervising / appraising therapy staff and students
• Experience in assessment and treatment of paediatric patients
• Experience with exercise programmes / joint mobilisations
• Experience of wound management
• Participation in clinical research
• Recruitment and selection experience
• Team leadership experience
• Experience in therapies service development including clinical services

Skills

• Good clinical reasoning skills
• Ability to organise, prioritise and delegate
• Ability to document legible and accurate notes in English using the SOAP note writing system
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in the English language
• Experience of standardised assessments relevant to hand therapy
• Proficiency with treatment modalities used in hand therapy
• Ability to work under pressure
• Team leadership skills
• Experience of operational and staff management
• UK Driver license and access to a car

Knowledge

• Clear demonstrable understanding of the therapies process
• Clear understanding of Evidence Based Practice.
• Working knowledge of hand assessments
• Working knowledge of hand anatomy
• Working knowledge and understanding of hand therapy protocols/treatment guidelines
• Understand the legal responsibilities of the working as a healthcare professional
• Have an understanding of Clinical Governance and implications for allied health services including experience of quality issues and audit
• Able to work within Trust’s policies of data protection, equal opportunities and Health and Safety to meet the needs of the patients
• Knowledge of current OT/PT and Government initiatives.

other

• Commitment to personal, professional and service development
• Professional approach and appearance
• Flexible, reliable and a team worker
• BAHT Member
• RCOT or CSP Member

Safeguarding and DBS Checks
We are committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. For roles with direct access to these groups, anEnhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be required. All staff are expected to understand and uphold their safeguarding responsibilities as part of their role.

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.