Paediatric occupational therapist

Medway Community Healthcare; Rochester; On-site; GBP 31,000 - 38,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading community healthcare provider in Rochester seeks a paediatric band 6 occupational therapist to join their dedicated children's therapy team. The successful candidate will work with children aged 0-19 who have diverse health needs in various settings including homes and schools. This role offers a supportive environment with opportunities for professional growth, innovative practice, and collaboration across health and educational stakeholders.

Benefits

Flexible working arrangements

In-service training and supervision

Pension scheme options

Qualifications

• Holds an occupational therapy qualification with 18 months post-graduation experience.
• Experience in paediatrics is required.
• Understanding of clinical governance issues.

Responsibilities

• Deliver a specialist occupational therapy service across Medway.
• Assess and treat children with a wide range of needs.
• Work autonomously within a multi-disciplinary team.

Skills

Excellent assessment skills

Communication skills

Teaching skills

Education

BSc Occupational Therapy

Further training relating to OT and paediatrics

Job description

Do you want to be part of an award winning and dynamic social enterprise that:

• is renowned for providing high quality care and is ranked ‘Good’ by the CQC;
• is a for-better-profit organisation, reinvesting any surplus back into our health and care services and our local community;
• is friendly, ambitious, welcomes innovation and rewards excellence;
• offers superior benefits; everything you get in the NHS and more;
• and whose achievements reflect the passion, dedication and commitment demonstrated by our staff across all services?

Our vision is to be a successful, vibrant, community interest company that benefits the communities we serve. So if you want be a part of this, we would love to hear from you.

Job overview

We are currently recruiting a paediatric band 6 occupational therapist to join our children’s therapy team. The post will provide the opportunity to work with children aged 0-19years who present with a range of health needs. We work in patient homes, clinics, schools/nurseries and community settings.

We value partnership working with our local colleagues such as social services and education to provide Medway families with an inclusive service.

We are a supportive team with a strong emphasis on enabling individuals to develop their skills. The occupational therapy staff form part of an MDT. Our service is open to continuous improvement and promotes innovation.

We are:

· A large, friendly multi-disciplinary team

· A service with a pro-active approach to training and ensuring quality within our teams and to our clients

· A supportive service where innovation is celebrated

· Able to offer excellent supervision and appraisal systems with support from more senior members of the team

· Access to peer support meeting

Main duties of the job

As an experienced and autonomous practitioner, to deliver a specialist occupational therapy service across Medway and within the multi-disciplinary and inter-agency team for children’s services, providing highly specialist assessment, intervention and advice for children, their families and carers, in addition to supporting other occupational therapy staff. To advise the children’s therapy managers, assisting in developing a high quality service to children.

We are looking for someone who:

• Holds an occupational therapy qualification, with 18 months post graduation experience and experience in paediatrics

• Is committed to working in the community as part of a multi-disciplinary team with a range of partner organisations, keeping the child and family in the centre of our care

• Is enthusiastic, with excellent assessment and communication skills

• Is passionate about the occupational therapy profession

• Is excited about working with a wide range of children: children with developmental co-ordination difficulties, sensory and behavioural difficulties, autism and children with complex needs

• Is keen to help shape and drive our children’s team and is willing to work innovatively

Working for our organisation

So what else?

· This is your chance to join a progressive and innovative service in a social enterprise that is patient and staff focused - you’ll even have the opportunity to become an MCH shareholder.

· We encourage staff to get involved in exploring new ways of working and service development.

· We’ll provide well established, in-service training, one to one supervision, and appraisals with regular support.

· You’ll be able to develop your skills in a friendly and supportive team.

Would you like to work flexibly?In the NHS, we are reminded every day of how important work life balance is. As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us, for our patients and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement.

The small print

· Informal visits can be arranged on request.

· We will offer you the choice of two pension schemes; the NHS Pension scheme and the scottish widows group pension scheme.

· MCH encourages all staff to be double COVID vaccinated to protect themselves, their colleagues, their family and their patients.

At this time, MCH cannot fund or support any further nurses who require the OSCE training. Please do not apply if you require this training.

Previous applicants need not apply

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

1. Communication and relationship skills

• The post holder is required to represent the paediatric occupational therapy service at relevant meetings within the multiagency team.
• Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing at a professional level, to include detailed report writing for both internal and external agencies.
• Teaching and supervisory skills.
• Performance appraisal skills.

To promote understanding of paediatric occupational therapy input to professionals, unqualified staff, students and families in all settings, including education staff, via multi-disciplinary work, discussion, information giving and training days, and as part of the overall package of clinical input to the child.

2. Knowledge, training and experience

• Minimum of 18 months post-graduate experience.
• Experience of working as part of a multi-disciplinary team, and with an inter-agency approach to the needs of patients.
• Experience of assessing and treating patients with a wide range of needs.
• Experience in the use of standardised and non-standardised assessment tools, including assessing social communication and motor coordination needs.
• Experience of working within a wide variety of community and clinical settings.
• Experience of supervising therapy assistants and students.
• Understanding of the occupational therapy process of assessment, treatment and discharge as relevant to children and their families.
• Up to date knowledge of current legislation affecting children with disabilities and their families.
• Understanding of clinical governance issues and managing risk within therapeutic intervention.
• Knowledge and awareness of child protection issues.
• Knowledge and awareness of the wider view of children’s issues, to include health, education and social care of children.
• Knowledge of health and safety at work act responsibilities .
• Clinical practitioner skills in theoretical and manual paediatric occupational therapy.
• To provide regular structured professional supervision and training, to ensure the competence, confidence and development of technical instructors and to provide supervision to students, according to their individual training requirements .

3. Analytical and judgement skills

· To assess patient understanding of treatment proposals, gain valid informed consent and have the capacity to work within a legal framework with patients who lack the capacity to consent to treatment.

4. Planning and organisational skills

• The post holder is responsible for management of a caseload of children referred to occupational therapy in line with service priorities.
• Ability to respond to complex demands, prioritise work, and autonomously manage a varied caseload.
• Time management and caseload management skills.

5. Physical skills

• Implementing specialist manual occupational therapy assessment and treatment skills.
• The post holder assesses and provides occupational therapy intervention for children with a wide range of social, behavioural and developmental disabilities.

6. Responsibility for patient / client care

• The post holder contributes and assists in the general organization and development of a holistic, high quality service to children with a wide range of social, behavioural and developmental disabilities.
• To implement the delivery of a paediatric occupational therapy service, offering a range of assessments and treatments through selective techniques and graded activities in order to facilitate children reaching their optimum level of function.
• To maintain a varied caseload of children referred to occupational Therapy in line with service priorities, and to work as a member of the multi-disciplinary and inter-agency team to provide co-ordinated therapy and care for children and their families.

7. Responsibility for policy and service development implementation

• The post holder is required to support, assist and participate in the development of a high quality service to children with a wide range of social, behavioural and developmental disabilities

8. Responsibilities for financial and physical resources

· To maintain assessment resources specific to the role including standardised assessment kits

9. Responsibilities for human resources (HR)

• The post holder gives direct daily guidance and support to the technical instructors.
• The post holder contributes to the training and supervision and mentors students on clinical fieldwork placements within the service, and contributes to the training and development of students from other professions within the children’s therapy team.
• To undertake regular professional supervision sessions, regular training, annual individual and team performance review and objective setting, to maintain professional competence and develop skills within children’s occupational therapy.

10. Responsibilities for information resources

• To provide written and electronic record of clinical intervention, report writing and other work in line with departmental and organisational standards, and to meet the needs of audit and clinical governance with reference to all aspects of the service.

11. Responsibilities for research and development (R&D)

• To participate in development of specialist programmes of care and to purpose changes to practice in own work area to improve the overall service delivery. This may include auditing own area of work

12. Freedom to act

• Reporting to the team manager, the post holder works autonomously within the team, liaising and working with other senior therapist, whilst also delegating tasks to the technical Instructors and administrative staff.

Person specification

Qualifications

• BSc Occupational Therapy
• Further training relating to OT and paediatrics

Experience

• 2 Years Post Graduate experience working as an OT
• Experience working with children with complex needs

Skills

• Excellent report and note writing skills

MCH values

• Good understanding of MCH values

We reserve the right to close this advert earlier than the published closing date if we receive a sufficient number of applications. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted within 1 week of the closing date; no discourtesy is intended in not contacting you if your application is rejected.

When completing your application, please include the email addresses and contact telephone numbers for your referees; your referees should be your line managers / course tutors for the last 3 years.

MCH is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to a compassionate and inclusive workplace and values diversity of all people. We prohibit unlawful discrimination and harassment of any kind and wish to provide our employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. At the heart of our values, we seek to treat people fairly and with dignity and respect and provide a workplace where people feel they belong.

We aspire to have a diverse and inclusive workforce and strongly encourage suitably qualified applicants from a wide range of backgrounds to apply and join MCH. We are positive about disability and we guarantee interviews to applicants with a disability who meet the minimum criteria as specified in the job description. We are committed to offering support and making reasonable adjustments to allow full participation in the interview and selection process and through their employee journey.

We are committed to the safeguarding and welfare of children and vulnerable adults.

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.