Specialist Hand Therapist Team Leader /Clinical Specialist

Airedale NHS Foundation Trust; Long Lee; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading health organization in Long Lee is seeking a Specialist Hand Therapist Team Leader. This role involves providing patient-centered care for wrist and hand conditions, leading a team, and ensuring high standards in therapy services. The ideal candidate will have significant experience in hand therapy and strong leadership skills. The position offers a supportive environment and a range of employee benefits.

Benefits

Cycle to Work Scheme

Childcare Vouchers

Onsite Nursery

Employee Assistance Programme

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent in Physiotherapy or Occupational Therapy.
• Relevant postgraduate education in therapy.
• UK Registration with the Health Care Professions Council.

Responsibilities

• Lead role in the specialist rehabilitation of wrist and hand problems.
• Coordinate all patients with wrist and hand issues.
• Provide evidence-based specialist knowledge in MSK and hand therapy.

Skills

Leadership

Clinical assessment

Flexibility

Communication

Education

Degree in Therapy Profession

Postgraduate education in musculoskeletal or hand therapy

Tools

Thermoplastic splinting

Health Care Professions Council registration

Job description

Specialist Hand Therapist Team Leader /Clinical Specialist

Are you a dynamic and motivated highly skilledPhysiotherapist or Occupational Therapist looking to take the next step in your career? An exciting opportunity has arisen within our Trust to recruit a 30-hour Specialist Hand Therapist.

As a clinical expert Hand Therapist, you will deliver patient-centred care across the full spectrum of wrist and hand conditions, including trauma, elective surgical recovery, and non-surgical referrals.

This is an exciting opportunity to play a leading role in shaping thespecialist hand therapy service, ensuring high standards of care and fostering a collaborative environment for ongoing professional growth. You'll be joining a supportive and expert team that includes: 2 x Band 7 Hand Therapists / 1 x Band 6 Hand Therapist/ Rotational Band 5/6 Physiotherapists & 2 Wrist and Hand Consultants

To find out more or arrange an informal chat, contact:

Kieran Duxbury - MSK & Pelvic Health Physiotherapy Operational Manager - Email: [e-mail]

Main duties of the job

The post holder will:

• Lead role in the specialist rehabilitation and management of complex wrist and hand problems.
• Coordinate and manage all patients with wrist and hand problems.
• Be responsible for planning, coordinating, delivering, and evaluating clinical case work within the Orthopaedic & MSK Physiotherapy Hand Therapy Service.
• Provide evidence based, highly specialist knowledge and skills to the specialist MSK & hand therapy service.
• Provide a key role in partnership collaborating with patients, carers, the MDT, and wider statutory, private, and voluntary sector services.
• Be accountable for the quality and safety of advanced and highly skilled assessment and management of patients with a variety of complex, acute & chronic wrist, and hand presentations
• Work closely with orthopaedics, medical, AHP and nursing colleagues to ensure high quality patient care.
• Lead quality improvements and continually develop and modernise the physiotherapy provision to patients with complex wrist and hand problems
• Be prepared to work flexibly in terms of time and workload to meet service needs.
• Be professionally accountable
• To continually develop and modernise the physiotherapy provision to patients with complex wrist and hand problems
• To take responsibility for staff and student training/development.
• Provide support to operational and service managers deputizing for them as required

About us

We are delighted to offer a wide range of benefits to employees including:

• Cycle to Work
• Travel Scheme
• Childcare Vouchers with Salary Sacrifice
• Onsite Nursery
• Buying and Selling Annual Leave
• Car Leasing
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Employee Health and Wellbeing
• Extensive Reward Scheme
• Counselling Service
• Financial packages including Vivup and Wagestream
• Staff Networks, Enable, Rainbow, Gender, Race Equality Ecoaware & Admin Network.

Our values:

We understand that it's down to the hard work, effort and dedication of our staff that makes a difference for our patients. Our people really do make our Airedale experience - we take pride in fostering a friendly, effective and caring work environment. Our values are part of our DNA, which are:

• Committed to Quality of Care
• Compassion
• Working together for patients
• Improving Lives
• Everyone Counts
• Respect and Dignity

Got questions before you apply, please contact the recruiting manager to find out more.

Job responsibilities

Key responsibilities include:

• Managing a complex clinical caseload using expert assessment and treatment strategies
• Collaborating closely with orthopaedic Hand and Wrist Surgeons on integrated pathways for splinting, wound care, and rehabilitation
• Providing timely triage and early intervention for post operative, emergency department referrals & urgent conditions to prevent complications
• Managing chronic hand/wrist conditions referred by primary care and supporting MSK/FCP colleagues
• Leading on service outcomes, staff development, student training, and coordination of rotations
• Working in partnership with Therapy Managers, Clinical Leads, and MDT teams to promote streamlined, flexible care pathways

This is an exciting opportunity to play a leading role in shaping the specialist hand therapy service, ensuring high standards of care and fostering a collaborative environment for ongoing professional growth.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent pre-registration award in Therapy Profession (Physiotherapy/ Occupational Therapy or professional qualification/ registration e.g. CSP/ COT/ BSc)
• UK Registrations with the Health Care Professions Council
• Relevant postgraduate education/ courses in musculoskeletal/ orthopaedic therapy/ upper limb/ hand therapy.
• Relevant postgraduate courses in Leadership/ Management.
• MSc modules or PhD /training in a relevant subject E.g. The British Association of Hand Therapists (BAHT) training.
• BAHT level 2 courses
• Member of professional special interest group e.g. BAHT
• Certificate in Managing Health Services or equivalent
• Completion of a course in professional practice education

Experience

• Recent, comprehensive and relevant band 6/7 experience working in Hand Therapy and or clinical specialist assessment of wrist and hand conditions.
• Knowledge/ Experience thermoplastic and off the shelf splinting.
• Experience of multidisciplinary team working
• Experience of multidisciplinary guideline development, implementation and audit
• Experience of managing other people including conducting annual reviews, supervision
• Recent experience of leadership /management role/ Band 7 Hand Therapy Experience
• Experience of taking part in or leading on Projects/ Service Improvements

Knowledge

• Specialist level of knowledge and clinical reasoning skills to support expert clinical practice in Hand Therapy for both acute and chronic conditions.
• Knowledge of the roles of other professionals and the principles of partnership working with key stakeholders in the Hand Therapy Service.
• Knowledge of the principles of clinical governance, audit and research

Skills

• The ability to select and apply a wide variety of assessment tools and treatment modalities to the wrist and hand including thermoplastic splinting.
• Excellent planning, time management and organisational skills. and being able to work under pressure and meet deadlines
• Excellent communication and counselling skills including observation, listening and empathy
• Skilled in clinical teaching and supervision.
• Ability to adjust management style to suit the situation
• Audit and critical appraisal skills.

Personal Attributes and values

• Highly flexible to meet own and service needs and be open to new ideas.
• Supportive, approachable, tactful and diplomatic
• Actively contributes to the improvement of services by engaging service users.
• Ability to be self-motivated and to motivate a team

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.