Specialist Occupational Therapist/ Specialist Physiotherapist

CDDFT Charity; Chester; On-site; GBP 37,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare organization is seeking a Specialist Occupational Therapist or Physiotherapist to join the Intermediate Care and Crisis Therapy Team. The ideal candidate will provide therapy interventions, conduct assessments, and work collaboratively within a multi-disciplinary team to improve patient outcomes in Chester-le-Street. This role requires strong communication skills, leadership abilities, and a commitment to providing high-quality patient care while adhering to the Trust's values.

Qualifications

• Evidence of CPD with recent courses in relevant clinical fields.
• In-depth knowledge in assessment and treatment of physical disabilities.
• Experience in Intermediate Care and crisis management.

Responsibilities

• Conduct holistic assessments and create specialist rehabilitation plans.
• Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team to provide responsive therapy.
• Supervise and manage the workload among less experienced staff.

Skills

Analytical skills

Communication

Leadership

Education

BSc/MSc in Occupational Therapy or Physiotherapy

Job description

County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

Specialist Occupational Therapist/ Specialist Physiotherapist

The closing date is 02 July 2025

County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust are one ofthe largest integrated organisations in the country, providing hospital and community services to apopulation of over 650,000. We are an ambitious and innovative organisation with a talentedworkforce of over 7,000 colleagues. Our Vision is to be Right First Time, Every Time and our mission is toprovide safe, compassionate and joined-up care to the populations of County Durham and Darlington.

We are looking for a dynamic individual to jointhe Intermediate Care and Crisis Therapy Team at Chester le Street CommunityHospital. The team works across the Durham, Chester-le-Street and Derwentsidearea providing therapy into rehabilitation beds within care homes and out intothe community. Along with providing urgent community response therapyintervention to prevent any avoidable hopsital admissions.The post involvesworking as part of multi-disciplinary team including Occupational Therapists,Physiotherapists, Therapy Assistant Practitioners and Assistants.

Main duties of the job

As a member of the organisation the post holder will

Complete own individual responsibilities and share teamobjectives

Work as part of dynamic multi-disciplinary team

Complete holistic and specialist assessments and createspecialist rehabilitation plans as required for patients in Intermediate Carebeds

Lead or contribute to creating improvement, transformationand innovation of services

Work as part of crisis therapy team to meet nationalguidance of two hour response therapy and urgent response care.

Work flexibly across the service and support otherclinical service needs as required

Lead by action and inspire others acting as role model,demonstrating the leadership behaviours and values identified by CDDFT

Communicate positively and effectively

Actively give and receive feedback in a constructivemanner

Be adaptable, work with integrity and be trustworthy

Show constancy, courage and resolve in the pursuit of thevision and aims of CDDFT

Actively contribute to improving the healthand well-being of the population that is served

About us

If you are being interviewed you must accept an interview slot in the system to continue, even if you have arranged with the manager

You must be able to produce ALL certificates stated essential in the person specification or you will not be able to complete pre-employment checks

We provide hospital services from two acute sites - Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham. We have a centre for planned care in Bishop Auckland and provide care from community hospitals in Chester-le-Street, Shotley Bridge, Barnard Castle, Sedgefield and Weardale as well as over 80 other community based settings and providing care in patients' homes.

We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as BAME and disabled people are currently under-represented

Full Job Descriptions can be found in the adverts supporting documents

Over reliance onAI-generated content is discouraged and may diminish the applicant's chances ofsuccess

For the most up-to-date information on visa requirements and eligibility, please check online to determine whether you can apply.

From April 9th 2025 - Healthcare assistants - You must have a minimum of two yearsof experience working within the NHS as a HCA for the Trust to considersponsorship (we will only consider sponsorship if you meet this criteria andhave a current visa expiring within 3 months)

Job responsibilities

The successful applicant will be required to

To organise and prioritise own workload and to monitor thoseyou clinically supervise within a defined area.

To undertake holistic and comprehensive specialistassessments of patients including those with diverse or complexpresentations/multi pathologies that change across the caseload.

To utilise analytical and clinical reasoning skills andmanual assessment techniques to provide accurate management of the condition,these skills may be advanced, interpret facts and select the appropriatetreatment and implement rehabilitation programmes.

To maintain timely documentation of clinical records andaudit the documentation of supervisees, ensuring compliance with standards setdown by the Trust, HCPC and relevant professional bodies.

To delegate treatment plans to unqualified staff inclusiveof assistants and care support workers.

To complete assessments of patients homes such asenvironmental visits and home visits and arrange equipment for safe dischargesfrom Intermediate Care beds as required.

Manage crisis intervention within the community to meetnational guidance on two hour responses. To provide holistic assessments,provision of equipment, short term therapy including organising short termsocial care needs as required to reduce hospital admissions.

To formally supervise lesser experienced staff, andassistants to whom you allocate clinical and non-clinical tasks ensuring theirinput is within the remit of their role and competencies, and to be responsiblefor the safe use of equipment as used by self, assistants and students.

To participate in the clinical governance proceduresincluding the prompt recording and reporting of incidents, equipment defectsand first line management of informal complaints.

Appraise and develop clinical activities within the teamthrough monitoring and reviewing both individual and team performance,addressing performance capability issues where necessary.

To contribute towards the provision of flexible and timelyservice.

To be responsible for your own Continuous ProfessionalDevelopment evidenced by attendance at relevant courses (in-service andexternal), achievement of appraisal objectives and maintenance of aprofessional portfolio, which includes reflective practice.

To participate in the staff appraisal scheme and PersonalDevelopment Plan as both appraiser and appraise.

To be an active member of the in-service training programme,including attendance and participation in the provision of training to staff;attendance at training sessions in house, external courses, and practisingreflective practice.

To undertake the measurement and evaluation of your work andcurrent practices through the use of evidence based practice projects, audit,research and outcome measures, either individually or with colleagues, clinicallead or manager.

To maintain own registration with the HealthCare Professions Council (HCPC) and adhere to codes of conduct as set by theHCPC and relevant professional body

Person Specification

Qualifications

• BSc/MSc in Occupational Therapy or BSc/MSc in Physiotherapy or equivalent
• Evidence of CPD, including attendance at recent post-graduate courses relevant to the clinical fields in the specialism
• An understanding of County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, its culture, strategic direction, achievements and NHS standing
• Involvement in specific interest groups

Special Skills & Knowledge

• In depth and up to date knowledge and skills in the assessment and treatment of a wide range of physical disabilities.
• Remain updated with professional practice and new research
• Understand clinical governance and its implication for services, including experiences of quality and audit
• Ability to comprehend and work within the Trust's policies of data protections, equal opportunities and health and safety
• To meet the differing needs of patients
• Ability to carry out moderate to intense physical effort throughout the working day and carry out concurrent activities
• Ability to cope with working in stressful environment and deal with emotional or aggressive patients and carers
• Ability to work independently and organise, prioritise and delegate workload to meet service demands
• Understand the legal responsibilities of the profession
• Able to organise, prioritise and delegate
• Evidence of self-directed learning and
• critical appraisal skills
• Ability to use own initiative appropriately to enhance service delivery
• Presentational skills
• Evidence of participation in research/audit
• Clinical supervision of other therapy staff/students
• Clinical educator experience.
• Attendance at a recognised clinical

Statutory Registration

• HCPC registered Occupational Therapist or HCPC registered Physiotherapist
• Member of BAOT or Member of CSP

Special Requirements

• Ability to travel and carry small items of equipment on a daily basis to fulfil the requirements of the post
• Ability to meet physical demands of the post
• Commitment, motivation and ability to work flexibly within a
• multidisciplinary service

Experience

• Comprehensive and relevant qualified experience in physical rehabilitation including recent general rehabilitation experience.
• Experience of collaborative working within multi disciplinary teams.
• Evidence of communication skills within a wide variety of settings.
• Experience in staff appraisals
• Experience in working in a variety of settings
• Experience of working in Intermediate Care and crisis management.

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.

County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

£37,338 to £44,962 a yearAFC Band 6 per annum pro rata