Team Lead Acute Medical Unit

NHS; Woolwich; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare provider in Woolwich is seeking an experienced Occupational Therapy Team Lead. The role includes supervising the therapy team, managing a complex caseload, and coordinating education and evaluations. Candidates should have relevant qualifications and substantial experience in occupational therapy. A commitment to patient-focused care and excellent communication skills are essential.

Qualifications

• Experience in advanced clinical reasoning for complex cases.
• Ability to identify and act on adverse clinical signs.
• Experience managing limited resources and high workloads.

Responsibilities

• Provide clinical leadership to Occupational Therapy team.
• Manage a significant caseload of patients autonomously.
• Participate in multidisciplinary team meetings.

Skills

Advanced communication

Leadership

Time management

Education

Diploma/Degree in Occupational Therapy

HCPC Registration

Working at Master’s level

Job description

Overview

The Occupational Therapy Team Lead provides professional and clinical leadership to Occupational Therapy staff in the Acute Medical Unit based at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) site. The post holder supervises the day-to-day running of the AMU Occupational Therapy team and is line managed by the OT Site Lead at QEH. The post holder is a highly experienced clinician in short stay frailty, independently managing a significant and highly specialised clinical caseload. In conjunction with the OT Site Lead, the post holder coordinates education, clinical evaluation, audit and research within the pathway team at QEH. The post is based at the Queen Elizabeth site but may at times be asked to work on other sites to maintain service levels. 7-day working for Therapies is in place within the Trust and the postholder may undertake a different pattern of working, including weekends, in the future.

Main duties of the job

Clinical responsibilities

1. Undertake all aspects of clinical duties and carry a significant caseload of patients as an autonomous practitioner, including those with highly complex presentations.
2. Work at an advanced level and be professionally and legally accountable for a highly-specialised patient caseload; decide priorities for the own work area, balancing other patient-related and professional demands.
3. Be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of own work, and of the pathway teams' work, including management of clinical risk and governance; apply indications and precautions of techniques in line with National and Trust guidelines where they exist.
4. Assess patients’ capacity, gain valid informed consent to treatment, and work within a legal framework when capacity is lacking/absent.
5. Undertake comprehensive assessment and accurate diagnosis of patients, including those with extremely complex presentations, using investigative, palpatory, analytical and clinical reasoning skills.
6. Request diagnostic procedures as appropriate to inform clinical decision making.
7. Undertake physical treatment techniques utilising highly developed manual skills.
8. Formulate individualised clinical management programmes using a wide range of treatment skills and options to plan a highly-specialised programme of care.
9. Use recognised outcome measures to evaluate the effect of Occupational Therapy interventions and ensure treatment programmes are progressing appropriately.
10. Provide spontaneous and planned expert advice, teaching and instruction to relatives, carers and other disciplines; promote understanding of Occupational Therapy aims and ensure continuation of the treatment programme.
11. Participate in and initiate multidisciplinary/multi-agency team meetings and case conferences to ensure coordinated patient care, including discharge planning as appropriate.
12. Maintain accurate, comprehensive and up-to-date clinical records in line with Trust guidance and professional criteria.
13. Identify and employ effective communication strategies with patients, including those with barriers to understanding; utilise interpreters or other services where needed.
14. Ensure practice within the pathway is user-focused and includes patient views in treatment planning.
15. Use skills such as persuasion, motivation and negotiation to support continuation of the treatment programme.
16. Communicate empathetically about complex or sensitive information, including prognosis or disability.
17. Receive and effectively manage highly complex patient-related information to plan and develop individual case management.
18. Communicate and advise to ensure collaborative working within the OT service and with other professionals to deliver a coordinated multidisciplinary service.
19. Be integral to discharge planning, including liaison with referring hospitals or community staff, providing timely discharge reports.
20. Produce comprehensive reports related to assessment findings and treatment outcomes for other disciplines or agencies.
21. Undertake an extended scope role as appropriate, including independent management of complete episodes of care from referral to discharge where delegated.
22. Measure and evaluate own work through audit and outcome measures; apply evidence-based practice and research where appropriate; initiate audit projects to review current practice.
23. Lead the implementation and evaluation of Trust-wide OT clinical outcomes within a designated pathway; monitor adherence to professional and national standards.
24. Work to Trust and British Association of Occupational Therapy clinical guidelines and maintain knowledge of relevant national standards.
25. Raise OT staff awareness of current clinical developments and their implications for practice.
26. Be accessible to provide expert clinical advice to colleagues, particularly for highly complex case management.
27. Participate in weekend, bank holiday and extended working rotas where clinically appropriate, and participate in the service pattern required in the future.
28. All clinical staff are accountable for their own clinical competence and should act within the scope of their professional guidance.

Person specification

Education and qualifications

• Diploma/Degree in Occupational Therapy
• HCPC Registration
• Working at Master’s level or equivalent experience/qualification
• Postgraduate courses relevant to the role
• Clinical educators training

Desirable

• RCOT member
• Member of Special Interest Group
• Master’s degree or equivalent
• Managerial training

Skills and abilities

• Ability to discuss advanced clinical reasoning in management of highly complex cases
• Ability to identify and act on adverse clinical signs
• Advanced communication with patients, carers, team and other health professionals
• Excellent teamwork, time management, prioritisation and delegation
• Self-directed learning and CPD portfolio development
• Strong leadership and motivational skills

Experience

• Wide-ranging postgraduate OT experience including senior experience in a relevant speciality
• Significant experience of the relevant specialist pathway
• Experience working autonomously and unsupervised
• Experience managing limited resources and high workloads
• Experience leading and completing audits and evidence-based projects
• Experience supervising and appraising OT staff and students with constructive feedback
• Experience presenting to MDT groups and evaluating training effectiveness
• Experience leading change management and innovation in clinical practice

Desirable

• Previous Band 7 experience
• Research experience including publications
• National-level presentations or external course involvement
• Experience presenting to MDT groups and educational settings

Knowledge

• Extensive specialist knowledge of evidence-based OT for the designated pathway
• Knowledge of national guidelines and standards for the pathway
• Understanding of clinical governance and its implications for OT
• Awareness of NHS structure and current issues
• Understanding of legal responsibilities of the profession

Other

• Self-motivated with a clear vision for the role and commitment to the specialty
• Flexible, adaptable to changing environments
• Physically fit and able to comply with moving and handling guidelines
• Available for weekend duties and altered working patterns as clinically appropriate

Additional information

Disclosure and Barring Service Check - This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and requires disclosure checks.

Certificate of Sponsorship - Applications from job seekers who require Skilled Worker sponsorship will be considered. Details at the UK Visas and Immigration website.

UK Registration - Applicants must have current UK professional registration.

Employer details

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust

Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Stadium Road, Woolwich, SE18 4QH