Wheelchair Clinician (OT/physio/clinical scientist)

NHS Jobs; Oxford; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare organization is looking for a Wheelchair Clinician to conduct assessments and provide mobility solutions for individuals with complex disabilities. Responsibilities include ensuring compliance with clinical standards, supervising junior staff, and promoting high-quality care in various settings. This role requires relevant qualifications in occupational therapy, physiotherapy, or clinical science, along with excellent communication and clinical skills.

Qualifications

• Relevant professional qualifications in occupational therapy, physiotherapy, or clinical science.
• Experience in wheelchair assessments and provision.
• Ability to handle distressing conversations with service users.

Responsibilities

• Conduct wheelchair and seating assessments autonomously.
• Supervise junior staff and contribute to service development.
• Ensure compliance with clinical governance and safety standards.

Job description

Wheelchair Clinician (OT/physio/clinical scientist)

Clinical 1. Adhere to and comply with relevant professional bodys Professional Codes of Conduct and Professional Standards and HCPC registration requirements. 2. Maintain and develop own clinical competence through clinical supervision, reflective practice, training and membership of appropriate special interest groups. 3. Take responsibility for personal and service objectives identified in IPR and supervision sessions. 4. Autonomously undertake wheelchair/seating assessments and offer advice for individuals, many of whom will have complex disabilities, taking into account individual client needs, circumstances and choices. 5. Sensitively discuss contentious or distressing issues with service users, relatives, carers and other relevant professionals. 6. Be a source of clinical advice in an area of specialist practice, providing advice to the OWS team and multidisciplinary colleagues both within the Trust and externally. 7. Responsible for maintaining comprehensive contemporaneous clinical records ensuring compliance with professional, NHS and local standards and Caldicott requirements. 8. Responsible for safe provision of mobility equipment and specification of prescription choices and custom-made devices, ensuring all risks are minimised and documented appropriately. 9. Ensure prescription choices are cost effective, underpinned by sound clinical reasoning and compliant with OWS eligibility criteria, ensuring provision of high quality, cost effective and fair and equitable clinical care. 10. Lone working in a variety of environments, including private homes, nursing care and residential homes and hospital settings. 11. To respond rapidly to clients with acute or urgent problems such as pressure ulcers or rapidly deteriorating conditions and to provide clinically appropriate solutions within a short time-frame, reprioritising routine work accordingly. 12. Gain the support and advice of senior staff in all situations where you do not have the skills or experience to proceed. 13. Assess patient understanding of treatment proposals; gain valid informed consent and work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment, Administration 1. To clinically supervise more junior staff and students as required. 2. To contribute to the service development of OWS. 3. Support the Clinical Lead and Operational Lead with day to day management of OWS as required 4. To maintain accurate and evaluative client documentation, fulfilling both professional and legal requirements, and to facilitate audit and research. 5. To operate within OWS policy and budgetary constraints with regard to prescription and provision and to ensure effective use of resources by advising on supply of the most cost effective wheelchair and mobility equipment to meet each individual clients needs. Governance 1. Contribute to implementing changes within the team to meet governance standards on patient focus and experience, safety and quality. 2. Adhere to appropriate governance and risk management. 3. Make known to the Operational Wheelchair Service Lead any concerns about the provision of the service. 4. To be committed to, and participate in, the individual staff performance and development review process. Physical 1. Carry out appointments that involve: provision of physical assistance to service users, including hoisting and manual adjustments and transfers, kneeling, crouching, twisting and maintaining awkward or static postures for short periods of time, transporting, moving and adjusting wheelchairs and associated equipment 2. Carry out appointments (at OWS or other locations) that may involve exposure to unpleasant working conditions such as: Exposure to bodily fluids, cigarette smoke and unhygienic surroundings, Exposure to anger, verbal aggression or threatening behaviour 3. Drive a variety of vehicles, often in busy or adverse conditions and transport wheelchairs and equipment in vehicles, including loading and unloading.