Resume: Claire Alison Miller.

Staffordshire

Profile

I am a qualified Occupational Therapist with 16 years experience in health and social care. I am experienced in working within a team and on my own initiative. I am equally at home leading a team as I am as a team member. I have responsibility for the training and ongoing development of student and unqualified Occupational Therapists and Social Care and Health workers. I am responsible for training and supporting formal and informal carers in back care and safe manual handling techniques. I consider myself to be friendly, hardworking, trustworthy and willing to acquire new skills and rise to the challenge of new experiences.

Education and Qualifications

  • MSc (Hand Therapy Module) 2011
  • Senn Delaney- Management Training, Including Leadership, Team and Culture, Optimising Team Performance. 2008- Ongoing.
  • Person Centred Practice- Helen Sanderson Associates for SCC. Including Assessment, Planning & Reviewing people- 5 days Course July- Aug 2010.
  • City and Guilds 7303- Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector- Burton College, Staffs, January 2008.
  • Train the Trainers- Moving and Handling through Supervisors- South Staffs NHS Trust, for Staffordshire County Council, 2000, & annual updates (latest Mar 10).
  • ECDL- Staff Development, Staffordshire County Council 2000- 2005.
  • Fieldwork Educators Accreditation- Coventry University, 2002.
  • BSc (hons) Degree in Occupational Therapy – Coventry University, 91- 94

Key Skills and Experience

  • I have recently refreshed my hand therapy skills on a voluntary basis at the Queens Hospital, Burton, and completed the Hand Therapy module at Derby University.
  • Experience of assessment and care management, identification of actions, negotiation and agreement of mutually agreeable and attainable goals.
  • Practical experience of working with and assisting people with a disability.
  • Experience of acting as a professional ‘expert’ in Moving and Handling.
  • Regular experience of assessing the moving and handling needs of Service users and their carers, risk assessing, identifying appropriate equipment and techniques, training and evaluation of techniques and writing risk assessments/ handling plans to meet the needs of the individual and their unique set of circumstances.
  • Experience of project work for Local Authority and partner agencies, working individually and using my own initiative to meet the demands and targets for projects.
  • Experience of working with professionals and non-professionals alike.
  • Good team player used to contributing ideas to the work of the team in a helpful and professional manner.
  • Good time management, diary keeping, electronic calendar, e-mail etc. and accurate keeping of confidential reports and data.
  • Excellent listening and verbal communication skills.
  • Management experience- 8 month secondment as assistant team manager and 2 years as a Case Manager.
  • Experience of supervising staff of the same and other healthcare professions and promoting their personal and professional development.
  • Experience of training students and newly qualified staff in the health and social care setting and familiarity with diversification and the differing needs of learners.
  • Experience of identifying the need for training, devising training sessions, delivering training, evaluating and feeding back.
  • Other training attended: Deaf; Blind and Deaf-blind Awareness, Vulnerable Adult Training, Adult Protection and the Law, Absence Management, Staff Disciplinary Investigating Training, Anti Discriminatory Practice, Identifying Health Needs in Learning Disabilities, Personalisation, Direct Payment, Personal Performance Review- Assessors Training, Mental Capacity Act and IMCA briefings. Practice Placement Coordinators Sessions at Coventry, Derby and Sheffield Universities.

Employment History

Self Employed - Present

Occupational Therapist /Case Manager/Advanced Practitioner/Asst Team Manager/, Staffs CC, Social Care & Health. Jun 99- present

I work as an Advanced Practitioner/ Occupational Therapist offering alternative techniques, equipment, major/ minor adaptations to promote the safety and independence of service users and carers at home. I work in partnership with other funding agencies such as SSAFA, British Legion, PCTs etc to ensure successful outcomes for service users, and have worked with case managers to achieve successful outcomes for insurance claims. I am heavily involved in the assessment/ review of moving and handling needs, offering individualised assessments, equipment, risk assessments and handling plans. I train formal and informal carers in the safe application of these handling plans. I supervise other workers, and act on a daily basis as an ‘expert’ in moving and handling people, equipment and adaptation provision. I have worked in partnership with Trent and Dove and Bromford Housing Associations, offering assessments for appropriate modernisation programmes for less able tenants, and for the modernisation of sheltered accommodation schemes, and to identify appropriate equipment, rails etc to complete such renovations for individual service users. I have been involved in the planning and implementation of in-service training to support the development of practice within the team, including provision and fitting of ‘low level’ equipment- Raised toilet seats etc, Telephone assessments, screening of referrals, recording with care, the enabling approach to OT in Social Care and Health, amongst others, and I regularly train Occupational Therapy Degree students.

Recently working within a multi disciplinary team supporting the needs of adult service users. I support team members to manage caseloads to ensure that they address the holistic needs of their service users whilst meeting the demands upon the services. Focussing on the development of quality Occupational Therapy services whilst also carrying a caseload. I also have remit for development of services and the promotion of partnership working in order to reduce duplication and improve efficiency within Social Services. I am currently representing the district liaising with SAFFA. I coordinate placements and training of OT Degree students across Lichfield.

Burton College, Early Years & Care. June 08- present

Employed to write and deliver the NCFE level 2 Safer Moving and Handling Course as well as a selection of College certificates on moving and handling people, objects and the use of assistive equipment. Receiving significant positive feedback from the awarding body, with a request to use out materials as exemplar assessments. Also involved in training initiatives supporting those coming off sickness benefits and the long term unemployed.

Snr Occupational Therapist, Queens Hospital Burton Aug 94-Jun 99

I worked within all departments and specialities within this acute hospital setting; Assessing for safe discharge from hospital; Working with patients to increase function to support their return to work, leisure and activities of daily living;Teaching patients to learn new techniques to facilitate independence and self fulfilment. This involved the provision of equipment, identification of specialist equipment and adaptations and recommendation and referrals for funding. I also specialised in Hand Injures, Trauma and Falls Prevention. I took part in the supervision/ training of unqualified staff, work experience and university students. I left this job to develop skills in the community setting.

Hobbies and Interests & Other Information

I enjoy reading, listening to all types of music, keep fit and going to the gym, running, cycling, cooking, gardening, arts & crafts, card making, socialising. I love to travel and visit places at home and abroad. I love to spend time with my husband and daughter. I have a clean driving licence since 1989. British Association of Occupational Therapists member since 1991 (BT0213853).Health Professions Council, member since 1994 (OT23128) and COTSS-IP Member since 2010.