Dear Applicant
Post Title:Senior Occupational Therapist
Salary Range:£26,565 - £35,577 pro rata
Hours:18.75 hours per week
Closing date:Monday 11th September 2017
Informal Enquiries to:Susan Campbell, Ward Manager
Thank you for your recent enquiry regarding the above vacancy. I have pleasure enclosing an application pack containing;
- An Application Form. Please note we do not accept CVs.
- An Equal Opportunities Form.
- A Job Description (for reference only).
- A Person Specification (for reference only).
- An Information sheet containing details of the terms and conditions applying to the post (for reference only).
Please note that only candidates who are shortlisted and invited for interview will receive further communication regarding the process of an application. I would therefore like to thank you for the interest you have shown in this vacancy with The Ayrshire Hospice and look forward to receiving your Application for this post.
Yours sincerely
LORNA SAMSON
People Development Officer
INFORMATION
FOR CANDIDATES
POST OF:Senior Occupational TherapistBASE:35-37 Racecourse Road, Ayr, KA7 2TG
REF NO:AH/39/17
Thank you for applying for the above post with the Ayrshire Hospice. This information sheet summarises the terms and conditions related to the post. The Hospice has recently undertaken a Pay and Benefit Review and the following terms and conditions will be effective from 1 April 2016.
ABOUT THE POST:
Employing Organisation:Ayrshire Hospice
Job Description:A job description is attached.
Salary/Grade Scale:£26,565 - £35,577 pro rata
Your salary will be paid into your bank account on the last Friday of each month.
Hours of Work:18.75 hours per week
Annual Leave:Leave year is from April – March
30 days (225 hours) on commencing employment
32 days (240 hours) after 5 years’ service
For part time staff, this will be applied on a pro-rata basis and also allocated in hours.
Public Holidays:Entitlement is 37.5 hours based on the 5 designated Public Holidays per annum, and on a 5 day week working 7.5 hours per day. The 37.5 hours entitlement is due to all whole time staff irrespective of work pattern.
For part time staff, this will be applied on a pro-rata basis and also allocated in hours.
Pensions:The Company will comply with the employer pension duties in accordance with Part 1 of the Pensions Act 2008 by automatically enrolling you where eligibility criteria is met, in the Group Personal Pension Plan.
The Hospice provides a generous employer contribution of 7.5% of your salary per month provided a minimum 2.5% employee contribution is made.
Asylum AndThe Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 and 2004(Section 8)
Immigration Act 1996checks to ensure that all employees are legally employed
And 2004 (Section 8):in the United Kingdom. Candidates will be asked to provide relevant original documents prior to an offer of employment being made. Any offer of employment will only be made when the organisation is satisfied that the candidate is the rightful holder of the documents and is legally eligible for employment within the United Kingdom.
Medical Examination:Any offer of employment is conditional upon a satisfactory medical report from the Occupational Health Department. You may be offered employment conditional on confirmation that you are medically fit for employment. A commencement date for employment will only be agreed following this confirmation.
Rehabilitation ofThis post is not exempt from the provision of
Offenders Act:Section 4(2) of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exemptions) Order 1975.
References:Two satisfactory written references must be obtained prior to any offer of employment being made. These should include current and previous employers as requested in the job application form. This is in line with our Recruitment and Selection Policy.
Informal Enquiries:Informal enquiries are welcomed by Susan Campbell, who can be contacted on 01292 269200.
Closing Date:Your completed application form should be submitted to:-
Administration Department
Ayrshire Hospice
35 Racecourse Road
AYR
KA7 2TG
Or emailed to
By: Monday 11th September 2017
JOB DESCRIPTION
1.JOB IDENTIFICATION
Job Title:Responsible to:
Department:
Directorate:
No of Job Holders:
Last Update: / Senior Occupational Therapist
Family Care and AHP Manager
Occupational Therapy
Clinical Services
One WTE
February 2016
2.JOB PURPOSE
Provide holistic and specialist clinical care which encompasses occupational therapy assessment, treatment and management of patients with specialistpalliative care needs.Day to day management of the occupational therapy service.
Develop occupational therapy services in accordance with patient need and hospice requirements.
To lead a small team of staff and volunteers who assist in the provision of this service.
To act as a resource and support to patients and carers.
To act as a resource and support to hospice staff and colleagues outwith the hospice providing more generalist palliative care services.
3.DIMENSIONS
Clinical Responsibility
Delivery of all aspects of occupational therapy within specialistpalliative care.
Clinical case load includes in-patients, day patients and community patients.
Develop specialist knowledge and provision of evidence-based practice.
Participate in research and audit in order to inform practice and develop evidence-based care.
Present teaching sessions in education programmes, both in-house and externally in order toshare knowledge and expertise.
Supervise occupational therapy students on fieldwork education in order to provide training inpalliative care for occupational therapy undergraduates.
Act as a resource and support to patients and carers.
Act as a resource and support to hospice staff and colleagues outwith the hospice providing moregeneralist palliative care services.
Staff Responsibility
Supervise and manage 1 wte occupational therapy technical instructor.
Supervise and manage occupational therapy volunteers.
Management Responsibility
Day to day management of the occupational therapy service.
Ensure all staff and volunteers are familiar with and adhere to all policies, guidelines and standards applicable to delivery of the occupational therapy service.
Ensure all staff and volunteers are adequately trained to provide occupational therapy services.
Plan and prioritise duties of occupational therapy technical instructor and occupational therapy volunteers.
Ensure the availability of equipment and resources necessary for effective service delivery.
Budgetary responsibility for purchasing of equipment for activities of daily living, craft materials and materials and resources for therapeutic activities.
Ensure safe and appropriate care and maintenance of equipment for activities of daily living.
4. ORGANISATIONAL POSITION
5.ROLE OF DEPARTMENT
To provide a high quality, evidence-based, effective and equitable occupational therapy service to all hospice patients and their carersDevelop and implement clinical governance strategy.Adhere to all policies, guidelines and standards applicable to service delivery.
To work as part of the hospice multidisciplinary team in ensuring effective communication and delivery of patient care.
To work together with colleagues in the primary care sector in ensuring effective occupational therapy services to hospice patients in the community.
Provide occupational therapy interventions effective in symptom management in palliative care.
Enable patients to achieve their highest level of functional ability, improve patients’ quality of life and help the patient and his family adjust more effectively to their situation.
6.KEY RESULT AREAS
Clinical
Act independently to assess and analyse individual patient’s need for occupational therapy intervention.Act independently in prioritising patients’ needs to ensure appropriate and timeous intervention.
Act independently to plan, implement, evaluate and progress patient care to maximise functional independence and rehabilitation potential.
Work together with the patient, their family and carers in order to maximise patient outcomes, facilitate patients and carers in making informed choices and facilitate psychosocial adjustment.
Work together with the patient, family and carers in planning and organising safe and effective discharge from the in-patient unit.
Liaise closely with the multiprofessional team in planning and organising the patient’s discharge from the in-patient unit.
Develop and adopt specialist knowledge in interventions effective in symptom management in specialistpalliative care.
Engage clinical reasoning and critical thinking in managing complex cases.
Maintain accurate clinical records and patient documentation including computerised systems.
Establish and maintain effective communication with colleagues within the hospice team, in the acute sector and in primary care to maximise patient care and promote interdisciplinary working.
Attend and report to relevant clinical reviews and case conferences ensuring effective communication and coordination of patient care.
Develop and implement appropriate clinical guidelines to optimise clinical effectiveness, ensure evidence-based practice and optimise patient care.
Act as specialist clinical resource to colleagues within the hospice and those working in generalist palliative care areas and in the community.
Participate in audit and research in order to inform practice and develop evidence-base care.
Participate in local and regional managed clinical networks in order to contribute to development of policy and guidelines pertinent to patient care.
Participate in the hospiceeducation programme in order to share knowledge and expertise.
Supervise occupational therapy students on fieldwork education.
Managerial
Continually appraise and evaluate the occupational therapy service in order to ensure a service which maximises patient care and makes most efficient use of resources.
Supervise and manage occupational therapy staff and volunteers in order to maximise efficiency and achieve the highest quality patient care.
Develop and ensure adherence to guidelines for occupational therapy volunteers.
Ensure all occupational therapy staff and volunteers are adequately trained to provide occupational therapy services.
Ensure all occupational therapy staff and volunteers are familiar with and adhere to relevant hospice, local and national policies and guidelines.
Plan and prioritise duties of occupational therapy technical instructor and occupational therapy volunteers.
Supervise occupational therapy technical instructor on a weekly basis.
Supervise occupational therapy volunteers on a weekly basis.
Engage occupational therapy staff in regular performance appraisal review in order to promote staff and service development.
Manage performance issues in relation to occupational therapy instructor.
Engage occupational therapy volunteers in regular reviews in order to promote personal and service development.
Manage financial, practical, environmental and personnel resources within the occupational therapy department in order to ensure optimum service delivery.
Contribute to development of hospice policies and guidelines.
Participate actively in local and regional managed clinical networks in order to develop awareness of regional and local objectives and initiatives and contribute to service and policy development.
Participate actively in occupational therapy specialist and networking groups in order to promote best practice and contribute to development of professional policy and guidelines.
7a.EQUIPMENT AND MACHINERY
- Be familiar with and competent in assessing need
-and installing environmental control equipment
- Be competent in assessment
-and use of manual handling equipment and be aware of hospice moving and handling policy
- Ensure availability of appropriate equipment for use in patient care and promotion of independence
- Resource specialised equipment for use in patient care and to meet patient’s needs within the community
- Ensure availability of equipment, materials and machinery required for implementation of therapeutic activity programme
- Ensure appropriate and safe care and maintenance of equipment in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions and advice and Hospice policies and procedures
- Assess patient’s needs and instruct in the safe and appropriate use of equipment provided for loan or for use within hospice premises
- Be familiar with and competent in use of computer including word processing, e-mail, patient information systems and PowerPoint
- Be competent in the use of computer based assistive technology for us in the hospice setting.
7b. SYSTEMS
- Adhere to hospice administrative systems including annual leave and sickness recording and recording of educational attendance
- Develop and ensure adherence to necessary administrative systems within the occupational therapy department, including equipment loan system, care and maintenance of equipment and stock control system
- Develop and ensure adherence to guidelines for occupational therapy volunteers
- Input into patient information systems and patient records
8. ASSIGNMENT AND REVIEW OF WORK
Clinical caseload includes hospice in-patients, day patients and community patients.Clinical caseload is generated by individual patient’s needs.
Act independently in assessing and prioritising patient’s needs and delivering occupational therapyinterventions as appropriate.
Delegation of duties to occupational therapy technical instructor and volunteers.
Day to day management and supervision of occupational therapy technical instructor.
Weekly supervision session with occupational therapy technical instructor.
Annual Performance Appraisal with occupational therapy technical instructor.
Regular supervision of volunteers.
Non-clinical management of occupational therapy department.
Regular evaluation, appraisal and development of occupational therapy service, both clinical and non-clinical.
Engage in annual performance appraisal review.
Annual appraisal by the Family Care and AHP Manager
9. DECISIONS AND JUDGEMENTS
Assess and prioritise patient’s needs.
Ensure appropriate and timeous interventions.
Plan, implement, evaluate and progress patient care.
Assessment of needs for discharge.
Complex reasoning and decision making involved in patient care.
Responsibility for health and safety of patients receiving occupational therapy services.
Management of occupational therapy service.
Evaluation and development of occupational therapy service.
Management of staff and other resources within the occupational therapy department.
Responsibility for physical and emotional health and safety of occupational therapy
staff, volunteers and students while in the workplace.
10. MOST CHALLENGING/DIFFICULT PARTS OF THE JOB
Emotional challenges of working with palliative care patients and their families and carers.Meeting patient’s needs for equipment and environmental adaptations within time limitations imposed by their deteriorating condition.
Adapting to variable and unpredictable clinical and managerial demands of the service whilesupporting the occupational therapy team.
Undertaking an emotionally and physically demanding job while, at the same time, safeguarding own health and safety and that of occupational therapy staff, volunteers and students.
Finding time to maintain and develop clinical knowledge and professional development.
11. COMMUNICATIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS
Patients, Families and Carers
Develop open, honest therapeutic relationships with patients, family and carers in order to effectively plan and implement occupational therapy interventions.
Discuss complex and often sensitive issues with patients, families and carers and provide prognostic and other information which will enable them to make informed decisions regarding care.
Educate and advise families and carers in relation to patient’s care needs.
Support patients, families and carers in dealing with anxieties and stresses in relation to their situation.
Support patients, families and carers in adjusting to the illness and its implications.
Discuss complex and often sensitive psychosocial issues with patients and offer counselling and advice.
Discuss, plan and implement therapeutic interventions in relation to above.
Occupational Therapy Staff (Internal)
Be aware of need and provide emotional support as appropriate in recognition that staff are working in a very challenging area of work.
Provide regular clinical and professional supervision.
Carry out annual performance appraisal review.
Support and motivate staff in continuous professional development.
Deal with performance issues.
Organise and/or provide formal and informal training for staff in all areas of service delivery.
Communicate and delegate in relation to all aspects of service delivery.
Volunteers
Be aware of need and provide emotional support as appropriate in recognition that volunteers are working in a very challenging area.
Communicate and delegate in relation to service delivery.
Manager, supervise and support volunteers in fulfilling their role within the occupational therapy department.
Engagae volunteers in regular review and performance management issues.
Occupational Therapy Staff (External)
Act as specialist clinical advisor to occupational therapists working in more generalist areas of patient care.
Establish and maintain effective communication with colleagues in the acute sector and in primary care in order to optimise patient care and develop interdisciplinary working.
Establish close working relationships with community occupational therapists and carry out joint home assessments, where necessary, in order to share knowledge and expertise and maximise care of hospice patients in the community.
Network with other occupational therapists with experience in oncology and palliative care in order to develop best practice guidelines, share knowledge and promote evidence based practice.
Multidisciplinary Team
Communicate regularly and effectively with all members of the multidisciplinary team in order to optimise patient care.
Work jointly with members of the multidisciplinary team in identifying and addressing patient’s needs.
Attend and report to relevant clinical reviews and case conferences to ensure effective communication and patient care.
Other Agencies
Liaise with colleagues in the primary care sector to optimise care of hospice patients in the community.
Liaise with other agencies, as appropriate, to ensure safe and effective discharge of patients into the community.
Liaise with manufacturers and providers of equipment in order to offer informed advice and make decisions regarding suitable equipment for patients use in the hospice or community
Liaison with personnel of wheelchair clinic in relation to wheelchair assessment, provision, bioengineering and adaptation.
Liaise with voluntary and other agencies in the community in order to develop knowledge of services suitable to meet patients’ needs.
Liaise with manufacturers and providers of equipment in order to resource equipment suitable to meet patients’ needs.
12. PHYSICAL, MENTAL, EMOTIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL DEMANDS OF THE JOB
Physical
Movement of patients may involve use of manual handling equipment.
Movement of patients in wheelchairs.
Moving and handling of equipment, including lifting into and out of car and into patient’s homes.
Driving with patient in car for home visits or outings.
Driving to/from home visits without patient.
Mental
Intense concentration required for clinical and managerial tasks.
Complex analytical and reasoning skills required in patient assessment and treatment planning.
Critical thinking, reflection and analysis to inform and develop practice.
On the spot judgements and decision making often required especially on home assessment visits.
Constant awareness and assessment of risk to patients, self, other staff and volunteers.
Diplomacy and negotiation skills often needed when dealing with anxious, sometimes angry patients and families.
Negotiation skills often necessary when planning services for patients in community.
Balancing clinical and non-clinical priorities.
Ability to concentrate on multiple tasks simultaneously.
Emotional
Regular exposure to bereavement and grief.
Supporting patients and families dealing with end of life issues.
Need to impart or reiterate distressing prognostic information.
Need to impart unwelcome information regarding limitations of service or equipment availability.
Supporting patients and families experiencing major emotional and psychological trauma.
Dealing with angry, frustrated patients and families.
Providing emotional support to staff and volunteers within the occupational therapy team and dealing with performance issues.
Supporting bereaved relatives.
Environmental
Moving equipment outdoors in inclement weather. This includes delivering/picking up equipment to/from community stores and delivering/picking up equipment to/from patient’s homes.
Measuring up or fitting equipment in cramped/cluttered conditions.
Cleaning of dirty equipment on return from loan.
13. KNOWLEDGE, TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED TO DO THE JOB
EssentialDiploma/Degree in Occupational Therapy and State Registration with the Health Professions Council.
The postholder will have worked at a senior level within the profession.
The postholder will be able to demonstrate a high level of understanding of Occupational Therapy and, in particular, issues within palliative care.
Experience of and commitment to working as part of the multidisciplinary team.
Highly developed communication skills.
Ability to work independently.
Presentation skills and ability to be involved in training and teaching others.
Supervisory experience.
Good organisational and management skills.
Ability to manage a small team.
Manual Handling competency.
14. JOB DESCRIPTION AGREEMENT
Job Holder’s Signature:
Head of Department Signature: / Date:
Date:
EMPLOYMENT APPLICATION FORM
(All areas of this form must be fully completed or you will not be shortlisted)
Application for the post of: / Senior Occupational Therapist (AH/39/17)
Location:
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