Job description

Job responsibilities

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Patient contact:

The post holder will participate in regular supervision from a Paediatric Occupational Therapist of a higher grade but will be expected to work autonomously to:

• Provide evidence-based assessment, treatment and/or advice to children (aged 0 - school leaving age), referred to the Paediatric Occupational Therapy team in liaison with families and other professionals within a multi-agency framework. Children may present with life limiting, physical, multi-sensory disabilities and present with long term postural, functional and independence needs.
• Appropriate involvement in Education Health Care Plan process.
• Manage a varied paediatric occupational therapy caseload involving assessment, diagnosis, treatment and advice for patients referred to the Paediatric Occupational Therapy Service on a daily basis. This includes provision of treatment plans for conditions such as developmental coordination and cerebral palsy.
• Work collaboratively with multi-disciplinary / agency teams to provide a co-ordinated and integrated approach to patient care, e.g. health, social services, education, voluntary sector and families.
  • To provide spontaneous and planned advice, teaching and instruction to relatives, carers and other professionals in order to promote understanding of the aims of Occupational Therapy and to ensure a consistent approach to the childs care.
  • To work with and provide information to members of the multi-disciplinary team regarding the childs functional ability in order to:-
    • reach a working diagnosis
    • enable subsequent management of relevant functional difficulties
    • deliver a comprehensive and co-ordinated treatment programme to each child. This is based on their clinical need and may include, where appropriate participation in case conferences, school reviews and discharge planning.
  • Use clinical judgement/reasoning for the assessment and recommendation, of specialist equipment e.g. postural seating and toileting equipment, from budgets such as education. To review and monitor the specialist equipment to ensure it meets the childs changing needs. To report any issues affecting health and safety to the provider. This includes the training of children and staff in the safe use of the equipment
• Work with children and families to identify Occupational Therapy child centred SMART goals and to formulate and recommend the best course of intervention. These should address Occupational performance and skill deficits, enabling children to develop/improve in the areas of self-care, access to the National Curriculum, life skills, play and leisure activities.
• To monitor, evaluate and modify individually tailored treatment (evidence based) in order to measure progress using outcome measures to ensure intervention is effective and complimentary to the childs development, lifestyle and educational programme.
• To assess child/carer understanding of treatment plans, gain informed consent and have the capacity to work within a legal framework with children and their families/carers who lack capacity to consent to treatment.
• To facilitate a childs return to school following discharge from Hospitals (local and Regional) following acute admissions and surgery in liaison with relevant services including Hospital staff, Special Needs Community Nurse, Physiotherapist, Education Staff and Speech and Language Therapists.
• To contribute to the planned admissions to hospital in collaboration with other members of the multidisciplinary team to ensure the childs care plan meets their needs and optimises the outcome of their stay.
• To follow Trust procedures for incident reporting, and safeguarding asking for support from appropriate other personnel, in order to report the incident
• To provide assessment, treatment, and/or advice to children referred to the Paediatric Occupational Therapy team in liaison with families and other professionals within a multi-agency framework. Children may present with physical, learning, social/emotional and behavioural difficulties e.g. neuromuscular conditions, musculoskeletal conditions, developmental conditions, perceptual difficulties and genetic abnormalities, Muscular Dystrophy, Cerebral Palsy, Developmental Co-ordination Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or Autistic Spectrum Disorder.
• To take attend and participate in, as appropriate:
  • staff meetings
  • peer review
  • external courses
  • in-service training
• Will be expected to manage and prioritise own workload balancing other clinical, non-clinical and professional demands. Often working under pressure and to tight deadlines. Will use supervision with a more senior Paediatric Occupational Therapist as needed.
• Work alone in different environments including patients own homes, nurseries, and schools; following CCS Paediatric Occupational Therapy Lone Working Policy.
• Refer on to other professionals / agencies as required.
• Seek assistance from colleagues where further advice or support is sought with regard to patient care.
• Decide on appropriate clinical and non-clinical tasks to be delegated e.g. to assistants, carers, admin staff, school staff.
• Professionally and legally be responsible and accountable for all aspects of own wor

Project work

• To contribute to on projects as required
  • To participate in the Paediatric Occupational Therapy teams clinical governance arrangements and quality agenda
  • To adhere to and apply the Professional Standards for Occupational Therapy Practice, Conduct and Ethics (RCOT Version 2/2021).
  • To participate in the implementation of changes to the service which may have an impact on other services e.g. OT referral criteria, as appropriate.
  • To have an understanding of national guidelines and legislation relating to health and social care and their impact on local service provision.

Communication

• Communicate effectively and appropriately with patients, families, carers, the public and all members of the extended health services, social services and education teams. This involves using a range of verbal, non-verbal, written and presentation skills as required.
• Use appropriate communication skills to overcome language and cultural diversity issues/barriers to effective communication which will regularly be evident, including: English as a second language, cognitive impairment, expressive and receptive communication difficulties, embarrassment, anxiety, pain, fear and visual/hearing impairment. To implement strategies to overcome these barriers.
• Communicate condition related information to patients / relatives which can be of a sensitive or complex nature e.g., prognosis and rehabilitation prospects in chronic or life limiting conditions.
• Use verbal and non-verbal skills to communicate effectively with children, young people and their families daily including those with complex needs, cognitive impairment, challenging behaviour or terminal illness etc. to gain consent, co-operation and to maximise potential.
• Empathise with and support patients and their families in difficult or distressing circumstances, e.g. difficult diagnoses, bereavement and deteriorating conditions.
• Represent and promote the Paediatric Occupational Therapy Service.
• Participate in working with various stakeholders, the co-production and service redesign teams to coordinate, develop, audit and review aspects of the service.
• To contribute a written report to the Educational Health and Care Plan for all children on caseload requiring one.
• To provide any additional written advice required for the Education Tribunal process.
• To be able to answer questions within an Education Tribunal, to provide clarification and enable further discussion regarding Occupational Therapy recommendations as required.
• Important Relationships:
• Countywide Paediatric Occupational Therapy Team
• Children and their families/carers
• Parent Carer Forums
• Co-production Team
• Multi-agency teams
• Education staff within special and mainstream school and pre-school settings
• Social Services staff
• Wheelchair Services
• Acute hospital
• Voluntary organisations e.g. REMAP
• Specialized Units/Hospitals e.g.

Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children

Augmentative Communication Services

Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital

Second Skin

NB) This is an illustration of the important relationships and is not an exhaustive list.

• To maintain up-to-date and accurate, comprehensive case notes (including treatment records) in line with professional standards, local trust policies and medico-legal criteria including what equipment has been issued.
• To provide written and verbal reports on all children on caseload, at appropriate intervals, including following assessment and at end of intervention.

People Management

• Maintaining own professional development and requirement to take part in appraisal.
• To participate in supervision to enable reflection on practice and subsequent enhancement of professional skills.
  • To be responsible for individual supervision and education of assistant practitioners with appropriate training and support.
  • To participate in the induction, education and training of occupational therapy students on clinical practice and contribute to the education of students from other professions.
• To participate in the education and training of other professionals as required within the post holders sphere of competence including specific treatment and advice used by Occupational Therapists.

Person Specification

Qualifications and Training

Essential

• BSc.OT or Dip.COT
• HCPC Registration
• Evidence of continued Professional Development including reflective practice, and clinical experience gained.

Desirable

• Member of CYP&F.

Experience

Essential

• Experience of children including an understanding of Child Development and the needs of children with disabilities.
• Experience in the application of the OT process.
• Experience in functional assessments and activity analysis.

Desirable

• Experience in providing informal and formal presentations.

Skills

Essential

• Demonstrates a good standard of spoken and written English.
• Ability to provide written and verbal advice regarding Occupational Therapy intervention.
• Ability to modify communication with children, young people and their carers where there are barriers to understanding and acceptance.

Desirable

• Skills in postural seating

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website .

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants .

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website .

Employer details

Employer name

Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust

Address

Redgrave Children & Young People's Centre

Redgrave Gardens

Luton

LU3 3QN