Band 6 Occupational Therapist - Cardio-Respiratory and Surgery

Job summary

We are pleased to offer an opportunity to join our forward-thinking Integrated Therapy Department, consisting of occupational therapists, physiotherapists, dietitians, and assistants working seamlessly together.

The Cardio-Respiratory and Surgery (CRS) Therapy Team covers all cardio-respiratory and surgery wards including ICU.

You will receive protected time for supervision, training, and skill development within each specialism provided by supportive clinicians, along with opportunities to build on skills such as student/junior supervision, audit, and service development. Individual support is high on our agenda, and we are an inclusive department, experienced in supporting specific needs.

We have a strong reputation for home grown career progression through welcoming every new team member and supporting them to settle, develop, and grow.

Main duties of the job

As a Band 6 you will be responsible for your own complex caseload consisting of patients with a variety of different cardio-respiratory and surgical conditions whilst supporting junior members of the team. Good prioritisation, organisational and time management skills will be needed to balance clinical and non-clinical duties.

You will be responsible for ensuring the use of advanced effective assessment skills to identify appropriate patients and to formulate, implement and evaluate individualised treatment plans, some of which will be specialist in nature, based on expert analytical and clinical reasoning skills. You will need advanced communication skills to ensure a successful multidisciplinary approach to patient care and will be in regular discussions with patients, carers, James Paget University Hospital colleagues, community partners etc. on treatment plans and future care.

You will be responsible for non-clinical duties, including participating in team meetings, in-service development, training and supervision of students, assistant staff and Band 5 colleagues. You will be key to being actively involved in the measurement and evaluation of your work and current practices through the use of Evidence Based Practice projects, audit and outcome measures. There will be opportunities to work on group projects with your Band 6 peers. Recent projects have included developing the Therapy Assistant Practitioner competencies and improving the palliative care service.

About us

The James Paget University Hospital is a vibrant university hospital providing the best possible care to the people of east Norfolk and north Suffolk. We are situated on the coast with several beautiful beaches and the Broads National Park on the doorstep, and we are within commuting distance of Norwich city centre. Onsite parking is available and as several staff travel from Norwich each day, car shares are possible.

The Integrated Therapy Department is positive and forward thinking, always striving to improve services. Our links with the Research Department is growing with joint projects ongoing. Our therapists represent the Trust at CSP, RCOT, BOA, and BGS conferences.

Personal and professional development is key. We are developing our research and innovation strategy in line with the national AHP Strategy. We will support you in achieving your career goals through our well-structured supervision and appraisal system, actively encouraging utilisation of training courses (clinical, non-clinical, and leadership skills) with use of CPD funding. We also have a Band 6 peer support group, which incorporates shared CPD time.

We are lucky enough to have access to a simulation suite where our knowledgeable staff are able to provide high fidelity training to increase knowledge and confidence with a range of respiratory scenarios.

Job responsibilities

As part of the role, you will be key in supporting the teams to provide education, not only within the Integrated Therapies Department, but to our wider workforce from healthcare assistants, school staff, qualified/overseas nursing staff, and our medical colleagues. We also play a role in the development of our future workforce through our close links with the University of East Anglia (UEA Medical School and School of Health Sciences), Suffolk College, and City College Norwich. We provide teaching to apprentices, undergraduates and postgraduates across many healthcare disciplines whilst on placement.

Core working hours are 08:00-16:00, however, the post-holder will be expected to work flexibly across seven days a week as part of an established roster.

Please watch the following videos for an insight into our amazing Integrated Therapies Department:

Landscape version: https://youtu.be/tklpzav7UrU

Portrait version: https://youtube.com/shorts/U4lwU9T1wKA?feature=share

Person specification

Education and Qualifications

Essential

• Diploma/Degree/MSc in Occupational Therapy
• Current Health and Care Professions Council registration
• CPD record should include evidence of up-to-date manual handling, relevant clinical courses, and reflections of learning
• Undertaken a student/fieldwork educators' course

Experience and Knowledge

Essential

• Experience at Band 5 level within a range of areas, inclusive of specialism areas, i.e. respiratory and surgery care. Must have experience with multifactorial conditions and be able to support effective management of these conditions (i.e. falls, dementia, bariatric care, neurological care)
• Significant clinical experience within the NHS to include acute hospital setting and complex discharge planning
• Experience of working with a range of professionals within multidisciplinary teams
• Evidence of acting in a supervisory manner, providing specialist guidance, training, and support to other staff and/or students
• Evidence of reflective learning
• Awareness of relevant professional practice, new research, and guidelines
• Understanding of legal issues, safeguarding, and mental capacity
• Working knowledge of clinical governance and implications for own work
• Involvement in service improvement/project work/audit

Skills, Abilities and Competencies

Essential

• Communication skills including empathy, assertiveness, and negotiation skills
• Ability to build good rapport with a wide variety of people
• Ability to rapidly prioritise and organise workload and support others with this
• Ability to act as an autonomous practitioner with minimum supervision
• Ability to work proactively under pressure and work flexibly
• Recognise own limitations and know when to ask for help
• Forward thinking, able to problem solve with positive approach
• Ability to travel within the Great Yarmouth and Waveney area. Should hold a full current driving licence or be able to make own travelling arrangements to fulfil the duties of the post, including visits to patients' homes with and without patients
• Basic IT skills

Other

Essential

• Physically fit and able to comply with Trust Manual Handling Guidelines
• Professional demeanour and appearance
• Evidence of interest/motivation for this Band 6 role