Bank Senior Specialist Hand Therapist

Job summary

Bank Senior Specialist Hand Therapist (Band 7)We are seeking out hand therapists (occupational therapist or physiotherapist) at band 7 level to join our staff bank. This is to cover ad hoc clinical work, helping us to cover gaps in our service as they arise.

We are a large team of thirty therapists supported by three assistants. We are a busy service supporting our plastic and orthopaedic hand surgery colleagues with elective and trauma activity as well as managing patients referred from rheumatology and the community.

The bank role would be within our acute trauma/post-operative service or within our routine service, dependent upon need. We are interested in hearing from hand therapists who have band 7 clinical experience managing tendon and nerve repairs, fractures (non-surgical and surgically managed), elective conditions such as Dupuytren's fasciectomy and joint replacements, and/or routine MSK referrals as first contact after GP referral.

Main duties of the job

You will manage a clinical caseload of non-surgically and surgically managed patients with traumatic and elective hand and upper limb injuries. Additionally you have the opportunity to assess and manage patients with non-surgical conditions referred from the community.

As a senior specialist hand therapist on bank you will be involved with formulating and discussing management plans with therapy and surgical colleagues and assisting with problem solving on an ad hoc basis. As such we are looking for someone with excellent communication skills that can be flexible and responsive and who is a strong team player.

About us

We are a large, busy but very supportive team that work across the Guys and St Thomas' hospital sites. We strive to provide an excellent service that we would be happy to recommend to our friends and family and put patient care at the heart of everything that we do.

Hand Therapy is part of the Cancer and Surgery clinical group with a supportive and progressive management structure. Departmental objectives are founded upon the core principles of the clinical governance framework and Trust Core Values. Research activity, robust evidence based practice and national guidelines drive forward our vision and direct service delivery.

Job responsibilities

• Performs an advanced musculo-skeletal assessment of plastic surgery/hand patients including those with highly complex presentations and from this formulates a diagnosis and treatment plan, which is carried out as an autonomous practitioner.
• Fabricates static and dynamic splints and delivers exercise programmes with a background of strong clinical reasoning.

Person specification

Skills

Essential

• Skilled in assessment and management of surgically and non-surgically managed Hand Therapy patients
• Skilled in the fabrication of splints for a broad range of conditions
• Skilled in exercise prescription for upper limb conditions

Experience

Essential

• Experience of supervising and managing junior hand therapy staff
• Experience of supervising hand therapy students
• Experience of working in pressured environment with strict time management
• Involvement in research process in subject relevant to HT
• Involvement in Hand Therapy service development
• Involvement in departmental audit (ideally HT)

Desirable

• Attendance of management courses in a clinical setting
• Attendance of clinical educator courses
• Published research within HT/upper limb field
• Led service development or audit within HT/upper limb service

Qualifications

Essential

• BSc Physiotherapy/BSc Occupational Therapy (or equivalent)
• Post Registration Hand Therapy/Upper Limb MSK
• HCPC Registration
• CPD
• BAHT Membership
• MSc level study in relevant area

Desirable

• Accredited Hand Therapist
• Post registration CPD in splinting or exercise prescription within Hand/Upper Limb