Senior Specialist Hand Therapist

Job summary

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced and enthusiastic Hand Therapist to join our specialist hand therapy team at South Tees NHS Trust.

We are looking for a dynamic and motivated Hand Therapist, with either a Physiotherapy or Occupational Therapy background, to join our Hand Therapy Team.

The post holder will be expected to have substantial experience in Hand Therapy and the wider musculoskeletal field, as well as evidence of relevant postgraduate study, ideally at Masters level.

This post offers development in clinical and leadership skills and our staff are encouraged and supported in their CPD through workshops, relevant courses and clinical supervision. There is also an expectation to actively participate in audit and research.

Main duties of the job

Your role will be as a Senior Specialist Hand Therapist, working in our Hand Therapy Unit based mainly at The James Cook University Hospital, but also holding clinics at Redcar and Northallerton. You will co-manage a team of Band 6 Hand Therapists and a Therapy Assistant. You will also work closely with the Advanced Practitioner Hand Therapist, the Hand Consultants (both Plastics and Orthopaedics) and other members of the MDT.

The role will be largely clinical with some leadership and management responsibilities. As such, the post holder will be expected to have substantial experience clinically in hand and musculoskeletal therapy and have experience of management or leadership.

You will be expected to have completed, be working towards, or willing to complete relevant post graduate study in clinical and/or leadership, and there will be opportunity to further develop your clinical skills by working alongside Advanced Practice Physiotherapists, and leadership skills through the Trust's Leadership Programmes.

About us

South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust have come together to form University Hospitals Tees. As a result, post holders may be required to work across sites within both organisations.

Across University Hospitals Tees, our ambition is to be the best place to work, ensuring we have the right staff in the right roles at the right time to deliver outstanding patient care and experience.

We are committed to supporting our staff through an inclusive and supportive working environment, offering health and wellbeing initiatives, staff benefits, and opportunities for personal and professional development.

We support the 'Making Every Contact Count' approach to behaviour change in the promotion of health and wellbeing of individuals and communities.

Job responsibilities

Please see the full job description and person specification document(s) for main responsibilities of the role.

South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust offers leadership and improvement training to all new staff. This training programme has been designed to support our leaders in developing their understanding of leadership and management skills. You will be expected to attend the following training sessions

Your Leadership Impact

Leading your Team to Success

Leading Into the Future

Service Improvement for Beginners

Developing your Service Improvement Skills

Lean Practitioner

The leadership and improvement programme aims to:

• Explore leadership within the NHS
• Promote Trust values and behaviours
• Develop your leadership effectiveness and skills
• Equip staff with the necessary knowledge and skills to lead and complete service improvements within the scope of your role.

After you complete these six and a half days of training you will be able to explore further leadership and improvement training opportunities. We also offer a range of additional in-house and externally provided courses and bitesize programmes through our Leadership and Improvement Team.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential

• oBSc in Physiotherapy / /Occupational therapy
• oRegistered with Health Care Professions Council (HCPC)
• oCompleted or working towards BAHT level 3 accreditation and / or MSc in appropriate subject
• oEvidence of CPD portfolio including attendance of recent post-graduate course relevant to hand therapy.

Experience

Essential

• Completed core rotations and specialist rotations including hand therapy.
• oSubstantial experience at band 6 or above within the NHS
• oSubstantial hand therapy experience at band 6 or above
• oExperience of team leadership, service development and managing change
• oExperience of supervision and development of junior staff and students

Desirable

• oExperience of working with children and patients with mental health problems
• Member of professional body
• oMember of special interest body

KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS

Essential

• oExpert clinician with specialist skills in the therapeutic management of hand conditions.
• oBasic splinting skills.
• oAdvanced knowledge of anatomy, physiology and pathology related to musculoskeletal therapy and conditions, in particular around the hand.
• oAdvanced clinical reasoning in musculoskeletal physiotherapy / occupational therapy.
• oWound care management skills.

Desirable

• oAdvanced hand therapy assessment and treatment skills for children
• oAdvanced splinting skills

Skills

Essential

• Expert clinician with specialist skills in the therapeutic management of hand conditions.
• Advanced knowledge of anatomy, physiology and pathology related to musculoskeletal therapy and conditions, in particular around the hand.
• Advanced clinical reasoning in musculoskeletal physiotherapy / occupational therapy.
• Basic splinting skills.
• Wound care management skills.

Desirable

• Advanced hand therapy assessment and treatment skills for children
• Advanced splinting skills