Senior Occupational Therapist

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Band 6 Senior Occupational Therapist to work as part of the Community Therapy Services, providing rehabilitation to the patients of Gateshead which includes working into immediate care facilities and patient homes.

The post holder will work as part of a multidisciplinary team to support admission avoidance, hospital discharge and contribute to urgent community response (UCR) adopting home first principles.

You will need to be able to demonstrate effective communication, problem solving skills and be resilient in challenging situations.

You will be supported within the clinical team which is part of the wider Occupational Therapy structure, with clinical supervision, peer support and access to CPD opportunities. There will also be opportunity for service improvement and development in the role.

You will be required to work a shift pattern across 7 days (including bank holidays and weekends). As a community-based role, the post holder will be required to hold a full UK driving licence and have access to a car for work purposes.

• To act as an experienced autonomous practitioner, providing specialised occupational therapy assessment and treatment plans for patients with complex acute and/or chronic medical conditions which require intervention to prevent hospital admission/ support discharge.
• To independently manage a caseload, using evidence based and holistic principles to assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions.
• To work as a key member of the MDT.
• To deliver care within a variety of clinical settings (virtual wards, wards, PIC) and within the patient's own home ( community settings).
• To support and supervise qualified and non-qualified staff within the department.
• To contribute to service development and the learning culture within the department.

Based in the North East of England we provide a range of hospital and community health services from our leading facilities, including the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Blaydon urgent care centre and Bensham Hospital, all within Gateshead.

Established in 2005, we were one of the first foundation trusts in the country and since then have consistently achieved the highest levels of care for patients.

We now employ around 4,800 staff and currently provide 444 hospital beds across the Gateshead region.

Our values should be the 'golden thread' which runs through everything we do - they are the core of who we are. Our five values can easily be remembered by the simple acronym
ICORE;
Innovation, Care, Openness, Respect, Engagement.

We have a number of staff networks including the BAME network, D-Ability network, LGBTQ+ Network and the Women's Network, to challenge us and help us to constantly improve. Our armed forces network is one of our emerging networks.

The health and wellbeing of our staff is one of our highest priorities, and we offer a range of support and initiatives as part of our 'Balance' programme  to cater for our diverse workforce, so that your individual needs can be supported, allowing you a happy and healthy working experience with us.

• To work within a variety of clinical settings (virtual wards, wards) and within the patient's own home ( community settings). This will involve loan working.
• To be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of your own work including the management of patients in your care.
• Reporting to a Band 7 Occupational Therapy Team Lead.
• To work as part of the multi-disciplinary team to deliver a holistic patient-centered approach to care. To regularly liaise with MDT members including those from heath, social services and voluntary agencies to ensure an integrated and comprehensive service is provided.
• To ensure that patients are identified for prompt discharge from the service and handover to community services as required.
• To provide leadership for more junior staff, as agreed with senior staff.
• To support the Band 7 Team Lead Occupational Therapist in planning, coordinating, and delivering the service provided to patients and to assist in the development, planning and progression of service provision.
• To…