An opportunity has become available to join the Therapy team in Oxford's Heart Centre as a band 6, Specialty Occupational Therapist. Working across the Cardiothoracic Critical Care Unit, Cardiothoracic and Cardiology Wards the post offers the successful candidate to work across a diverse clinical area, working with Critical Care, Medical and Surgical cohorts of patients. The result is a challenging and rewarding job characterised by variability and the opportunity to develop a broad clinical skillset applicable across the Acute Care sector.
The post holder will work closely with Team Lead OT, who leads the team and specialises in Critical Care OT. They will be supported to upskill in Critical Care if required, and will also deploy an existing skill set onto the ward based clinical areas alongside a supportive MDT.
The Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy teams work in an integrated manner across 7 days. This OT post is 1 of 2 full time posts in the Heart Centre, and will work in continuity with a fellow Specialty OT on the rota.
The team is progressive, and embraces the challenges raised working in the NHS in the current climate. Expect to contribute to QI, provide a rich learning environment for OT students and engage in education and teaching activities for the Therapy and wider Multidisciplinary teams.
Alongside support from other therapists and wider members of the MDT’s working within the Heart Centre, the successful candidate will provide high quality, safe and effective Occupational Therapy to inpatients on the Cardiothoracic and Cardiology wards, and the Cardiothoracic Critical Care Unit. You will assess and provide Therapeutic interventions, assist in the planning of discharge and co-ordinate ongoing care needs of patients in these clinical areas.
You will be expected to work collaboratively with the wider multi-disciplinary team including the undertaking of joint assessments, liaising with families and places of residence and providing follow-up treatment and handover plans to inpatient or community teams.
Support from senior members of the team will be provided and education, training and development will be promoted. Active participation in quality improvement, clinical audit and research projects will be encouraged to enable relevant and best practice to be delivered.
The ability to work across 7 days is required.
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest NHS teaching trusts in the country. It provides a wide range of general and specialist clinical services and is a base for medical education, training and research. The Trust comprises four hospitals - the John Radcliffe Hospital, Churchill Hospital and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Headington and the Horton General Hospital in Banbury.
Our values, standards and behaviours define the quality of clinical care we offer and the professional relationships we make with our patients, colleagues and the wider community.
We call this Delivering Compassionate Excellence, and its focus is on our values of compassion, respect, learning, delivery, improvement and excellence.
These values put patients at the heart of what we do and underpin the quality healthcare we would like for ourselves or a member of our family. Watch how we set out to deliver compassionate excellence via the OUH YouTube channel .
In 2023 NHS England launched its first sexual safety charter, and our Trust proudly signed it. We pledge zero tolerance for inappropriate sexual behaviour and commit to the ten core principles
Oxford University Hospital s promotes a safe, respectful hiring environment.
If you want to make a difference with us, come and join our team. Together, we will uphold the highest standards of care and professionalism.
Communication
To be able to communicate your recommendations and clinical reasoning in a timely and concise manner.
To consistently deploy excellent communication and engagement skills enabling effective working relationships with all members of the multi-professional team.
To effectively communicate with patients and their carers/family members, including the sensitive management of complex issues.
To overcome barriers to effective communication, such as those caused by pathological impairment or language differences, by deploying effective mitigating strategies.
To engage and build relationships with external agencies and providers to enhance patient care, continuity and outcomes.
To be able to motivate and positively influence others through effective verbal and non-verbal communication skills.
Be able to write complex reports accurately describing patients’ clinical status and management.
Clinical Responsibilities
To enact the professional and legal responsibilities for all aspects of the post-holders own clinical practice.
To carry out comprehensive assessments for individuals attending the Emergency Department and on inpatient wards. This will include using frailty and risk assessment tools.
To formulate and deliver comprehensive treatment, rehabilitation and discharge plans, based on clinical skills and evidence-based practice.
To evaluate patient progress on inpatient wards against agreed treatment goals and be able to modify plans accordingly.
To determine a patient’s mental capacity to understand and to gain informed consent for treatment. To work within a legal framework with patients who lack the capacity to consent and are deprived of their liberty.
To maintain accurate written records using an electronic patient record system and maintain fidelity to professional standards.
To determine and mitigate for risk of patient and staff harm using the agreed risk assessment frameworks and the Trust’s manual handling policy.
To demonstrate physical ability to carry out Occupational Therapy assessment and interventions including manual therapy techniques and therapeutic handling.
To represent Occupational Therapy and/or individual patients at multi disciplinary team meetings, to ensure delivery of co-ordinated care.
To contribute to the provision of a seven-day service.
Leadership and management
To be responsible for the competent use and maintenance of rehabilitation equipment and support others in the effective and safe use of this equipment.
To assist in the supervision, teaching and appraisal of junior staff and assistants.
To undertake delegated tasks and roles from the team lead and be able to deputise for them on occasions.
To effectively plan and organise own time, patient caseload, meetings, training and be able to adjust plans as required according to staffing levels and unpredictable factors.
To assist in the planning of junior staff, students and assistant timetables and deputise for senior staff in organisational duties.
Education and training
To organise and contribute to the team’s training and education programme.
To contribute to the education of multidisciplinary groups, patients, families and carers as appropriate.
To be responsible for individual undergraduate student supervision and practice-based learning.
To adopt a proactive approach in learning from others within, and outside of the physiotherapy profession.
To be responsible for continuing professional development and maintain a portfolio record to evidence this.
To maintain contemporary knowledge to apply and maintain best practice in acute and general medicine and rehabilitation.
To actively participate in the department’s quality improvement and clinical audit programme through the completion of authorised projects
To implement and maintain evidenced-based practice through continuing professional development.
To ensure good working knowledge and application of national and local clinical standards
