L Senior Occupational Therapist, Acute And General Medicine Including Oncology, Stroke Medical Rehabilitation Frailty Teiripeoir Gairme, Sinsearach

Purpose of the Post

• To work in conjunction with other team members in co-ordinating and developing the service to meet the needs of the service user group and the objectives of the organisation. The Senior Occupational Therapist will be responsible for the provision of a high quality Occupational Therapy service and will carry out clinical and educational duties as required.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

• The post holder will support the principle that care of the patient comes first at all times and will approach their work with the flexibility and enthusiasm necessary to make this principle a reality for every patient to the greatest possible degree
• Maintain awareness of the primacy of the patient in relation to all hospital activities.
• Performance management systems are part of the role and you will be required to participate in the Group’s performance management programme

The Senior Occupational Therapist will:

· Be responsible for the maintenance of standards of practice of self and staff appointed to clinical / designated area(s)

· Be responsible for managing own caseload and for assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of treatment programmes for service users according to service standards

· Participate in the integrated discharge planning process in line with the HSE Code of Practice

· Be responsible for the day-to-day running of a designated service area(s) by supervising staff, prioritising and allocating work and promoting positive staff morale and team working in conjunction with the Occupational Therapist Manager or designated line manager for the site.

· In conjunction with the Occupational Therapist Manager or designated line manager for the site lead service planning by anticipating the changing needs of the service and service users

· Foster and maintain professional working relationships with colleagues, front line managers, and other healthcare personnel in the team

· Ensure the quality of documentation of all assessments, treatment plans, progress notes, reports and discharge summaries are in accordance with local service and professional standards

· Communicate verbally and / or in writing results of assessments, treatment / intervention programmes and recommendations to the team and relevant others in accordance with service policy

· Participate in teams as appropriate, communicating and working in co-operation with other team members

· Attend clinics, review meetings, team meetings, case conferences, ward rounds etc. as designated by the Occupational Therapist Manager or designated line manager for the site.

· Ensure that staff in the designated service area(s) arrange and carry out duties in a timely manner, within settings appropriate to service users needs, and in line with local policy/guidelines

· Be responsible for adhering to existing standards and protocols and for leading out on the development and maintenance of standards / strategies for quality improvement and outcome measurement

· Seek advice and assistance with any assigned duties in line with principles of evidence based practice and clinical governance

· Identify and prescribe appropriate seating as required for the patient within the acute hospital environment and liaise appropriately with community or off-site rehabilitation colleagues about continuing needs.

· Ensure that professional standards are maintained in relation to confidentiality, ethics and legislation

· Operate within the scope of Occupational Therapy practice within Ireland and in accordance with local guidelines

Education and Training

The Senior Occupational Therapist will:

· Participate in mandatory training programmes

· Participate in continuing professional development including in-service training, attending and presenting at conferences / courses relevant to practice, contributing to research etc. as agreed by the Occupational Therapist Manager or line manager.

· Engage in professional clinical Occupational Therapist supervision with the Occupational Therapist Manager, Clinical Specialist or designated line manager as appropriate

· Engage in peer support with Senior Occupational Therapist colleagues

· Participate in performance review as indicated by the site practice and HSE policy.

· Manage, participate and play a key role in the practice education of student therapists. Take part in teaching / training / supervision of other Occupational Therapy and non-Occupational Therapy staff / students and attend practice educator courses as appropriate

· Ensure newly qualified therapists have adequate induction and clinical supervision and assist in implementing annual staff development and performance review

Health & Safety

The Senior Occupational Therapist will:

· Promote a safe working environment in accordance with Health and Safety legislation

· Be aware of and implement agreed policies, procedures and safe professional practice by adhering to relevant legislation, regulations and standards

· Actively participate in risk management issues, identify risks and take responsibility for appropriate action

· Report any adverse incidents in accordance with organisational guidelines

· Utilise their practice knowledge as it relates to the acute setting by risk assessing their clinical intervention

· Collaborate with clinical MDT colleagues to establish a holistic view of risks arising

Administrative

The Senior Occupational Therapist will:

· Be responsible for the co-ordination and delivery of service in designated area(s)

· Review and allocate resources within the designated area, in collaboration with the Occupational Therapist Manager and relevant others

· Promote good working practice and uniformity of standards of best practice

· Promote quality by reviewing and evaluating the Occupational Therapy service regularly, identifying changing needs and opportunities to improve services, in collaboration with the Occupational Therapist Manager and relevant others

· Develop and implement service / business plans, quality initiatives, audits etc. and report on outcomes in collaboration with the Occupational Therapist Manager

· Collect and evaluate data about the service user group and demonstrate the achievement of the objectives of the service

· Oversee the upkeep of accurate records in line with best clinical governance, organisational requirements and the Freedom of Information Act, and render reports and other information / statistics as required

· Represent the department / team at meetings and conferences as appropriate

· Liaise with the Occupational Therapist Manager or relevant line manager regarding the needs, interests and views of Occupational Therapy staff

· Promote good team working, and a culture that values diversity

· Participate in the management of Occupational Therapy stock and equipment in conjunction with the Occupational Therapist Manager

· Engage in IT developments as they apply to service user and service administration

· Keep up to date with developments within the organisation and the Irish Health Service

· Perform such other duties appropriate to the office as may be assigned by the Occupational Therapist Manager or relevant line manager

KPI’s

• The identification and development of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) which are congruent with the Hospital’s service plan targets.
• The development of Action Plans to address KPI targets.
• Driving and promoting a Performance Management culture.
• In conjunction with line manager assist in the development of a Performance Management system for your profession.
• The management and delivery of KPIs as a routine and core business objective.

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING GENERAL CONDITIONS:

· Employees must attend fire lectures periodically and must observe fire orders.

· All accidents within the Department must be reported immediately.

· Infection Control Policies must be adhered to.

· In line with the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Acts 2005 and 2010 all staff must comply with all safety regulations and audits.

· In line with the Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Act 2004, smoking within the Hospital Buildings is not permitted.

· Hospital uniform code must be adhered to.

· Provide information that meets the need of Senior Management.

· To support, promote and actively participate in sustainable energy, water and waste initiatives to create a more sustainable, low carbon and efficient health service.

Risk Management, Infection Control, Hygiene Services and Health & Safety

· The management of Risk, Infection Control, Hygiene Services and Health & Safety is the responsibility of everyone and will be achieved within a progressive, honest and open environment.

· The post holder must be familiar with the necessary education, training and support to enable them to meet this responsibility.

· The post holder has a duty to familiarise themselves with the relevant Organisational Policies, Procedures & Standards and attend training as appropriate in the following areas:

o Continuous Quality Improvement Initiatives

o Document Control Information Management Systems

o Risk Management Strategy and Policies

o Hygiene Related Policies, Procedures and Standards

o Decontamination Code of Practice

o Infection Control Policies

o Safety Statement, Health & Safety Policies and Fire Procedure

o Data Protection and confidentiality Policies

· The post holder is responsible for ensuring that they become familiar with the requirements stated within the Risk Management Strategy and that they comply with the Group’s Risk Management Incident/Near miss reporting Policies and Procedures.

· The post holder is responsible for ensuring that they comply with hygiene services requirements in your area of responsibility. Hygiene Services incorporates environment and facilities, hand hygiene, catering, cleaning, the management of laundry, waste, sharps and equipment.

· The post holder must foster and support a quality improvement culture through-out your area of responsibility in relation to hygiene services.

· The post holders’ responsibility for Quality & Risk Management, Hygiene Services and Health & Safety will be clarified to you in the induction process and by your line manager.

· The post holder must take reasonable care for his or her own actions and the effect that these may have upon the safety of others.

· The post holder must cooperate with management, attend Health & Safety related training and not undertake any task for which they have not been authorised and adequately trained.

· The post holder is required to bring to the attention of a responsible person any perceived shortcoming in our safety arrangements or any defects in work equipment.

· It is the post holder’s responsibility to be aware of and comply with the HSE Health Care Records Management/Integrated Discharge Planning (HCRM / IDP) Code of Practice.

Risk Management, Quality, Health & Safety

· Adequately identifies, assesses, manages and monitors risk within their area of responsibility.

· Have a working knowledge of the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) Standards as they apply to the role for example, Standards for Healthcare, National Standards for the Prevention and Control of Healthcare Associated Infections, Hygiene Standards etc. and comply with associated HSE protocols for implementing and maintaining these standards as appropriate to the role.

· Support, promote and actively participate in sustainable energy, water and waste initiatives to create a more sustainable, low carbon and efficient health service.

Education & Training

· Engage in the HSE performance achievement process in conjunction with your Line Manager and staff as appropriate.

The above Job Description is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties involved and consequently, the post holder may be required to perform other duties as appropriate to the post which may be assigned to him/her from time to time and to contribute to the development of the post while in office.