Band 6

Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust (SCFT) is the largest community healthcare provider in Sussex.

• Over 8,400 full time, part time and bank staff members
• Medical, nursing and therapeutic care provided to over 10,000 children and adults a day
• July 2018 Care Quality Commission (CQC) rating of 'Good' with 'Outstanding' features
• Flexible working patterns offered across all services
• Thriving BAME, Disability and Wellbeing, LGBT+ and Religion and Belief staff networks
• Accredited Level 3 Disability Confident Leader

SCFT is an inclusive employer that promotes equality and challenges discrimination, and welcomes applications from people of all backgrounds. Applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates, disabled candidates and LGBT+ candidates are particularly encouraged, to ensure the Trust's workforce reflects the diverse communities it serves.

Job overview

Are you an Occupational Therapist looking for the ability to be creative with your interventions and to step away from an inpatient setting?

This role within our Responsive Services team will enable you to be autonomous in the delivery of your care to an adult population group. You will look holistically at the person, their environment and their occupations within their own home.

You will be excited to represent occupational therapy within a multi-disciplinary team setting and be capable of managing your own caseload. We deliver three pathways based around admission avoidance, supported discharge and stroke rehabilitation. These pathways will enable you to deliver a high level of rehab for a variety of physical and cognitive impairments.

You will need to be a car driver and have access to your own vehicle with business insurance. One of the benefits of working in our community team is that you can enjoy exploring the beautiful countryside that West Sussex has to offer in time for this summer!

We will offer you a wide range of opportunities to progress your clinical practice and leadership skills under the guidance of our Clinical Leads and Advanced Clinical Practitioners, as well as access to inhouse courses or Higher Education modules.

Main duties of the job

We work to support individuals to return home from hospital using the Home First model, by providing multidisciplinary interventions in those critical first days back at home. Our Admission Avoidance pathway strives to avoid unnecessary hospital admissions and provide essential rehabilitation to enable independent living in one's own home. On top of this we have a well-established Early Supported Discharge pathway specifically for stroke patients which we deliver alongside our Community Responsive Neuro Team. Overall, we are a rehab focused service.

Working for our organisation

Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust (SCFT) is the largest community healthcare provider in Sussex.

• Over 8,400 full time, part time and bank staff members
• Medical, nursing and therapeutic care provided to over 10,000 children and adults a day
• July 2018 Care Quality Commission (CQC) rating of 'Good' with 'Outstanding' features
• Flexible working patterns offered across all services
• Thriving BAME, Disability and Wellbeing, LGBT+ and Religion and Belief staff networks
• Accredited Level 3 Disability Confident Leader

SCFT is an inclusive employer that promotes equality and challenges discrimination, and welcomes applications from people of all backgrounds. Applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates, disabled candidates and LGBT+ candidates are particularly encouraged, to ensure the Trust's workforce reflects the diverse communities it serves.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Due to our diverse patient groups the post holder will need to have experience of working in a variety of clinical settings, ideally with some community background. The role enables you to be an autonomous worker with control of your own diary and will also encompass providing supervision to junior clinicians and healthcare assistants.

We place high value on your professional development, and for the right candidate we can support and fund studying at Master's level. Our team have access to the following opportunities:

• Protected CPD time and access to funding for external courses
• Regular and timetabled clinical supervision
• Developing specialist areas of practice, relevant to the service
• Active participation in service development
• Development of your leadership skills

The Community Therapy Hub is a seven day service with a shift pattern that may include 8am-8pm working, late shifts and weekend working. Car driver is essential due to the nature of the work. You will be assigned to one locality but may be required to support across the Horsham, Crawley and Mid Sussex area.

Person specification

Qualifications and/or Professional Registration
Essential criteria

• Professional qualification such as a degree or equivalent in Physiotherapy or Occupational Therapy.
• Current registration with the Health and Care Professions Council as a Physiotherapist or Occupational Therapist.
• Evidence of relevant postgraduate courses / CPD and reflective practice relevant to clinical speciality

Desirable criteria

• Training in student education

Experience
Essential criteria

• Substantial relevant post-qualification experience covering a broad range
• Substantial relevant post-qualification experience covering a broad range
• Experience of interdisciplinary working
• Experience of supervising junior staff, assistants and students
• Experience of independently managing a clinical caseload
• Contributions to audit and evaluation within a clinical governance framework
• Experience of a range of caseload management and prioritisation systems

Skills and Knowledge
Essential criteria

• Experience within specialism underpinned by theory and specific therapeutic knowledge
• Demonstrates competency in a range of clinical skills
• Experience of using assessment tools relevant to client group
• Ability to assess, plan, implement and evaluate care for individuals
• Able to plan and prioritise own workload efficiently
• Ability to delegate work to others
• Demonstrates leadership in practice
• Good numeracy and literacy skills
• Promotes choice and independence in undertaking patient care
• Demonstrates advanced communication and negotiation skills
• Ability to demonstrate the application of research based practice
• IT literacy
• Knowledge of national policies and procedures relevant to the clinical setting
• Knowledge of clinical governance, clinical audit and risk management
• Supervision and appraisal of junior staff
• Knowledge of professional code of conduct
• Ability to demonstrate knowledge / understanding of boundaries of role
• Demonstrate ability to reflect and learn from situations
• Identifies difficulties as challenges and works with others to identify solutions
• Demonstrates co-operative team working and awareness of the roles of other professionals
• Demonstrates a commitment to learning and development with documented evidence of CPD

Other requirements
Essential criteria

• Ability to travel

This post may close earlier than the published closing date if sufficient applications are received.

Correspondence relating to this vacancy will be conducted electronically. If you have not heard from us within two weeks please assume that your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion. Please ensure that you check your emails, including your junk folder, on a regular basis. References will be requested electronically as well; please ensure you provide correct contact details for referees.

Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

• Job Description & Person Specification ( PDF , 739.2 KB )
• JD and PS Senior OT ( PDF , 739.2 KB )
• Supplementary info - OT B6 ( PDF , 88.0 KB )
• Staff Benefits Brochure ( PDF , 484.5 KB )