Occupational Therapist, Senior - Adult Disability (Teiripeoir Gairme, Sinsearach)

Job Purpose

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.

Organisational Context

The Adult Disability Teams (ADT) accept referrals for people with a Physical and/or Sensory Disability or a Moderate to Profound Intellectual Disability or Autism who are aged 18 - 64. ADTs aim to empower, enable and promote independent living. They aim to provide people living with disabilities with a quality service which is responsive to their assessed needs.

The ADT are consent based specialist services that provides for interventions to be delivered in the community which play an essential role in maintaining the health and wellbeing of those living with disabilities, ensuring that the gains made through engagement with clinical services are maintained. The ADT works in a spirit of mutual respect to enable clients to identify options and make decisions for themselves. The teams aim to provide a service, which is:

• Multidisciplinary
• Client and Family focused
• Therapeutic interventions
• Rehabilitative in terms of improving, maintenance and/or base line functioning
• Community Based
• Based on a social model to optimise independence and community engagement

The Senior Occupational Therapist will be responsible for the provision of a high standard Occupational Therapy service and will carry out clinical and educational duties as assigned by the Occupational Therapist Manager. The successful candidate may be asked at times to work in other care group area in response to service demands.

Key Responsibilities

The Senior Occupational Therapist will:

Professional / Clinical

• 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.
• In conjunction with the Occupational Therapist Manager lead service planning by anticipating the changing needs of the service and service users.
• Participate in teams and foster and maintain professional working relationships with other team members.
• Ensure the quality of documentation of all assessments, treatment plans, progress notes, reports and discharge summaries are in accordance with local service, professional and legislative 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.
• Attend clinics, review meetings, team meetings, case conferences, ward rounds etc. as designated by the Occupational Therapist Manager.
• Ensure that staff in the designated service area(s) arrange and carry out duties in a timely manner, within settings appropriate to service user 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.
• Ensure that professional standards are maintained in relation to confidentiality / data protection, ethics and legislation.
• Operate within the scope of Occupational Therapy practice as per CORU requirements and in accordance with local guidelines.

Essential Criteria

• Candidates for appointment must:

(i) Be registered or be eligible for registration, on the Occupational Therapists Register maintained by the Occupational Therapists Registration Board at CORU (https://www.coru.ie)

And

(ii) Have three years full time (or an aggregate of three years) post qualification clinical experience.

And

(iii) Have the requisite knowledge and ability (including a high standard of suitability and professional ability) for the proper discharge of the duties of the office.

And

(iv) Provide proof of Statutory Registration on the Occupational Therapists Register maintained by the Occupational Therapists Registration Board at CORU before a contract of employment can be issued.

• On appointment, practitioners must maintain annual registration on Occupational Therapists Register maintained by the Occupational Therapists Registration Board at CORU

And

• Practitioners must confirm annual registration with CORU to the HSE by way of the annual Patient Safety Assurance Certificate (PSAC)

Candidates for and any person holding the office must be fully competent and capable of undertaking the duties attached to the office and be in a state of health such as would indicate a reasonable prospect of ability to render regular and efficient service.

Candidates for and any person holding the office must be of good character.

See below a copy of the job description: LM4825 - Job Specification