Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist Neurosciences
Job overview
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children is looking for a highly experienced paediatric Occupational Therapist (OT) to lead the Occupational Therapy Service within Neurosciences, which includes the acute neurology and neurosurgery wards and the epilepsy surgery
programme. As the lead Occupational Therapist for the service, you will have extensive experience in the field of neuro rehab, preferably in an inpatient setting. You will provide specialist assessment to a wide and complex caseload and facilitate highly specialist, evidence-based interventions working toward short term rehabilitation goals.
You will have highly developed clinical reasoning skills, advocating for your patients and OT. Excellent communication skills are vital, and you will have significant experience of working within an MDT. Knowledge of community services, resources and pathways within the wider
NHS and social care arena will also be advantageous, as is an advanced knowledge of child development.
You will join our large, extremely well supported Occupational Therapy
department, which has 34 Occupational Therapists and support staff. You will be supervised and managed by the Heads of Occupational Therapy. Being a world leading tertiary service you can expect many opportunities for training and development as well as research.
Main duties of the job
You will be the lead OT for inpatient neurology and neurosurgery, and jointly with the lead OT for oncology, provide clinical direction and support to our international and private care team of OT’s. You will be coaching your team and supervising the band 7’s, therefore this role
provides a great opportunity to further develop your already advanced leadership skills. You will be part of an established MDT with very close links with our physiotherapy colleagues, among others. As a Band 8 therapist you will play a key role in strategic planning of the OT service and in deputising for the Heads of OT in their absence.There are monthly senior leadership meetings, through which you will play an active role in steering the department forward. Demonstrating the effectiveness of OT and our constant drive for quality assurance will provide lots of opportunities to develop your non-clinical skill set.
You will be responsible for maintaining and expanding links with similar external services nationally and internationally and will provide teaching to professionals both internally and externally to the Trust.
Working for our organisation
GOSH is committed to recruiting the best person for the job, based solely on their ability and individual merit as measured against the criteria for the role; through a process that is fair, open, consistent and free from bias and discrimination.
We are committed to being a diverse and inclusive employer and foster a culture where all staff are valued, respected and acknowledged. All applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, age, disability status or length of time spent unemployed.
We particularly welcome applications from BAME communities, people with disabilities and/or long-term health conditions and LGBT+ community members.
We have policies and procedures in place to ensure that all applicants and employees are treated fairly and consistently. We are proud to be accredited as a Disability Confident Employer, a member of Business Disability Forum and a Stonewall Diversity Champion.
We have active and Executive supported BAME, LGBT+ and Allies, Disability and Long-Term Health Conditions and Women’s staff networks. Staff networks are employee-led groups formed around interests, issues and a common bond or background. Staff network members create a positive and inclusive work environment at Great Ormond Street Hospital by actively contributing to the Trust’s mission, values and efforts specific to inclusion.All of our staff networks are open to any employee.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. For both documents please view the attachment/s below.
Person specification
GOSH Culture and Values
Essential criteria- Our Always values
Academic/Professional qualification/Training
Essential criteria- Degree or equivalent qualification in Occupational Therapy
- Health and Care Professions Council registration E A
- Continued professional development across clinical, research and leadership pillars
- Post graduate training in standardised paediatric specific occupational therapy assessment and evidence-based interventions
- MSc in a relevant field to OT.
Experience/Knowledge
Essential criteria- Knowledge of paediatric neurology, particularly acquired brain injury
- Extensive experience as an OT working with children with neurological conditions and complex disability
- Experience in supervising OTs and student OTs along with the excellent interpersonal and communication skills needed to support and teach junior staff.
- Advanced knowledge of child development and the impact of neurological conditions on this
- Awareness of national initiatives and legislation pertaining to Health and Social Care and the relevance to Occupational Therapy provision within a tertiary setting.
- Previous experience of leading service development including auditing of standards
- Extensive knowledge and experience of using a range of outcome tools to demonstrate the effectiveness of Occupational Therapy provision/intervention.
- Understanding of professional development issues and NHS reform, legal and professional issues of child protection, inclusion, privacy & data protection
- Experience working with, assessing and handling newborn babies, including those who are premature
- Active involvement in clinical support networks relevant to paediatric occupational therapy.
- Experience of teaching and training
Skills/Abilities
Essential criteria- Advanced clinical reasoning and analytical skills in the management of complex conditions in the speciality
- Evidence of leadership and supervisory skills in an occupational therapy/healthcare setting
- Able to work cooperatively and constructively within OT and multidisciplinary teams to facilitate good relationships across different professions.
- Demonstration of sound leadership skills, including the ability to make thoughtful decisions about OT service goals and to properly allocate resources to achieve this
- Ability to clearly articulate and communicate the role of the OT within neurology and the value it offers children and their families for their well-being, safety and independence skills
- Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills
- Excellent organisation, computer, and time management skills
- Ability to support the delivery of complex and sensitive information to a vulnerable patient group and their families.
- Well developed knowledge of equipment used to enable participation of activities of daily living, including advanced clinical reasoning ability and knowledge of funding streams for provision through external partner organisations
- Skills pertaining to research and service development, including conference/journal submissions and research projects
Please be advised that:
The recruitment process for all admin and clerical roles at Bands 2-4 will be a two stage recruitment process whereby shortlisted candidates will undertake an online literacy, numeracy, ICT and typing test. Only those candidates who pass the competency test will proceed to a formal interview.
The closing date given is a guide only. There may be some occasions where we have to close a vacancy once sufficient applications have been received. It is therefore advisable that you submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.
Only those candidates who clearly demonstrate how they meet the person specification criteria for this post will be shortlisted. Please note that where high volumes of applicants have been received, additional criteria may on occasion be used to determine the final shortlist.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
We are an accredited Living Wage Employer.