NHS - Advanced Paediatric Occupational Therapist

Job overview

Band 7 Advanced Paediatric Occupational Therapist - Clinic, EarlyBird Programme and Mainstream Schools Lead

We work with a diverse population group across health, education and social care. Our main base is at Carmelita House at Ealing Broadway and there is a high level of integration and collaboration between different health, education and social care services / colleagues.

The service delivery model requires full face-to-face working with a small element of adhoc remote working.

Main duties of the job

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic and highly committed individual to work within this unique and vibrant OT team. Other than working closely together, we also have fun and bond through the many team social activities! This is a permanent role with full-time hours.

Regular supervision and support will be provided by a Band 8a supervisor. Are you the person we are looking for?

This post will involve mainly working in clinics, schools and the delivery of the local National Autistic Society's EarlyBird Programme (depending on commissioning arrangements). As a senior staff member of the team, the post holder will also have leadership and management responsibilities.

Our service is keen to focus on evidence based family-centred care principles, and applying best practice guidelines to enable occupational participation. We are open to new ideas and constantly reviewing and modifying the way we work.

Working for our organisation

There are also Band 6 & 5 Therapists and Band 3 Technicians. We have regular in-house and external CPD opportunities, and formal supervision structure in place.

This role is an Ealing Community Partners role through Central North West London (CNWL) Trust. Please note that the post does not meet the application criteria for the trust's Golden Hello and Relocation package.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

1. To co-lead the mainstream school service and manage the clinic pathways within the Paediatric OT Service. She/he will contribute to the development of these specialist services in relation to other clinical pathways and related policies.
2. To work as an autonomous practitioner and provide highly specialist assessment and intervention for children and young people (CYP) with complex special educational needs (including global developmental delay, autism, social communication disorders, developmental coordination disorder etc.) in the following areas according to the CYP’s stage of development and specific needs with consideration of the social and cultural needs of the CYP and family:

1. Within individual and/or in groups, as part of multi-disciplinary team, in a variety of health, educational and community settings.
2. To use sound clinical reasoning and appropriate outcome measurement.
3. To actively contribute to the overall diagnostic process within the multi-disciplinary team for children with highly complex needs.
4. To demonstrate specialist knowledge in clinical specialism underpinned by current evidence-based practice.
5. To facilitate optimal and increased independence of CYP in -
6. Participation in self-care and activities of daily living, e.g. feeding, toileting, dressing, personal hygiene etc.

ii. Participation in productive activities, e.g. school-based tasks, regulation of attention, organisation of behaviour, fine manipulation of tools etc.

1. To manage own caseload independently and prioritise according to the CYP’s needs and departmental policies on service delivery, and to ensure that intervention is meeting the needs of CYP, families and / or carers. Access to support and supervision will be provided as necessary.
2. To coordinate and deliver the National Autistic Society’s EarlyBird Programme jointly with the Speech and Language Therapist in Ealing (if commissioned). This would include:

1. Maintaining the record keeping system to track referrals.
2. Liaison with other professionals and agencies as appropriate.

1. To carry out community visits (e.g. home, school etc.) to provide specialist advice, recommendations and training to parents/carers/other professionals on home safety adaptations, intervention and/or handling activities as necessary. To also provide minor and / or major adaptation recommendations for environmental modification if required.
2. To recommend special seating/positioning systems and/or splinting to support functional use of upperlimb as necessary.
3. To contribute specialist advice towards Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) as part of the Code of Practice for statutory assessment of Education, Health and Social Care needs in line with national and local policies and procedures when requested.
4. To provide advice and support families and other professionals involved with the CYP’s care in order to implement strategies.
5. To work collaboratively with multi-agency professionals and parents/carers to develop and implement comprehensive specialist intervention packages for CYP, including planning and delivering specialist training to other OTs, professionals and parents/carers.
6. To use specialist knowledge to refer children and families to other services / professionals as necessary after getting appropriate consent e.g. CAMHS etc.
7. To act as the main contact and spoke person for the OT service in the designated specialist area and / or clinical setting.
8. Take a lead role in clinical audit, research and service development related to the specialist areas or clinical settings at least once a year.
9. To supervise other junior staff working in own specialist area.
10. To provide one clinical education placement to Occupational Therapy student as lead educator at least once a year.
11. To contribute to the management of physical and on-line resources, in line with contractual and professional standards.

Person specification

Education & Qualifications

• • Registration with Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as an Occupational Therapist and has professional indemnity arranged.
• • Recognised Occupational Therapy degree qualification or equivalent, i.e. DipCOT/BSc OT.
• • Evidence of continuous professional development (e.g. attendance of journal clubs, conferences, professional specialist interest activities) in the field of OT.

• • Registered member with relevant professional bodies e.g. RCOT, RCOT CYPFSS.
• • MSc in OT.
• • Evidence of successful completion of specialist training courses e.g. CO-OP, Sensory Integration Foundation Module, working with autism, Bobath Foundation Course, seating assessment, School AMPS, leadership, change management, team development, staff supervision etc.

Knowledge & Experience

• • Has significant post graduate working experience in Occupational Therapy, with high level of specialist clinical experience and knowledge in paediatric occupational therapy including working with different neuro-developmental disabilities including autism, ADHD, learning disabilities, DCD etc.
• • Have high level of clinical skills and experience in assessing and providing intervention to children with complex special education needs (e.g. contribution for appeals or tribunals etc.).
• • Substantial experience in working within a multidisciplinary team and also working across different agencies by using different models of practice and frames of reference, e.g. education and social services.
• • Postgraduate experience of developing and delivering training.
• • Postgraduate experience of developing and delivering group interventions.
• • In-depth and working knowledge of national policies, legislation and procedures relevant to the paediatric practice.
• • In-depth knowledge of principles of clinical governance and experience in service development in different clinical governance activities, e.g. clinical audit.
• • Experience in providing consistent supervision and support to staff members who may have different ways of working and/or who may require capability management.

• • Band 7 working experience within a related field.
• • Band 6 working experience within paediatric OT.
• • Knowledge and experience in the Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) process.

Skills, Abilities & Attributes

• • Ability to be a good team member, assume leadership responsibilities and facilitate team working within the team and across disciplines or agencies.
• • Demonstrate flexibility and adaptability when leading team and supervising others.
• • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills including observation, listening and empathy skills using various modes e.g. face-to-face, emails, phone calls, record keeping, documentation, report writing etc.
• • Excellent presentation skills, both written and verbal.
• • Demonstrate advanced negotiation, conflict resolution and problem solving skills with confidence.
• • Demonstrate good personal organisational skills, with the ability to prioritise effectively, manage time efficiently and work under pressure.
• • Demonstrate independent analytical and reflection skills to evaluate own practice.
• • Demonstrate resilience to manage stress and well-being of own self and others.
• • Has competent IT skills e.g. managing data on spreadsheet, presentation of information etc.
• • Ability to attend work in person.

• • Ability to act as spokesperson for the team or service.
• • Experience of deputising or providing cover for team or service lead.
• • Ability to speak up or act appropriately when encountering incivility in the work place.

CNWL (Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust) has almost 8,000 staff providing integrated healthcare to a third of London's population, Milton Keynes and areas beyond. We involve service users, carers, the public, staff and partner organisations in the way that we are run.

We’re proud of our diversity and we continue to undertake new initiatives to advance equality for LGBT+, BME and people with disabilities to promote good relations and understanding between our staff.

We are recognised locally, nationally and internationally for providing high quality, innovative healthcare. We aim to employ only the best people, and our experts are frequently called upon to contribute to national health strategy and policy, and many models of our care have been adapted for use in other countries.

We offer a generous relocation package (subject to eligibility assessment) and flexible working options, including bank assignments for most roles. For more information on these and other benefits of working for us, see our Benefits, Reward and Wellbeing page

Become part of our team. We care for you as much as you care for others.

CNWL NHS Foundation Trust are committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We follow safe recruitment practices to protect children and vulnerable adults.

Due to the high response levels we receive for some vacancies, we may expire any of them prior to the advertised closing date and advise you to submit your application as soon as possible.

Our Agenda for Change employment contracts are subject to a contractual 13 week probationary period.

If you are offered a job, information will be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.