Senior Therapy Technical Instructor - Elderly Medicine

ELDERLY MEDICINE NORTHAMPTON GENERAL HOSPITAL - Full Time
Are you looking to progress or take on a new career in health care? Do you have a special interest in working with the elderly population where there are often complex medical, physical, psychological and social situations to be aware of? Are you someone who would like to make a positive difference to this cohort of patients? We may have the job for you.
The team consists of Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists and Support Staff and you will be supported by the registered staff in the role and encouraged to develop your knowledge and skills. The successful candidate will work alongside the therapy staff and the wider multi-disciplinary team on the Elderly Medical wards at Northampton General Hospital.
We are looking for someone who is empathetic, flexible, has a commitment to team working and has good written, verbal, and non-verbal communication skills. They should have experience of working with people who are frail in both body and mind, including acute or long-term cognitive impairments. Recent experience of working in an acute, fast paced environment is desirable.
Our service is currently moving from a 5-day service to 7 days per week.
We are recruiting for a senior technical Instructor who shares our ambition and vision of being dedicated to excellence and has the drive to take us forward., The post holder will:
· Actively provide therapy care for patients as part of the multi-disciplinary team at NGH
· Provide specific evidence-based assessments and treatments under the indirect supervision of registered therapist using a therapy framework.
· Provide technical skills to assist a registered Therapist in treating a variety of patients.
· Provide therapy care to in-patients
· Occasionally complete access visits to patients' homes to assess for suitability of equipment for discharge.
· Assist registered therapy staff when completing home visits with a patient
· Assess for and issue low level equipment
· Have access to, read and understand medical notes and information from the MDT to inform decision making regarding suitability for intervention
· Be able to interpret clinical observations and understand the implications of therapy interventions
· Represent Therapies at ward board rounds, gaining information to feedback to the registered Therapists and communicating any relevant Therapy updates relating to patients.
· To participate in 7 day working patterns, including bank holidays
Provide effective input into the work of the Trust, to support the achievement of our vision and values:
· Courage
· Accountability
· Compassion
· Integrity
· Respect, Northampton General Hospital is one of the largest employers in the area and we are on an exciting journey. All of our divisions are committed to doing things better, with more efficiency as we update, modernise, and advance. We have also entered into a Group Model with neighbouring Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and become University Hospitals of Northamptonshire.
Our Excellence Values
Compassion
Accountability
Respect
Integrity
Courage
We want to recruit the best people to deliver our services across the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire and help to unleash everyone's full potential. As an organisation, we value how we communicate and promote our vacancies to all communities.
We are a Defence positive trust, supporting our reservists, veterans, spouses and partners.
The Hospital Group encourages applications from people who identify from all protected groups, especially those from BAME, Disabled and LGBTQ+ backgrounds as these are underrepresented in our hospitals.
We understand that we need to work with colleagues from diverse backgrounds and make sure the environment they work in is inclusive and collaborative.
We have active Networks that promote and support colleagues from all backgrounds. This ensures everyone feels supported and has a sense of belonging working for Kettering and Northampton General Hospitals., To be an integral member of a therapies team, to assist registered therapy staff in assessing and carrying out specific therapy interventions for clients with more complex needs. This will include clients who have difficulties understanding and communicating
Review and implement treatment programmes making necessary modifications prior to reporting back to a registered therapist in line with the band 4 competency framework.
Provide support and training to other registered and non-registered staff within the therapy team.
Manage and prioritise own case load independently, carry out delegated duties and work flexibly in order to support the smooth running of the therapy department.
Provision of clinical services:
Demonstrate a good understanding of medical conditions within the area of speciality / clinical pathway and the impact of these on the patients' function and rehabilitation.
To have a holistic understanding of the patient and their condition, as well as the impact of psychosocial dynamics on their function.
To enable patients to cooperate in their rehabilitation programme using encouragement, reassurance, tact and sensitivity; overcome barriers to understanding with patients whose understanding is impaired.
To identify and implement correct treatment plans within known patient care pathways under the indirect supervision of a registered therapist.
To assess, formulate and adapt treatment and discharge plans for patients in conjunction with registered therapy staff
Be able to use functional tasks to assess a patients physical and/or cognitive abilities under indirect supervision of the registered therapist
To identify patients that do not fall within care pathway / agreed framework and who need referral to registered staff
Using protocols and set processes to assess patients' mobility and functional abilities and assess for and issue appropriate low-level equipment.
To provide advice to patients / carers on safe use and care of prescribed equipment.
Within competencies, be able to provide therapy treatments to patients who have a history of falls
To constantly assess patient's stamina / understanding during treatment sessions and modify treatment as appropriate.
To work in a flexible and responsive way when under pressure
To provide and receive complex patient care information with the multi-professional team, patients and carers in board rounds, ward rounds, family meetings and discharge planning meetings and use this information to modify patient care.
To provide advice to patients / carers on safe use and care of prescribed equipment.
Maintain accurate and up to date records of clinical interventions, consistent with legal and organisational requirements.
Be responsible for maintaining rehabilitation equipment in the department.
Improving patient and visitor experiences:
To be a point of contact for patients and relatives in the clinical area.
To communicate factual and sometimes complex information to patients and relatives with patients' consent.
To contribute to the development and sharing of patient and carer information.
Support with gathering and using patient feedback to help improve and develop services.
Respect the individuality, values, cultural and religious diversity of patients and contribute to the provision of a service sensitive to these needs.
Be aware of ethical issues which impact on Therapy service provision and work under the guidance of Therapists in relation to this.
Using audit, evaluation and research:
Through guidance from the registered Therapists, be aware of and implement, evidence-based practice and outcome measures as appropriate to the clinical area.
Support therapists to implement agreed action plans from both national and local strategies, benchmarking standards and clinical audits as appropriate.
Participate in audit and research projects as required by service leads and collect data as required.
Support therapists to foster a culture which allows innovation and practice development within the clinical area.
Monitor outcomes of patient intervention using outcome measures under indirect supervision from registered therapist
Collect and record accurate and timely data / information to contribute to department service standards and procedures.
To identify training needs and facilitate professional development through active participation in supervision and appraisals.
To recognise limitations of own scope of practice.
To submit claim forms in a timely manner following the departments Health Roster Standard Operating Procedure.

At Northampton General Hospital we provide general acute services and hyper-acute stroke, vascular and renal services to people living in Northamptonshire. As well as this we are an accredited cancer centre and provide cancer services to a wider population of Northamptonshire and parts of Buckinghamshire.
We are proud to be the first hospital in the UK to have obtained Pathway to Excellence® designated accreditation from the American nurses credentialing centre (ANCC).
We celebrate staff achievements and value the importance of working as one big team. That's why we talk about Team NGH. It's all about working together to provide the best possible care for our patients and supporting each other to grow and develop our skills. We are driven to helping you to be the best you can be.
We want to recruit the best people to deliver our services across the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire and help to unleash everyone's full potential. As an organisation, we value how we communicate and promote our vacancies to all communities. The Hospital Group encourages applications from people who identify from all protected groups, especially those from BAME, Disabled and LGBTQ+ backgrounds as these are underrepresented in our hospitals. We understand that we need to work with colleagues from diverse backgrounds and make sure the environment they work in is inclusive and collaborative. We have active Networks that promote and support colleagues from all backgrounds. This ensures everyone feels supported and has a sense of belonging working for Kettering and Northampton General Hospitals.