Job Description Job Title Senior Occupational Therapist Job Grade Senior Occupational Therapist Location of Post Occupational Therapy Department, Temple Street Children s University Hospital, Temple Street, Dublin 1 Competition Reference HR334 Notes to Applicants It must be clearly demonstrated on your CV and supporting statement how you meet the required skills, competencies and/or knowledge for the post. Failure to do so may result in you not being shortlisted for interview. Purpose of the Post The Senior Occupational Therapist will provide a comprehensive Occupational Therapy service to the patients attending the hospital. The primary purpose of this post currently splits across various clinical areas of Mental Health, Rheumatology, Orthopaedics and plastics (depending on the skills of the successful candidate). The post holder will provide clinical services to children and young person s attending the department of mental health in both an in-patient or out-patient capacity, and will liaise with a multiple medical/ clinical services across the hospital as required. Sessions of this post will also be provided to the acute paediatric medicine service which may in-patient and outpatients in the areas of Orthopaedics, Plastics and Rheumatology depending on the skill mix and therapists available within the department. The senior therapist will also work within and cross cover for the Occupational Therapy department as directed by the OT Manager. Reporting Relationship The Senior Occupational Therapist will report to the Occupational Therapy Manager Essential Qualifications & Experience Essential: A recognised validated qualification in Occupational Therapy Be registered as an Occupational Therapist with CORU 3 years satisfactory post qualification experience Experience in the field of paediatrics (Please note that under EU regulations, those holding a qualification Page 1 of 8
obtained outside the Republic of Ireland may not be employed in the Irish Health Service unless the qualification obtained has been validated/registered by the national Validations Project, Northern Area Health Board, Swords Business Campus, Balheary Road, Swords Co Dublin. Evidence of such validation or evidence of having applied for such validation must be submitted with your application. Otherwise, your application will be deemed ineligible). Desirable Qualifications & Experience Desirable: Experience in the field of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Experience in Orthopaedics and/or plastics (including splinting) Experience in Rheumatology Experience working in the area of acute paediatric health care Knowledge of the Irish health care system Knowledge, skills & Competencies Ensure that the client and family s needs are adequately met by the Occupational Therapy service Can demonstrate knowledge and principles of national acute and community paediatric care, with specific knowledge in different clinical areas. Have clinical knowledge and experience working within the field of Mental Health and acute paediatric medicine and relevant applicable Occupational Therapy interventions Have clinical skills and personal attributes required to work with this complex and varied cohort of children, often dealing with families coping with difficult situations Be able to demonstrate appropriate clinical reasoning working with children, young people and their families. Be involved in educating parents and families to empowering them to support their child Have up to date knowledge on acute medical and mental health conditions Have an up to date knowledge on relevant legislations and national developments for the structure of community services, the children s hospital group and the national children s hospital Demonstrate an understanding of the role of the Multidisciplinary team working within different clinical teams Demonstrate ability to work in high pressure, fast paced acute environments Demonstrate ability to work independently with good problem Page 2 of 8
solving skills and initiative Have a professional knowledge and awareness of the national healthcare environment including the New Children s Hospital and the Children s Hospital Group Have the clinical, managerial and administrative capacity to properly carry out the functions of the role Demonstrate excellent communication skills Be ICT competent having experience in the use of MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint along with other desktop software. Demonstrate evidence of continuing professional development relevant to the clinical post Specific Duties Ensure that professional standards are met and that a quality and equitable service is provided at all times Carry and effectively time manage clinical caseloads Assess the needs of the child or young person in relation to their occupational performance needs in conjunction with the MDT team plan, and within the context of their family, home, social and school context Feedback Occupational Therapy opinion on the child or young person s occupational performance, to the multidisciplinary team to assist with team planning for the child s care Take responsibility for the day to day administration of the caseload, including the maintenance of clinical records, recording of statistics as per departmental policies Liaise with multidisciplinary team (MDT) members and take part in MDT meetings and case conferences as required. Key work cases as required Consult with parents/carers/teachers/community services as required regarding planning and prioritising, in a timely fashion Liaise with other departments and relevant professionals to ensure good working relationships. Devise and implement occupational therapy intervention programmes, appropriate to each clinical caseload Assess and prescribe relevant equipment when necessary from Occupational Therapy stock Assess for, prescribe and or fabricate thermoplastic splints or off- Page 3 of 8
the-shelf options to support a child or young person s occupational performance when necessary Review the clients progress, record the information and report to the referring team Ensure that the child or young person s needs are being adequately met by the occupational therapy service provided Evaluate treatment intervention/outcomes, plans for discharge as appropriate Effectively prioritise caseload managing both in-patient and outpatient referrals, as per departmental policies. Effectively manage waitlists where appropriate in line with departmental policy Be integral in the development of inpatient and outpatient occupational therapy group interventions within the department of mental health as appropriate Contribute to the development and facilitation of cross discipline group interventions as per the need Be responsible for identifying service gaps and be proactive in developing services to meet the need Assist with the day to day administration of the Mental Health Occupational Therapy service as well as other relevant acute medicine clinical areas covered (orthopaedics, plastics, rheumatology). The Occupational Therapist will be required to provide cover to other clinical areas as per the needs of the department, and the clinical caseload of this post may also vary as per the needs of the department. Keep abreast of current best practice by attending appropriate post graduate courses/conferences, reviewing published material and carrying out research or clinical audit in the area in order to maintain a high standard of service Any other duties that may be assigned by the Occupational Therapy Manager within the OT dept. providing services to TSCUH Education/Continuous Professional Development Be responsible for the education and supervision of junior staff, occupational therapy assistants and other professional and ancillary staff as required Participate in continued professional development including inservice training, attending and presenting at conference/ courses Page 4 of 8
relevant to practice etc as agreed by the Occupational Therapy Manager Manage, participate and play a key role in the practice education of student therapists. Take part in teaching/ training/ supervision of other Occupational Therapy and non-occupational Therapy Students, and attend Practice Educator courses as appropriate Engage and maintain own records in mandatory training programmes required by TSCUH policy Engage in supervision with the Occupational Therapy Manager, participate in departmental support systems and participate in Performance Review as per hospital policy Research / Information Technology To participate in audit and research as appropriate and relevant to the area of clinical work. Be ICT competent having experience in the use of MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint along with other desktop software. Health & Safety These duties must be performed in accordance with the hospital health and safety policy. In carrying out these duties the employee must ensure that effective safety procedures are in place to comply with the Health, Safety and Welfare at Work Act. Staff must carry out their duties in a safe and responsible manner in line with the Hospital Policy as set out in the appropriate department s safety statement, which must be read and understood. Quality, Risk & Safety Responsibilities It is the responsibility of all staff to: Participate and cooperate with legislative and regulatory requirements with regard to Quality, Risk and Safety Participate and cooperate with the Children s University Hospital Quality and Risk and Safety initiatives as required. Participate and cooperate with internal and external evaluations of hospital structures, services and processes as required, including but not limited to: National Standards for Safer Better Healthcare National Standards for the Prevention and Control of Healthcare Associated Infections HSE Standards and Recommended Practices for Healthcare Records Management HSE Standards and Recommended practices for Decontamination of Reusable Invasive Medical Devices (RIMD) Safety audits and other audits specified by the HSE or other regulatory authorities. Page 5 of 8
To initiate, support and implement quality improvement initiatives in their area which are in keeping with the hospitals continuous quality improvement programme. It is the responsibility of all managers to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements for Quality, Safety and Risk within their area/department. Specific Responsibility for Best Practice in Hygiene Hygiene in healthcare is defined as the practice that serves to keep people and the environment clean and prevent infection. It involves preserving one s health, preventing the spread of disease and recognizing, evaluating and controlling health hazards. It is the responsibility of all staff to ensure compliance with hospital hygiene standards, guidelines and practices. Department heads/ managers have overall responsibility for best practice in hygiene in their area It is mandatory to attend hand hygiene and sharps awareness workshops yearly NOTE: The extent and speed of change in the delivery of health care is such that adaptability is essential at this level of management. The incumbent will be required to maintain, enhance and develop their professional knowledge, skills and aptitudes necessary to respond to a changing situation. The Job Description must be regarded as an outline of the major areas of accountability at the present time. It will be reviewed and assessed on an on-going basis. Informal Enquiries Sarah Governey, Acting Occupational Therapist Manager, Tel: 01 8784748 Application Details Applications can be made by emailing a copy of your CV to recruitment@cuh.ie Closing Date 5pm, Friday 5 th January 2018 Page 6 of 8
Terms and Conditions of Employment Senior Occupational Therapist Contract Type The appointment is a permanent contract Remuneration Remuneration is in accordance with the salary scale approved by the Department of Health: Current salary scale with effect from 1 st April 2017: Rising from 51,134 by annual increments to 60,208 Annual Leave The annual leave associated with the post is 30 days per annum. Working Week The hours allocated to this post are 37 hours per week with 7.4 hours as a standard working day. The allocation of these hours will be at the discretion of the Department Head and in accordance with the needs of the service. However you will be required to work the agreed roster/on call arrangements advised to you by your line manager. Your contracted hours of work are liable to change between the hours of 8 am to 8 pm over 7 days to meet the requirements for extended day services in accordance with the terms of the Framework Agreement Pension Employees of Temple Street Children s University Hospital are required to be members of the Hospitals Superannuation Scheme. Deductions at the appropriate rate will be made from your salary payment. Probation All employees will be subject to a probationary period as per the probation policy. This policy applies to all employees irrespective of the type of contract under which they have been employed. A period of 9 month probation will be served: - On commencement of employment - Fixed term to permanent contract - Permanent employees commencing in promotional posts will also undertake a probationary period relating to their new post. Place of work/location Age Your place of work will be at Temple Street Children s Hospital, Dublin 1. Due to the plan for one National Children s Hospital Service and the Satellite Centres, you may be required to transfer with the current hospital/service to a different location in the future. You will be kept informed and advised of the proposed relocation. Age restrictions shall only apply to a candidate where he/she is not classified as a new entrant (within the meaning of the Public Service Superannuation Act, 2004). A candidate who is not classified as a new Page 7 of 8
entrant must be under 65 years of age. Maternity Leave Maternity leave is granted in accordance with the terms of the Maternity Protection Acts 1994 and 2001. Payment of sick leave The hospital operates a Sickness Absence Management policy in line with the new Public Service Sick Leave Scheme as introduced in 31 st March 2014. An employee cannot avail of paid sick leave during their first six months of employment with the hospital. Pre-Employment Health Assessment Prior to commencing in this role a person will be required to complete a form declaring their health status which is reviewed by the hospital s Occupational Health Service and if required undergo a medical assessment with this department. Any person employed by the hospital 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. Validation of Qualifications & Experience Any credit given to a candidate at interview, in respect of claims to qualifications, training and experience is provisional and is subject to verification. The recommendation of the interview board is liable to revision if the claimed qualification, training or experience is not proven. References The hospital may seek up to three written references from current and previous employers, educational institutions or any other organisations with which the candidate has been associated. The hospital also reserves the right to determine the merit, appropriateness and relevance of such references and referees. Garda Vetting The hospital will carry out Garda vetting on all new employees. An employee will not take up employment with the hospital until the Garda Vetting process has been completed and the hospital is satisfied that such an appointment does not pose a risk to clients, service users and employees. Page 8 of 8