Therapies Assistant London
Job description
To carry out therapeutic treatment or activities, under the direction and supervision of the qualified therapists, to support clients of the Learning Disabilities Team (HLDP) to enable them to maintain or develop skills necessary for independent living, and to support the client and their carers to develop and maintain exercise programmes as well as communication skills and strategies.
The post holder will work with Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists and Speech and Language Therapists within the integrated health and social care team, who support adults with learning disabilities in Haringey.
Skills and knowledge of using IT equipment to produce materials to enable clients to participate in the programmes devised by therapists and to make communications aids.
Supporting clients to use basic aids correctly i.e. mobility aids.
Using IT skills to search for information and maintain a database of relevant community resources.
To organise and update information to support therapy services e.g. Dementia Care Pathway.
To observe client progress against treatment aims within sessions, and to record and report back these observations to the therapist responsible for the treatment.
To provide support to therapists as required to meet clients needs and ensure a good quality of service provision.
To be an engaged, creative and enthusiastic member of the therapies team and HLDP.
Clinical
1. To work effectively as a member of the Community Learning Disabilities Team to provide therapeutic input, as directed by the therapists, to clients within the service.
2. To form professional relationships with clients, and communicate in a way that they are likely to understand eg using Makaton signs, visual aids etc.
3. To respects clients views, autonomy, culture
4. To carry out individual sessions with clients or participate in and co-facilitate therapy groups, under the supervision of a qualified therapist.
5. To participate in the preparation and delivery of training courses under supervision from a qualified therapist.
6. To use clinical knowledge and life skills to build up a rapport with the clients, so as engage them and motivate them to engage with their therapy.
7. Contribute to formal assessments, under the guidance of the qualified therapist and provide feedback on progress in the areas of activities of communication, daily living, work, education, leisure and mobility.
8. Provide a range of activities, instructing and guiding clients to support them in achieving identified goals, under the supervision of the qualified therapist.
9. To use. I.T resources to produce accessible materials to enable clients to participate in their treatment.
10. Undertake delegated tasks to contribute to the safe and effective running of the service.
Whittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the way we look after our staff. We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief. The Trust believes that as a public sector organisation we have an obligation to have recruitment, training, promotion and other formal employment policies and procedures that are sensitive to these differences. We think that by doing so, we are better able to treat our patients as well as being a better place to work.
1. Education and Supervision Responsibilities
1. To attend regular supervision sessions with the qualified therapist responsible for the client work being undertaken.
2. To attend regular management supervision with a senior therapist and to participate in the performance review system within the team, and contribute to identification of training needs and the development of a personal development plan to address these.
3. To keep a record of your learning from training and development activities, and develop evidence of your competence within the job.
4. To attend relevant courses or study days and to share information gained or skills learnt with other staff within the Learning Disabilities Service
Administrative
1. To keep up-to-date registers of contact with clients, and accurate information about your activity, in accordance with service requirements.
2. To ensure confidentiality of client information is maintained and that clinical records are stored appropriately as directed by the service manager.
3. To undertake designated administrative duties as directed by the line manager e.g. booking appointments, supporting therapists in administrative tasks around delivering training, following up equipment orders or referrals made by therapists to other services.
4. To participate in clinical governance and service improvement work, including audit activity or special projects as applicable and agreed with your supervisor.
5. To attend service/team meetings as requested.
General
The post holder is expected to: -
- Work in accordance with Local Authority and Whittington Health policies and guidelines at all times, and approved national and local policy.
- Adhere to relevant professional standards. e.g. OT/SLT/ Physiotherapy code of ethics and professional conduct.
- Adhere to Whittington Health/Local Authority information security policy at all times, in particular ensuring that there are no breaches of confidentiality as a result of his/her actions.
- Carry out other duties commensurate with the banding as directed.
- Be responsible for continuing development and to take a proactive approach to maintaining personal and professional effectiveness in an evolving role.
It is the responsibility of all staff registered with a professional body to:
- Act within the Professional Bodies Code of Practice
- Maintain their own work profile to ensure revalidation standards are met, and assist junior registered staff in achieving revalidation.
- Contribute and participate in the development of good practice across the trust/local authority through leading projects, and supporting training.
- Ensure optimum use is made of working time.
Our latest policy known as “Promoting Equality, Diversity and Human Rights” outlines the Trust’s commitment to ensuring that no job applicant or employee receives less than favourable treatment on grounds of sex, marital and civil partnership status, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, colour, creed, religion or belief, physical disability, mental health, learning difficulty, age or sexual orientation and is not placed at a disadvantage by conditions or requirements that cannot be shown to be justifiable.
For more information about our policy and commitment to equality, click: http://www.whittington.nhs.uk/default.asp?c=10505&q=equality”
Infection control
All staff have a responsibility to prevent and control infections within the Whittington. This includes ensuring personal and team compliance with all relevant policies, especially hand hygiene, the trust dress code, and MRSA screening policies.
Working patterns
The Trust is currently exploring ways in which patients can be given more choice about when they can attend appointments at the hospital. In order to make this possible there may be a future requirement for administrative staff scheduling appointments for patients to contact them by telephone in the evenings or at weekends. This means that administrative staff may be required to work a shift pattern in future. Shifts will not normally operate beyond 9 pm in the evenings and appropriate pay enhancements will apply. Staff will be consulted about the introduction of / changes to shift systems.
Staff working in any department where an on 'call rota' operates will be required to participate in the rota. Managers will discuss with staff the level of 'on call' cover required taking into account their individual circumstances.
Staff in nursing posts may be requested to work in any area throughout the Trust by the matron or the site manager.
Health & Safety Policy
Employees must be aware of the responsibilities placed on them under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, to ensure that the agreed safety procedures are carried out to maintain a safe environment for employees and visitors.
Safeguarding
To comply with the Trust’s Safeguarding Children and Adults policies, procedures and protocols. All individual members of staff (paid or unpaid) have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults This will require you to:
- Ensure you are familiar with and comply with the London Child Protection
- Ensure you are familiar and comply with the Croydon Multi Agency Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults Pan London Procedures.
- Ensure you are familiar and comply with local protocols and systems for information sharing.
- Know the appropriate contact numbers and required reporting lines.
- Participate in required training and supervision.
- Comply with required professional boundaries and codes of conduct
Data Protection
This post has a confidential aspect. If you are required to obtain, process and/or use information held on a computer or word processor you should do it in a fair and lawful way. You should hold data only for the specific registered purpose and not use or disclose it in any way incompatible with such a purpose and ought to disclose data only to authorised persons or organisations as instructed. Breaches of confidence in relation to data will result in disciplinary action, which may result in dismissal.
Confidentiality
You are required to maintain confidentiality of any information concerning patients or staff which you have access to or may be given in the course of your work, in accordance with current policy on confidentiality at Whittington Health.
Whittington Promise to Patients
Whittington Health expects its employees to communicate with colleagues, patients and visitors in a polite and courteous manner at all times. You are expected to contribute to improving our patients’ experiences by delivering the Whittington Promise:
- We will be clean
- We will be welcoming and caring
- We will be well organised
- We will offer the best possible treatment
- We will give you information and listen to what you tell us
All staff have a responsibility to contribute to a reduction in the organisation's carbon footprint. You should actively encourage others through your own actions to reduce their contribution to carbon emissions. This includes switching off electrical appliances that are not in use, turning down heating, closing windows, switching off lights and reporting carbon waste.
Security
It is the responsibility of all employees to work within the security policies and procedures of the Whittington Health NHS Trust to protect the patients, staff and visitors and the property of the Trust. This duty applies to the specific work area of the individual and the Hospital in general. All staff are required to wear official identification badges.
No Smoking
Whittington Health promotes a No Smoking Policy as part of employee’s healthy living style. You will be required to work within the framework of this policy. Smoking is not permitted within Whittington Health premises.
Method of Payment
Payment of salaries is made into your bank account/building society account by direct bank system. Details of a bank account or building society account will be required on the first day at work. There is no facility for any other form of payment.
Probationary Period
Employment at Whittington Health is offered subject to successful completion of a 6 month probationary period for all staff with the exception of GMC Registered Doctors.
