25 Oct
Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust
Carshalton
Job description
Job overview
We are looking for a motivated and enthusiastic Occupational Therapy Assistant to work in the Children’s Occupational Therapy team, based at Green Wrythe Lane Clinic.
The post will involve, assisting the Occupational Therapists in the clinic in assessments / treatments, carrying out therapy programmes and treatment sessions independently, helping to set up specialist equipment, preparing resources and equipment to carry out therapy and liaising with parents / carers and other professionals in order to help maintain the smooth running of the service.
The successful candidate will be creative, organsied and enjoy working with children and their families / carers.
Experience of working with children who have functional difficulties in the community setting or similar is essential to the post and you should have excellent verbal and written communication skills and excellent team working skills.
We are committed to professional development, offering regular in-service training and peer group / one to one supervision.
Internal and external courses are supported and there will be opportunities to develop the skills required for this post.
Main duties of the job
1. Under the direction of the Occupational Therapist, be responsible for maintaining a small caseload of children, following their Occupational Therapy assessment and to devise treatment activities based on therapy goals set by the Occupational Therapist, in line with appropriate developmental stages.
2. To plan and provide programmes of therapeutic activities tailored to the individual needs of a child and implement and evaluate delegated Occupational Therapy interventions for children, feeding back to the Occupational Therapist.
3.
To give appropriate support and advice to parents regarding their child’s identified functional difficulties such as gross and fine motor skills.
4. To take the lead in setting up, planning and running group sessions.
5. To provide support and advice / education to parents, carers and Nursery to implement therapy programmes provided by the Occupational Therapist, including delivering education sessions.
6. To assist the Occupational Therapist in upper limb treatments including splinting and with the provision and review of specialist seating for children in Nursery.
7. To collect, deliver and fit equipment as requested by Occupational Therapist, following appropriate training from the Occupational Therapist regarding fitting of equipment.
Working for our organisation
St George’s, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Health Group cares for a population of four million people in South West London and North East Surrey.
- Our sites include St George’s Hospital, one of 11 major trauma centres in the UK and the largest healthcare provider and major teaching hospital in the area;
- St Helier Hospital, home to the South West Thames Renal and Transplantation Unit and Queen Mary's Hospital for Children;
and Epsom Hospital, home to the South West London Elective Orthopaedic Centre (SWLEOC).
After years of collaboration, our two Trusts became a hospitals group in 2021. While remaining as two separate Trusts, being a hospitals group will help us to collaborate more closely on research,
and the development, education, and training of our 17,000-strong workforce.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see the attached supporting job description and person specification document which contains more information about the role and requirements.
Person specification
Education
Essential criteria
NNEB / Diploma in Childcare and Education (DCE) awarded by CACHE or equivalent qualification such as the Level 3 BTEC National Diploma in Early Years or the NVQ Level 3 in Childcare and Education or equivalent level of in-service training provided in a Therapy Assistant post.
Desirable criteria
Attendance at training courses relevant to the post
Experience
Essential criteria
- Minimum of two years working with children within a formal setting, eg. NHS or education
- Knowledge / experience of working in healthcare or appropriate experience in other childcare settings which brings relevant transferable skills.
- Experience of working with children with neurological conditions, developmental delay, coordination difficulties and musculoskeletal conditions.
- Experience of multiagency / multidisciplinary working
Desirable criteria
Experience of training or educating others
Skills and Abilities
Essential criteria
- Understanding of basic principles of Occupational Therapy with children and sound knowledge in child development.
- Previous experience of working within a Therapy Assistant role
- Recognition of own capabilities and limitations and seeking guidance when required
- Ability to take initiative and problem solve
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Ability to prioritise workload effectively
- Good organisation / time management
- Basic IT Skills : word, email, internet
- Ability to work independently and part of a team
Desirable criteria
- Previous experience of using EMIS for note recording
- Creative in delivering activities to children
Your application : Please ensure that you have read the job description and person specification and that your supporting statement reflects these, as your application will be assessed and scored against these criteria.
References : You will be required to provide 3 years of employment / educational history.
We do not accept references from personal email addresses such as Hotmail, Gmail etc.
therefore please ensure you are providing professional working email addresses within your application form. If you are unable to provide professional email addresses and are invited to an interview, please ensure you advise the interviewers of this - otherwise, this may delay your pre-employment checks.
Closing date : In order to streamline recruitment within our Trust, we reserve the right to expire vacancies prior to the advertised closing date once we have received a sufficient number of applications.
Shortlisting : You will only be contacted via e-mail / SMS by the SWL Recruitment Hub if you are successfully shortlisted for this post.
Please ensure that you check your Trac registered e-mail regularly.
DBS : We are committed to safeguarding children and adults who are at risk of abuse. As such, if this post will have access to children or vulnerable adults, you will be required to undertake an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check.
However, all employees have a responsibility for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults in the course of their duties and for ensuring that they are aware of the specific duties relating to their role.
Disability Advice Line : SWL Recruitment Hub is committed to promoting equity and equal opportunities for individuals with disabilities.
We believe that greater diversity and inclusion will lead to an even more positive impact on the people we serve. For support with job opportunities and reasonable adjustments contact our Confidential Disability Advice Line at : Telephone : 02082963786 Text : 07501066267 Email : @.
Our confidential answering service is available after 5pm.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
NameNicola WestbrookJob titleChildren's Occupational Therapy Team LeaderEmail addressTelephone number020 8296 4140
▶️ Senior Occupational Therapy AssistantBand 4
🖊️ Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust
📍 Carshalton