Mater Misericordiae University Hospital
Dublin
Job Description & Person Specification
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST
Job Title / Grade:
Occupational Therapist
Department / Division:
Occupational Therapy
Location:
MMUH
Reporting Relationship:
Occupational Therapy Manager
Responsible to:
Head of Clinical Services
Effective Date: 22nd April 2013
Review Date: 22nd April 2015
JOB DESCRIPTION
Job Purpose:
Brief Description of Post:
The therapist will have responsibility for provision of specialised inpatient and
outpatient (where applicable). Occupational Therapy Service include the specialities
of: Care of the Older Person, Orthopaedics, Cardiology, Neurology, Respiratory,
Endocrinology, GI, Nephrology, ID, and general Acute Medicine.
The Staff Grade post will be a rotational post into the above clinical areas.
Rotations to PCCC will be included in agreement with OT Managers in
MMUH/PCCC, providing there are sufficient staffing and skill mix with MMUH. A
Senior Therapist will supervise staff Grade’s regularly, looking at clinical &
professional supervision.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
a) Develop and provide a quality Occupational Therapy service to the assigned
clinical speciality and work alongside existing staff in promoting and
developing the role of Occupational Therapy in line with lateral developments
b) To liaise with the Manager and other disciplines by attending clinical,
management and planning meetings, engaging in written and verbal
recording and reporting.
c) All staff to record patient activity / reports on hospital computerised system.
d) Undertake highly skilled and specialised assessment and treatment and
management of patients, which will include Activities of Daily Living, Cognitive
Assessments, Functional Assessments, Treatment, Seating, Splinting, and
Discharge Planning.
e) To be accountable for the Occupational Therapy Service Provision by
prioritising and delegating referrals.
f)
To familiarise themselves with ongoing developments within the organisation
and the HSE
g) To develop clinical audit and ensuring the service is developed and evaluated
h) To identify all risk areas and evaluate.
i)
To manage, prioritise and develop caseload
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Organisational Relationships
a) Liaise and communicate effectively with multi-disciplinary team members and
Consultants within the above Speciality.
b) Effectively communicate with the Occupational Therapist Manager and advise
on significant changes in referral patterns.
c) Effectively communicate with all members of the Multidisciplinary Team in
assisting the Team to achieve targets and developments
d) Undertake team building by engagement and assume responsibility for
supervision of Occupational Therapy staff.
e) To plan Annual Leave within the clinical area to ensure Occupational Therapy
cover is adequate.
Organisational Responsibilities
(a) To maintain an environment conducive to learning and development.
f)
To notify the Occupational Therapy Manager of sick leave in accordance with
hospital policy
g) To maintain an environment conducive to learning and development.
Clinical Responsibility
a) Deliver quality, specialist services to in-patient and outpatients within the
Clinical Speciality.
b) Direct the clinical service provision of Occupational Therapy Staff within the
Acute Medicine Service or any other Clinical area as designated by the
Occupational Therapy Manager offering support, direction and supervision as
specified.
c) Attend and participate at ward meetings, ward rounds, journal clubs, and
special interest groups.
d) To maintain personal professional skills required for the specialist area and to
act as a resource for all other members of staff.
e) Ensure positive representation of the Occupational Therapy Service at all
times.
f)
To comply with the guidelines of the European Communities (Medical
Devices) Regulations, 1994 for Manufacturing of Custom-made Medical
Devices.
g) Be responsible for practice education of Occupational Therapy Students.
h) Undertake and participate in clinical audit as required.
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i)
To submit monthly Statistics in accordance with departmental requests and
HSE Metrics
j)
Undertake the development of protocols and pathways for select patient
conditions.
k) Participate in the development of Policies and Procedures.
l)
To be responsible for the care and maintenance of equipment and other such
duties as assigned by the Occupational Therapy Manager.
m) To ensure that an efficient system of stock control is maintained.
n) Assess, plan and carry out treatment programmes as per department
guidelines.
Managerial Responsibilities
(a) Be responsible for daily administration duties and overall management of
caseload.
(b) To be responsible for accurate documentation within the departmental policy
& procedures and maintain up-to-date patient records.
(c) Attend and participate at departmental meetings, ward meetings, ward
rounds, conferences, and journal clubs for both in/out patients.
(d) Participate in the development of Policies and Procedures.
(e) Attend and participate in in-service training programmes.
(f) Work with Occupational Therapist Manager to enhance the development of
the Occupational Therapy Services within the Occupational Therapy
Department
(g) To engage in Research projects as appropriate or required.
(h) Assist with performance management for Staff Grade Occupational Therapy
staff.
(i) Adhere to Health and Safety regulations within the workplace at all times.
(j) Be responsible for control of infection within the Department.
General Responsibilities and Accountabilities
1. Confidentiality
You will be aware of the confidential nature of Hospital work and in particular, the
right of patients to confidentiality.
2. Policies & Procedures
You are required to familiarise yourself with and adhere to all policy and
procedural documents relevant to your position.
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3. Hygiene Standards
The highest standard of hygiene must be maintained in the Hospital at all times
and all staff members are responsible for ensuring compliance with the Hospitals
requirements and standards with regard to hygiene. It is the responsibility of all
staff to have a fundamental understanding of their individual responsibility in
maintaining departmental & site hygiene standards.
4. Health and Safety
Ensure that effective safety procedures are in place to comply not only with the
Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 but also within the spirit of the
Hospital’s mission, vision and values, and they are known and followed by staff.
You are required to familiarise yourself with the requirements of employees under
the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 and to promote a work
environment that is compliant with the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act
2005. Each staff member is individually responsible for ensuring that the Hospital
remains a safe place to work.
5. Information Technology
Ensure the most effective and efficient use of developments in information
technology for administrative support in a manner, which integrates well with
systems throughout the organisation.
6. Business Continuity Management
Business Continuity Management (BCM) is a holistic management process that
identifies potential impacts that threaten an organisation and provides a
framework for building resilience and the capability for an effective response that
safeguards the interests of its key stakeholders and reputation” (BS 25999) All
Staff employed in the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital are obliged to:
make themselves familiar with the Organisational Business
Continuity Plan
attend BCM education sessions provided for them
make themselves familiar with their individual roles as set out
in their departmental business continuity plan if applicable and
or the Organisational business continuity plan
Note:
These duties and responsibilities are reflection of the present service
requirements and may be subject to review and amendment to meet the
changing needs of the Hospital. The incumbent __________ (insert job title
here) will be required to maintain, enhance and develop their professional
knowledge, skills and aptitudes necessary to respond to a changing climate.
The job description must be regarded as an outline of the major areas of
accountability at the present time, which will be reviewed and assessed on an
on-going basis.
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PERSON SPECIFICATION
CRITERIA
Qualifications
Experience
ESSENTIAL
DESIRABLE
A Qualification recognised by the
Department of Health & Children
(a)
The Bachelor of Science
(Honours) in Occupational Therapy
from the University of Dublin, NUI
Galway, or University College Cork or,
(b)
The Master of Science from the
University of Limerick or,
A recognised qualification at least
equivalent to (a) or (b) or (c) which
complies with the Minimum Standards
of Practice Education in Ireland
(Revised: March 2008)
A minimum of at least 1 years post
qualification experience.
Experience in the Acute Clinical
Speciality and the Acute Hospital setting
is essential
Organisational
Knowledge
It is essential that the successful
candidate has the relevant knowledge
in the progression of our Health
Service, i.e. development of Clinical
Programmes, resource constraints
Professional
Knowledge
It is essential that the successful
candidate has the relevant
competencies in Acute Medicine
Core
Competencies
It is essential that the successful
candidate has the necessary
competence in the OT Process
It is essential that the successful
candidate has the necessary
competence in discharge planning
Special
Aptitudes
Ability to contribute to service
development
Audit, evaluation
It is desirable that the successful
candidate will have experience
in Rapid Response; Prioritising
Workload
It is desirable that the successful
candidate will have experience
in Specialised Seating Systems
Management skills
Clinical skills
Leadership skills
Communication & Interpersonal
skills
Time management
Understanding of Service
Planning
I.T. skills
Change management skills
Circumstances
PLEASE NOTE:
All overseas applicants must have their qualifications validated by the
Department of Health & Children. Applicants requiring validation contact:
Ms. Annette Lyons, Validation Office Professional Education, Health and Social
Care Professionals, HR Directorate HSE, Merlin Park, Co. Galway
Tel: +353 (091) 77509 Fax: +353 (091) 775863. Email: annette.lyons@hse.ie
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