Job Description

Ready to take the next step in your OT journey? Join our friendly and forward-thinking Community Rehab and Falls Team as a Band 6 Occupational Therapist, where no two days are the same.



You'll be working at the heart of our South London communities, using your clinical expertise to empower adults to live safely, independently, and with purpose in their own homes. Whether it's helping someone return to cooking their favourite meal or regain confidence after a fall, your work will make a genuine, lasting impact.



This isn't your standard 9-5 desk job. You'll be out in Brixton, Streatham, and Oval, Peckham and Dulwich supporting clients with a wide range of complex needs--physical, cognitive, and functional--using creative, evidence-based approaches. Your problem-solving skills and holistic mindset will be put to good use as you design tailored rehab plans that meet real-life goals.



You'll also be part of our award-winning "Showing We Care About You" programme at Guy's and St Thomas Trust, which offers a wide range of benefits designed to support your whole self. From financial wellbeing and career development, to recognition initiatives and work-life balance support, we're committed to helping you thrive both professionally and personally.



As part of King's Health Partners, one of the UK's leading centres for hospital and community-based care, research, and education, you'll have access to outstanding training and development opportunities.



The Community Rehabilitation and Falls Service is part of the Integrated Local Services directorate. It delivers physiotherapy and occupational therapy to adults and older people with illness, injury or disability, helping them to be more independent in their daily activities.



The clients have a wide range of functional difficulties, long-term conditions and disabilities and many have multiple pathologies and complex medical conditions. They may be seen in a 14 bed Intermediate Care Unit, in their own homes and in health and community centres within Lambeth and Southwark. The service leads the provision of Falls prevention and management of clients within both boroughs providing individual and group exercise programmes

The post holder will mainly work from one of the sites:

Pulross Centre, Whittington Centre in Lambeth or Townley Road Health Centre in Southwark, but will be expected to work from other centres/locations within the boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark as required.



Job Summary



Perform specialised Occupational Therapy assessments and treatments in the community as a part of Community Rehab and Falls Service.

Support the service's commitment to meeting client needs and delivering excellence.

Be responsible for supervision, education and assessment of students and new/junior members of staff.

Guys and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust:

From our 5 main hospitals, and in the community, we provide a full range of lifelong, general and specialist care, as well as clinical research, innovation, education and training.



We're a diverse and welcoming organisation, and are incredibly proud of our 25,500 staff and the dedication they show to our patients and each other.



We aim to be outstanding in everything we do and to provide high quality and compassionate care and experience to all of our patients and families.



As a leading centre of clinical research with a long history of innovation and medical firsts, we are able to provide the latest and most advanced treatments. We're ranked top in England for the number of trials open for patients to join and in the top 10 for the number of patients recruited to help us in our research.



Together with our partners in King's Health Partners , we form 1 of the UK's 8 Academic Health Science Centres.



Our world famous teaching hospitals train the doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals of the future. GKT School of Medical Education is our medical school, run jointly with King's College London and King's College Hospital.



We're guided by our values in everything we do and, as one of the largest employers in London, we reflect the diversity, opportunity and ambition of our communities and the people we serve.



Duties and Responsibilities



To be professionally and legally responsible for own practice and accountable for all aspects of treatment delivered to the client to ensure a high standard of clinical care. To work as an autonomous lone practitioner, case managing clients in the community and co-ordinating their care. To carry out timely assessment, treatment, goal setting and rehabilitation of community clients to prevent admission or re-admission to hospital or long-term domiciliary care and to facilitate early discharge home from hospital. To be competent in using a wide variety of specialised assessment and treatment approaches with adults with a range of conditions, including those with severe physical and cognitive impairment or multiple diagnoses in order to formulate treatment plans, maximise rehabilitation potential and set goals. Using advanced clinical reasoning skills, analyse and interpret complex assessment findings, from both standardised and non-standardised assessments in order to formulate an accurate diagnosis and prognosis. To be able to analyse and interpret complex clinical and social information from a range of sources. To ascertain rehabilitation potential of clients following assessment and devise both uni-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary rehabilitation goals which address clinical rehabilitation needs, client choice, service criteria, urgency of need and clinical risk. To be able to identify significant health changes that would warrant medical intervention and liaise with the relevant practitioner in a timely manner. To educate clients, carers and family members on the client's medical condition, prognosis and physical management encouraging their involvement and actively promoting healthy lifestyles. To implement a range of interventions including, but not limited to, physical and cognitive rehabilitation in functional tasks, work and leisure. To undertake patient moving and handling assessments, make recommendations and provide training to informal carers when required. To provide recommendations for posture and seating, minor home adaptations, and specialist housing. Assess clients' needs for any rehabilitative equipment and aids to improve safety and functioning within the home as part of a Trusted Assessor role. To train therapy assistants, students, informal carers, family members in the use of appropriate equipment. Demonstrate the safe use of equipment to external providers of care where appropriate. Assess and manage clinical, physical and/or environmental risk. To adhere to incident reporting procedures and to support staff to do likewise. To act as lead health professional for clients when required. This may include initiating and co-ordinating multi-disciplinary/multi-agency meetings, liaising with clients/families and onward referrals to other professionals/agencies. To identify significant health changes that would warrant medical intervention and liaise with the relevant practitioner. To liaise with the multidisciplinary team and identify when referral on to other professions within the team or outside agencies is indicated. This may include making recommendations on package of care needs when appropriate. To maintain accurate and up to date individual client records and ensure safekeeping and confidentiality of these records (including use of the Trust electronic patient records system) in line with Trust, legal and professional requirements. To evaluate client intervention and progress in a timely manner using appropriate outcome measures and evaluation tools. To adapt care plans accordingly and delegate tasks appropriately to junior and assistant staff. To discharge clients in a timely manner having reviewed the client's needs and goals, making appropriate onward referrals where necessary. To participate in the duty therapy rota for the single point of access, responsible for triage and prioritisation of new referrals. To respect an individual's ethnicity and cultural and religious beliefs.

Communication



To be highly skilled in effective communication, using both verbal and non-verbal means, with clients, carers and families who may have a range of physical disabilities or other barriers to understanding. To work in a client centred manner with mutually agreed goals, appointments, and rehabilitation programmes. Develop effective working relationships with the multidisciplinary team and external agencies. To be able to respond calmly and patiently to clients, carers and family members who may be distressed and sometimes aggressive. To offer support, reassurance and advice as required in order to diffuse the situation. To offer advice and communicate written and verbal information to clients/ carers and agencies including other health professionals regarding a client's management. To attend regular multidisciplinary meetings, presenting relevant information about client caseloads in a clear and concise manner.

Management & Leadershership



Undertake supervision and appraisal of junior staff or therapy assistants when required in line with service needs.



To delegate tasks to therapy assistants and junior staff, providing clear instruction and modifying tasks and care plans as appropriate based on feedback. To participate in the recruitment and selection of high calibre staff into the community therapy/rehabilitation teams. To ensure that all complaints and incidents are reported and managed in line with trust complaints procedure policies. To monitor the quality of the services offered and contribute to the development and review of quality measures and performance indicators. To manage and maintain stock levels and safe keeping of equipment, supplies and aids. To implement relevant national and local guidance, policies and procedures. To act as a lead in key areas in line with Trust priorities and actively engage in service development. To ensure all written and verbal feedback is clear, concise and accurate. To identify areas requiring service development and to highlight these to management.

Education, Training & Mentorship



Provide clinical training and education to junior staff and other staff including therapy assistants in line with competency framework To induct new staff and develop induction procedures if required. To induct, supervise, appraise and teach students on placements within the team. To undertake all mandatory and statutory training in line with Trust policy. To educate referrers and clients about the services the team offers. To maintain skills within the team, identifying gaps, then developing and implementing a plan to address these. To continually update clinical practice in accordance with current research, evidence-based guidelines, audit results and government legislation.

Personal & Professional Development



To work within local and national clinical and operational standards and guidelines. To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own work including management of clients in your care. To maintain and update knowledge and skills in line with personal development plans and appraisal. To use evidence-based practice to develop and maintain a high quality clinically effective and cost-effective service. To participate self-appraisal and performance review. To identify and be responsible for own training needs as well as identifying team training needs and supporting development of others. To reflect on practice at all times and to effectively participate in clinical supervision. To positively engage in change management. To maintain Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) registration and to work within HCPC Code of Conduct. To actively participate in the service's in-service training program, undertaking a project / presentation for staff using advanced presentation skills. Audit, Benchmarking & Research To participate or lead on clinical governance activities such as audit, research and data collection as required. * monitor the quality of services offered by the team and when areas of development are identified, to implement an action plan to address these under the direction of the Service Management Team.