Therapy Technician

Job content

Vacancy Description

• JOB DETAILS
  

Job title: Therapy Technician (Band 4)
Salary- £21,000-24,000 pa
Working hours- Full Time
Responsible to: Group Therapy Manager

Managerially Accountable And Reports To

Senior therapist for team and registered home manager
Hours: 37.5

• JOB SUMMARY
• To undertake assessments and treatments for residents who have
  

been screened by a therapist and deemed appropriate for
Technician intervention.

• To carry own caseload of residents assessing, devising and
  

implementing treatment programmes within a framework of
protocols and/or competency.

• To work collaboratively within multidisciplinary and multi-agency
  

teams with the aim of supporting timely discharge when relevant.

• To enable residents, their families and carers in the attainment of
  

their rehabilitation goals by providing treatment programmes
developed and monitored by one, some or all of the
physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language
therapists, psychologists, dieticians and music therapists.

• To deliver safe, efficient and effective resident-focussed care in line
  

with local and national standards.

• To be actively involved in in-service training programmes, including
  

the mentoring and training of rehabilitation assistants and
supporting students as required.

• To adhere to the organisation`s values.
• KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS
• Residents, families, carers and advocates
• Registered Home Manager
• Consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine
• Consultant in Neuropsychiatry
• Behavioural Nurse Specialist
• Speech and Language Therapists
• Physiotherapists
• Occupational Therapists
• Clinical Psychologists
• Dieticians
• Music therapists
• Nursing teams - both neurological and mental health
• Activity Co-ordinators
• Rehabilitation Assistants
• Administration team
• Kitchen colleagues
• GPs
• Social Services
• Continuing Health Care Assessors/Nurses
• Voluntary Organisations (e.g. Stroke Association, Headway)
• DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE POST
  

Clinical - Individual

• Use initiative in the management of residents ensuring the registered
  

therapist is kept informed.

• Be professionally responsible as a practitioner and undertake a
  

significant clinical caseload as delegated by a therapist providing
care to residents with a range of problems. This includes being able
to plan, prioritise and delegate own caseload when required.

• Within your scope of practice, comprehensively assess residents
  

delegated to you considering their physical, psychological,
cognitive and functional skills - approaching a senior therapist for
further advice as required.

• Understand consent to treatment by;
• Understanding the Mental Capacity Act and how it impacts
  

on residents who lack capacity to consent to treatment

• Gaining valid consent to and understanding of treatment
  

programmes by residents prior to any intervention and/or their
carers

• Assessing residents` understanding of treatment programmes
• Respecting a resident`s right to decline treatment TT JD Nov 2017
• Make appropriate risk assessment of residents` capabilities and their
  

environment prior to any intervention

• Use the range of treatment skills and options within your level of
  

competency to make decisions on individualised programmes of
care always using the agreed protocols, but seeking guidance from
a therapist where a task is beyond your scope of practice.

• Ensure goals and objectives of any intervention are clearly
  

developed in conjunction with the resident and families. Where
appropriate, these should be assessed through the use of
recognised outcome tools.

• Evaluate resident progress, reassess and alter treatment
  

programmes/goals as required within your scope of practice.

• Understand the importance of effective communication by;
• Demonstrating good verbal and non-verbal communication
  

Skills Which Maintain Confidentiality With Residents Who Have

communication disorders, and/or emotional, physical and
psychological conditions.

• Communicating in a receptive and informative manner, at a
  

pace and level that is consistent with residents` needs.

• Where necessary, use appropriate communication tools for
  

the residents` needs, where there are barriers to
communicative effectiveness.

• Carry out all interviews/assessments with residents and families
  

in a non-judgmental and sensitive manner

• Carry out treatment programmes or set up elements of the
  

programmes to be carried out by families/others.

• Assess, demonstrate and provide appropriate equipment within
  

agreed protocol and / or competency.

• Teach residents and families the correct and safe use of equipment,
  

seeking guidance from a qualified therapist where necessary.

• Be responsible for the organisation of essential equipment to be
  

delivered to facilitate safe and timely discharge.

• To ensure safe use of equipment in adherence with local guidelines,
  

reporting any defects to a therapist promptly.

• Advise, support and empower residents and their families in selfmanagement and to make informed decisions about their care.TT JD Nov 2017
• Communicate resident-related information effectively to ensure
  

collaborative working with other members of the multidisciplinary
team including across health, social care and voluntary sectors to
ensure the delivery of co-ordinated resident-focussed care.

• Work as a proactive member of the multidisciplinary team,
  

consistently evaluating your own capacity to deal with the caseload
and communicate this with the senior members of the therapy
team.

• Ensure appropriate arrangements are made for the transfer of care
  

or updating referring agencies of their resident`s progress. This will
include verbal reports and updating information in line with the
organisation`s standards.

• Maintain accurate and up-to-date resident records in accordance
  

with local and national standards

• Submit accurate and timely statistical information on resident
  

activity in line with the organisation`s standards.

• Attend multidisciplinary team meetings and provide information for
  

and/or attend review meetings concerning resident management
to influence the outcome of resident care/discharge as delegated
by therapists.

• Evaluate your own clinical effectiveness individually and with
  

support from a therapist.

• Be able to recognise improvements or adverse developments
  

relating to any aspect of the resident`s management or condition;
report to the supervising therapist and document in the resident`s
records.

• Take appropriate precautions to maintain confidentiality and
  

resident dignity at all times, treating each resident as an individual
and being sensitive to cultural and religious needs.

• Address residents with respect using their preferred name.
• Encourage residents to maintain optimum independence through
  

participation in all decision-making related to their treatment and
care.

• Provide emotional support to residents, and their families to enable
  

them to cope with the emotional and psychological effects of their
injury/illness.

Clinical - Team

• Maintain a high standard of clinical care.
• Participate in a system of monitoring of delegated residents with
  

senior therapists to ensure safety and productivity.

• Make an active contribution to the overall development of the
  

service.

• Demonstrate an understanding of clinical governance and clinical
  

risk.

• Participate in audit processes to evaluate the efficiency and
  

effectiveness of the team.

• To be involved in the induction / training, development and
  

supervision of new therapy technicians and other relevant junior
colleagues.

• In the absence of senior therapists, be prepared to ensure the
  

smooth day to day running of the team by sharing daily processes
and systems, and in the event of any concerns, escalate problems
to other senior therapists and therapy managers in the organisation
in the first instance, or to the registered home manager.

• Where necessary, be prepared to take on an additional duty role
  

within therapies, which supports the overall service objectives e.g.
champion roles.

Professional role

• To be responsible for seeking support where you have concerns over
  

your own ability to provide best resident care and treatment by:

• Maintaining competencies at Foundation level
• Ensuring compliance with mandatory training
• Participating in clinical and managerial supervision
• Maintaining an up-to-date CPD plan and log including the
  

use of reflective practice

• Undertaking annual appraisal
• Taking responsibility to consider yourself and others while at
  

work, and how they will be affected by the things you do or
omit to do

• You are responsible for informing your manager of any health
  

and safety concerns you identify and for completing the
relevant form for any accidents, incidents or near-misses that
happen to you or others that you are aware of to reduce
injuries or loss.

• Assist in the process of induction of colleagues to the work place as
  

delegated by senior therapy services colleagues.

• Actively engage in receiving and providing in-service training
  

sessions.

• Attend all relevant colleagues meetings.
• Promote the value of therapy; act as a resource for residents, carers,
  

healthcare professionals, and therapy undergraduate students,
seeking support from senior colleagues as appropriate.

• Manage time and work demands and seek support where
  

necessary.

• Act in accordance with the local policies and procedures and
  

HCPC standards.

Clinical Governance

• To support therapists in collecting, organising and presenting
  

statistical information on the therapies caseloads, including activity
and clinical outcome measures as part of unit wide participation in
the United Kingdom Rehabilitation Outcomes Collaborative
(UKROC).

• To participate in audit procedures to contribute to the group-wide
  

efficacy protocols.

• To participate in a support role in clinical research as a member of
  

the therapies team.

• To contribute to the development of information materials for other
  

professionals/families/carers.
Physical/Emotional/Mental Effort

• To maintain intense concentration in all aspects of resident
  

management for prolonged periods. In particular, to monitor
auditory, visual and kinaesthetic aspects of residents`
communication, adapting and facilitating according to perceived
resident needs including cultural and linguistic differences.TT JD Nov 2017

• To support senior colleagues in conveying potentially distressing
  

information to residents and family/carers in an empathetic and
sensitive manner.

• To be able to cope with occasional, potential stressful, upsetting or
  

emotional situations in an empathetic manner, such as residents`
suffering from illnesses or pain, which may lead to anxiety and
aggressive behaviour.

• To work in an environment where the work patterns may be
  

disrupted by frequent demands from residents, clinical colleagues,
students and administrative support colleagues, and respond to any
emergency situations arising as appropriate.

• To support colleagues when indicated in the management of
  

challenging residents.

• To provide support to therapists in specialist communication or
  

psychological assessment and intervention to identify and support a
resident`s ability to manage their own affairs, who has an acquired
communication difficulty.

• To support the therapists in regularly communicating complex and
  

specialised information to others through written reports and face to
face discussion matching communication style and content to the
needs of the receiver.

• To be involved in the planning and delivery of education
  

programmes for other professionals.

• To adapt assessment and intervention to meet individual resident`s
  

circumstances, with regards to cultural and linguistic differences and
to support and advise the inter-disciplinary team in this area under
the direction or supervision of the therapists.

Administrative Role

• To maintain accurate and statistical records in accordance with
  

locally agreed procedures.

• Responsible for passing on information to ensure residents` data is
  

up to date.

• To demonstrate relevant computer skills to present materials and
  

share information.

• To monitor and maintain stock levels of equipment, stationery etc.TT