Wheelchair Therapist

Do you want to further your skills and experience in the field of wheelchair provision and postural management?

We have a rare vacancy within our team of highly specialised Wheelchair Therapists for a Band 6 Therapist. This may be either an Occupational Therapist or Physiotherapist who has the right knowledge and experience.

We would like to find a motivated therapist with a wide range of experiences including some wheelchair knowledge to join our team. The current team is a mixture of Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Rehabilitation Engineers and support staff.

The service is commissioned by local Clinical Commissioning Groups and covers a large area of the South West.

Assessment and provision of buggies, wheelchairs and associated accessories happens within our purpose built centre at Cribbs Causeway in Bristol and within a number of community settings. You will be required to work individually with clients and as part of a wider team. There will be opportunities for CPD and for training and development within North Bristol Trust and within this team.

The job requires assessment and provision of specialist equipment, these will include buggies and manual wheelchairs, powered wheelchairs, pressure care cushions, postural support equipment and associated accessories.

Provide assessments in a variety of appropriate settings including wheelchair centre clinics, home, community, work, hospital and specialist units.

Complete action plans based on the assessment and clinical reasoning, prescribe appropriate specialist equipment.

Identify when liaison/referral to another professional or agency is required and take responsibility for ensuring that this is appropriately made. Work jointly with the professionals/agencies involved to best meet an individual’s clinical needs. Participate with other health care staff and contribute to case conferences and care review meetings liaising with a range of multidisciplinary staff.

Delegate tasks to the appropriate support staff, ensuring that they are competent and confident to undertake them.

Provide appropriate prioritisation of all referrals into the service and make decisions on the appropriate course of action.

Follow agreed criteria set by the ICB for prioritisation of referrals and supply of equipment to provide an equal and fair service to all patients.

Give information to patients and carers on equipment choices to enable them to make informed decisions. This may include use of personal wheelchair budgets and alternative providers/charities.

North Bristol NHS Trust employs over 12,000 staff providing healthcare to the residents of Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset from our award-winning hospital building at Southmead. We are the regional Major Trauma Centre, and an internationally recognised centre of excellence in a range of services and major specialities. Our vision is that by enabling our teams to be the best that they can be, we will provide exceptional healthcare, personally delivered.

We commit to treating each patient as an individual with respect and dignity, aiming to deliver excellent clinical outcomes and a first-class experience for everyone who uses our services.

North Bristol NHS Trust values all people as individuals. We aim to be an anti-discriminatory organisation and are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We welcome applicants from all underrepresented groups.

Bristol is consistently voted the best place to live in the UK, with vibrant local music, arts and gastronomic scenes, a wide range of modern and state of the art shopping, recreation and leisure facilities, a wealth of great local family days out, fantastic transport links for local, national and internal holidays, and it has a rich history. If you prefer country, village or smaller town living, NBT is also easily commutable from a range of attractive locations in North Somerset, South Gloucestershire and South Wales (e.g. Portishead, Chepstow)

Please see associated documents.

Minimum 2 years post qualification experience in a relevant field.

Basic knowledge and experience of wheelchairs, pressure relieving cushions and special seating.

Experience of working with wheelchair users or within a wheelchair and seating service.

Experience of working with clients with a range of physical disabilities. Knowledge and experience of medical and surgical conditions including progressive neurological conditions, spinal injury, head injury and CVA.

Knowledge of clinical governance, professional and ethical issues and of legal issues (data protection, confidentiality, health and safety).

Working knowledge of NHS services and systems and of multidisciplinary working and the roles of other professionals and services.

Basic computer, keyboard and IT skills, knowledge of working within patient databases.

Car driver with full licence.

Work with structured supervision, managing cases in a highly s