Rheumatology Technical Instructor

We are seeking to recruit a competent and enthusiastic Technical Instructor to join our friendly well-established Occupational Therapy Rheumatology Service based at Wansbeck General Hospital. You will provide support to the Rheumatology Occupational Therapists at Wansbeck General Hospital primarily but there will be an expectation that you will support other colleagues across the trust as required. You will be responsible for dealing with telephone enquiries from clients, carers and colleagues. You may be involved in group work, you will carry out assessments and other tasks screened by the therapist.

You will arrange appointments with clients and other professionals. You will forward reports and letters created by the professionals and maintain computer and paper-based filing systems and databases. You should be highly motivated with excellent communication skills with a flexible approach to your work.

You must be numerate, computer literate and able to meet deadlines. Experience of working in a health or social care environment, dealing with clients and carers, the ability to work with mínimal supervision, following set procedures and use of system one would be desirable. You must be able to work autonomously and demonstrate excellent initiative.

Applicants must be able to meet the transport requirements of the job and experience of system one is desirable.

The TI role is to undertake work identified and delegated by the OT in the first instance, such as provision of and fitting of specified equipment items i.e. walking aids, bathing equipment or other equipment to promote independence within the home and reduce risk. Due to the geographical area covered, there may be instances where clinical decisions are made independently to ensure safety for our clients, however all decisions will be discussed with the delegating OT to ensure consistency and accuracy.

To communicate information and advice to service users, carers, families, agencies and providers and professional colleagues verbally and in written form, using information technology appropriately.

To provide written and electronic reports, providing details of assessments and recommendations.

To make recommendations and facilitate the implementation and provision of assistive equipment and minor adaptations.

You may be required to support the OT with provision of other assistive devices such as bespoke and ready-made splints with a degree of accuracy and expertise within the competency banding. This may be undertaken in restrictive conditions i.e. clients home environment.

Ability to support Occupational Therapists with moving and handling duties as required.

We manage three major locality hospitals at North Tyneside, Wansbeck and Hexham, plus a number of smaller community hospitals and clinics from Tynemouth to Berwick on Tweed, covering one of the largest geographical areas of any NHS trust in the country. Leading in innovation and quality - opening a state of the art Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital, the first of its kind in England. Do you want to work in one of the best performing NHS organisations in England? Work in an organisation that supports its staff and focuses on staff experience as much as it does the experience of its patients? You can live and breathe in an area that has the cleanest air, cost effective living, great nightlife, some of the best schools with a wealth of history available on your doorstep. Sound too good to be true? Well it isn’t, this is what you get when you work for Northumbria Healthcare, this is the Northumbria Way

To carry out delegated duties, contributing to the planning / maintenance and
development of the Rheumatology Occupational Therapy Service and acting as a valuable resource to other members of the multidisciplinary team.