Children's Physiotherapy/occupational Therapy Assistant

We are seeking a Therapy Assistant to join our friendly Children’s Therapy team in Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust. The service consists of Dieticians, Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists working with children across Huddersfield and Halifax.
You will provide support to the qualified Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists, working in a variety of settings to include clinics, schools and nurseries. Following delivery of a competency based training, you will be expected to work independently but under the direction of a qualified therapist to deliver therapeutic interventions to children. Experience of working with the public in a Health or social care or education setting is essential and it would be desirable to have some experience of working with children.
**Duties may include but not limited to**:
Implementing treatment to protocols and based on competencies.
Monitoring progress and feeding back to the registered practitioner or assistant practitioner
Making minor adjustments to treatment programmes within pre-determined limits
Assisting registered practitioners with complex treatment.
Assessing for ordering and issuing predetermined basic equipment/ orthotics to protocols and established guidelines.
Leading and assisting with group exercise and advice sessions.
The training of others.
Monitoring equipment stock and ordering replacements.
Cleaning of equipment and workspace.
Administration tasks.
Participating in multi-disciplinary team meeting
We employ more than 6,500 staff who deliver compassionate care from our two main hospitals, Calderdale Royal Hospital and Huddersfield Royal Infirmary as well as in community sites, health centres and in patients’ homes. We also are incredibly proud to have almost 150 volunteers here at CHFT.
We provide a range of services including urgent and emergency care; medical; surgical; maternity; gynaecology; critical care; children’s and young people’s services; end of life care and outpatient and diagnostic imaging services.
We provide community health services, including sexual health services in Calderdale from Calderdale Royal and local health centres. These include Todmorden Health Centre and Broad Street Plaza.
We continue to modernise and invest in our health services to build on our strong reputation. Foundation trusts are public leaders in improving quality in health services. They are part of the NHS - yet decisions about what they do and how they do it are driven by independent boards. Boards listen to their Council of Governors and respond to the needs of their members - patients, staff and the local community.
Foundation trusts provide what the health service wants, yet are also free to invest quickly in the changes to the local community needs, in striving to be the best, and in putting their patients first.
Following appropriate clinical skills training and assessment of competence in the workplace, supported by theoretical knowledge, the post holder will be able to undertake the following duties:
To work to competencies & local protocols and understand local communication networks. This includes making judgments around what may or may not be significant changes in a child’s presentation, involving observation and engagement skills and whether or not to report to a registered practitioner.
To ensure full compliance with local hand hygiene policy.
To Prepare clinical areas, including participation in infection control procedures when preparing and cleaning clinical areas, and undertake responsibility for stock control (including monitoring & ordering) of clinical & non-clinical supplies.
To assist the registered practitioners in the delivery of therapy programmes, as per service competencies.
To support children with self-care and self-management of their condition. This may be carried out individually or in groups. This includes raising awareness of health and wellbeing.
To carry out planned intervention as prescribed by registered practitioner (as per service competencies).
To provide and set up therapy equipment, for example specialised seating and walking aids, as per agreed competencies. To give information to parents and other involved professionals to the safe use and basic maintenance of equipment
To communicate with children and young people, and those involved in their care by establishing the most effective methods of communication and enabling children and young people to participate in communication.
To develop relationships with children and young people using play and other methods according to the age of the child or young person, in order to help them understand the situation.
To organize and plan your own day to day work, including delegated workload, whilst coping with occasional last minute changes. Prioritise your own workload and assist other members of team when workloads vary, with indirect supervision available as required.
To carry out, provide feedback on and contribu