Assistant Practitioner inPlymouth inPlymouth PUBLISHED 9 DEC 2023

Responsibility for People Management

• Demonstrate own duties to new or less experienced staff, and where appropriate participate in induction and support programmes in relation to new staff and volunteers.
• Develop skills in relation to coaching/teaching individuals/carers/other staff.
• To be actively involved in team effectiveness by attending staff meetings and contributing as a team player to team development.
• Support and supervise junior members of the team as required - to participate in providing instruction, learning opportunities and assessment of Bands 2/3 staff, students and other trainees as required.

Responsibility for financial and/or physical resources

• To use and maintain resources efficiently and effectively and to provide evidence of these efforts.
• Exercise personal duty of care in the safe use and storage of equipment
• To adhere to relevant trust policies on financial issues.

Responsibility for administration

• Prioritises workload effectively; this could include scheduling your workday appropriately or managing your own diary of appointments and visits (as well as mileage if applicable). This requires a high level of time management and organisation skills.
• To undertake any non-clinical / clerical duties as necessary. This may include maintaining stock levels, ordering equipment, and filing, dealing with telephone calls, and cleaning.
• To comply with legislation, policies, procedures, and other quality approaches relevant to the work being undertaken.
• To report accidents, incidents or complaints following LSW procedures and policies and to comply with the most recent Health and Safety at Work Act.
• To actively participate in the planning and implementation of operational policies, projects, and service development within the team.

Responsibility for people who use our services

• Work as part of a designated clinical team delivering care and/or therapy that focuses on the direct needs of the individual.
• To manage a defined group of patients using evidence based/client centred principles to assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions and contribute to the service provision.
• To demonstrate a working knowledge and understanding of conditions relevant to the clinical area and those patients presenting with multi pathology.
• To work under the direction of registered staff in the performance of specific tasks for patients, as part of their treatment and plan of care.
• You may be involved, dependant on clinical team, in the use of technical and creative skills to assist in the provision of a flexible based therapeutic activity programme as part of the therapy service provision to adults using the service. For example, assessment for mobility aids and basic falls assessments as required.
• You may have involvement in the completion of non-standardised and standardised cognitive assessments, capacity assessments and clinical risk assessments.
• You may use a selection of both standardised and non -standardised assessments to assist and aid diagnosis of cognitive, sensory, perceptual, behavioural, physical psychosocial and social functioning.
• Knowledge and understanding of the Mental Capacity Act and use this to conduct basic mental capacity assessments and participate in MDT processes such as DST completion and CHC.
• To be responsible for the holistic assessment, treatment, evaluation, and modification of a treatment plan and make the clinical decision of when to discharge.
• If applicable to your team, to assess, prescribe and authorise a range of agreed equipment and make recommendations for minor and major adaptations to increase/enable or compensate for independent function, teaching compensatory techniques as required.
• To take the appropriate action to manage an emergency situation and summoning appropriate assistance and complete accurate reporting systems.
• Depending on clinical area you may be responsible for medication management for a group of patients, including stock checking, ordering medication, transcribing medication onto a system.
• If applicable to your role you may be responsible for the administration of medication to patients via different routes.
• Depending on clinical area, to competently risk assess patients to support self-administration of medications and/or to provide support to those regaining independence with managing own medications
• Demonstrate the ability to recognise changing priorities seeking advice and guidance from the registered care professionals as appropriate.
• To act as the patient's advocate to facilitate the patient's own choices.
• To use person centred goal planning processes and outcome measures to review progress of the patient.
• Assist in the implementation of appropriate action to meet the specific physical, emotional, and psychological, social, cultural, and spiritual needs of individuals and carers.
• Have a working knowledge of other providers resources and referral systems to ensure individuals needs are met, within scope of practice.
• To form a rapport and professional relationship with patients, maintaining clear boundaries for effective working practices.
• To use knowledge and skills to engage patients in therapeutic activities to promote healthy psychological and physiological well-being. Encouraging self-management techniques where able.
• Safely carry out moving and handling of individuals and equipment.

Responsibility for implementation of policy and/or service developments

• To participate in research and clinical audit as appropriate keeping up to date with changing practices.
• To understand how to apply changes in legislation, policies and procedures.
• To be aware of the Health and Safety aspects of your work and abide by policies including the prompt recording and documentation of incidents and accidents.
• Contribute to the improvement of service by reflecting on own practice and supporting that of others.
• Regularly attend workplace and staff engagement meetings and contribute positively to discussions about the improvement of care.

Other Responsibilities

• Participate in development opportunities.
• To contribute to and work within a safe working environment.
• The post holder is expected to comply with Livewell Southwest Infection Control Policies and conduct him/herself at all times in such a manner as to minimise the risk of healthcare associated infection.
• To participate in staff appraisal and works in partnership with manager to develop and deliver on Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound (SMART) objectives for personal development plan.
• To undertake practice supervision in line with practice supervision policy.
• Engage in reflective practice including management of self and reflection on own reactions, asking questions, and reflecting on answers given.
• To take responsibility for maintaining and further developing knowledge and skills through recognised Continuing Professional Development activities enabling flexibility in practice and responsiveness to changing service demands.
• If applicable, adhere to the Lone Working Policy and ensure procedures are adhered to.
• To undertake any other duties considered reasonable and appropriate by team manager.
• To participate in all mandatory training required for the role and participate in training that is role specific.
• Advocate for the role of the Assistant Practitioner and act as an excellent role model by upholding and implementing good practice in the workplace.
• There may be other certain defined skills, tasks, and responsibilities that you undertake as part of your role as an Assistant Practitioner within your specific clinical team/area that cannot be defined within this document. These may be linked to a competency framework document if available

Communications & Relationships

• To be responsible of own behaviour and its effect on others.
• Recognise and report any situations, behaviours or errors that could result in poor outcome offering solutions is possible.
• Liaise with and ensure good communication with statutory/voluntary bodies to ensure continuation of care once discharged from the service.
• Liaise and communicate effectively in a courteous and helpful manner, with other team members and service users of different backgrounds and levels of understanding.
• Communicate effectively across a wide range of channels and with a wide range of individuals, the public, health, and social care professionals, maintaining the focus of communication on delivering and improving health, care and therapy services.
• Ensure clear, concise, accurate and legible records and all communication is maintained in relation to care delivered adhering to local and national guidance.
• To communicate effectively with patients and carers.

Physical demands of the job

• Frequent moderate effort is required when undertaking the moving and handling of individuals and objects in line with organisational guidelines.

Mental effort

• Frequent concentration is required, as work patterns can frequently be unpredictable with regular interruptions, some requiring immediate response.

Emotional effort

• Must maintain a professional approach while working in challenging, distressing situations or dealing with challenging behaviour.
• Support individuals, their families and carers when faced with unwelcome news and life changing diagnoses.

Working Conditions

• Dependent on setting, trainee may be exposed to working in a confined space and/or awkward position to undertake some care activities.
• May be exposed to frequent episodes of driving to travel around the Livewell Southwest service footprint.
• The post may involve lone working and staff will be required to adhere to lone working procedures including the use of lone working devices.
• Deal safely and effectively, in accordance with Livewell Southwest policy, exposure to hazards and highly unpleasant working conditions including face to face physical/ verbal aggressive behaviour from patients or relatives and contact with body fluids, using the incident reporting system to report any incidents or near misses.

37.5 Hours per week.

Livewell Southwest has an exciting opportunity within the Community Neuro Rehab Team (CNRT).

The team are looking to recruit Band 4 Assistant Practitioners that will work as part of the multidisciplinary team.

The CNRT based at Mount Gould Hospital, Plymouth has recently gained financial investment to realign and reshape the support offered to patients in Plymouth, South Hams and West Devon to meet the National service model for an Integrated Community Stroke Service (ICSS).

The Assistant Practitioner is a new role within the service and will work with the MDT to provide outpatient and community based multidisciplinary specialist stroke and neurological rehabilitation.

The team are currently hybrid workers with opportunity to work from home and office when not treating patients in the community.

If you want to be part of a passionate, experienced multidisciplinary team and would like further information please contact: Sally Stephenson (.

This role may not be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route, please refer to the Direct Gov website for more information with regards to eligibility.

Please note that Livewell may close the job advertisement earlier than the specified deadline if a high number of applications are submitted. Therefore, we recommend you submit your application at the earliest opportunity.

All Livewell staff are expected to be able and willing to work across a 7 day service.

The role includes:

• Working as part of a team delivering therapeutic interventions that focuses on the direct needs of the patients/service users. They will carry out specific planned clinical tasks and responsibilities to facilitate, assessment, treatment, planning and evaluation of patients in a specific clinical team.
• The post holder will work independently within the defined scope of practice under the delegation and guidance of a registered professional. Applying specialist evidence-based knowledge of principles and procedures within this specific field of healthcare.
• Assistant Practitioners will have undertaken a broad range of theoretical and practical learning regarding healthcare and wellbeing to Foundation Degree level.