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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Accept referrals from medical and healthcare professionals and undertake clinical assessment and examination of patients to provide suitable orthotic clinical technical prescriptions, including triage and prioritisation of patient need. Accept as an individual the legal responsibility for patients’ orthotic care.

Use measurement and data acquisition techniques in recording all pertinent information to ensure the accuracy of patient prescriptions.

Specify the design, componentry, materials, fabrication method, and suppliers of orthoses and order individual items to meet the patient’s clinical needs.

Perform risk assessments in the selection of components for customised devices to ensure patient safety.

Perform mechanical and technical adjustments to orthoses.

Evaluate the completed device on the patient to ensure the desired quality of body-device interface, functional alignment comfort, cosmetic appearance and mechanical integrity and safety.

Re-evaluate the above following an agreed time interval to meet patient needs or requirements of a care plan (review appointments).

Provide verbal, visual and written department information, explanation and highly specialised clinical advice to the patient and/or carers at every stage of device provision for informed consent including complex devices.

Report patient adverse incidents related to the provision of orthoses to maintain patient safety and engage in national reporting and monitoring procedures for specialised medical devices.

Provide written updates to the referrer as to orthotic treatment and status and refer patients to other disciplines to ensure appropriate care.

Give clinical and professional advice to the multidisciplinary team regarding appropriate orthotic provision for patients.

Advise and maintain effective liaison with technical support personnel including assistance with training in order to ensure best current technical practice in meeting patients’ needs.

Ensure excellent written and verbal communications are maintained with patients, carers, relatives, and members of the health and social care teams; convey complex and sensitive information at appropriate levels of understanding.

Use excellent negotiate and counselling skills and other tools to ensure the effective communication of complex, sensitive and emotional information and to overcome barriers to understanding in an empathic way. Such persons will include those ‘at risk’, the terminally ill, the vulnerable, those such as stroke patients, the learning disabled, the deaf and hard of hearing and those possessing poor communication skills. Also non-English speakers and those who speak some English but who have a different first language.

Be able to negotiate care plans with patients and carers using motivational and supportive skills to overcome any differences in opinions and understanding to ensure cooperation from a range of orthotic management options.

Agree and document outcome measures in patients’ treatment plan.

Record accurately up-to-date patient activity as required by the Department of Health for performance monitoring for the department and its purchasers.

 Maintain professional registration with the Health Professions Council.

Abide by the Statement of Conduct for Prosthetists/Orthotists of the Health Professions Council.

Maintain patient clinical records in accordance with the regulations of the Health Professions Council and local guidelines of Clinical Governance.

Practice in accordance with the British Association of Prosthetists and Orthotists Guidelines for Best Practice.

Be responsible for maintaining a high level of professional competence. Demonstrate commitment to Continuing Professional Development Life Long Learning and the maintenance of a CPD Portfolio.

Participate in clinical supervision in accordance with the Trust’s programme. Proactively participate in peer support and supervision which may include for example, reflective practice, case conferences, journal clubs, clinical discussion and supervision sessions with the Senior orthotist or other members of the multidisciplinary team.

Maintain continuous working relationships with relevant product, equipment and service providers in the healthcare industry by meeting regularly with representatives of orthotic manufacturers and suppliers.

Be aware of current pertinent clinical and technical research and development by meeting with representatives of orthotic manufacturers and suppliers.

Use expert judgement in clinical practice to ensure cost effectiveness in the provision of equipment to patients in accordance with the Trust’s best value policy and authorise signatory prescribing orthoses up to the value of £125, all orders above this amount should be authorised by the line manager until competency has been proven over a period of time.

Be familiar with local clinical governance policies and procedures and participate in clinical governance activities.

Participate in research and audit annually.

Maintain the department’s clinical placement accreditation for university undergraduate training by providing support to the training officer in clinical education experiences for undergraduate orthotists.

Participate in the training and education of healthcare professionals including contribute to professional presentations.

Liaise with professional groups, carers, users and consumer groups to maintain the best possible standards of practice.

Engage in the promotion of the profession and the Trust’s service locally, nationally and internationally.

Modernise practice to improve the efficiency and quality of the service provided by the department.