Wheelchair and Orthotics Support Officer

We are on a continuous journey of improvement and transformation , however our main priority is, and always will be, providing safe and high quality care to our patients every day; the kind of care we would want for ourselves and our loved ones. If you share our passion then apply for this opportunity and help us make our patients' experience the best it can possibly be.With a budget of around £365m, three hospitals and 5,500 staff, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital-based services to the population of Hartlepool, Stockton on Tees and parts of East Durham and Sedgefield as well as community, therapeutic and screening to a wider population across Durham and Teesside. Job overview**Advert may close early if a sufficient number of applications is reached**The role of the support officer will be to assist both the wheelchair and orthotic therapists and assistants in delivering high quality, service user centred care. This will mainly involve arranging for wheelchair and orthotics equipment to be sent to or collected by service users in accordance with the therapist's or assistant's instructions and updating patient records accordingly.Main duties of the jobThe post holder will be required to work closely with multiple departments and external agencies and share information with wider multi-disciplinary team members as required.Good, accurate record keeping to ensure traceability of patient equipment. Unboxing and handling deliveries of orthotic and wheelchair equipment as they come into the department. This can be multiple times a day and can involve assembly of wheelchairs.Raising orders of wheelchair and orthotic equipment and monitoring these orders. Contacting patients to arrange delivery of equipment ahead of the appointment or ensuring they are delivered to the collect location. The post holder will be expected to work closely with the team to deliver the day to day activities that ensure service users assessed requirements are met in a timely mannerWorking for our organisationAt North Tees & Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust our main priority is, and always will be, to provide safe and high quality care to our patients every day; the kind of care we would want for ourselves and our loved ones. We want our organisation to be the best place to work with the right staff, in the right roles, at the right time, to ensure we deliver exceptional patient care and experience.We will support staff through providing an inclusive and supportive workplace with health and well-being initiatives, staff benefits and opportunities for personal and professional development. Staff recognition is very important to us; as well as performance reviews and appraisals, we recognise staff through Star and Team of the month, colleague recognition - a note of thanks, Managers Awards, Shining Stars and Service Awards.We support the Making Every Contact Count approach to behaviour change in the promotion of health and wellbeing of individuals and communities.We recruit for values and "Together we are North Tees & Hartlepool"Detailed job description and main responsibilities The post holder will be required to work closely with multiple departments and external agencies and share information with wider multi-disciplinary team members as required.Good, accurate record keeping to ensure traceability of patient equipment. The job involves frequent physical activity when unpacking and storing service user equipment,. E.g. when moving and handling wheelchairs, accessories for wheelchairs, orthoses and devices. This can be multiple times a dayRaising orders of wheelchair and orthotic equipment and monitoring these orders. Contacting patients to arrange delivery of equipment ahead of the appointment or ensuring they are delivered to the collect location. Contact with patient an also be to cancel appointments. These can be emotional conversations so excellent verbal communication skills are essential to be able to handle these conversations.The post holder will be expected to work closely with the team to deliver the day to day activities that ensure service users assessed requirements are met in a timely mannerBe able to plan and mange tasks and time to meet the demands of the service.Take responsibility for own actionsParticipate in review of own performance regularly and development of personal development plan at least every 12 monthsThe post holder will be expected and encouraged to make suggestions to contribute to quality improvement within the Wheelchair & Orthotics service. Person specificationQualifications Essential criteria Be willing to work towards NVQ level 2 Desirable criteria NVQ level 2Experience Essential criteria Experience of both independent working and, ability to work as part of a team Desirable criteria Previous health care experienceExperience of service user information, ordering systems and equipment management systemsSystmOne experienceKnowledge Desirable criteria Understanding or awareness of different Wheelchairs, Accessories and Orthotics productsSkills Essential criteria Good written and numeric skills; Demonstrates ability to pay attention to detail, reliably check and record data. Desirable criteria Good computer literacy skills: ability to e-mail, data input, use Internet, Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, ExcelCommunication Essential criteria Have good listening, verbal and communication skills.To be able to feedback accurately to colleagues**Please note - Once sufficient applications have been received this vacancy may close early**Please check your email address on a regular basis as applicants invited to attend an interview will be notified via this method.As part of our recruitment process, you will be required to undertake pre-employment screening: Disclosure and Barring Scheme (previously Criminal Records Bureau) Where a post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 it may be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Scheme to check for any previous criminal convictions. Should you require a copy of the Trust's Disclosure and Barring Service Policy, please contact a member of the recruitment team on 01642 624023. It is the policy of North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust that all successful candidates who are new to the Trust who require DBS clearance for the post they have been offered, are required to pay the cost for their DBS certificate. The method of payment for this is via salary deduction from your first month's pay on commencement with the Trust.Please note the essential qualifications required for the post outlined within the Person Specification. You are required to hold and provide evidence of the necessary qualifications for the post at interview should you be shortlisted. For any new employees commencing employment with North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust , you will be subject to satisfactory completion of a 6 month probationary period. Please note that internal applications and individuals that are appointed to fixed term appointments of less than 6 months duration are exempt from the probationary period (unless you are an internal applicant currently part way through a probationary period or a bank member of staff).As part of our pre-employment screening process, all applicants are required to provide references covering their last three years employment history. Applicants are requested to ensure e-mail addresses for all referees are included on their application form. Personal references are not acceptable. If the hours advertised for the post are up to full time (37.5 hours per week), applications are still welcomed from individuals who may be seeking to work less than full-time hours and all requests will be considered in line with the post being appointed to for the successful applicant.North Tees & Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust operates a No Smoking Policy. If you experience any technical difficulties applying for this post please contact a member of our recruitment team on 01642 624023 quoting the vacancy reference.Equal OpportunitiesThe details in the Monitoring Information section of your application will be used for monitoring our recruitment process and will not be seen by the interview panel. The information you give will be treated in the strictest confidence. To meet its commitment to promoting equality of opportunity, the Trust's policy is that individuals will be recruited, trained and promoted according to ability and job requirements only. As such we welcome your application irrespective of your gender, race, disability, colour, ethnic or national origin, and nationality, and marital status, responsibility for dependants, religion, trade union activity and age.DisabilityThe Trust gives full and fair consideration to applications for employment received from disabled people. We are a "Positive about Disabled People" employer, and we hold the 'two ticks' Disability Symbol, which is a recognition given by Jobcentre Plus to employers who have agreed to meet five commitments regarding the recruitment, employment, retention and career development of disabled people. If you have a disability, which makes it difficult for you to complete our application form, please do not hesitate to contact the recruitment team on 01642 624023.Armed Forces CovenantAs a supporter of the Armed Forces and an employer of Reservists, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust are proud to be a signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant, which is a promise by the nation to ensure that those who serve or who have served in the UK Armed Forces (and their families) are treated fairly.We recognise that reservists and veterans bring a variety of transferable skills and qualities to our workplace, developed through their military careers. Our commitment to supporting the Armed Forces Community has been recognised through the Armed Forces Covenant as a Silver Employer.What does this mean?We proactively demonstrate our forces-friendly credentials within our recruitment and selection processes, by having a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for those indicated as part of the Armed Forces Community. We engage with our local and regional Career Transition Partnership representatives and are a member of Step Into Health. We employ veterans and reservists from differing branches of the Armed Forces and actively promote our positive policies for the Armed Forces Community, including our Special Leave policy. We advocate support for defence people issues, including facilitating easier access to Healthcare Services for our patients within the AF Community. We have supported employees through Reservist training, through additional leave for their training and ongoing support under our Special Leave policy.Employer certification / accreditation badges Applicant requirementsThe postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions. Documents to download Job Description and Person Spec. (PDF, 501.7KB) Staff Networks - Recruitment Information (PDF, 310.8KB) NTHFT Employment Applicant Guidance (PDF, 594.1KB) NTHFT Customer Care Charter Overview (PDF, 155.8KB) Privacy Notice (PDF, 717.8KB)