Wheelchair Therapy Technician

To provide support for clinical staff within the Wheelchair Service and toparticipatein the provision of wheelchairs, seating and accessories for children and adults with along termmobility need.

a) To carry out basic manual wheelchair and basic Electrically Powered Indoor Wheelchair assessments on designated clients allocated by the therapists or rehabilitation engineers, independently or in conjunction with the therapists or rehabilitation engineer, within clinic or in the community.

b) To identify under direction of the therapists or rehabilitation engineers appropriate equipment/materials required to carry out assessments for wheelchair/accessories trials for clients.

c) To instruct users and carers in the use of manual and powered wheelchairs and accessories, identifying manual handling, environmental and health and safety risks.

d) Develop/plan/organise a system ensuring returned items collected from clients adhere to the departments Infection Control policy and to dispose of any items identified as clinical waste appropriately.

e) To identify returned equipment that can be cleaned and repairedif necessary liaising with various suppliers of equipment known the Wheelchair Service. f) Maintain a clean, tidy and organised working environment especially in clinical areas.

g) Report any untoward incidents at the time to the therapist or Rehabilitation Engineer or Approved Repairer.

h) To participate in clinical audits.

i) To assist the clinical team in the retrieval of wheelchairs and other equipment from residential and care homes.

j) To be responsible for the basic maintenance and safety checks of the departments leased van ensuring it is roadworthy/ maintained.

k) To independently update computer records and complete accurate clients notes after assessments.

l) To be responsible for maintaining specialist equipment such as the charging of the departments power chairs and any other equipment as directed by the Team Leader.

m) To attend staff meetings when required, to contribute to departmental decisions and restructuring.

n) To be aware of and work with the team to effectively manage the budget.

o) To collect and clean used wheelchairs and ancillary equipment.

We are the main provider of NHS community services across East and West Sussex, with 6,000 staff serving 1.3 million people. We deliver essential care to adults and children, helping them manage their health, avoid hospital admissions, and reduce hospital stays.

Our Trust vision is to provide excellent care at the heart of the community. We offer opportunities across medical, clinical, support, and corporate services.

Why work for us?o Positive 2024 NHS Staff Survey results, highlighting compassionate leadership and wellbeingo Varied environments: community hospitals, patients' homes, and bases across Sussexo Flexible working options: part-time, flexi-time, annualised hours, and flexi-retiremento Excellent training, development, and research opportunitieso Accredited Living Wage Employer, we ensure fair pay for all our staffo Cost-effective workplace nurseries in Crawley, Hove, and Brightono Active EMBRACE, Disability & Wellbeing, LGBTQIA+, and Religion & Belief networkso Level 3 Disability Confident Leader and Veteran Aware Trust

Our values--Compassionate Care, Working Together, Achieving Ambitions, Delivering Excellence--guide everything we do.

We embrace diversity and encourage applications from all backgrounds, particularly from ethnically diverse, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ individuals. We aim to create an inclusive environment and support reasonable adjustments during recruitment.

This post may close early if sufficient applications are received.

Qualifications

Essential: - GCSE or equivalent in English

Desirable: - NVQ in Health Care

Experience

Essential: - Full valid car driver's licence

Desirable: - Previous experience in NHS; - Previous experience in healthcare

Skills and knowledge

Essential: - Ability to work effectively as part of a team and alone; - Basic IT skills; - Ability to communicate well with people of all ages and needs