First Contact Physiotherapist (FCP)

Job responsibilities

Job responsibilities

Take professional responsibility as a first-contact physiotherapist, with high-level decision-making and clinical-reasoning skills to assess, diagnose and triage of patients.

Work independently, without day to day supervision, to assess, diagnose, triage, and manage patients, taking responsibility for prioritising and managing a caseload of the PCNs Registered Patients.

Manage a complex caseload (including patients with long term conditions, co-morbidities and multi-factorial needs).

Receive patients who self-refer (where systems permit) or from a clinical professional within the PCN, and where required refer to other health professionals within the PCN

Leads, manages and contributes to service delivery, including attending Practice meetings and other meetings (e.g. PPG/ICS) as appropriate to report on workstreams.

Encourage collaborative working across the wider health economy and be a key contributor to supporting the development of physiotherapy clinical services across the PCN.

Liaise with secondary and community care services, and secondary and community MSK services where required, using local social and community interventions as required to support the management of patients within the PCN; and support regional and national research and audit programmes to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of the FCP programme. This will include communicating outcomes and integrating findings into own and wider service practice and pathway development.

Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team in a patient facing role, using their expert knowledge of movement and function issues, to create stronger links for wider services through clinical leadership, teaching and evaluation.

Develop integrated and tailored care programmes in partnership with patients, providing a range of first line treatment options including self-management, referral to rehabilitation focussed services and social prescribing.

Make use of their full scope of practice, developing skills relating to independent prescribing, injection therapy and investigation to make professional judgements and decisions in unpredictable situations, including when provided with incomplete or contradictory information. They will take responsibility for making and justifying these decisions.

Manage complex interactions, including working with patients with psychosocial and mental health needs, referring onwards as required and including social prescribing when appropriate.

Communicate effectively with patients, and their carers where applicable, complex and sensitive information regarding diagnoses, pathology, prognosis and treatment choices supporting personalised care.

Implement all aspects of effective clinical governance for own practice, including undertaking regular audit and evaluation, supervision and training.

Request and progress investigations (such as x-rays and blood tests) and referrals to facilitate the diagnosis and choice of treatment regime including, considering the limitations of these investigations, interpret and act on results and feedback to aid patients diagnoses and management plans; and

Develop integrated and tailored care programmes in partnership with patients through:

Effective shared decision-making with a range of first line management options (appropriate for a patients level of activation).

Assessing levels of Patient Activation to support a patients own level of knowledge, skills and confidence to self-manage their conditions, ensuring they are able to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of self-management interventions, particularly for those at low levels of activation.

Agreeing with patients appropriate support for self-management through referral to rehabilitation focussed services and wider social prescribing as appropriate; and designing and implementing plans that facilitate behavioural change, optimise patients physical activity and mobility, support fulfilment of personal goals and independence, and reduce the need for pharmacological interventions.

Help plan, develop and support the introduction of new working processes within the Practice to optimise the service.

Accountable for decisions and actions via HCPC registration, supported by a professional culture of peer networking/review and engagement in evidence-based practice.

Streamline pathway of care by providing a responsive service so that patients receive timely access to care.

Ensure care is proactive, preventative in focus and population based, with an emphasis on early intervention.

Provide care which is tailored to the individual needs. This would include appraising the impact of individuals clinical status on their general health, well-being, employment status (including in relation to function, physical activity, mobility and independence).

Support patients to set their own goals and be confident in their approach to self-management.

Communicate effectively and appropriately with patients and carers complex and sensitive information regarding diagnosis, pathology and prognosis.

Use a range of clinical skills which may include:

o Non-medical independent prescribing

o Joint/soft tissue injections

o Joint aspirations

Provide learning opportunities for the whole multi professional team within primary care.

Work with Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) to develop more effective and streamlined clinical pathways and services.

Exercise professional judgement, making, justifying and taking responsibility for decisions in unpredictable situations, including in the context of incomplete/contradictory information.

Manage interactions in complex situations, including with individuals with particular psychosocial and mental health needs and with colleagues across the primary care team, sectors and settings.

Undertake any other duties commensurate with the postholders grade as agreed with the postholders line manage.

Skills, Knowledge & Experience

Essential

• Minimum of 3 years consolidated postgraduate MSK experience
• Can demonstrate working at Level 7 capability in MSK related areas of practice or equivalent (such as advanced assessment diagnosis and treatment)
• Can demonstrate ability to operate at an advanced level of practice
• Demonstrates general physiotherapy skills and knowledge in core areas
• Is able to plan, manage, monitor, advise and review general physiotherapy care programmes for patients in core areas, including diseases/long term conditions identified by local needs assessment
• Demonstrates accountability for delivering professional expertise and direct service provision
• In depth therapeutic and clinical knowledge and understanding of the principles of evidence based healthcare
• An understanding of the nature of GPs and general practices
• Excellent interpersonal, influencing and negotiating skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Demonstrates understanding of the physiotherapy role in governance and is able to implement this appropriately within the workplace
• Can operate as a full member of the primary care team, including contributing to leadership, service evaluation and research activity
• Can manage and co-ordinate care that individual patients receive, including through liaising with other members of the MDT and with patients/carers
• Can lead primary care activity, with a strong emphasis on prevention and early intervention, including through delivery of public health advice (e.g., relating to physical activity, weight management and smoking cessation)
• Contributes to the use of healthcare technologies to optimise the integration of service delivery and patients access and continuity of care
• Contribute to the development of primary care teams, including through contributing to others learning
• Good IT skills
• Able to obtain and analyse complex technical information
• Recognises priorities when problem solving and identifies deviations from the normal pattern and is able to refer to seniors or GPs when appropriate
• Able to work under pressure and to meet deadlines
• Gain acceptance for recommendations and influence/ motivate/ persuade the audience to comply with the recommendations/ agreed course of action where there may be significant barriers
• Work effectively, independently and as a team member

Qualifications

Essential

• PROFESSIONAL REGISTRATION
• Minimum of 3 years consolidated postgraduate MSK experience
• Mandatory registration with Health and Care Professional Council
• Member of The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.
• Has completed an undergraduate degree in Physiotherapy.
• Masters degree or the equivalent specialist knowledge, skills and experience.

Desirable

• May hold or be working towards a prescribing qualification.

Experience

Essential

• Dependable
• Proactive
• Able to work under pressure
• Able to cope with conflicting pressures and meet deadlines
• Self-confident
• Able to work on own initiative and as part of a team
• Self-motivation
• Adaptable/flexible
• Team Player
• Ability to see the bigger picture
• Value and be considerate of others opinion/contributions

Other

Essential

• Meets DBS & reference standards and criminal record checks
• Willingness to work flexible hours when
• required to meet work demands
• Access to own transport
• Ability to travel across the locality on a regular basis

Desirable

• Proficient speaker of another language to aid communication with people in the community for whom English is a second language

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).