Job responsibilities
JOB DESCRIPTION
Job Title Physiotherapist
Reports to Therapy and Community Manager
Job Role To provide a high standard of Physiotherapy service performing a specialist assessment of patients, including those with highly complex presentations and using evidence based, patient-centred principles formulate a diagnosis and develop a treatment plan which is carried out as an autonomous practitioner. Will have experience of treating palliative patients in any setting and experience of rehabilitating patients with cancer and other life limiting conditions. The position holder must have a minimum of 3 years post qualification experience and to have held their own caseload.
1. To act with the other physiotherapists as an expert resource and provide advice, education and support to other health care professionals within the multidisciplinary team as appropriate.
2. To attend multidisciplinary team meetings to ensure there is an integrated approach that benefits patients’ overall care and discharge plans.
3. To liaise with other healthcare professionals providing therapy services across the community.
4. To promote the key values of specialist palliative care and liaise with patients, families and carers.
5. To provide Physiotherapy to inpatients and outpatients attending both hospices and Cornwall Hospice Care Neighbourhood Hubs.
6. To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own work, including management of patients in your care. To hold responsibility for own caseload and work as an autonomous practitioner.
7. To undertake a comprehensive specialist assessment of palliative care patients including those with diverse or highly complex presentations/multi pathologies to determine appropriate treatment and goal setting of palliative care patients.
8. To use advanced clinical reasoning skills using specialist knowledge underpinned by theory and/or practical experience and advanced expertise to determine a clinical diagnosis.
9. Formulate and deliver an individual programme based on sound knowledge of evidence based practice and treatment options using clinical assessment, reasoning skills and knowledge of treatment to recommend the best course of intervention for that particular episode of care.
10. To evaluate patient progress, reassess and alter treatment programmes if required.
11. To assess patient understanding of treatment proposals, gain valid informed consent and have the capacity to work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment.
12. To provide and receive highly complex or sensitive information where there are significant barriers to acceptance which need to be overcome using the highest level of interpersonal and communication skills.
13. To communicate complex information to patients/carers/relatives and other clinical/social care staff.
14. To deal with distressed carers and family who may have high levels of anxiety, be angry or confused.
15. To analyse clinical and social information from a range of sources and integrate into Physiotherapy assessment and development of care/treatment plan.
16. To use a range of verbal and non-verbal communication tools to communicate effectively with patients and carers to progress rehabilitation and treatment programmes. This will include patients and carers who may have difficulties in understanding or communicating, or who may be unable to accept their diagnosis.
17. To be able to motivate and persuade patients with a range of highly complex conditions/disabilities to work with treatment/management programmes and work towards agreed goals.
18. To manage clinical risk within own patient caseload.
19. To work within the standards and guidelines of the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), Cornwall Hospice Care, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) and Association of Physiotherapists in Oncology and Palliative Care (ACPOPC) and to have a good working knowledge of national and local standards and care pathways and monitor own and others’ quality of practice as appropriate.
20. To be responsible for maintaining accurate and comprehensive patient treatment records in line with CSP and Cornwall Hospice Care record keeping standards of practice.
21. To represent Physiotherapy service and/or individual patients at multidisciplinary team meetings, to ensure the delivery of a co-ordinated multidisciplinary service and integrate Physiotherapy treatment into the treatment programme.
22. To work in a variety of settings including wards, patients’ homes and clinics as required and transport self and equipment to visit patients and attend meetings.
23. Facilitate the discharge planning process.
24. Work with patients, carers, other professionals and agencies to meet identified needs.
25. Provide teaching and guidance to both patients and carers as required.
26. Ensure that referrals are dealt with in a timely manner, taking into consideration clinical priorities in case management.
27. Manually handle equipment (wheelchairs, health care equipment) and furniture frequently, following ergonomic risk assessment as per statutory training and service risk assessment.
28. Treatments may necessitate working in restricted positions or limited space.
29. Moving and handling of patients in relation to assessment, treatment and rehabilitation.
Professional:
1. To be responsible for maintaining own competency to practice through Continuous Professional development (CPD) activities and maintain a portfolio which reflects personal development.
2. To participate in the staff appraisal scheme as an appraisee and be responsible for complying with your agreed personal development programmes to meet set learning and competencies.
3. To demonstrate a sound understanding of clinical governance, including ability to audit own and teams’ practice.
4. To be an active member of the in-service training programme by attendance at and participation in in-service training programmes, tutorials, individual training sessions, external courses. Be actively involved in the professional clinical groups, ACPOPC Peer Review Groups and other professional activities.
5. Promote awareness of the therapy role within the team, negotiating priorities where appropriate.
6. To undertake as directed the collection of date for use in service audit and research projects.
7. To participate in the supervision, education and assessing performance of students on placement at Cornwall Hospice Care including medical, nursing and allied health professional students.
8. To continually monitor the service and assist in developing policy together with line manager in supporting the development and progression of Physiotherapy practice and the service provided by Cornwall Hospice Care.
General
This job description is intended to provide an outline of the duties and responsibilities of the post and is not exhaustive and may be amended periodically as necessary.
The post holder may be asked to undertake other duties within the general level and scope of the post and to work at other Cornwall Hospice Care sites as required.
