Job responsibilities
CLINICAL PATIENT SERVICES
To provide
responsive, clinical physiotherapy to patients under the care of the Hospice,
in accordance with priorities set by the Director of Clinical Services.
To
undertake all clinical duties as an autonomous practitioner, including
professional and legal accountability for all aspects of own work.
To triage
referrals for appropriate criteria for physiotherapy and to manage a clinical
caseload of patients with palliative care needs.
To
holistically assess, plan, develop and provide evidence based physiotherapy
intervention for patients with a wide variety of complex physical, psychological
and spiritual needs.
To identify
patient needs and refer to relevant agencies or other professionals if
appropriate.
To utilise
physiotherapy assessment and analytical skills to allow diagnosis and selection
of precise and appropriate treatment options for a wide variety of conditions.
To
constantly evaluate patient progress, reassess and adjust treatment programmes
as required and to liaise and discuss relevant information to other members of
the clinical team
To identify
the needs of the individual patient requiring specialist equipment and/or
medical devices; ordering, managing delivery and teaching safe and effective
use to the patient and/or family/carers.
To liaise
with other healthcare professionals in primary and secondary care to optimise
the management and treatment of the patients on the physiotherapy caseload and
to be available as a specialist resource for generalist healthcare
professionals.
Provide
specialist physiotherapeutic intervention to patients and carers in their preferred
place of care with the emphasis on empowerment, enablement and self-management
in order to optimise each patients quality of life.
To
communicate complex condition and treatment related information; to facilitate
understanding, elucidate any barriers to intervention, and to establish an
effective professional rapport to gain trust and confidence of the patients and
carers.
To
regularly attend and contribute to multidisciplinary team meetings and, as
required, to meetings of other multidisciplinary teams involved in providing
palliative care for hospice patients
To assist
with the running of patient self-management education programmes
Proactive
discharge planning, identification and provision of equipment required to allow
safe discharge, anticipation of needs when patient returns home. Follow up home
visits if required to ensure optimal patient function and quality of life,
irrespective of life expectancy.
Attend and
actively participate in clinical meetings on the Inpatient Unit.
Liaise/refer
to the Hospice at Home, Clinical Specialist Nurses, and Social care teams,
Community Healthcare or other voluntary agencies to ensure continuity of care
for the patient at home.
To liaise
with health professionals involved in the care of each patient with regard to
any problems highlighted on assessment. This may require signposting to other
health services, provision of equipment or individualised physiotherapy input
if unsuitable for group therapy.
SERVICE DEVELOPMENT
To provide
physiotherapy knowledge and skills to other members of the healthcare team.
Maintain and develop competency through Continual Professional development
(CPD) training, maintenance of portfolio and reflective practice.
Attendance
at MDT meetings to communicate specialist Physiotherapy information and to
contribute to the development of service delivery within Palliative care which
impact on other professions.
To support
education, supervision and assessment of undergraduate physiotherapy students
is delivered to the standard required for degree level university and CSP
standards within current national guidelines and recommendations. and be an
active participant, or lead when relevant, in in-service education and
presentation of case studies
POLICIES, PROCEDURES AND AUDIT
To support
the development of related local policies, procedures, guidelines and clinical
care pathways to ensure the delivery of a high quality, equitable service in
all locations and to provide supportive information, education and training to
staff as required to implement the same
Demonstrate
understanding and participation in all aspects of Clinical Governance
Undertake,
review and evaluate audits and make recommendations to the organisation based
on the findings when requested
To be aware
of the complaints procedure and the reporting of clinical incidents on Vantage
COMMUNICATION
To
effectively communicate and gain consent for any intervention to patients and
their carers regarding the physiotherapy intervention and the management of
their palliative care and end of life symptoms; this may be in the hospice,
within care establishments, during a visit to a patients home. The post holder
will need to strike an appropriate balance between relaying factual information
and being sensitive to an emotionally charged atmosphere where high levels of
emotion and distress are likely
To have
knowledge of the legal framework for patients who lack capacity to consent to
treatment
To develop
advanced communication skills in order to ascertain patients wishes, respond
appropriately to difficult questions and manage situations that may be
emotionally charged which may include difficult to accept information such as
expectations of treatment and prognosis
To
represent physiotherapy or patients at multi-professional team meetings to
ensure the delivery of co-ordinated care.
FREEDOM TO ACT AND AUTONOMY
The post
holder will be part of a team but will have the ability to act as an autonomous
practitioner adhering to national professional and local policies and
guidelines as directed by the Health and Care Professions Council and the
Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
The post
holder will be managed rather than supervised, demonstrating personal
initiative to act independently to manage personal work schedules and
priorities
To work collaboratively and delegate appropriate tasks
and roles to other members of the Palliative care team in order to maximise the
cost-effective and efficient use of resources.
General Duties
Confidentiality
All
employees are required to uphold the confidentiality of all information records
in whatever format, encountered in the course of employment and after it.
All
employees are bound by the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulations
when, in the course of their employment, they deal with information records
relating to individuals
Equality and Diversity
The
Hospice is committed to promoting an environment that values diversity. All
staff are responsible for ensuring that they treat individuals equally and
fairly and do not discriminate on the grounds of age, disability, gender
reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race,
religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. The Hospice expects all staff
to behave in a way that recognises and respects diversity in line with the
appropriate standards.
Health and Safety
All
employees have a responsibility under the terms of the Health and Safety at
Work Act1974 to protect and promote their own health and that of others in the
workplace
All
employees must comply with all Hospice Health and Safety Procedures Infection
Control
The prevention
and control of infection is the responsibility of everyone who is employed by
the Hospice. Employees must be aware of infection control policies, procedures
and the importance of protecting themselves and their clients in maintaining a
clean and healthy environment.
Information Governance
All
employees are responsible for ensuring they undertake any training relating to
information governance, read the Hospices policies, procedures and guidance
documents relating to information governance, and understanding how this
affects them in their role.
Professional Development
All
employees must participate in an annual appraisal and develop a personal
development plan with their Line Manager
All
employees are responsible for maintaining their statutory and mandatory
training.
Safeguarding Children, Young People and Vulnerable
Adults
The
Hospice is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children,
young people and vulnerable adults. All employees and volunteers are expected
to behave in such a way that supports this commitment Pandemic or major
incident
In the event
of a pandemic or major incident, the post holder may be asked to undertake
other duties not necessarily commensurate to the banding of this role. This
could include duties in any part of the Hospice. Prior to undertaking any
duties, the member of staff will have full training and induction. We wont ask
any member of staff to undertake duties for which they are not competent or
where they feel unsafe in their environment or could put patients or themselves
at risk.
The job
description is not exhaustive and may be amended following appropriate
consultation in the light of business needs
