Job responsibilities
Job Summary:
This position is accountable to the Inpatient Physiotherapy Lead for UHL. It will provide therapy intervention and care in the hospital setting. It will provide therapy assessment, intervention and discharge planning in the hospital setting. The position contributes to the inpatient therapy pathway to support initiatives to support recovery during an acute hospital admission, shorten patients stay in hospital and maximise clinical outcome when discharged from hospital to avoid readmission.
The Therapy Assistant Practitioner will work under the supervision of qualified therapy staff, providing assessment and treatment programmes for patients in the hospital.
The Therapy Assistant Practitioner is able to carry out a full episode of care fromassessment to discharge, for a specified and designated clinical caseload identifiedby a qualified clinician.
The postholder will assist in the administration and clerical duties for the team anddepartment.
Key Result Areas & Performance:
Clinical
1. To undertake all aspects of clinical duties and to carry a full caseload of patients under the supervision, direct and indirect, of a physiotherapist.
2. To work to departmental standard operating procedures and clinical protocols and in conjunction with the supervising clinician to decide priorities for own work area, balancing other patient related and service demands
3. To be responsible for implementing programmes of care assessing patient progress and using initiative to suggest changes to treatment plan within agreed competencies. When care deviates from standard operating procedures report back to therapist.
4. To own competency level to be accountable for all aspects of own work. This will include the management of clinical risk, clinical governance, knowledge of indications and precautions of chosen techniques in line with National and Trust clinical guidelines and protocols where they exist.
5. To assess patients capacity, gain valid informed consent to treatment and where such capacity is lacking/absent to work within a legal framework in the management of the patient
6. To undertake the assessment and treatment planning for patients identified within a specific and designated caseload
7. To undertake physical treatment techniques utilising developed manual skills
8. To implement individualised clinical management programmes, utilising a range of treatment skills and options to plan a suitable programme of care
9. To use recognised outcome measures to evaluate the effect of Physiotherapy interventions and ensure that treatment programmes are progressing appropriately.
10. To provide information, teaching and instruction to relatives, carers, other disciplines and agencies. To promote understanding of the aims of Physiotherapy and ensure continuation of the treatment programme.
11. To participate in multidisciplinary/multi-agency team meetings and case conferences to ensure the co-ordination of patient care. This may include the review of patient progress and discharge planning
12. To ensure accurate, comprehensive and up to date clinical records are maintained in accordance with Trust guidance and agreed criteria
13. To identify and employ suitable verbal and non-verbal communication skills with patients where there may be barriers to understanding or the inability to accept diagnosis. To facilitate the best possible communication outcome in every situation and use appropriate services e.g. interpreters, SALT
14. To ensure that individual practice and that of the local pathway team is user focused and patient views are incorporated into treatment planning
15. To employ appropriate skills such as persuasion, motivation and negotiation to gain co-operation in the continuation of the agreed treatment programme
16. To communicate with empathy, patient information which may be of a complex and sensitive nature
17. To receive complex patient related information from patients, relatives, carers and other professionals to effectively plan and develop individual case management
18. To communicate and advise regarding complex patient related information effectively to ensure collaborative working within the Therapy service and with other professionals across health and other agencies to ensure the delivery of a coordinated multidisciplinary service
19. To be integral in discharge planning including liaison with referring hospitals or community staff to which patients are discharged, providing timely discharge reports
20. To produce patient related reports for other disciplines or agencies relating to assessment findings and/or treatment outcomes
21. To participate in the measurement and evaluation of own work through audit, outcome measurement
22. To follow service policy regarding current clinical and service developments
23. To be accessible and provide clinical information to colleagues
24. To fully participate in whatever pattern of working is required by the service in the future
All clinical staff are accountable and responsible for their own clinical competence and should limit their actions to those for which they are deemed competent in line with guidance from their professional bodies.
Education, Training and Research
1. To educate patients/relatives/carers regarding the nature of the condition and the aims of physiotherapy intervention.
2. To be responsible for maintaining own competency to practice through continuing professional development activities including reflective practice, review of current research and relevant literature, maintenance of a personal portfolio and the attendance of specialist training courses as identified within a personal development plan
3. To participate in peer review as appropriate
4. To take an active role in appropriate uniprofessional and multiprofessional research initiatives.
5. To provide regular training for designated pathway staff.
6. In collaboration with the Inpatient Lead, to initiate implementation of new working practices on designated site.
7. In collaboration with the Inpatient Lead, to prepare, co-ordinate, participate and contribute to the delivery of a specific in-service training programme for staff in the designated pathway
8. To train, assess and confirm competency of staff within the pathway on designated site.
9. To undertake the tuition, supervision and performance assessment of undergraduate physiotherapy students. This will include working with universities to ensure the standard of practice and teaching meets the standards set by the degree level qualification.
10. To provide specialist teaching and instruction to other disciplines to ensure a consistent approach to patient care.
11. To assist/support colleagues undertaking higher education, audit and research projects
12. To participate in mandatory/statutory training as required by the Trust and national standards
13. To maintain state registration with the Health Professions Council (HPC) and to provide evidence of that registration annually upon request
Service Management
1. To educate patients/relatives/carers regarding the nature of the condition and the aims of Therapy intervention
2. To be responsible for maintaining own competency to practice through continuing professional development activities including reflective practice, maintenance of a personal portfolio and the attendance of specialist training courses as identified within a personal development plan
3. To participate in peer review as appropriate
4. To participate in regular training in pathway
5. In collaboration with the Pathway Team, to participate in implementation of new working practices.
6. To participate and contribute to the delivery of a specific in-service training programme for staff in the designated pathway
7. To provide information and instruction to other disciplines to ensure a consistent approach to patient care
8. To assist/support colleagues undertaking higher education, audit and research projects
9. To participate in mandatory/statutory training as required by the Trust and national standards
Service Development
1.To contribute to the development of a designated Therapy speciality in line with Trustwide Pathway development
2. To contribute to the implementation of service agreed policy and service changes for local work area in line with policy agreed for Pathway as a whole. The post holder will work with the other members of the Pathway Team to achieve this.
3. To contribute to developments within the Therapy service and the wider multidisciplinary/multi-agency team and if requested participate in related project groups
Human Resource Management
1. To demonstrate own duties to other support workers and provide practical training to less experienced staff
2. To participate in the Trust individual performance review process
3. To be aware of and comply with Trust policies and procedures
4. To facilitate effective team working within the pathway, leading, assisting and supporting other team members
5. To contribute to the clinical induction of Therapy staff
