Team Lead Physiotherapist ( rapid Access to acute Rehabilitation)

Job responsibilities

Clinical Responsibilities

To assess and treat patients with complex needs who would benefit from a coordinated multidisciplinary assessment, rehabilitation and discharge services.

To receive referrals, undertake full assessment and independently plan individual, specialized, evidence-based, treatment programmes for patients appropriately depending on the physiotherapists diagnosis, using clinical reasoning and a variety of highly specialist skills such as use of respiratory adjuncts, tracheostomy management, tone management, posture and seating management.

To carry a significant clinical caseload including highly complex and diverse patient groups such as patients with traumatic brain injury, complex poly trauma where brain injury or a neurology diagnosis is the predominant presentation, patients with spinal injury, amputees and critical care neuropathy.

To prioritise work efficiently taking into account clinical and service priorities using highly specialist knowledge to underpin decisions.

To provide individual patient equipment as required, such as, walking aids, splints and supports. To issue such equipment with due regard to safety of the equipment, and in line with legal, national and local guidelines

To be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of own work, and of the team, including management of clinical risk, knowledge of indications and precautions of chosen techniques in line with national and trust clinical guidelines, protocols and pathways where they exist.

To use recognized outcome measures to evaluate the effect of the physiotherapy interventions and ensure the treatment programmes are progressing appropriately.

Advise, guide and teach assistant, junior and band 6 staff, assessment and management of patients with a wide range of neurological conditions and related problems.

To develop new working practices and local guidelines and keep abreast of new techniques in relation to the management of the patients in this specialty particularly in line with any national guidance e.g NICE guidelines for rehabilitation after a traumatic injury.

To lead on production of clinical guidelines and local policies ensuring evidence-based, implemented and audited.

To provide guidance and advice to other professions and bodies involved in the provision of rehabilitation and neurological services and to the patients and their carers.

To be an active member of the on-call, weekend duty rotas, and cover of statutory and public holidays including working as lone physiotherapy practitioner at night.

To support the team to identify appropriate referrals, capacity and demand and prioritise workload across the team and other services within physiotherapy, particularly in relation to staff absence.

To identify risks, complete risk assessments and implement risk management strategies and document this accurately.

To recognise any change in the condition of the patient and alter treatment accordingly or escalate to medical teams as required.

To work within local policies and procedures, national standards and guidelines and adhere to the Health Care Professionals Council and Chartered Society of physiotherapy professional standards and ethics.

To support patients in setting their own goals, then implementing this and evaluating appropriately.

To plan and implement individual and/or group interventions, in collaboration with clients and carers, to achieve therapeutic goals.

To liaise with professionals in onward services to ensure continuity of care.

To work as an autonomous practitioner and display appropriate problem solving, analytical and judgement skills.

People Management and Performance

Lead, coach and manage the performance of the team in line with good people management practices. Ensuring excellence is recognised and underperformance is addressed.

Participate in regular performance appraisal meetings and ensure each member of the team has a clear set of objectives and development plans.

Ensure the team is compliance with all statutory, mandatory training together with any professional training requirements, ensuring they are up to date and fully compliant.

Manage team absences including sickness in line with Trust policy ensuring the appropriate return to work meetings occur, e-roster is updated and productivity is at keep to the highest possible level.

Identify and fill any vacancies that arise within the team in line with the Trusts recruitment policy and process.

Identify talent and support the internal talent management process in order attract and retain and succession plan for your people.

Review skills mix at regular intervals in order to identify any potential opportunities to maximise resource utilisation / allocation, ensuring job descriptions are kept up to date.

Ensure overall wellbeing of the team is maintained. Continuously support in improving the morale of the team and implementing a culture of zero-tolerance for bullying and harassment.

Communication and Representation

To establish robust communication networks with patients, carers, multidisciplinary members and other agencies.

To provide and receive information from patients, carers and other professionals regarding a patients condition and treatment progress. This will include the sharing and receiving of some complex and/or sensitive information

To promote awareness of the role of physiotherapy within the team, negotiating priorities where appropriate.

To ensure that up to date written and electronic records and activity data are maintained in accordance with professional and trust standards and provide reports relevant to practice setting.

To represent physiotherapy at ward, departmental and service level meetings, including delegation for the clinical lead physiotherapist or Deputy Head of Therapy.

To be skilled in managing differences of opinions, conflict and difficult conversations

Strategy and Planning

To participate in the planning, development and evaluation of physiotherapy services within a designated area/team, holding responsibility for defined projects.

To assist in developing services and standards according to the RAAR physiotherapy objectives.

Contribute to the trusts clinical governance arrangements and quality agenda, including the setting and monitoring of practice standards.

To apply national guidelines/legislation relating to health and social care in the NHS service provision.

Education, Training and Research

To monitor and advise in the allocation of students in the rapid access to acute rehabilitation physiotherapy team.

To review and reflect on own practice and performance through effective use of professional and operational supervision and appraisal.

To promote development of physiotherapists, physiotherapy assistants, technicians and students according to their training and development needs as identified through supervision and appraisal.

To regularly supervise physiotherapy students on practice placement.

To co-ordinate supervision and appraisal of senior and junior staff.

To contribute to the induction and training of students and other staff both within the trust and where appropriate externally.

To participate in and present on the in-service training, preceptorship programmes, multi-disciplinary trainings and external conferences.

To undertake audit projects and take part in research projects, relevant to the service area, disseminating findings at local level.

To demonstrate the ability to critically evaluate current research, apply them to practice and disseminate findings at a local and / or national level.

To demonstrate ongoing personal and professional development through participation in internal and external development opportunities.

To keep in touch with new developments and changing trends in physiotherapy and participate in wider issues of providing an physiotherapy service i.e. quality assurance, public relations including liaison with the community; planning and policy making.

To undertake any other duties commensurate within the grade

Education and Qualifications

Essential

• Physiotherapy Degree/ Equivalent
• HCPC Registration
• Portfolio and evidence of continuing professional development

Desirable

• Masters degree or equivalent
• Member of Professional Body
• Member of Specialist Section or special interest group

Knowledge and Experience

Essential

• Experience of working with patients in an acute medical and/or rehabilitation setting at a senior level
• Experience of working with patients with major trauma and neurological conditions
• Experience supervising qualified staff or students
• Wide-ranging post-graduate clinical experience including respiratory, rehab and musculo-skeletal conditions
• Experience of audit procedures
• Specialist knowledge and experience of physiotherapy assessment and interventions in neurology including acute and rehab
• Application of standardised assessments and outcome measures
• Extensive clinical experience in relevant clinical area outcome measures
• Experience in the application of health and safety risk management
• Detailed knowledge of clinical governance and its application
• Concise and accurate report writing skills

Desirable

• Significant experience in a range of healthcare settings
• Experience of presenting to small and large audiences

Skills and Competencies

Essential

• Able to prioritise and manage stress
• Ability to build effective working relationships
• Ability to work autonomously, planning and prioritising own workload
• Able to undertake therapeutic manual handling tasks
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, adapting to barriers to communication
• Knowledge of relevant legislation, policies and guidelines
• Ability to analyse professional and ethical issues
• Excellent IT and record keeping skills
• Presentation and training skills
• Ability to promote wellbeing within a team
• Ability to work flexibly across sites and with weekend working

Desirable

• Ability to develop staff

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).