Job summary
This therapy assistant practitioner role is an integral part of the team delivering therapy outpatient services in Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy at RJAH.
You will assist in the provision of high-quality outpatient therapy working in the specialities of musculoskeletal/orthopaedics, rheumatology, neurology, pelvic health and hands patients in the Therapy Outpatient department. This role includes delivering classes and groups in the gym and hydrotherapy pool setting.
Under the guidance of the registered Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists, you will provide comprehensive assessment and treatment to the variety of patient groups working unsupervised as an autonomous practitioner with responsibility for managing a delegated caseload.
In delivering class and group sessions for outpatients referred to Outpatient Therapy services you will have responsibilities for assisting in scheduling and booking appointments within the gym and hydrotherapy pool settings and overseeing the day to day operational running of these sessions.
You will also contribute to the operational running of the Therapy Outpatient service and manage and organise your own professional duties within the department.
Main duties of the job
To be responsible for own caseload, working without direct supervision within the remit of the post with routine evaluation of clinical practice in the role.
To use an evidence-based, person centred approach in the planning, implementation, evaluation of therapy and rehabilitation programmes and interventions following guidelines and protocols and role competencies, facilitating optimal outcomes for patients referred to the service.
To work as an integral part of the Outpatient Therapy team and the multi-disciplinary team, representing Therapy Services, communicating effectively with colleagues, patients, their families, and carers maintaining interactions with external agencies as required.
About us
The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic NHS Trust (RJAH)is one of the leading orthopaedic hospitals in the country, with some of the highest levels of staff and patient satisfaction, as well as a strong reputation for research and innovation.
Joining RJAH is more than just a job - we want our people to have the best opportunities to thrive in their role.We have a range of fantastic staff benefits on offer to everyone who joins RJAH and you'll have access to outstanding professional development opportunities and state-of-the-art facilities - including our recently-opened £6 million Headley Court Veterans' Orthopaedic Centre (the first unit of its kind in the UK).RJAH has strong links with a range of universities including Staffordshire, Keele, Glyndwr, Chester and Birmingham.The hospital is located on a site outside Oswestry in Oswestry, just off the A5. The nearest train station is in Gobowen, approximately two miles from the hospital. The station is part of the Chester to Birmingham line.We are based in North Shropshire, close to the border with North and Mid Wales. It is one of the most attractive parts of the country, with a rich historic culture and excellent transport links. It offers outstanding opportunities for anyone who enjoys an outdoor lifestyle or is looking to raise a family.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To work as a member of the multidisciplinary team, representing the Therapy Service, establishing effective communication with colleagues, patients and carers, and maintaining interactions with external agencies.
To use an evidence-based, person-centred approach in the planning, implementation, evaluation and monitoring of agreed interventions following guidelines and protocols to promote the functional independence of patients.
To provide specialist rehabilitation skills in both individual and group sessions, progressing patients as appropriate, at the direction of a physiotherapist or occupational therapist in unsupervised settings.
To hold responsibility for own caseload, working without direct supervision within the remit of the post. Formal supervision will take place regularly and access to advice and support from a registered therapist; clinical work is routinely evaluated.
To work within agreed protocols and own competencies referring cases that progress to complex back to the Therapist, or where appropriate, to continue after advice has been given.
Clinical
To accept clinical responsibility for a designated caseload of patients and to organise this effectively and efficiently with regards to clinical priorities and use of time.
To ensure a high standard of clinical care for the patients under your management and support more junior staff to do likewise.
To apply appropriate anatomy and physiology knowledge specific to a patient group to facilitate appropriate decision making.
To be able to recognise the needs of a patient based on their planned condition, functional status and co morbidities. This may include provision of equipment, walking aids or referral to external agencies on discharge.
To be involved in the timely assessment and ensure completion of the relevant paperwork to support clinical justification. Being responsible for the safe and competent use of all equipment used in Therapy Outpatients to ensure the safe use of therapeutic equipment.
To assess the patients understanding of therapeutic and treatment proposals, gain their valid informed consent.
To communicate effectively with patients and their carers, to maximise rehabilitation potential and therapeutic goals.
To develop and maintain skills required to provide and receive sensitive or contentious information, from patients and carers. The skills required include those of persuasion, motivation, negotiation, training, empathy and reassurance.
To provide accurate feedback to the Therapist of any change in the patients condition where the patients presentation differs from that identified with the agreed protocols and guidelines or that falls beyond own competency levels.
To be able to recognise and act accordingly when treating a deteriorating patient who requires intervention from another profession such as nurses, doctors or other health professionals.
To maintain accurate, comprehensive and up-to-date records for your patients, in line with legal and clinical requirements. Be able to communicate assessment and treatment outcomes to the appropriate disciplines in the form of reports or letters when appropriate.
Professional
- To set high personal and professional standards of work within the Trust clinical guidelines. Be aware of and work to Trust and Departmental policies, procedures and guidelines.
- To use the Trust values at all times as a framework for own behaviour and encourage others to do the likewise, ensuring the values underpin all that is done by the Therapy team.
- To respond positively to service change and development. Contribute ideas for future development through agreed Trust and Departmental policies and procedures.
- To review and reflect on own practice and performance through effective use of supervision and participation in organisational appraisal system. Undertaking relevant activities to meet development objectives as identified through the performance review process.
- To be responsible for maintaining own competency to practice through continued professional development activities e.g. a portfolio / professional diary that reflects personal development and practically demonstrates theory learned.
- To attend all statutory and mandatory training as required and be responsible for applying the learnt principles to everyday practice.
- Be an active member of the in-service training programme by attendance at and participation in CPD and IST programmes, tutorials, individual training sessions, internal/external courses and peer review.
- To be responsible for the safe and competent use of equipment by patients, carers and other healthcare professionals, through teaching, training and supervision of practice.
- To assist in providing guidance and supervision to junior staff and students within the team.
- To promote and support patients rights, by promoting individual choice, respecting their beliefs, and ensuring privacy and dignity at all times.
- To take on the optional responsibility of link training or additional duty within the department as requested.
Organisational
- To be responsible for organising and planning own work caseload to meet service and patient priorities, realising the need to be flexible and being able to adjust plans as situations arise.
- To attend departmental and team meetings and contribute ideas for the progress and planning of the service provided.
- To comply with departmental and organisational policies and procedures and to be involved in the reviewing and updating as requested.
- To undertake as directed the collection of appropriate data or statistics for use in service audit and research projects.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To work as a member of the multidisciplinary team, representing the Therapy Service, establishing effective communication with colleagues, patients and carers, and maintaining interactions with external agencies.
To use an evidence-based, person-centred approach in the planning, implementation, evaluation and monitoring of agreed interventions following guidelines and protocols to promote the functional independence of patients.
To provide specialist rehabilitation skills in both individual and group sessions, progressing patients as appropriate, at the direction of a physiotherapist or occupational therapist in unsupervised settings.
To hold responsibility for own caseload, working without direct supervision within the remit of the post. Formal supervision will take place regularly and access to advice and support from a registered therapist; clinical work is routinely evaluated.
To work within agreed protocols and own competencies referring cases that progress to complex back to the Therapist, or where appropriate, to continue after advice has been given.
Clinical
To accept clinical responsibility for a designated caseload of patients and to organise this effectively and efficiently with regards to clinical priorities and use of time.
To ensure a high standard of clinical care for the patients under your management and support more junior staff to do likewise.
To apply appropriate anatomy and physiology knowledge specific to a patient group to facilitate appropriate decision making.
To be able to recognise the needs of a patient based on their planned condition, functional status and co morbidities. This may include provision of equipment, walking aids or referral to external agencies on discharge.
To be involved in the timely assessment and ensure completion of the relevant paperwork to support clinical justification. Being responsible for the safe and competent use of all equipment used in Therapy Outpatients to ensure the safe use of therapeutic equipment.
To assess the patients understanding of therapeutic and treatment proposals, gain their valid informed consent.
To communicate effectively with patients and their carers, to maximise rehabilitation potential and therapeutic goals.
To develop and maintain skills required to provide and receive sensitive or contentious information, from patients and carers. The skills required include those of persuasion, motivation, negotiation, training, empathy and reassurance.
To provide accurate feedback to the Therapist of any change in the patients condition where the patients presentation differs from that identified with the agreed protocols and guidelines or that falls beyond own competency levels.
To be able to recognise and act accordingly when treating a deteriorating patient who requires intervention from another profession such as nurses, doctors or other health professionals.
To maintain accurate, comprehensive and up-to-date records for your patients, in line with legal and clinical requirements. Be able to communicate assessment and treatment outcomes to the appropriate disciplines in the form of reports or letters when appropriate.
Professional
- To set high personal and professional standards of work within the Trust clinical guidelines. Be aware of and work to Trust and Departmental policies, procedures and guidelines.
- To use the Trust values at all times as a framework for own behaviour and encourage others to do the likewise, ensuring the values underpin all that is done by the Therapy team.
- To respond positively to service change and development. Contribute ideas for future development through agreed Trust and Departmental policies and procedures.
- To review and reflect on own practice and performance through effective use of supervision and participation in organisational appraisal system. Undertaking relevant activities to meet development objectives as identified through the performance review process.
- To be responsible for maintaining own competency to practice through continued professional development activities e.g. a portfolio / professional diary that reflects personal development and practically demonstrates theory learned.
- To attend all statutory and mandatory training as required and be responsible for applying the learnt principles to everyday practice.
- Be an active member of the in-service training programme by attendance at and participation in CPD and IST programmes, tutorials, individual training sessions, internal/external courses and peer review.
- To be responsible for the safe and competent use of equipment by patients, carers and other healthcare professionals, through teaching, training and supervision of practice.
- To assist in providing guidance and supervision to junior staff and students within the team.
- To promote and support patients rights, by promoting individual choice, respecting their beliefs, and ensuring privacy and dignity at all times.
- To take on the optional responsibility of link training or additional duty within the department as requested.
Organisational
- To be responsible for organising and planning own work caseload to meet service and patient priorities, realising the need to be flexible and being able to adjust plans as situations arise.
- To attend departmental and team meetings and contribute ideas for the progress and planning of the service provided.
- To comply with departmental and organisational policies and procedures and to be involved in the reviewing and updating as requested.
- To undertake as directed the collection of appropriate data or statistics for use in service audit and research projects.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Evidence of basic education in literacy and numeracy (minimum of 5 GCSE's C and above or equivalent including English. Functional skills level 2)
- A levels, NVQ Level 3 qualification or equivalent skills in relevant subjects e.g. biology, social care
- Evidence of knowledge and skills sufficient to demonstrate the ability and willingness to study and work at the level equivalent to a foundation degree
Desirable
- Relevant courses in gym and pool/swimming/lifeguarding
- Evidence of Foundation Degree level study (level 5) or equivalent
Experience
Essential
- Significant previous work experience e.g. in health or rehabilitation setting
Desirable
- Previous experience working with long term health conditions (e.g. Arthritis, Stroke, Spinal Cord Injury). Experience of working in a gym setting, rehabilitation or hydrotherapy
- Previous experience working as a band 3 level support workers
Skills and Competencies
Essential
- Ability to work independently to an agreed treatment programme or protocol and to modify programmes, as appropriate within levels of competence
- To demonstrate organisational skills and the ability to self manage workload
- To demonstrate proven ability to: o Interact appropriately with patients, developing rapport with patients, carers and members of outpatient team and wider multi-disciplinary team
- To communicate effectively and have good written and verbal communication skills
- To carry out safe moving and handling
- To have a good understanding of the patient condition and its impact on the therapy intervention
- To demonstrate good interpersonal skills
- Flexible in working practise
- Ability to learn through experience and accept feedback from others
Desirable
- IT skills e.g. inputting patient information onto booking systems, checking patient notes on EPR
- Admin skills e.g. answering the telephone, contacting patients, filing notes correctly
- Ability to take appropriate outcome measures for MSK, Rheumatology and Neurology patients e.g. Timed Up and Go Test
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of patient specific conditions (MSK, Rheumatology, Neurology, Orthopaedics)
- Knowledge of therapy techniques and/or activities relevant to patient group, acquired through experience and training within a healthcare setting
- Knowledge and experience of equipment /walking aids to facilitate functional independence
- Knowledge of the role of the assistant practitioner
Desirable
- Knowledge of electronic patient records system
- How to instruct in the use of exercise equipment in the gym and in the pool
- Basic Infection Prevention Control knowledge e.g. cleaning schedules and audits
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Evidence of basic education in literacy and numeracy (minimum of 5 GCSE's C and above or equivalent including English. Functional skills level 2)
- A levels, NVQ Level 3 qualification or equivalent skills in relevant subjects e.g. biology, social care
- Evidence of knowledge and skills sufficient to demonstrate the ability and willingness to study and work at the level equivalent to a foundation degree
Desirable
- Relevant courses in gym and pool/swimming/lifeguarding
- Evidence of Foundation Degree level study (level 5) or equivalent
Experience
Essential
- Significant previous work experience e.g. in health or rehabilitation setting
Desirable
- Previous experience working with long term health conditions (e.g. Arthritis, Stroke, Spinal Cord Injury). Experience of working in a gym setting, rehabilitation or hydrotherapy
- Previous experience working as a band 3 level support workers
Skills and Competencies
Essential
- Ability to work independently to an agreed treatment programme or protocol and to modify programmes, as appropriate within levels of competence
- To demonstrate organisational skills and the ability to self manage workload
- To demonstrate proven ability to: o Interact appropriately with patients, developing rapport with patients, carers and members of outpatient team and wider multi-disciplinary team
- To communicate effectively and have good written and verbal communication skills
- To carry out safe moving and handling
- To have a good understanding of the patient condition and its impact on the therapy intervention
- To demonstrate good interpersonal skills
- Flexible in working practise
- Ability to learn through experience and accept feedback from others
Desirable
- IT skills e.g. inputting patient information onto booking systems, checking patient notes on EPR
- Admin skills e.g. answering the telephone, contacting patients, filing notes correctly
- Ability to take appropriate outcome measures for MSK, Rheumatology and Neurology patients e.g. Timed Up and Go Test
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of patient specific conditions (MSK, Rheumatology, Neurology, Orthopaedics)
- Knowledge of therapy techniques and/or activities relevant to patient group, acquired through experience and training within a healthcare setting
- Knowledge and experience of equipment /walking aids to facilitate functional independence
- Knowledge of the role of the assistant practitioner
Desirable
- Knowledge of electronic patient records system
- How to instruct in the use of exercise equipment in the gym and in the pool
- Basic Infection Prevention Control knowledge e.g. cleaning schedules and audits
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.
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).
Additional information
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.
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).
Employer details
Employer name
Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Address
The Robert Jones And Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital
Twmpath Lane
Gobowen, Oswestry
SY107AG
Employer's website
https://www.rjah.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)
