Senior Inpatient Physiotherapist

Job description

Job responsibilities

To undertake all aspects of clinical duties as an autonomous practitioner; to work alone with access to guidance from highly specialised Physiotherapists within the trust.

To be professionally and legally accountable for a designated patient caseload and to decide priorities for own work area, balancing other patient related and professional demands.

To manage clinical risk within own patient caseload. This may involve complex decision making regarding patients being safe to return to their place of residence or requiring admission to hospital. This may cause conflict within the multidisciplinary team and patients/carers requiring management and negotiation to ensure the best possible outcome.

To assess patients capacity, gain valid informed consent to treatment and where such capacity is lacking/absent, to work within a legal framework to manage the patient appropriately.

To undertake the specialist assessment and accurate diagnosis of the patients condition using expert investigative, analytical and enhanced clinical reasoning skills. From this specialised assessment, analyse findings and develop, implement and evaluate an individualised clinical management programme utilising a wide range of treatment options e.g. manual techniques, specialised gait re-education. Following evaluation, manage and close programmes at the appropriate time.

Drawing on previous specialist experience in the field of elderly rehabilitation, formulate and monitor rehabilitation care packages, analysing all options to plan individual and specialised programmes of care. Where appropriate share this information with the MDT and delegate to support staff.

To participate in and occasionally lead the formulation of social care packages e.g. delegating and signposting regarding social care in those patients for whom rehabilitation is inappropriate at that point in time.

To evaluate progress, re-assess and alter exercise and treatment programmes as required using specialist knowledge. To access other specialities if required e.g. telecare, mental health care teams.

To provide spontaneous and planned advice, as well as teaching and instruction to relatives, carers, other disciplines and agencies to promote understanding of the aims of physiotherapy for each individual patient, and to ensure continuation of the individualised treatment programme. This will include manual handling advice and falls prevention.

To attend and initiate multidisciplinary / multi agency team meetings and case conferences to ensure the coordination of patient care. This will include review of patient progress, setting of short and long-term goals, and discharge planning.

To ensure accurate, comprehensive and up-to-date clinical records are maintained, and realistic short-term and long-term goals are set. Ensure these goals are evaluated and reviewed at the appropriate timescales in accordance with Trust guidance and professionally agreed criteria.

To produce comprehensive patient-related reports and correspondence for other disciplines or agencies relating to assessment findings and/or treatment outcomes.

To undertake ongoing measurement and evaluation of own work through audit, outcome measurement, and the application of evidence-based practice and research where appropriate.

To be responsible for formulating accurate prognoses and recommending the best course of intervention when developing comprehensive discharge plans.

To work to Trust and Chartered Society of Physiotherapy clinical guidelines and have a good working knowledge of relevant national standards to which quality of practice should be monitored.

To meet potential requirements of flexible working as part of potential changes in service re-design or to support staffing difficulties.

To identify and employ suitable verbal and non-verbal communication skills with patients, relatives and carers who may have difficulties in understanding or communicating for example, hearing loss, altered perception, expressive and receptive dysphasia, dementia, pain, fear or the inability to accept diagnosis (including the terminally ill patient).

To educate patients/relatives/carers regarding the nature of the condition/prognosis, the aims of physiotherapy intervention and long-term management in the home.

To engage the patient, and relatives/carers where appropriate, in the planning and agreement of a treatment programme to maximise rehabilitation potential.

To employ appropriate skills to facilitate motivation and gain co-operation in the continuation of the agreed treatment programme and management of the patients condition.

To communicate with empathy, patient information which may be of a complex and sensitive nature.

To communicate complex patient-related information effectively to ensure collaborative working within the physiotherapy service and with other professionals across health and external agencies e.g. GPs, consultants, to ensure the delivery of a coordinated multidisciplinary service.

To assist the senior staff with the prioritisation and management of a designated Inpatient caseload.

To supervise, train, advise, support and manage physiotherapists, physiotherapy technicians/assistants, students and community care workers performance who report to the post-holder.

To attend and contribute to departmental, countywide and wider organisational meetings to ensure the effective exchange of information across the team and co-ordination of local service delivery.

To be responsible for the operational management of the team that reports to the post-holder; coordinating, allocating and organising the work of junior and assistant staff to meet service priorities.

Supervise work experience students.

To take responsibility for the appropriate selection, issue and education regarding the safe use of equipment to patients (following specialist assessment) e.g. the appropriate walking aid to promote independent safe mobility in a variety of environments.

To undertake specific tasks as designated by more senior staff and to delegate specific tasks or workload to unqualified staff.

To contribute to physiotherapy service development through audit and dissemination of information.

To propose service changes for own work area based on specialist knowledge, and if requested lead local project groups. Once agreed then implement, monitor and audit if appropriate.

To participate in the trusts individual review process as an appraisee and appraiser, with responsibility for clinical supervision (formally every 8 weeks as a minimum) for all staff that are line managed by the post holder.

To adhere to the policies and procedures of the Trust and Physiotherapy service.

To maintain state registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and to provide evidence of that registration bi-annually upon request.

To provide learning opportunities for rehabilitation assistants, Physiotherapy, Occupational therapy and Nursing students through shadowing.

To be responsible for maintaining own competency to practice through continuing professional development activities including reflective practice, review of relevant literature, participation in local in-service training programmes and peer review, maintenance of a personal portfolio and the attendance of relevant training courses as identified within a personal development plan.

To be an active member, contribute to, and occasionally lead the delivery of the in-service training programme.

To maintain and develop current knowledge of evidence-based practice within the rehabilitation field, and further develop specialist knowledge of specific conditions and patient types.

To take ongoing responsibility for the tuition of physiotherapists, therapy technicians and assistants.

To undertake the tuition, supervision and performance assessment of undergraduate and postgraduate physiotherapy students. This will include working with the universities to ensure the standard of practice and teaching meets the standards set by the degree level qualification.

Provide teaching and instruction to other disciplines to ensure a consistent approach to patient care.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Diploma/degree in Physiotherapy
• HCPC registration

Desirable

• Membership to CSP

Length and nature of experience

Essential

• Broad range of clinical experience across a variety of clinical areas
• Solid experience as a physiotherapist, or the ability to demonstrate relevant experience in the field of rehabilitation
• Experience of managing junior members of staff and rehabilitation assistants
• Evidence of working unsupervised
• Evidence of working across multi-disciplinary and multi-agency boundaries

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Forest of Dean Community Hospital

Steam Mills Road

Cinderford

GL14 3HY

Employer's website

https://www.ghc.nhs.uk/who-we-are/jobs/ (Opens in a new tab)