Job summary
Suffolk Primary Care is looking for an experienced first contact physiotherapist to join a newly set-up, virtual practice providing services to 90,000 patients on a part- or full-time basis. We offer an exciting opportunity, in a great environment, for someone who wants to make a real difference to the lives of our patients.
We are innovative, responsive, and keen to promote bright new ways of doing things. If you are looking for a new challenge, or a change of scene, and would like to join a friendly, hard-working team, then we have the perfect opportunity for you.
Part of a virtual practice, you will work alongside patient contact coordinators, pharmacists and GPs to ensure safe and efficient management of cases; this may involve triage to other services or colleagues or providing assessment, management and advice.
Main duties of the job
SPC is an at-scale primary care provider in Suffolk, operating a demand-led model. Your role will, primarily, focus on initial identification and triage of patients contacting us via askmyGP.
You will provide expertise and leadership in your role, supporting wider multidisciplinary colleagues.
About us
SPC is an innovative partnership with likeminded Suffolk GP surgeries covering 130,000 patients. Doctors and practice staff share resources and work together to ensure patients continue to receive high quality healthcare. Suffolk Primary Care is committed to a policy of equal opportunities in employment.
Benefits of working for SPC include:
- NHS pension scheme
- The NHS pension scheme is a defined benefits scheme
- Life insurance
- Family benefits including an adult dependents' pension and children's pension
- Ill health benefits
- 20% employer contribution
- Electric Car Salary Sacrifice Scheme
- No deposit
- No credit check
- Fully comprehensive insurance
- Servicing and tyres
- Breakdown cover
- Up to 2,000 contribution from SPC subject to conditions
- Proper Pay
- Living Wage Foundation accredited
- GP remote working
- Eye care vouchers
- Health service discounts
- Annual Leave - minimum 33 days, including bank holidays, FTE, with enhancements for long service
- Enhanced maternity & paternity terms
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Be the first point of clinical contact for patients presenting with MSK conditions or symptoms, providing the patient with the primary triage, sign-posting, assessment, diagnosis and management options for their condition.
- Be able to recognise RED flags, serious pathology and potential underlying non MSK related disease, which may present as MSK symptoms and to refer appropriately.
- When needed, accelerate the patients referral to other health professionals/services.
- Use clinical practice skills and clinical reasoning to provide comprehensive diagnostic and treatment support to patients who present with complex musculoskeletal conditions and/or multiple pathologies and/or mental health and/or pain management needs.
- Independently request diagnostic tests including routine and specialist x-rays, MRI imaging, ultrasound scans and blood and other pathology tests. Interpret the results alongside traditional physiotherapeutic assessment techniques and nonclinical information to aid clinical diagnosis and decisions on potential treatment options/clinical interventions
- Carry own caseload as an autonomous practitioner, providing direct clinical/physiotherapeutic care for patients with a range of complex musculoskeletal conditions and who may have significant other primary or secondary conditions/multi-pathologies
- Use professional judgement and advanced clinical reasoning skills to make decisions about safe and effective patient care in unpredictable situations, including when there is incomplete/contradictory information
- Be able to work autonomously as a lone practitioner.
- Be able to demonstrate understanding of the impact of physiotherapeutic interventions on existing conditions and treatment programmes e.g. podiatric treatment, drug therapies, etc. Ensuring physiotherapy interventions are integrated and supportive of the whole treatment aims promoting a holistic approach to condition management.
- Be able to clinically justify referral onto appropriate MSK pathways within the community or wider healthcare services. Including referral to the appropriate stage of the pathway and the use of social prescribing
- For patients that remain the responsibility of primary care services, take the lead for the management of the patients journey on their care pathway, acting as the link for the patient between primary care and other services/professionals
- Be able to justify clinically referrals to other specialist services. This will include referral to acute and specialist services such as surgical orthopaedics, rheumatology and neurology, other AHP services, nursing services and to the primary care medical teams. This requires advanced knowledge of the role of other specialist health professionals
- Provide expert advice and act as source of expertise in the management of musculoskeletal conditions and provide a specialist advisory service to patients, specialist physiotherapists other specialist healthcare professionals and members of the primary care team. Including advising GPs on management of MSK conditions.
- Provide advice, instruction and teaching on aspects of management of a condition to patients, relatives, carers and other health professionals.
- Continually review and develop specialist clinical and diagnostic skills in response to service need.
- Be accountable for own decisions and actions via HCPC registration and professional standards.
- Review and develop organisational and service policies that support the maintenance of good clinical governance, manage risk and ensure patient safety is paramount.
- Be aware of and able to demonstrate of how the FCP role contributes to the achievement of key performance indicators [KPIs] for primary care.
- Where service improvement is required in order to achieve standards and KPIs, be a lead contributor to identifying where services need to be changed.
- Take forward operational change within our services to deliver improvements in service standards.
- Communicate effectively and appropriately with patients and their carers. This will include explaining the pathways and or diagnosis, prognosis and treatment choices available to manage multi-pathology and complex conditions. It will also involve communicating limitations on treatment outcomes and managing expectations of patients with chronic or life limiting conditions.
- Input or lead on relevant education and training of others up-to post graduate level to support the development of clinical practice skills and knowledge within the wider workforce.
Please see full job description attached.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Be the first point of clinical contact for patients presenting with MSK conditions or symptoms, providing the patient with the primary triage, sign-posting, assessment, diagnosis and management options for their condition.
- Be able to recognise RED flags, serious pathology and potential underlying non MSK related disease, which may present as MSK symptoms and to refer appropriately.
- When needed, accelerate the patients referral to other health professionals/services.
- Use clinical practice skills and clinical reasoning to provide comprehensive diagnostic and treatment support to patients who present with complex musculoskeletal conditions and/or multiple pathologies and/or mental health and/or pain management needs.
- Independently request diagnostic tests including routine and specialist x-rays, MRI imaging, ultrasound scans and blood and other pathology tests. Interpret the results alongside traditional physiotherapeutic assessment techniques and nonclinical information to aid clinical diagnosis and decisions on potential treatment options/clinical interventions
- Carry own caseload as an autonomous practitioner, providing direct clinical/physiotherapeutic care for patients with a range of complex musculoskeletal conditions and who may have significant other primary or secondary conditions/multi-pathologies
- Use professional judgement and advanced clinical reasoning skills to make decisions about safe and effective patient care in unpredictable situations, including when there is incomplete/contradictory information
- Be able to work autonomously as a lone practitioner.
- Be able to demonstrate understanding of the impact of physiotherapeutic interventions on existing conditions and treatment programmes e.g. podiatric treatment, drug therapies, etc. Ensuring physiotherapy interventions are integrated and supportive of the whole treatment aims promoting a holistic approach to condition management.
- Be able to clinically justify referral onto appropriate MSK pathways within the community or wider healthcare services. Including referral to the appropriate stage of the pathway and the use of social prescribing
- For patients that remain the responsibility of primary care services, take the lead for the management of the patients journey on their care pathway, acting as the link for the patient between primary care and other services/professionals
- Be able to justify clinically referrals to other specialist services. This will include referral to acute and specialist services such as surgical orthopaedics, rheumatology and neurology, other AHP services, nursing services and to the primary care medical teams. This requires advanced knowledge of the role of other specialist health professionals
- Provide expert advice and act as source of expertise in the management of musculoskeletal conditions and provide a specialist advisory service to patients, specialist physiotherapists other specialist healthcare professionals and members of the primary care team. Including advising GPs on management of MSK conditions.
- Provide advice, instruction and teaching on aspects of management of a condition to patients, relatives, carers and other health professionals.
- Continually review and develop specialist clinical and diagnostic skills in response to service need.
- Be accountable for own decisions and actions via HCPC registration and professional standards.
- Review and develop organisational and service policies that support the maintenance of good clinical governance, manage risk and ensure patient safety is paramount.
- Be aware of and able to demonstrate of how the FCP role contributes to the achievement of key performance indicators [KPIs] for primary care.
- Where service improvement is required in order to achieve standards and KPIs, be a lead contributor to identifying where services need to be changed.
- Take forward operational change within our services to deliver improvements in service standards.
- Communicate effectively and appropriately with patients and their carers. This will include explaining the pathways and or diagnosis, prognosis and treatment choices available to manage multi-pathology and complex conditions. It will also involve communicating limitations on treatment outcomes and managing expectations of patients with chronic or life limiting conditions.
- Input or lead on relevant education and training of others up-to post graduate level to support the development of clinical practice skills and knowledge within the wider workforce.
Please see full job description attached.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
Knowledge, Skills and Experience:
Essential
- Experienced MSK Physiotherapist
- A proven CPD training record
- Advanced knowledge of MSK conditions
- Understanding of different treatments/therapies for MSK pain
- Participation in education and training of peers
- Experience of managing own caseload
Desirable
- Educated to MSc level or equivalent i.e. evidenced achievement of advanced clinical practice across the four clinical pillars
- Independent prescribing qualification
- Primary care experience
- Understanding of current developments & challenges within primary care
- Management of patients with complex needs
- Management of frail, elderly patients with co morbidities
- Supervision and mentorship
- Experience of using clinical systems such as SystmOne
- Experience of using askmyGP
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
Knowledge, Skills and Experience:
Essential
- Experienced MSK Physiotherapist
- A proven CPD training record
- Advanced knowledge of MSK conditions
- Understanding of different treatments/therapies for MSK pain
- Participation in education and training of peers
- Experience of managing own caseload
Desirable
- Educated to MSc level or equivalent i.e. evidenced achievement of advanced clinical practice across the four clinical pillars
- Independent prescribing qualification
- Primary care experience
- Understanding of current developments & challenges within primary care
- Management of patients with complex needs
- Management of frail, elderly patients with co morbidities
- Supervision and mentorship
- Experience of using clinical systems such as SystmOne
- Experience of using askmyGP
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
