Job responsibilities

Clinical:

1. To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own work, including the management of patients in your care.

2. To be responsible for maintaining accurate and comprehensive patient treatment records in line with Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) standards of practice and local/organisational policy.

3. To undertake a comprehensive assessment of patients including those with diverse or multi pathologies; use clinical reasoning skills and manual assessment techniques to provide an accurate clinical diagnosis of their condition.

4. Formulate and deliver an individual physiotherapy treatment programme based on a sound knowledge of evidence based practice and treatment options using clinical assessment, reasoning skills and knowledge of treatment skills e.g. manual physiotherapy techniques, patient education, exercise classes, electrotherapy techniques and other alternatives.

5. To take delegated responsibility from the Team Leader for managing patients with particular conditions and be responsible for providing specialist physiotherapy assessment and treatment plans for patients with these conditions within each rotation.

6. Formulate accurate prognoses and recommend best course of intervention, developing comprehensive management plans.

7. Assess patient understanding of treatment proposals, gain valid informed consent, which must be documented and have the capacity to work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment. To comply with local confidentiality policies, child protection and vulnerable adult procedures.

8. Use an extensive range of verbal and non-verbal communication tools to communicate effectively with patients/carers: to motivate, gain co-operation, to progress rehabilitation and treatment programmes. This will include patients who may have difficulties in understanding or communicating. For example, patients may be dysphasic, cognitively impaired, depressed, deaf, visually impaired, or be unable to accept diagnosis, or have unrealistic expectations of Physiotherapy intervention.

9. To prescribe, order and instruct patients in the safe use of appropriate equipment and recommend low level adaptations in line with Organisation policies and procedures.

10. Evaluate patient progress, reassess and alter treatment programmes if required.

11. To manage clinical risk within own patient caseload and report incidents and near misses

12. Work within Livewell Southwest clinical guidelines and CSP guidelines and have a good working knowledge of national and local standards. Monitor own and others quality of practice as appropriate.

13. When working in the community and domiciliary settings, work as a lone practitioner with telephone support from a senior physiotherapist if required.

14. Provide planned and spontaneous specialist advice and teaching to relatives, carers and other professions and agencies involved in the patients care.

15. Train, supervise and performance manage unregistered staff and students, with assistance from more senior members of the physiotherapy team. This will include the use of formal appraisal documentation.

16. Represent the physiotherapy service and/or individual patients at multi-disciplinary/multi-agency, team/care meetings, to ensure the delivery of a co-ordinated multidisciplinary service, and integrate physiotherapy treatment into the treatment programme. This will include discussion of patient care, patient progress and involvement in discharge planning. This may include working as a Key Worker and leading discussions and the discharge planning process.

17. To be responsible for the safe and competent use of all gym equipment, electrotherapy equipment and patient appliances and aids used by patients. Ensure that more junior staff/assistants attain competency prior to use of equipment.

Professional:

1. To be responsible for maintaining own competency to practice through CPD activities, and maintain a portfolio which reflects personal development.

2. Maintain and develop current knowledge of evidenced-based practice in the areas of each rotation, developing specialist knowledge of particular conditions and patient types.

3. Keep abreast of professional and national standards and clinical guidelines e.g. National Service Frameworks, NICE guidelines.

4. Participate in the staff appraisal scheme as an appraisee and be responsible for complying with your agreed personal development programmes to meet set knowledge and competencies.

5. Participate in the staff appraisal scheme as an appraiser, when qualified to do so.

6. Undertake the measurement and evaluation of your work and current practices through the use of evidence based practice projects, audit and outcome measures, either individually or with more senior physiotherapists.

7. Be an active member of the in-service training programme by attendance at and participation in, in-service training programmes, tutorials, individual training sessions, external courses and peer review. This will include teaching and contributing to planning training when appropriate.

8. To undertake as directed the collection of data for use in service audit and research projects.

9. Be actively involved in professional clinical groups, such as Journal Clubs, CSP Clinical Interest Groups, Peer Review Groups and other professional development activities.

10. To provide clinical education and training to physiotherapy students to graduate level. Provide support, guidance and training to assistants, including assessing and evaluating competence.

Organisational:

1. Be responsible for the supervision and co-ordination of students and assistants on a daily basis.

2. Ensure that your own practice and that of staff under your supervision meets the required professional standards of physiotherapy practice.

3. Be responsible for the safe and competent use of gym, electrotherapy and other equipment by yourself, patients and student physiotherapists, through teaching, training and supervision of practice. Be aware of relevant Health and Safety/Risk issues and ensure those under your supervision understand their responsibilities.

4. Be responsible for organising and planning own caseload to meet service and patient priorities. Readjust plans as situations change/arise.

5. Take a flexible approach to supporting colleagues in times of caseload pressure, including working with colleagues to maintain clinical cover across the team within the resources available.

6. In collaboration with other team members and mangers of all disciplines, develop and implement practice changes, policies, protocols and guidelines.

7. Contribute to the collection, maintenance and dissemination of performance activity, waiting times and lists. Contribute to methods to most effectively manage caseload pressures.

A full job description is available in the supporting documentation

Knowledge

Essential

• Demonstrate an understanding of multi-disciplinary team working and individual roles.
• Knowledge and understanding of Clinical Governance.

Desirable

• Extensive knowledge of Physiotherapy in rehabilitation.

Skills

Essential

• Skills in clinical assessment, intervention and evaluation.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Excellent time management and organisational skills.
• Ability to be creative and transpose established treatment methods into a home rehab setting.
• Ability to work in teams.

Desirable

• Experience in applying research to practice.
• Leadership qualities.

Experience

Essential

• Autonomous practitioner with experience of managing a caseload.
• Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary team in a rehabilitation setting.
• Experience of delivering in- service training programmes.
• Evidence of CPD.

Desirable

• Experience of waiting list management.
• Experience of working with staff from other agencies.
• Experienced clinical educator of students.
• Experience of audit projects.
• Experience of supervision of junior staff and/or assistants.
• Experience of teaching.

Qualifications

Essential

• Degree or equivalent in physiotherapy.
• HCPC Registration.
• Evidence of on-going education and professional development.
• Computer literacy.
• Recognised qualification in written and spoken English if this is not first language.

Desirable

• Clinical educator.
• Evidence of ongoing professional development through formal/informal short courses.
• Membership of relevant Special Interest Group.

Additional Requirements

Essential

• Ability to frequently travel independently and in a timely manner between Livewell Southwest sites and community locations, including areas not served by public transport, and to handle and transport equipment that may be large or heavy.

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).