Job summary
19.48 hours per week.
An exciting opportunity has arisen within the Prosthetics Rehabilitation Service for a Prosthetics Specialist Physiotherapist for 1-year fixed term maternity cover. It is a part time position of 19.5 hours per week. We are looking for a motivated, enthusiastic and innovative person to join our friendly team providing high quality care to amputees and people with congenital limb difference.
Main Duties:
You will work as part of the MDT which includes Prosthetists, Nurse, Technicians and Clinical Assistants to support the rehabilitation and lifelong prosthetic care of patients who have undergone amputation / limb difference.
Main tasks include assessment of new and established amputees, liaison with wide range of professionals involved in patient care to ensure timely input, onward referral, expert advice to patients and other professionals, writing of clinic letters, teaching / education alongside assisting with line management of specialist nurse and physiotherapy assistant.
To plan, deliver and evaluate individual specialist programmes of rehabilitation for patients with highly complex and/or chronic presentation, who have been supplied with prosthetic limbs, providing specialist advice and expertise to other members of the multi-disciplinary team, within the Thornberry Centre and our geographical footprint.
Comprehensive JD attached.
Main duties of the job
To maintain HCPC registration and provide effective resource in terms of education, training development of non-specialist physios working in amputee rehabilitation within catchment population.
To provide highly specialist physiotherapy expertise, both independently and as part of the dedicated multi-disciplinary team, for people with amputation presenting with highly complex functional, postural and mobility requirements who are referred to the Thornberry Centre for amputee rehabilitation.
To plan, deliver and evaluate individual specialist programmes of rehabilitation for patients with highly complex and/or chronic presentation, who have been supplied with prosthetic limbs, providing specialist advice and expertise to other members of the multi-disciplinary team, within the Thornberry Centre.
To act as line manager for service therapy and nursing staff.
This role is peripatetic, working at the Prosthetic Rehabilitation Services, satellite clinics, hospitals, hospices, residential/nursing homes, schools/colleges and patients homes and workplaces. Travel will be required in and around south west Devon and Cornwall.
We welcome applicants to arrange a visit to the Thornberry Centre to meet the team and see the department - please contact Laura Elliott 01752 434200 if this is something you would like to arrange.
About us
Livewell Southwest is an independent, award-winning social enterprise providing integrated health & social care services for people across Plymouth, South Hams & West Devon, as well as some specialist services for people living in parts of Devon & Cornwall. With teams in community hospitals, GP practices, sports centres, health & wellbeing hubs.
As an organisation with a strong social conscience, we always value being kind, respectful, inclusive, ambitious, responsible and collaborative. Transforming services to make them sustainable, ensuring that we value, support & empower each other.
We are committed to involving the people we care for, families & carers in everything that we do, working towards co-production where we can. Helping us to deliver the right care for people, in the right place & at the right time. By putting people at the centre of what we do, we ensure to support people to lead, healthy independent lives & be the very best at helping people to live well.
Valuing our employees making an investment in their development a priority. We offer:
Protected CPD time for registered staff
Various development pathways and ongoing regular training packages for all staff
Leadership & mentoring programmes
Access & funding for training including Care Certificate, Assistant Practitioners Course & Scholarship Into Nurse Training
A Robust Preceptorship
A bespoke induction programme
Existing members of the NHS Pension Scheme can continue their membership when they join the organisation.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Clinical
Be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of your own work, including the management of patients in your care. Ensure a high standard of clinical care for patients under your management and encourage other therapy staff to do likewise.
Ensure high standards of clinical practice are set, monitored and reviewed.
Hold responsibility for own caseload, working without direct supervision. Supervision takes the form of case conferences and clinical discussions and clinical supervision sessions. Access to advice and support from other members of the multi-disciplinary team is available if required.
Interpret and analyse clinical and non-clinical facts to form an impression of the patients problems from the clinical signs and plan appropriate interventions. Work with patients with a wide range of highly complex conditions leading to amputation, recommend appropriate prosthetic interventions and formulate highly specialist individual treatment programmes to maximise prosthetic potential.
Provide advanced assessments and clinical diagnoses for patients, both in a clinic situation, and in the patients own home to prescribe appropriate wheelchairs and prostheses as indicated by that assessment.
Deliver the physiotherapy element of the amputee rehabilitation programme in the form of highly specialist assessment, prescription and gait training.
Handover, review and reassess prescribed equipment as required. Ensure any ongoing needs of the patient and their carers are identified and met within the remit of the service.
Refer to patients to other disciplines to ensure appropriate care.
Provide advice, teaching and instruction to relatives, carers and other professionals, to promote understanding of the aims of the Prosthetic Rehabilitation Services and to ensure a consistent approach to patients referred to the service.
Provide highly specialist advice to colleagues working within all clinical areas, in health, social services and in the charity and private sector.
Assess patient and carer understanding of planned interventions and their likely outcomes. Gain valid informed consent and to work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment.
Use a range of verbal and non-verbal communication tools to be able to negotiate care plans with patients and carers using motivational and supportive skills to overcome any differences in opinions and understanding to ensure co-operation.
Ensure excellent written and verbal communications are maintained with patients, carers, relatives and members of the health and social care teams; convey complex and sensitive information at appropriate levels of understanding.
Use excellent negotiation and counselling skills and other tools to ensure the effective communication of complex, sensitive and emotional information and to overcome barriers to understanding. Such persons will include those At risk, the terminally ill, the vulnerable, those such as Stroke patients, the learning disabled, the deaf and hard of hearing and those possessing poor communication skills. Also non-English speakers and those who speak some English but who have a different first language.
Be responsible for organising and planning own caseload effectively and efficiently, to meet service and clinical priorities, balancing patient related and professional demands and ensuring that these remain in accordance with the demands of the service as a whole.
Manage clinical risk within own patient caseload.
Be responsible for maintaining accurate and comprehensive patient treatment records in line with professional standards of practice as an autonomous practitioner.
Identify measures to improve therapy services in order to provide the best patient care possible within the resources available.
Professional
Maintain professional registration with the Health Professions Council (HCPC).
Abide by the code of professional standards as set down by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.
Maintain patient clinical records in accordance with HCPC policy and local guidelines.
Demonstrate commitment to Continuing Professional Development, Life Long Learning and the maintenance of a CPD Portfolio including the organisation and implementation of post-graduate training for self and peers. Keep abreast of any new trends and developments and incorporate them as necessary into your work. Ensure clinical interventions are based upon principles of evidence based practice and are in line with current guidance e.g. NICE.
Be aware of current pertinent research and development.
Undertake the measurement and evaluation of your work and current practices through the use of evidence based practice projects, audit and outcome measures both individually and with other multi-disciplinary team members. Make recommendations for change.
Communicate effectively and work collaboratively with medical, therapy and nursing colleagues to ensure delivery of a coordinated multidisciplinary service. This will include case conferences, team meetings, correspondence and telephone calls.
Attend professional meetings as appropriate. Act as Prosthetic Rehabilitation Services Therapist representative at local and regional level.
Attend and deliver presentations, training sessions and tutorials in service and to attend external courses and to demonstrate reflective practice.
Organisational
Line manage the therapy, nursing and clinic assistant staff group including absence approval and management, career development, training programmes, conducting appraisals, performance monitoring, 1st level grievance or discipline, reorganising staff or clinics to provide adequate cover and generally resolving queries e.g. leave entitlement, vacancies etc. Ensure personnel files and paperwork are maintained. Take any particular difficulties to the attention of the Support Manager.
Participate in the recruitment process for other Prosthetic Rehabilitation Services clinicians as required.
Carry out local induction for new staff as appropriate.
Arrange and chair regular team meetings. Input as required into the clinical and support service team meetings to ensure a holistic service approach.
Work with the Prosthetic Rehabilitation Services management team in developing strategic and operational management of the Prosthetic Rehabilitation Services and regularly participate in working parties developing and implementing policy changes within the Prosthetic Rehabilitation Services.
Act as a member of the quality management team to maintain quality standards and international accreditation, carrying out annual audits as scheduled and ensure the service meets its objectives and contracted obligations.
Record, investigate and report non-conformances against the ISO quality system and take subsequent recommended action.
Maintain accurate and comprehensive documentation in line with legal and service requirements and to communicate assessment and other clinic outcomes to appropriate persons in the form of reports and letters.
Be actively involved in the collection of appropriate data and statistics required by the organisation.
Report any accidents, complaints, defects in equipment, near misses and untoward incidents following LWSW procedure.
Provide guidance for and maintain effective working relationships with service managers and staff to ensure service efficiency.
Actively participate in the appraisal process.
Comply with Prosthetic Rehabilitation Services policies and procedures, and be involved in reviewing and updating them as appropriate.
Provide cover for colleagues as required.
Carry out any other duties as required by the service, commensurate with the type/level/grade of the post.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Clinical
Be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of your own work, including the management of patients in your care. Ensure a high standard of clinical care for patients under your management and encourage other therapy staff to do likewise.
Ensure high standards of clinical practice are set, monitored and reviewed.
Hold responsibility for own caseload, working without direct supervision. Supervision takes the form of case conferences and clinical discussions and clinical supervision sessions. Access to advice and support from other members of the multi-disciplinary team is available if required.
Interpret and analyse clinical and non-clinical facts to form an impression of the patients problems from the clinical signs and plan appropriate interventions. Work with patients with a wide range of highly complex conditions leading to amputation, recommend appropriate prosthetic interventions and formulate highly specialist individual treatment programmes to maximise prosthetic potential.
Provide advanced assessments and clinical diagnoses for patients, both in a clinic situation, and in the patients own home to prescribe appropriate wheelchairs and prostheses as indicated by that assessment.
Deliver the physiotherapy element of the amputee rehabilitation programme in the form of highly specialist assessment, prescription and gait training.
Handover, review and reassess prescribed equipment as required. Ensure any ongoing needs of the patient and their carers are identified and met within the remit of the service.
Refer to patients to other disciplines to ensure appropriate care.
Provide advice, teaching and instruction to relatives, carers and other professionals, to promote understanding of the aims of the Prosthetic Rehabilitation Services and to ensure a consistent approach to patients referred to the service.
Provide highly specialist advice to colleagues working within all clinical areas, in health, social services and in the charity and private sector.
Assess patient and carer understanding of planned interventions and their likely outcomes. Gain valid informed consent and to work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment.
Use a range of verbal and non-verbal communication tools to be able to negotiate care plans with patients and carers using motivational and supportive skills to overcome any differences in opinions and understanding to ensure co-operation.
Ensure excellent written and verbal communications are maintained with patients, carers, relatives and members of the health and social care teams; convey complex and sensitive information at appropriate levels of understanding.
Use excellent negotiation and counselling skills and other tools to ensure the effective communication of complex, sensitive and emotional information and to overcome barriers to understanding. Such persons will include those At risk, the terminally ill, the vulnerable, those such as Stroke patients, the learning disabled, the deaf and hard of hearing and those possessing poor communication skills. Also non-English speakers and those who speak some English but who have a different first language.
Be responsible for organising and planning own caseload effectively and efficiently, to meet service and clinical priorities, balancing patient related and professional demands and ensuring that these remain in accordance with the demands of the service as a whole.
Manage clinical risk within own patient caseload.
Be responsible for maintaining accurate and comprehensive patient treatment records in line with professional standards of practice as an autonomous practitioner.
Identify measures to improve therapy services in order to provide the best patient care possible within the resources available.
Professional
Maintain professional registration with the Health Professions Council (HCPC).
Abide by the code of professional standards as set down by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.
Maintain patient clinical records in accordance with HCPC policy and local guidelines.
Demonstrate commitment to Continuing Professional Development, Life Long Learning and the maintenance of a CPD Portfolio including the organisation and implementation of post-graduate training for self and peers. Keep abreast of any new trends and developments and incorporate them as necessary into your work. Ensure clinical interventions are based upon principles of evidence based practice and are in line with current guidance e.g. NICE.
Be aware of current pertinent research and development.
Undertake the measurement and evaluation of your work and current practices through the use of evidence based practice projects, audit and outcome measures both individually and with other multi-disciplinary team members. Make recommendations for change.
Communicate effectively and work collaboratively with medical, therapy and nursing colleagues to ensure delivery of a coordinated multidisciplinary service. This will include case conferences, team meetings, correspondence and telephone calls.
Attend professional meetings as appropriate. Act as Prosthetic Rehabilitation Services Therapist representative at local and regional level.
Attend and deliver presentations, training sessions and tutorials in service and to attend external courses and to demonstrate reflective practice.
Organisational
Line manage the therapy, nursing and clinic assistant staff group including absence approval and management, career development, training programmes, conducting appraisals, performance monitoring, 1st level grievance or discipline, reorganising staff or clinics to provide adequate cover and generally resolving queries e.g. leave entitlement, vacancies etc. Ensure personnel files and paperwork are maintained. Take any particular difficulties to the attention of the Support Manager.
Participate in the recruitment process for other Prosthetic Rehabilitation Services clinicians as required.
Carry out local induction for new staff as appropriate.
Arrange and chair regular team meetings. Input as required into the clinical and support service team meetings to ensure a holistic service approach.
Work with the Prosthetic Rehabilitation Services management team in developing strategic and operational management of the Prosthetic Rehabilitation Services and regularly participate in working parties developing and implementing policy changes within the Prosthetic Rehabilitation Services.
Act as a member of the quality management team to maintain quality standards and international accreditation, carrying out annual audits as scheduled and ensure the service meets its objectives and contracted obligations.
Record, investigate and report non-conformances against the ISO quality system and take subsequent recommended action.
Maintain accurate and comprehensive documentation in line with legal and service requirements and to communicate assessment and other clinic outcomes to appropriate persons in the form of reports and letters.
Be actively involved in the collection of appropriate data and statistics required by the organisation.
Report any accidents, complaints, defects in equipment, near misses and untoward incidents following LWSW procedure.
Provide guidance for and maintain effective working relationships with service managers and staff to ensure service efficiency.
Actively participate in the appraisal process.
Comply with Prosthetic Rehabilitation Services policies and procedures, and be involved in reviewing and updating them as appropriate.
Provide cover for colleagues as required.
Carry out any other duties as required by the service, commensurate with the type/level/grade of the post.
Person Specification
Skills
Essential
- Able to prioritise own and teams workload to meet demands of patients and other Organisational requests
- Committed to learning and developing self
- Able to give clear concise verbal and written reports in English to all levels of staff
- Maintains confidentiality
- Demonstrates leadership attributes and motivational skills
- Teaching/presentation experience both internally and to external groups of staff.
- Approachable for staff and patients
- Able to cope with stress
- Shows understanding and commitment to own teams positions within the Organisation and wider demands of the service
- Able to give constructive criticism
- Able to think logically
- Able to critique research papers
- Hold full UK driving license with ability to travel between bases
- Able to problem solve and evaluate complex clinical situations in the multidisciplinary team and on own
- Able to support therapists in other Organisations in problem solving complex amputee rehab issues.
Desirable
- Understanding and experience in gait analysis
- Able to organise training days and courses locally and nationally.
Knowledge
Essential
- Evidence of CPD in amputee care, gait analysis in a personal development portfolio.
- Demonstrates advanced clinical skills in acute and rehabilitative amputee care.
- Has high level of understanding of roles of team members
- Understanding of the range of Prosthetic Componentry
- Knowledge and experience in Clinical governance, including audit, risk management, evidence based practice and user involvement
- Demonstrates professional independence
- Computer skills in Microsoft office
- Membership of a relevant clinical interest group
Desirable
- Work at Masters level.
- Advanced use of computers including data base development etc
Experience
Essential
- Min. 5 years post graduate physiotherapy experience
- Ability to comply with Organisational manual and therapy handling policies.
- Able to work at mod to high levels of physical activity involving the delivery of manual therapy and demonstration of exercise and the support of patients new to artificial limbs.
- Able to cope with interruptions from others while working within a busy environment
- Able to deal emotionally with children and adults who are disfigured, have recently lost a limb or have terminal conditions and long term disabilities.
- Is motivated by and committed to improving amputee care.
Desirable
- Minimum of 2 years in specialised senior position in a related area showing evidence at working at Masters level of analysis and application
- Research experience
- Experience in developing and managing more junior staff
- Experience of managing/evaluating students on placement
Qualifications
Essential
- HCPC registered
- Degree or equivalent in physiotherapy
Desirable
- MSc. in related subject
- MCSP
Person Specification
Skills
Essential
- Able to prioritise own and teams workload to meet demands of patients and other Organisational requests
- Committed to learning and developing self
- Able to give clear concise verbal and written reports in English to all levels of staff
- Maintains confidentiality
- Demonstrates leadership attributes and motivational skills
- Teaching/presentation experience both internally and to external groups of staff.
- Approachable for staff and patients
- Able to cope with stress
- Shows understanding and commitment to own teams positions within the Organisation and wider demands of the service
- Able to give constructive criticism
- Able to think logically
- Able to critique research papers
- Hold full UK driving license with ability to travel between bases
- Able to problem solve and evaluate complex clinical situations in the multidisciplinary team and on own
- Able to support therapists in other Organisations in problem solving complex amputee rehab issues.
Desirable
- Understanding and experience in gait analysis
- Able to organise training days and courses locally and nationally.
Knowledge
Essential
- Evidence of CPD in amputee care, gait analysis in a personal development portfolio.
- Demonstrates advanced clinical skills in acute and rehabilitative amputee care.
- Has high level of understanding of roles of team members
- Understanding of the range of Prosthetic Componentry
- Knowledge and experience in Clinical governance, including audit, risk management, evidence based practice and user involvement
- Demonstrates professional independence
- Computer skills in Microsoft office
- Membership of a relevant clinical interest group
Desirable
- Work at Masters level.
- Advanced use of computers including data base development etc
Experience
Essential
- Min. 5 years post graduate physiotherapy experience
- Ability to comply with Organisational manual and therapy handling policies.
- Able to work at mod to high levels of physical activity involving the delivery of manual therapy and demonstration of exercise and the support of patients new to artificial limbs.
- Able to cope with interruptions from others while working within a busy environment
- Able to deal emotionally with children and adults who are disfigured, have recently lost a limb or have terminal conditions and long term disabilities.
- Is motivated by and committed to improving amputee care.
Desirable
- Minimum of 2 years in specialised senior position in a related area showing evidence at working at Masters level of analysis and application
- Research experience
- Experience in developing and managing more junior staff
- Experience of managing/evaluating students on placement
Qualifications
Essential
- HCPC registered
- Degree or equivalent in physiotherapy
Desirable
- MSc. in related subject
- MCSP
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).
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.
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).
