Physiotherapy Lead for Emergency Department Therapy Team

Job description

Job responsibilities

JOB PURPOSE

The Physiotherapy Team Lead for the Emergency Department Therapy Team at University Hospital Lewisham (UHL) provides clinical leadership to physiotherapy staff working in this pathway on this site. The postholder is an experienced clinician who independently manages a significant clinical caseload and supports other team members.

The postholder supervises the day to day running of the physiotherapy team covering the Emergency Department (including ED, AAU, UCC, short stay wards and resus) and is line managed by the Inpatient Physiotherapy Lead for UHL.

The team works closely alongside the Occupational Therapy Team for the same area, and together they provide a 7 day service in this area, covering extended hours 8am-8pm. Generic competencies are in development between the two professions.

In conjunction with the Inpatient Physiotherapy Lead for UHL, the post holder coordinates a rolling programme of education, clinical evaluation, audit and research within the Emergency Care clinical pathway at UHL.

As part of the senior clinical physiotherapy team on the UHL site, the post holder will deputise for the inpatient lead as required.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Clinical

1. To undertake all aspects of clinical duties and to carry a significant caseload of patients as an autonomous practitioner, including those with complex presentations

1. To work at an advanced level and to be professionally and legally accountable for a highly-specialized patient caseload and to decide priorities for own work area, balancing other patient related and professional demands

1. To be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of own work, and of the local pathway teams work. This will include the management of clinical risk, clinical governance, knowledge of indications and precautions of chosen techniques in line with national and trust clinical guidelines and protocols where they exist.

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

1. To undertake the comprehensive assessment and accurate diagnosis of patients including those with complex presentation, using investigative, palpatory, analytical and clinical reasoning skills

1. Under supervision of the Physiotherapy Inpatient Site Lead to request diagnostic procedures that will inform clinical decision making as appropriate to individual competency level and the job role

1. To undertake physical treatment techniques utilizing highly developed manual skills

1. To formulate individualized clinical management programs, utilizing a wide range of treatment skills and options to plan a highly-specialized program of care

1. To use recognized outcome measures to evaluate the effect of physiotherapy interventions and ensure that treatment program are progressing appropriately

1. To provide spontaneous and planned expert advice, teaching and instruction to relatives, carers, other disciplines and agencies. To promote understanding of the aims of physiotherapy and to ensure continuation of the treatment program. To be consulted by staff within the local pathway and the trust

1. To participate in and where indicated, initiate multidisciplinary / multi-agency team meetings and case conferences to ensure the co-ordination of patient care. This may include the review of patient progress and discharge planning

1. To ensure accurate, comprehensive and up to date clinical records are maintained in accordance with Trust guidance and professionally agreed criteria

1. To identify and employ suitable verbal and non-verbal communication skills with patients where there may be barriers to understanding or the inability to accept diagnosis. To facilitate the best possible communication outcome in every situation and use appropriate services, e.g. interpreters, SALT

1. To ensure that individual practice and that of the local pathway team is patient focused and patient views are incorporated into treatment planning

1. To employ appropriate skills such as persuasion, motivation and negotiation to gain co-operation in the continuation of the agreed treatment program

1. To communicate with empathy, patient information which may be of a complex and sensitive nature including details of prognosis or disability that may be unwelcome

1. To receive complex patient related information from patients, relatives, carers and other professionals to effectively plan and develop individual case management

1. To communicate and advise regarding complex patient related information effectively to ensure collaborative working within the physiotherapy service and with other professionals across health and other agencies to ensure the delivery of a coordinated multidisciplinary service

1. To be integral in discharge planning including liaison with referring hospitals or community staff to which patients are discharged, providing timely discharge reports

1. To produce comprehensive patient related reposts for other disciplines or agencies relating to assessment findings and or treatment outcomes

1. To undertake an extended scope role as appropriate to the needs of the service and supervised by the Physiotherapy Site Lead (an extended scope practioner undertakes delegated responsibility on behalf of medical practioner(s) including the independent management of complete episodes of care of patients from referral to discharge)

1. To undertake the measurement and evaluation of work through audit, outcome measurement, the application of evidence based practice and research where appropriate. To identify and initiate audit projects to review current clinical practice within the pathway

1. To facilitate the implementation and evaluation of physiotherapy clinical outcomes within a designated pathway and monitor adherence with professional and national standards

1. 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.

1. To raise physiotherapy staff awareness of current clinical developments and the implication these may have on clinical practice

1. To be accessible and provide expert clinical advice to colleagues in particular for complex case management

1. Once considered competent to participate in the on-call, week-end, bank holiday and extended working rotas where clinically appropriate

1. To fully participate in whatever pattern of working (including 7-day rosters) is required by the service in the future

All clinical staff are accountable and responsible for their own clinical competence and should limit their actions to those for which they are deemed competent in line with guidance from their professional bodies.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• HCPC registered physio

Desirable

• MSc level training
• Member of CSP
• Member of Special interest Group

Skills and abilities

Essential

• Demonstrates awareness of leadership skills
• Demonstrate managing conflicting demands
• advanced communication skills
• Respiratory Physiotherapy competence to a senior on-call standard

Desirable

• IT skills

Experience

Essential

• Comprehensive post graduate physiotherapy experience including experience of relevant specialist pathway
• Experience in completing audit and evidence based projects
• Experience of supervising others

Desirable

• Previous experience at band 7 level

Knowledge

Essential

• Knowledge of national guidelines and standards pertaining to specialist pathway and physiotherapy
• Understanding of clinical governance and it's implication for physiotherapy
• Awareness and understanding of NHS structure, current issues and developments
• Understanding of the legal responsibilities of the profession
• Knowledge of evidenced based practice pertaining to specialist areas of physiotherapy

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

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust

Address

University Hospital Lewisham

Lewisham High Street

London

SE13 6LH

Employer's website

https://www.lewishamandgreenwich.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)