Cancer Physiotherapist

Job responsibilities

Main Purpose of the Job

As part of the Macmillan Personalised care team you will be expected to provide cancer prehabilitation and rehabilitation. The ambitions of the team are to holistically support and empower people affected by cancer to take an active role in their health and care.

The post holder will provide high quality, specialist physiotherapy care, supporting and treating patients diagnosed with cancer.

The post holder will provide professional clinical supervision and advice to the team and wider health care professionals working alongside people living with and beyond cancer.

The post holder will contribute to service development and implementation of policy to support the expansion of Macmillan Personalised care team.

This service provision delivery allows people with a diagnosis of cancer to interface with the type of bespoke support they require whilst filling a gap in current services which will allow an MDT focused service and provision of bespoke individualised self-management and interventions.

Patient Care

Clinical

1. Work within 1:1 clinics as well as offering group work within the Trust or in the community providing cancer specialist physiotherapy input and support to people living with and beyond cancer to promote on-going recovery with prehab and rehab needs.

2. Triage and deliver cancer prehabilitation and rehabilitation, either as specialist 1:1 clinics, targeted groups or sign posting to universal services within the community. To teach and provide education on health and wellbeing and symptom management.

3. To support in the planning and delivery of health and wellbeing workshops on topics such as cancer related fatigue, and cancer site specific workshops.

4. Undertake diagnosis, assessment and treatment of people living with or beyond cancer, to assist people to adapt and cope with living with the long-term physical consequences of cancer treatment including breathlessness, fatigue, axillary web syndrome etc.

5. Update all patient records in line with professional code of conduct, clinical governance and risk management at each contact and instigate appropriate and timely communication of information to the patients primary and secondary care teams.

6. Activity and exercise management advice for low-risk patients on self-managed follow-up pathways including supporting health and wellbeing events.

7. Advise and educate patients and their families /carers on the management of individual problems.

8. To provide highly specialist advice to other physiotherapist colleagues within the Trust and Primary care.

9. To continually evaluate physiotherapist interventions to ensure up to date evidence-based practice is delivered across cancer services, in line with professional clinical standards and guidelines.

10. Communicate sensitive, complex and contentious information, to enable positive self-management using approaches such as motivational interviewing.

11. Sign-posting to approved local educational programmes and support groups and managed referrals for more significant support requirements e.g. health psychology in secondary care.

Communication:

1.Communicate complex information and enabling positive self-management using approaches such as motivational interviewing.

2.Communicate effectively with patients and carers to maximise rehabilitation potential and ensure understanding of the condition. Advanced communication skills of persuasion, motivation, explanation, empathy and gaining informed consent will be used with a wide variety of patients.

3.Communicates specialist information on a range of service development issues within the organisation and across other providers.

4.Maintain networks to provide resources of clinical knowledge and research for the service.

5.Be able to use a range of presentation skills to suit the audience that may be patients, carers, peers and managers.

6. To deliver training to patients and staff on cancer prehabilitation and rehabilitation and promote the physiotherapy profession in cancer services to the multidisciplinary team.

Professional

1. Delivery of an evidence-based physiotherapy and physical activity education programme to people affected by cancer, health and social care colleagues and fitness professionals.

2. Support the development and implementation of a training needs analysis and identify learning needs of health and social care colleagues and fitness professionals.

3. Deliver colleagues learning and development (L&D) programme to increase health and social care professionals confidence, communication and awareness of the rehabilitation and support needs of people.

Leadership

1.Contribute to service delivery evaluation and development.

2. Line management of other allied health professionals in arranging supervisions, appraisals and in service training.

3. Responsibility for Risk Assessment for all aspects relating to the physiotherapy and physical activity within the Personalised care team.

4. Lead on the delivery of the community exercise programme based in gyms and community centres, provided for people affected by cancer.

Financial Responsibilities

Not applicable this is not a budget-holder post

Responsibilities for People or Training

1. Provide patients, families and carers with advice and support.

2. Evaluate the impact of these training programmes, for patients and carers, to ensure that they provide the necessary knowledge and skills to gain independence, safely manage changing circumstances and plan for unavoidable progression of conditions.

3. Be responsible for providing and maintaining a learning environment and maximise opportunities for education and development in the clinical area to enhance individual development and performance in the delivery of high standards of care.

4.Take part in the process of clinical supervision and participate in clinical supervision and mentorship of others.

5.Take responsibility for your own personal and professional development; maintain competence, knowledge and skills commensurate with role.

6. To be actively involved in clinical staff recruitment of other AHP within the team as necessary.

Education, Qualifications and Training

Essential

• Degree in Physiotherapy
• Evidence of continued professional development
• Varied Experience across differernt areas of physiotherapy including core rotations of musculoskeletal, neurology and cardiorespiratory

Desirable

• Evidence of further training or qualifications
• Member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy

Experience

Essential

• oExperience of working with cancer patients either directly or indirectly relating to cancer specific side effects/symptoms e.g. when managing another aspect of their care or a comorbidity
• oExperience of complex case-management in long term conditions
• oExperience in managing people
• oExperience of developing educational programmes, teaching and presenting
• oExperience of multi-professional working
• oKnowledge of person-centred care, positive psychology, behaviour change and self-management
• oExperience in prescribing and/or delivering physiotherapy exercises or rehabilitation

Desirable

• oExperience of Oncology and Palliative care
• oAwareness of local and National Cancer Directives
• oAn understanding of health and wellbeing, diet and nutrition and psychology in the role in self-management.
• oExperience in delivering group exercise therapy classes

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• oHCPC Registration and knowledge of code of conduct
• oInvolvement in Appraisal process/Appraisal of others
• oBroad clinical diagnosis and treatment skills for a range of conditions
• oGeneral knowledge of musculoskeletal, neurology and cardiorespiratory physiotherapy
• oAble to work on own initiative, organising and prioritising own and others workloads to changing and often tight deadlines.
• oEnthusiasm, commitment , flexibility and self motivation
• oAbility to communicate complex and sensitive information to a range of staff
• oAbility to work under pressure with change and uncertainty.

Desirable

• oSpecialist knowledge of physiotherapy in oncology education
• oKnowledge of Prehabilitation and Rehabilitation in the management of long-term health conditions, including the role of diet and nutrition and psychology.

Other Job-Related Requirements

Essential

• oWilling to work in other areas of the Trust or Trust-wide as and when required to do so.
• oOwn a car and have a full UK driving licence.
• oGood level of IT skills, with experience of using Microsoft packages, e.g. Word, Excel, Outlook.

Desirable

• oTo be involved with moving and handling of event materials
• oFlexible working when required i.e. occasional evening and weekend work

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).