Job responsibilities
Clinical:
1. To be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of own professional activities.
2. To be responsible and accountable for management and implementation of patient care programmes in NICU and to input into trust wide programmes for this patient group.
3. To undertake the specialist assessments of patients as an autonomous practitioner, including those with highly complex presentations. To use expert clinical reasoning skills, knowledge of evidence based practice and advanced expertise to determine appropriate care plans utilising specialist treatment skills and options.
4. To formulate accurate prognoses and recommend best course of intervention, developing comprehensive treatment and discharge plans.
5. To be responsible for own and teams patient care plans and will be consulted frequently for expert advice and guidance by junior and senior team members and other health care professionals.
6. To continually reassess patients in order to progress treatments effectively and provide advice to patients, carers, medical and other colleagues as required.
7. To assess a patients capacity to understand and to gain valid, informed consent for treatment. To work within a legal framework with patients who lack the capacity to consent or refuse treatment.
8. To co-ordinate intervention which may include other disciplines, advise and educate patients/carers/relatives/other health professionals.
9. To manage clinical risk within own caseload at all times and ensure clinical risk is effectively managed within the NICU team.
10. To attend meetings and seminars/case conferences as appropriate and liaise and advise other disciplines, as required to achieve comprehensive, effective and confidential patient care.
11. To participate in overnight on-call and emergency duties as a lone practitioner across J.R and Churchill Hospital sites and the 7-day working rota for NICU.
12. When working on the on-call and emergency duties rota, provide advice to medical and nursing staff and other members of the multi-disciplinary team regarding patients cardiorespiratory and neurological functions.
13. To be responsible for the maintenance of accurate written records using POMR system, in line with the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) standards of practice, including comprehensive progress and discharge reports to referrers.
14. To maintain an accurate and evaluative record keeping system (POMR) for own clinical caseload and to be responsible for ensuring that junior, senior and student physiotherapists are maintaining the Department standard.
15. To demonstrate highly developed dexterity, co-ordination and palpation skills for assessment and manual treatment of patients.
16. To be expert in assessing a wide range of conditions in the areas of NICU and ENT, based on advanced theoretical knowledge of anatomy, physiology and pathology, often in situations where conflicting evidence is present. This will include acute and chronic respiratory and neurological conditions.
17. To be able to motivate and persuade others (including staff and patients) through advanced communication skills (verbal and non-verbal), using written and electronic information where needed.
18. To demonstrate expert ability to communicate complex and sensitive information to patients, carers and other staff where there may be barriers to communication, e.g. non-English speaking patients and those with communication, speech and/or hearing impairments. Ensure all members of the team do likewise to help achieve consistent and reliable communication strategies.
19. To impart complex information to small groups of people, for example in class and training sessions, using a variety of methods of communication.
20. To clearly convey complex knowledge of techniques, biomechanics, anatomy and physiology to patients and staff.
21. To give and receive complex and sensitive information about staff and patients which may include information about long-term/permanent disabilities.
22. To maintain close links, communication and liaison between all staff and people involved in patient care and promote good working relationships at all times.
23. To sensitively deal with distressing or emotional circumstances regarding patient care, e.g. imparting news of poor prognoses.
24. To support more junior staff when indicated in the management of challenging patients.
25. To deal effectively with patients suffering from conditions that may lead to anxiety and aggressive behaviour.
26. To work within other areas of physiotherapy within the exigency of the service.
27. To teach, support and supervise staff within the team this will include developing and maintaining their skills and competency assessments to the appropriate level.
Management:
1. To be responsible for policy and service development and implementation for NICU and ENT patients and to ensure that the quality standards and effectiveness of patient care are continually monitored and improved.
2. To be available to represent physiotherapy at the relevant Critical Care networks within the Trust and the Thames Valley Health Authority, contributing to policy development as appropriate. To liaise with other Allied Health Professionals ensuring multi-professional care of patients.
3. To advise the Acute Neurosciences Clinical Specialist on policy development in NICU and support implementation of policy initiatives on the NICU and across the Trust.
4. To ensure as team leader that staff implement policy and service developmental changes.
5. To work with specialist cardiorespiratory and neurosciences care physiotherapists on all Trust sites in the development of common standards, policies etc.
6. To support the organisation of an appropriate and cost effective out of hours respiratory service by assisting the clinical leads in critical and cardiorespiratory care.
7. To ensure that the service responds to national initiatives and policy within the framework of clinical governance including clinical effectiveness, evidence based healthcare, managing clinical risk and research and development issues.
8. To contribute to the management of the department including development and implementation of departmental policies that will have impact on the physiotherapy service.
9. To be responsible for competent use, repair and maintenance reporting of all equipment, including respiratory equipment and patient appliances used by Physiotherapy staff on NICU and as team lead, to ensure that all designated staff attain competency prior to use.
10. To be responsible for the daily management, supervision and co-ordination of the NICU and ENT Physiotherapy service including staff appraisal.
11. To take responsibility for the induction of all new staff to the NICU, Neurosciences ward and Specialist Surgery ward (J.R West Wing areas), in preparation for their undertaking of on-call duties.
12. To attend mandatory fire, manual handling and resuscitation training on an annual basis (or as required) and be familiar with local procedures within speciality areas of work and ensure that staff within the team are aware of their responsibilities.
13. To comply with all Trust policies and procedures and the Health and Safety at Work Act, including adherence to Universal Precautions, Infection Control, Information Governance and Equality and Diversity measures.
14. To work in an environment where as team leader the work patterns may be disrupted by frequent demands from patients, clinical staff and students and any emergency situations.
15. To provide statistics and analysis reports regarding NICU and ENT patients using databases in an accurate and timely manner.
16. To achieve the effective daily management of a caseload of patients including responding to urgent referrals, prioritising clinical work and balancing other patient related and professional activities in accordance with departmental standards.
17. To resolve informal complaints and to be well versed with the Trusts formal complaints procedure. To ensure that the Acute Neurosciences Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist is informed of complaints.
18. To support the Acute Neurosciences Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist, when indicated, in the management of staff disciplinary matters.
Education:
1. To be responsible for the provision of specialised teaching to peers and junior staff and students; this may be to large groups.
2. To supervise and provide expert teaching to undergraduate physiotherapy students as required and liaise with academic institutions regarding student performance and placement. See Further Information and Guidelines.
3. To be responsible for own personal professional development and keep abreast of new clinical practices in the area of NICU and ENT Physiotherapy. To attend and contribute to specialist continuing education programmes. To attend external courses/education as appropriate.
4. To maintain a CPD portfolio reflecting personal professional development and ensure all members of the team have a comprehensive performance plan.
5. To initiate and maintain contacts with local and national clinical interest groups appropriate to the clinical field and to demonstrate the ability to share and disseminate knowledge with colleagues working in other care settings.
6. To clearly convey complex knowledge of techniques, biomechanics, anatomy and physiology to patients and staff.
7. To supervise and lead the professional development of Physiotherapists on rotation through the clinical area and those undergoing on-call competency training.
