Specialist Respiratory Physiotherapist

Job responsibilities

ACCOUNTABLE TO: Team Leader – Therapy Team within KCRS

RESPONSIBLE FOR: Band 6 Physiotherapists, Band 5 & 6 Exercise physiologists, Assistant Practitioners, HCA’s and Undergraduates

JOB SUMMARY: To provide clinical expertise in Pulmonary Rehabilitation, chest clearance patients, breathlessness management, breathing pattern disorders and ambulatory oxygen assessment and prescription and hypertonic saline and nebulised antibiotic trials for Knowsley patients, Knowsley community services staff, and other agencies. To provide urgent chest clearance and support to the rapid response element of the service. To support the team leader in the organisation and monitoring of the delivery of service to patients ensuring appropriate pathways of communication and care via liaison and referral to other agencies as required. To provide leadership and management for the Pulmonary Rehabilitation service, working closely with the Knowsley KCRS manager and commissioning bodies. To support training & education for staff and students for physiotherapeutic treatments. To represent the service at appropriate meeting within the trust and to promote the service to the wider health community. To support the team leader and deputise in their absence to ensure smooth running of the service and to ensure achievement of the services KPI’s. To provide an innovative physiotherapeutic service for the patients who access the KCRS, including continuing to support the merge of pulmonary and cardiac rehabilitation. The physiotherapy provision for the KCRS is a seven day service with different shift patterns to be covered.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES

CLINICAL

1. To undertake expert physiotherapy assessment, clinically diagnose and implement agreed treatment plans if appropriate including the routine treatment of complex patients in a manner that respects people’s privacy, dignity and individuality.

2. To ensure effective internal and external two way communication with patients, carers and all other Health and Social Care Professionals regarding all aspects of patient care.

3. To provide and receive complex information that requires empathy and reassurance, communicating where there may be barriers to understanding.

4. To supervise students and more junior staff in their treatments and to ensure on-going education in all aspects of assessment, treatment and care.

5. To ensure that treatments are evidence based and in line with current practice.

6. To provide specialist advice in clinics, ward rounds and MDT meetings.

7. To undertake relevant research and audit within specialist field.

8. To provide high quality ambulatory oxygen assessments for the COPD patients within the service, and appropriate oxygen therapy prescriptions.

9. To carry out appropriate hypertonic saline and nebulised antibiotic therapy challenges, and determine patient’s response and suitability for on-going treatment.

10. To participate in the seven day rota to provide weekend cover.

11. To provide acute chest cover within the rapid response element of the service.

12. To recruit appropriate patients to pulmonary rehabilitation by undertaking a thorough assessment, exercise prescription and monitoring. To provide appropriate education sessions, discharge assessments and appropriate onward referrals to encourage lifestyle changes.

13. To issue PGD’s as per trust policy to manage patients who are experiencing exacerbation of COPD or bronchiectasis.

MANAGERIAL/LEADERSHIP

1. To support the team leader in co-ordinating the AHP Service at an operational level ensuring the efficient running of the service, effective communication and dissemination of information, leading the team and working closely with commissioners to ensure effective service delivery.

2. Provide relevant accurate data to the commissioning group in order to meet KPI’s

3. Undertake Quality Audits and Research relating to the pulmonary rehabilitation service as appropriate.

4. Work with commissioners to develop and raise the profile of the pulmonary rehab and AHP service.

5. To represent the KCRS service on relevant management and service development committees within the Directorates in conjunction with the manager.

6. To support the manager in achieving the service objectives

7. Organisation of students and their clinical educators.

8. To organise and co-ordinate timely treatment of breathlessness management patients, and patients who are struggling to independently clear their own chest.

9. To organise and co-ordinate timely and appropriate assessment and prescription of ambulatory oxygen therapy.

10. To organise and co-ordinate timely and appropriate assessment for hypertonic saline trials and nebulised antibiotics.

11. To produce high quality regular reports back to the commissioning group on all aspects of the pulmonary rehabilitation service.

12. To carry out effective staff appraisal and supervision sessions.

13. To organise and help deliver appropriate education to members of KCRS

ORGANISATIONAL

1. To comply with the health and safety policies of the Trust including attendance at mandatory training sessions as specified by the Trust.

2. To comply with departmental and organisational policies and procedures.

3. Ensure all accidents, incidents and hazards are reported and dealt with according to Trust requirements.

4. To comply with the Data Protection Act and Caldicott recommendations.

5. To maintain accurate documentation in line with local policies and procedures.

6. To gain valid informed consent in line with Trust and Departmental Policy.

PROFESSIONAL

1. To maintain registration with The Health Care Professions Council

2. To comply with the standards and codes of conduct of The Health Care Professions Council and The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.

3. To be responsible for the collection of such statistics/records as are required nationally and departmentally and to ensure that confidentiality is maintained.

QUALITY

1. Support education & training in physiotherapeutic techniques, to include supporting teams to develop training, attend relevant meetings regarding training and education working with trust training lead and PEF.

2. Maintain departmental records of competencies and training.

3. Disseminate information relating to training and study days available.

4. Continue to further own knowledge by attendance to relevant courses and conferences

5. To contribute to the dissemination of good practice across professional and organisational boundaries.

6. To provide support education and training to undergraduates, staff within the Knowsley COPD service and the wider heath community.

CONFIDENTIALITY 

All employees must adhere to policies and procedures relating to Information Governance, Confidentiality and Information Security. 

RISK MANAGEMENT 

The Trust is committed to approaching the control of risks in a strategic and organised manner. The post holder must be aware of their individual responsibilities as detailed in the Trusts Risk Management, Health & Safety and Incident policies, and those under the Health and Safety at Work Act. This includes the reporting of any untoward incident, accident, potential or actual hazard identified. 

SAFEGUARDING 

All staff are required to be familiar with the arrangements for safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults and support the organisation in promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. Staff working directly with children, young people and vulnerable adults will have a responsibility to ensure safeguarding and promoting their welfare forms an integral part of their duties. Staff who come into contact with children, vulnerable adults, parents and carers in the course of their work and/or have access to records will have responsibilities to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. Staff who come into contact in the course of their duties, with parents, carers or other significant adults or children, young people and vulnerable adults should always be mindful of safeguarding and promotion of the welfare of these individuals. 

HEALTH AND WELLBEING 

The Trust is a Health Promoting Hospital. The Trust expects that when you are presented with opportunities to improve the lifestyle of our patients you seek help from appropriately trained clinical staff to ensure patients are supported and assisted in making the necessary lifestyle changes. This is in accordance with best practice as described in the DoH white paper “Choosing Health – Making Healthy Choices Easier”

Qualifications

Essential

• Degree in Physiotherapy
• Evidence of relevant postgraduate courses/CPD in Pulmonary Rehabilitation and treatment of respiratory conditions e.g. COPD, pneumonia, asthma and bronchiectasis.
• Evidence of advanced continuing professional development

Desirable

• Masters qualification in relevant area, or
• working towards M level qualification
• Membership of relevant clinical interest
• groups e.g. ACPRC, BTS etc
• Membership of CSP or equivalent

Experience

Essential

• Demonstrable advanced assessment and treatment skills of acute and chronic physiotherapeutic management of respiratory
• patients.
• Significant experience of supervision and development of students, junior staff and/or assistants.
• Evidence of participation in research/audit.
• A minimum of 8 years experience in physiotherapy, with a minimum of 5 years specialising in respiratory care.
• Significant experience of carrying out staff appraisals
• Experience on undertaking on-call responsibilities
• Awareness of current evidence base for the physiotherapeutic management of respiratory patients.
• Able to demonstrate the ability to select and apply
• a wide range treatment options for a range of
• clinical presentations.

Desirable

• Clinical experience in the field of Cardiac rehabilitation
• Previous band 7 experience
• Previous community experience
• Independent Prescriber
• Experience the management and issuing of PGDs

Skills & Abilities

Essential

• Ability to motivate patients to participate in treatment and educate them and their families regarding benefits of various treatment modalities.
• An ability to work individually and as part of a wider MDT and communicate appropriately with all grades of staff, patients and their families.
• Ability to manage own workload and have the ability to manage, organize and supervise the workload of others when required.
• Evidence of presentation and teaching skill

Desirable

• Experience of presenting to mixed audiences e.g. doctors, nursing staff and other AHPs

Values & Behaviours

Essential

• Be a team player and be instrumental in achieving team goals.
• An ability to motivate and develop junior members of the team to perform at a high level and be good role model.
• An ability to empathise and reassure.
• Ability to work in stressful and unpredictable environments.
• Able and willing to work flexibly in order to meet service priorities

Technical Skills

Essential

• Basic IT skills
• Hold a valid UK driving licence and access to a vehicle for transport across borough.

Desirable

• Experience of using software for developing
• A&R and presentations

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).