Specialist Physiotherapist (Developmental Coordination Disorders)

Job responsibilities

CLINICAL

• To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own work, including the management of children in your care.
• To undertake advanced clinical assessments of children and use clinical reasoning skills and manual assessment techniques to provide an accurate diagnosis of the specific problems related to physiotherapy intervention.
• To design and deliver an individualised programme of intervention based on sound knowledge of evidenced based practice and treatment options using clinical assessment, reasoning skills and knowledge of treatment options.
• To independently manage a caseload of children with particular conditions and be responsible for providing specialist assessment, treatment and discharge plans.
• To recommend best course of intervention, taking into account such factors as the prognosis, age of child, family / carers circumstances, environmental factors etc.
• To develop comprehensive discharge / transfer plans as appropriate.
• To gain valid informed consent and work within a legal framework for patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment.
• To be proficient in the use of a range of verbal and non-verbal communication skills to communicate effectively with children / parents / carers.
• To posses highly developed communication and interpersonal skills required to ensure the delivery of effective care, taking into account the complex and variety of difficulties presented e.g. age; physical; emotional; cultural; cognitive, social and behavioural.
• To effectively communicate, negotiate and explain the assessment findings and treatment plans in a non-judgmental and considered manner to children / parents / carers and other agencies e.g. GPs, Consultants, social care and education services which may occasionally include issues regarding child protection.
• To provide spontaneous and planned advice, teaching and instruction to relatives, carers and other professionals to promote understanding of the aims of physiotherapy and to ensure a consistent approach to patient care.
• To evaluate the childs progress, reassess and alter treatment programmes as required, monitoring effect using sound measurement and validated outcome measures.
• To manage clinical and non-clinical risk within own case load.
• To work within Trust and CSPs clinical guidelines, have a good working knowledge of national and local standards and monitor own and others quality of practice as required.
• To be responsible for maintaining accurate and comprehensive patient records in line with local and CSP standards of practice.
• To represent the DCD team or individual children at various multi-disciplinary meetings, to ensure the delivery of an integrated approach to treatment. This will involve discussion of the childs progress, aims and objectives, treatment planning plus discharge / transfer arrangements as appropriate.
• To be responsible for the assessment, safe and competent use of all equipment including aids for daily living, seating and positioning equipment and appliances and ensure that assistants / children / carers using such equipment attain competency in their use through training and supervision.
• To be responsible for the transport and issue of small pieces of therapy equipment using own car, and to be able to demonstrate proof of insurance for this purpose.
• To communicate with other agencies such as Social Services and Local Education Authority for the provision of appropriate equipment in the community. This may involve communication with other professionals beyond the immediate Sheffield area.
• To be an active member of the respiratory evening and weekend on call rota. When working on the on call rota, undertake the assessment and treatment of acutely ill children with respiratory problems, who may have a complex presentation and maintain associated records as an autonomous practitioner.

PROFESSIONAL

• To undertake risk assessments on a daily basis, for example; work space, equipment, patients and self, using judgement skills to make the necessary adjustments in line with health and safety regulations.
• To comply with the Health and Safety at work regulations and all other health, safety and security standards in accordance with Trust policies.
• To treat as confidential all information obtained during the course of duties undertaken.
• To be responsible for maintaining own competency to practice through CPD activities and maintain a portfolio which reflects personal development.
• To attend and participate in the Trust mandatory training plus departmental in-service training.
• To adhere to departmental policies and procedures.
• To teach, assess and contribute to the performance assessment and appraisal of assistant therapy staff.
• To maintain and develop current knowledge of evidenced based practice in DCD, developing specialist knowledge of particular condition and patient types.
• To undertake the measurement and evaluation of your work and current practices through the use of evidenced based practice projects, audit and outcome measures, either individually or with more senior colleagues.
• To be an active member of the in-service training programme by attendance at and participation in formal learning, supervision sessions, peer review / support and external courses.
• To undertake, as directed the collection of activity data for service management and other data for use in audit or research.
• To manage and undertake audit and research into specific areas of clinical practice and service delivery using a range of methodologies as part of multi-disciplinary audit / research and departmental initiatives.
• To be actively involved in professional clinical groups such as the journal club, action learning set, clinical interest groups and other professional development activities.
• To provide support, guidance and training to assistant therapy staff, assessing and evaluating competence.

ORGANISATIONAL

• To be responsible for the supervision and delegation of appropriate tasks to assistants and students.
• To ensure that your own practice and that of any staff / students under your supervision meets the required professional standards and CSP rules of professional conduct.
• To deputise for the Band 7 Physiotherapist in their absence, taking responsibility for operational management of the area to meet service priorities on a daily basis.
• To be responsible for organising and planning own caseload to meet service and patient priorities, readjusting plans as situations change / arise.
• To contribute to the development, implementation and promotion of departmental and Trust policies and procedures.
• To ensure effective use of time, resources and organisational skills in order to promote an organised and efficient working environment.

Please note Interview Date - Wednesday 20th December 2023

Inclusive Recruitment & Selection

We are committed to being an inclusive employer and accurate data capture is an important part of that to ensure we are supportive and representative. Our aim is to ensure that all applicants can see themselves in the available categories on our application form, but we recognise that some of our data capture fields are not inclusive. We have flagged this with our system provider to ask for change.

We offer encouragement and active support to applicants with additional needs, including those from ethnic minorities, with disabilities and members of the LGBTQ+ community. If you wish to adjust any aspect of the recruitment process or wish to find out more about our recruitment & selection processes, please get in touch with our Recruitment Manager: Catherine.Gilbert7@nhs.net

We are continually reviewing our recruitment & selection process to support the long-term aim of Sheffield Childrens being a champion of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion. If you have any ideas for improvement, please get in touch with Catherine Gilbert at Catherine.Gilbert7@nhs.net

Trust Values

The Trust is committed to providing great quality patient care and keep children, young people and families at the heart of what we do by following our CARE values:

• Compassion leading by kindness and showing empathy, understanding and respect
• Accountability striving to do the right thing and owning responsibility
• Respect value differences, tackling inequality and fostering a culture of inclusion
• Excellence delivering a high-quality standard of care

Qualifications

Essential

• HCPC registration.
• Diploma / Degree in Physiotherapy.
• Evidence of CPD maintained in a portfolio including attendance at recent, relevant postgraduate courses and in-service training.
• Portfolio evidence of reflective practice.

Desirable

• Membership of the CSP.
• Involvement in CSP special interest groups or local PT/OT Federation sub-groups.

Experience

Essential

• Variety of general experience and a working knowledge of a broad variety of conditions.
• 18 months - 2 years post-graduate experience.
• Experience of working as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
• Experience of working with school age children with DCD and Autism.

Desirable

• Experience of running groups for children with SEND.
• Involvement in audit, research or service evaluation.
• Student / assistant supervision.

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• Understanding of the legal responsibilities of the profession. Knowledge of clinical governance and its implications for services.
• Understanding of family / team dynamics and how to develop working relationships with all involved in the child's care.
• Understanding of the impact of disability on children and their families.
• Understanding of data protection, confidentiality and health and safety requirements in meeting the needs of the child and family.
• Competent I.T skills
• Ability to present information, written and verbal in a clear and logical manner.
• Ability to organise, prioritise and delegate appropriately.
• Ability to keep accurate and legible clinical records.
• Ability to cope working in a stressful environment and within emotional or challenging situations.
• Problem solving approach
• Ability to communicate effectively and work well within a multi-professional team.
• Personal access to a car and business class insurance cover.

Desirable

• Knowledge of consent issues specific to paediatrics.
• Knowledge of assessment tools used for children with DCD.
• Simple research methodology.
• Ability to organise internal / external courses.

Personal Attributes

Essential

• High level of interpersonal skills.
• Physically able to perform the duties of the job which includes manual handling.
• Reliable, punctual, flexible.

Attributes

Essential

• High level of interpersonal skills.
• Physically able to perform the duties of the job which includes manual handling.
• Reliable, punctual, flexible.
• Access to a car for commuting between sites around the city and delivering small pieces of therapy equipment. Evidence of car insurance appropriate for this activity.

Trust values

Essential

• Compassion, Accountability, Respect, Excellence

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).