Physical Activity Specialist

Job description

Job responsibilities

JOB DESCRIPTION

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY SPECIALIST

WEIGHT MANAGEMENT

MAIN PURPOSE

Our Physical Activity Specialists support our service users to improve their health and wellbeing through

safely increasing their levels of activity, through Weight Management programmes, through a thorough

process of individualised and tailored care, from assessment, delivery and evaluating progress.

This post holder will:

In line with NICE guidance, be responsible and accountable for the delivery of a high quality, evidence based

Physical Activity, and prescribed exercise service for adults aged 18 and over to achieve the

patients goals for weight loss and increase physical activity levels.

Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team (MDT), provide specialist prescribed exercise and support

in a group regarding the benefits of, and opportunities to reduce sedentary behaviour and increase

habitual levels of physical activity, to ensure excellent patient healthcare and contractual outcomes.

Support and contribute to the development of all community physical activity delivery as a part of the

weight management groups, including any additional physical activity groups to support the groups.

SUMMARY OF RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES

To plan, organise, deliver, and evaluate the physical activity and prescribed exercise element of the

Adult Integrated Community Health Service to adults over 18 years of age.

Accept and take responsibility for self-referrals or referrals for those who would like to lose weight

and want to become more physically active.

Provide comprehensive assessment and provision of individual physical activity advice and exercise

prescription, together with on-going support to patients, in group and 1to1 settings implementing

skills and knowledge of behaviour change theories.

Ensure exercise prescription is continually monitored and progressed regressed, to reflect individual

needs.

Support the physical activity development, delivery, evaluation, and quality assurance of the

integrated service and provide key physical activity expertise to the MDT and other colleagues within

and across the wider Lifestyle services, ensuring excellent service delivery.

Facilitate and empower patients to change behaviour and adopt positive lifestyle changes by

providing health education and evidence-based advice regarding increasing habitual physical activity,

helping patients to address barriers to change.

To conduct on-going specialist physical activity support for those accessing the service including

patient reviews and on-going case management, through 1 to 1 support where required, or support

delivery of group sessions, for those who require this level of intervention.

Accountable for ensuring programme delivery is monitored using validated tools to collect and

analyse patient performance outcome measures and evaluation, to ensure that the contractual KPIs

are achieved, and an excellent service is demonstrated; critical and rigorous implementation of all

physical activity and functional capacity measures at key milestones across the services, ensuring

excellent recording, monitoring, and reporting on patient outcomes.

Utilising relevant systems and internal reporting procedures to ensure rigorous data collection, to

evidence service efficacy through generation of outcome data, contributing to an internal qualitative

and quantitative evidence base, and demonstrate best practice and value for money.

Keep accurate records and written reports, ensuring patient personal information is recorded in

accordance with Everyone Healths and Local Authority policies; Caldicott Guardian, Information

Governance, GDPR, Data Protection and Data Sharing compliance.

Work with the Service Manager, Adult Weight Management Operations Manager, Professional Lead

for Physical Activity and Clinical Governance manager to achieve continual service improvement and

client and patient-centred services in accordance with participant feedback, NICE guidance, national and

local recommendations, professional competences and EH policies and procedures, ensuring the

service is delivered in line with CQC and HSCICs regulations.

Be compliant with all relevant policies, procedures, and guidelines including the appropriate codes

of conduct associated with this post; maintain awareness of safeguarding issues, report and acting on

concerns in accordance with Everyone Health and Local Authority policies and procedures.

Ensure the safety of all patients by undertaking: risk assessments, health and safety checks,

equipment checks etc., as directed by the Service Manager and contract safety co-ordinator. Respond

to any relevant clinical or colleague issues and incidences to manage a mitigate risk and maintain best

practice.

To have sound knowledge of common co morbidities associated with obesity and the ability to liaise

with the GP and other health professionals / agencies, as necessary.

Work as a cohesive member of the Healthy Communities services workforce, through regular

communication and liaise with community partners and referrers to ensure the successful of the

service.

To be responsible and accountable for achievement of relevant contractual targets including referrals,

uptake, completion percentage targets and effective outcome measures, through delivery of high

standard care.

Support community engagement: build a network of key contacts and undertake networking publicity

and promotional activity to raise the profile of the service and to identify and engage with target

populations.

Respect colleagues professional roles and scope of practice, ensuring a supportive and proactive

member of the multi-disciplinary team.

Take responsibility for own CPD and participate in Everyone Healths induction, training and continual

professional development as required; recognise and work within own competence and professional

code of conduct as regulated by professional body.

Evaluate patients response to health care provision and the effectiveness of care.

Ensure that commitment to equality and diversity is reflected at all stages of project planning,

delivery, and evaluation, in line with agreed service standards.

Support in administrative duties related to the patients where necessary, for example letters to

referrers, follow up phone calls, motivational text messages as required.

Prioritise, organise, and manage own workload in a manner that maintains and promotes high quality.

Be an ambassador for Everyone Health, promoting the Healthy Communities service to members of

the public and other stakeholders/ partners, where appropriate.

Contribute to the growth of Everyone Health by working collaboratively with Managers / colleagues

to develop and have some responsibility for an expanding portfolio of services and products.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Degree or Diploma in relevant subject area, or equivalent knowledge and experience gained through
• working in a specialised physical activity role.
• Required must be registered with CIMSPA

Desirable

• Desirable Chair Based Exercise qualification

Experience

Essential

• EXPERIENCE
• Minimum of two years experience working in adult weight management programmes across a range
• of service settings, including community, primary care and in patient settings.
• Experience of working with adults over 18 years of age in a 1to1 and group environment, to support
• positive lifestyle change.
• Experience of delivering and prescribing exercise to those with comorbidities and or complex needs.
• Experience of taking accurate physical measures and contributing to helping individuals meet physical
• activity/exercise targets.
• Experience of working effectively as part of an MDT team.
• Experience of working with patients of different cultures, genders and ages in targeted communities,
• in particular older people.
• Experience of working to time schedules.
• Evidence of experience in embracing and implementing change to provide high quality health
• outcomes.
• Experience of working to challenging performance targets and achieving excellent outcomes

Desirable

• KNOWLEDGE
• Sound knowledge of prescribing exercise and advising on physical activity to special populations,
• specifically obesity, as well as at population /community level.
• Sound knowledge of the complex care of the obese and morbidly obese patients.
• Knowledge of specific physical activity and exercise requirements for delivering appropriate weight
• management programmes for adults over 18 years of age.
• Knowledge of behavioural, emotional development and social isolation issues.
• Knowledge of weight management, nutrition, and physical activity in relation to health improvement.
• Knowledge of psychological and behaviour change theoretical techniques in relation to supporting
• people to make positive lifestyle changes.
• Knowledge of NICE guidance relating to the treatment of obesity.
• Knowledge and understanding of current GDPR regulations and the Patient Confidentiality and Data Protection Acts

Person Specification

Essential

• PERSON SPECIFICATION
• SKILLS and ABILITIES
• Ability to direct and co-ordinate programmes of care working autonomously and collaboratively.
• Ability to produce individual and detailed exercise programmes, considering special adaptations
• required to accommodate an overweight or obese patients for appropriate physical activity exercise
• prescription.
• Ability to translate physical activity and exercise information into a format that is appropriate and
• understandable for patients to support compliance with increased levels of physical activity and
• reduced sedentary behaviour, for habitual behaviour change.
• A commitment to continuous service improvement with expert insight into patients needs, so that
• all patients receive high quality care.
• Passionate about putting patients first and delivering a high-quality service, emotionally sensitive and
• empathetic to members of the public who wish to improve their health.
• Proven ability to relate, motivate and confidently engage individuals in activities and discussion as
• part of a group and in a 1-2-1 situations.
• Ability to work independently and manage own workload; able to work effectively and supportively
• as an MDT member.
• Sound interpersonal skills with proven ability to work effectively with all levels of colleagues, including
• effective partnerships with other agencies and service providers.
• Evidence of experience in embracing and implementing change to provide high quality health
• outcomes.
• Good presentation of self, enthusiastic, innovative, and flexible.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills to effectively communicate with a wide range of
• individuals including participants, colleagues, and external partners.
• Proven planning, organisational and evaluation skills.
• Ability to organise, monitor and check work to ensure no element of a task is left unfinished.
• Ability to use generic software packages.

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.

Employer details

Employer name

Everyone Health Ltd

Address

Everyone Health Ltd

3 Watling Drive

Hinckley

Leicestershire

LE10 3EY

Employer's website

https://everyonehealth.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)