Physiotherapy Team Lead

South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust is one of the top performing organisations within the NHS. Our staff think this is a great place to work and we hope you will agree. We have recently been rated as 'Outstanding' by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following our most recent inspection.

We provide services across Warwickshire and beyond ranging from Hospitals in Warwick, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Royal Leamington Spa and Shipston-on Stour to Community Services across the whole county. This includes our Community Teams in North Warwickshire.

We are a progressive, expanding organisation with great ambition around improving quality, integrating pathways and delivering high levels of productivity. Over 6000 people work for the Trust and many of them have been here a long time. People find they don’t need to go elsewhere to find a fulfilling career in healthcare.

The first thing you will notice about us is how we take our values seriously. We believe that our values underpin everything we do. If you are interested in a role with us you need to make sure our values match your own.

It doesn’t matter what role you do, whether it is patient facing or not, we are all working in the same way with our values at the core.

Probationary Period

All new staff to the Trust will be subject to a standard 6 month probationary period, the details of which will duly follow in your contract of employment.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

We define diversity as valuing everyone as an individual – we value our employees, job applicants, students, patients and visitors as people. This is reflected within our values of being Inclusive, Safe, Effective, Compassionate and Trusted.

Agile and Flexible Working

All our staff will have a work base. However the Trust operates as an Agile Working Team therefore staff may be working from home on a regular basis as required by the service. However, occasionally travel around Warwickshire and into your base will be required so access to your own transport would be helpful.

The Trust also welcome staff to work flexibly and we would welcome the conversation at interview regarding flexible working.

Staff Benefits

The Trust offer a wide range of additional benefits to staff. Anyone who joins us on a substantive basis can assess things such as the Lease Car Scheme, Electronics Scheme, Discounted Leisure and Travel, Cycle to work scheme amongst many others available.

Car Parking

The Trust have recently completed the construction of a multi-storey car park at our Warwick Hospital site which has allowed us to reduce waiting times for car parking passes.

To keep up to date on our latest recruitment activity follow us on twitter @swftrecruit or look us up on Facebook (Recruitment - South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust).

Job overview

An opportunity has arisen within our Neurology Outpatient Physiotherapy Team as Team Lead for a 6 month Band 7 secondment post.

This will be an ideal opportunity for someone who is considering a developmental opportunity as a Team Lead to gain leadership and operational skills. Coaching and mentoring will also be available to you in this role.

This is advertised at 18.75 hours but hours could be negotiable and flexible working is supported.

The successful applicants would be expected to:

Communicate well with their departmental lead colleagues and managers in order to deliver a caring and effective patient service.

Inspire and mentor junior colleagues and undergraduate students offering expert recommendations and providing invaluable support.

Manage the department on a day to day basis.

Effectively and efficiently manage their own patient caseload.

Possess great organisational and leadership skills.

Deputise for Pathway Lead.

Main duties of the job

To provide a high standard physiotherapy service to patients in area of specialism.

To work in conjunction with the Pathway lead in planning, co-ordinating, delivering and evaluating the service area on a day to day basis.

To take a lead role in the provision of support, clinical supervision and highly specialist advice to less experienced physiotherapy staff and undergraduate students within the physiotherapy department.

Working for our organisation

In addition our staff survey results have placed us 4th in the country for recommended place to work.

We provide services across Warwickshire and beyond ranging from Hospitals in Warwick, Stratford-Upon-Avon, and Royal Leamington Spa to Community Services across the county. We are a progressive, expanding organisation with great ambition around improving quality, integrating pathways and delivering high levels of productivity.

It doesn’t matter what role you do, whether it is patient facing or not, we are all working in the same way with our values at the core.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Key Result Areas

To undertake all aspects of clinical duties as an autonomous practitioner.

To hold responsibility for own caseload within a defined area of the service, working as part of the Inpatient team.

To perform advanced physiotherapeutic assessment of patients with diverse presentations, to provide a diagnosis and deliver a specialised treatment plan, based on evidenced based practice.

To be involved in performance management, peer review sessions and supervision of staff / students as necessary.

To work with other Physiotherapy Team Leads to co-ordinate and supervise the education of less experienced staff.

To initiate and co-ordinate departmental audit projects on a regular basis, in order to develop efficient and effective service provision.

To contribute to out of hours working as required.

To maintain own competency to practise.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

To undertake a comprehensive Physiotherapy assessment of the individual patient including those with diverse or complex presentations/multiple pathologies; gaining relevant information by clinical examination; observation, questioning, discussion and manual physiotherapy assessment techniques.

Apply advanced clinical reasoning skills to formulate a clinical diagnosis of their condition and identify and agree, client centred, and specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely (SMART) goals.

To demonstrate highly developed observational, manual and palpatory skills for the assessment and treatment of patients.

To formulate and deliver an individual physiotherapy treatment programme based on specialist knowledge of evidence-based practice and treatment options using clinical skills e.g. manual physiotherapy techniques, electrotherapy, patient education or exercise programmes on an individual or group basis.

To evaluate patient progress, reassess and alter treatment programmes as required.

Assess patient’s functional independence and if necessary refer onto other services.

Formulate a prognosis providing highly specialist advice on best course of interventions, developing specialised treatment plans.

To make informed clinical decisions on timely discharge planning and / or referral to other services.

To integrate physiotherapy treatment into a coordinated multidisciplinary programme, representing the physiotherapy service or the patient at MDT meeting/case conferences as appropriate. This will include discussion of patient care, patient progress and involvement in discharge planning from the outset of instigation of a MDT treatment programme

To provide support, teaching, specialist and highly specialist advice to other staff within the Physiotherapy team on a planned and spontaneous basis. E.g. peers, less experienced physiotherapists; technical instructors / assistants or physiotherapy, medical or work experience students on observational visits or staff from other clinical areas.

To co-ordinate and oversee the delivery physiotherapy service in specified area.

To work within Trust policy and Chartered Society of Physiotherapy guidelines and to have a good working knowledge of national and local standards. Monitor own and others quality of practice as appropriate.

To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own work.

To assess and manage clinical risk within the limits of own scope of practice.

To set a high personal standard of work and professional attitude and encourage others to do likewise.

To maintain assessment, treatment and discharge records/reports and follow guidelines, protocols and procedures in accordance with professional (Chartered Society of Physiotherapy), legal and departmental standards.

To identify opportunities to improve the physiotherapy service in order to provide the best patient care within the resources available and implement change following discussion with the Physiotherapy manager.

To be responsible for organising and planning own caseload to meet service and patient priorities. Re-adjusting plans as situations change/arise.

To be responsible for the safe and competent use of mobility aids/equipment by patients and more junior staff and students through teaching, training and supervision of practice where required.

To have an active role in facilitating quality care by contribution towards development of clinical guidelines or pathways, education, standard-setting, audit and research.

To contribute to meeting the requirements of the Trust’s Corporate Governance agenda.

To be committed to a team approach in order to provide continuity and efficiency of service provision.

To maintain high morale and sound staff relations within the department.

To be responsible for supporting and developing physiotherapy students to graduate level.

To be the first point of contact in dealing with minor complaints from patients in line with trust policy.

To participate in clinical trials, relevant to area of practice, within the physiotherapy and multi-disciplinary teams.

To represent the Trust externally in local area regarding physiotherapy services provided.

Professional / Educational

Provide evidence of how learning is applied.

To be an active member of in-house training by attending and delivering presentations and training. To attend external courses as well as practising reflective practice, peer review and personal study.

To participate in the staff appraisal scheme and Personal Development Review (PDR) as both an appraiser and appraisee and to be responsible for complying with the agreed personal development plan.

To undertake the measurement and evaluation of your work and current practice through the use of Evidence Based Practice (EBP) projects, audit, outcome measures, either individually, within the clinical speciality or with a manager. Make recommendations for change.

To demonstrate a sound understanding of Clinical Governance and Risk Management and apply these principles to the work situation.

To attend Physiotherapy professional meetings, and departmental team meetings as required.

To provide spontaneous and planned advice, teaching and instruction to relatives, carers and other professionals, to promote understanding of the aims and goals relating to physiotherapy and to ensure a consistent approach to patient care to such a level that where appropriate relatives and carers are able to carry out the therapy programme including discussing the implications of diagnosis and long term rehabilitation with clients and their relatives.

To provide highly specialist advice to physiotherapy colleagues working within other clinical areas in clinical matters relating to your specialist area.

To provide expert specialist advice, teaching and training to other members regarding the physical / rehabilitation management of patients with a diversity of highly complex conditions in work place.

To give advice and provide clinical supervision for bands 5 and 6, to provide clinical supervision to other Band 7s.

To induct, train, supervise and manage performance of more junior staff, support workers and physiotherapy students. This will include the use of formal appraisal documentation in relation to physiotherapy staff.

To take on the role of clinical educator and participate in education of physiotherapy students on placement from local universities. To include recording of activities and undertaking clinical reasoning, in conjunction with university clinical staff.

Communications and Working Relationships

To communicate effectively with patients and carers to establish relationships and maximise rehabilitation outcome, using a wide range of verbal and non-verbal communication tools, and to ensure understanding of the physical problems relating to the condition experienced by patients in specialist area and the impact this will have on their physical/ functional performance.

To be aware of the need for sensitivity and understanding when communicating with patients and carers who may be anxious or hostile especially when imparting information about potentially long term disabling and potentially life limiting conditions.

To assess individual patients’ understanding of proposed treatment modalities and have the ability to work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to intervention, in line with Trust policy in gaining consent. Involving patients with complex physical, emotional and psychological conditions.

This communication could be in verbal, report or letter format.

To communicate effectively and work collaboratively with other therapy colleagues and other appropriate agencies, working within Trust guidelines for sharing of information.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Diploma / degree in physiotherapy
• State registration (HPC)
• Evidence of CPD maintained in a portfolio including attendance at recent postgraduate courses relevant to the chosen clinical field
• Experiential learning

• Membership of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
• Relevant validated clinical courses
• Leadership Training

Experience

• Evidence of extensive postgraduate experience, including work at Band 6 level in a variety of specialities
• Experience of working as part of a physiotherapy team and multi-disciplinary team
• Involvement in audit, research and understanding quality issues
• Evidence of supervision of students or less experienced physiotherapy staff
• Evidence of provision of clinical education to less experienced staff, students and assistants

• Experience at Team Leader (6/7) level (desirable)

Skills

• Ability to work as an autonomous practitioner
• Specialist knowledge of broad range of conditions in relevant field
• Evidence of sound clinical reasoning abilities
• Ability to pass on skills / knowledge to others within both formal and informal environments
• Remain updated with professional practice and new research
• Able to present information, written and orally, in a clear and logical manner e.g. competent IT skills (Word, Email)
• Understand the legal responsibilities of the profession and knowledge of professional standards
• Understanding of clinical governance and its implications for services, including experience of quality issues, research and audit
• Ability to comprehend and work within the Trust’s policies of data protection, equal opportunities and health and safety and meet the differing needs of the patient
• Ability to keep accurate and legible patient notes
• Excellent command of the English language
• Good written, verbal and non-verbal communication skills

• Ability to organise internal / external courses

Personal Qualities

• Excellent communication skills
• Ability to work collaboratively within the multidisciplinary team taking on a team leader role
• Flexible / Empathetic / Reliable
• Ability to perform well, working in a stressful environment and with emotional or aggressive patients and carers
• Commitment to continually develop clinically and managerially

Other

• Able to carry out moderate to intense physical effort throughout the working day and carry out concurrent activities
• Independent means of transport - Car driver / owner
• Commitment to contribute to extended working hours
• Commitment to contribute to regular weekend working

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Sometimes we get a lot of applications for our roles. On those occasions we might close the job early. If you don’t want to miss out we recommend submitting your application as early as possible.

The Trust use an Applicant Management System called TRAC which helps us manage the recruitment process. All communications regarding your application will come via TRAC (even if you applied via NHS Jobs).

Please check your TRAC account regularly and ensure your email is set up to accept messages so they don't go into your junk/spam folder.

We aim to shortlist all vacancies within 2 days of the vacancy closing, we will get back to all candidates ASAP.

Please ensure all sections of the application form are completed fully. Please particularly ensure that you provide full details of all referees including business email address, telephone contact details and postal address.

South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust is an equal opportunities employer who is committed to Equality and Diversity and does not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the grounds of any protected characteristic as defined by the Equality Act 2010.

All South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust sites are smoke free. We feel it’s a great way to help our patients, visitors and staff stay healthy.

The Trust is part of a ‘Foundation Group’ through a strategic alliance with Wye Valley NHS Trust, George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust and Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. This partnership is great for the sustainability of all four organisations and allows us to share learning and maximise opportunities to ensure the delivery of high quality health and care services for our local populations.