Senior Physiotherapist - Health Care of Elderly

Job overview

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust is looking for an experienced Physiotherapist to join Health Care of Elderly team. This post would suit Band 5’s looking to specialise or current Band 6’s who would like to broaden their experience.

The successful post holder will work alongside the existing Health Care of Elderly team leads to operationally manage health care of elderly and medical in-patient wards. In all these areas you will be supported by experienced clinicians who are specialists in their field.

The successful candidate will be joining a well- established team in delivering a seven-day physiotherapy service to patients as part of the wider multidisciplinary unit. Applicants would need to have a broad range of experience, including post-graduate experience in the treatment of patients within the medical speciality.

To perform advanced physiotherapeutic assessment of patients with diverse presentations and complex physical and psychological conditions, to provide a diagnosis and develop and deliver an individualised treatment programme.

Access to advice and support from specialist physiotherapists is available if required, clinical work is not routinely evaluated.

Main duties of the job

To provide a high standard physiotherapy service to the health care of elderly and medical patients. This involves working across the trust in a range of settings and providing a seven day service.

To assist the Team Leaders in planning, coordinating, delivering and evaluating the Physiotherapy Service provided to patients within the team, on a day-to-day basis.

To assess and treat own caseload of patients, who may have complex presentations, and maintain own records as an autonomous practitioner.

At times community / home visits may be required to be undertaken.

To deputise for the Team Leaders when necessary.

***Preference will be given to internal Trust staff, as well as ‘Priority’ and 'At Risk' status including NHS At Risk staff throughout Devon who are able to display recent relevant experience as dictated by the Person Specification.***

Working for our organisation

It is sometimes necessary to close vacancies before the closing date. If you have not heard from us within 4 weeks of the closing date, please assume that you have not been shortlisted.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

1. To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own work, including the management of patients in your care
2. To be responsible for maintaining accurate and comprehensive patient treatment records in line with Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) standards and local/Trust policy. To communicate appropriately with other disciplines (this might include meetings, report and letter writing)
3. To undertake a comprehensive assessment of patients including those with diverse or complex presentations/multi pathologies; use advanced clinical reasoning skills and manual assessment techniques to provide an accurate clinical diagnosis of their condition
4. Formulate and deliver an individual physiotherapy treatment programme based on a sound knowledge of evidence based practice and treatment options using clinical assessment, reasoning skills and knowledge of treatment skills e.g. specialist neurological or respiratory techniques, manual physiotherapy techniques, patient education, and other alternative options
5. To take delegated responsibility from the Band 7 physiotherapist for managing patients with particular conditions and be responsible for providing specialist physiotherapy assessment and treatment plans for patients with these conditions
6. Formulate accurate prognoses and recommend best course of intervention, developing comprehensive management plans
7. Assess patient understanding of treatment proposals, gain valid informed consent, which must be documented and have the capacity to work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment. To comply with local confidentiality policies, child protection and vulnerable adult procedures
8. Use an extensive range of verbal and non-verbal communication tools to communicate effectively with patients/carers; to motivate, gain co-operation, to progress rehabilitation and treatment programmes. This will include patients who may have difficulties in understanding or communicating. For example, patients may be dysphasic, depressed, deaf, blind or who may be unable to accept diagnosis, or realistic expectations of Physiotherapy intervention
9. Evaluate patient progress, reassess and alter treatment programmes if required
10. To manage clinical risk within own patient caseload and to report incidents and near misses
11. Work within trust clinical guidelines and CSP guidelines and to have a good working knowledge of national and local standards and monitor own and others quality of practice as appropriate
12. Rarely, when working in the community and domiciliary settings, work as a lone practitioner with telephone support from a senior physiotherapist if required
13. To be an active member of the respiratory evening and weekend on-call rota and medical / surgical / cardiothoracic and critical care seven day services. Individual to ensure competencies are maintained
14. When working on the emergency duty rota, undertake the assessment and treatment of acutely ill patients with respiratory/orthopaedic/ neuro problems, who may have a complex presentation and maintain associated records as an autonomous practitioner
15. When working on the emergency duty on-call rota, provide advice to medical and nursing staff and other members of the multi-disciplinary team regarding patient’s respiratory/ major trauma orthopaedic/ neurology and chest functions/condition and its management
16. To train, clinically supervise and performance management more junior staff, technical instructors, assistants and students, with assistance from more senior members of the physiotherapy team. This will include the use of formal appraisal documentation
17. Represent physiotherapy service and /or individual patients at the multi-disciplinary team meetings, to ensure the delivery of a co-ordinated multidisciplinary service, and integrate physiotherapy treatment into the treatment programme. This will include discussion of patient care, patient progress and involvement in discharge planning
18. To be responsible for the safe and competent use of all electrotherapy equipment, gym equipment and patient appliances and aids by patients and ensure that junior staff/assistants attain competency prior to use.

1. To be responsible for maintaining own competency to practice through CPD activities, and maintain a portfolio which reflects personal development.
2. Be an active member of the in-service training programme by attendance at, and participation in, in-service training programmes, tutorials, individual training sessions, external courses and peer review.
3. Ensure that your own practice and that of any staff under your supervision meet the required professional standards of physiotherapy practice.

1. Participate in the staff appraisal scheme as an appraisee and be responsible for complying with your agreed personal development programmes to meet set knowledge and competencies
2. To undertake as directed the collection of data for use in service audit and research projects
3. Be responsible for the safe and competent use of gym, electrotherapy and hydrotherapy equipment by patients, through teaching, training and supervision of practice
4. To be responsible for organising and planning own caseload to meet service and patient priorities. Readjusting plans as situations change/arise
5. Any other duties that might be considered appropriate by the physiotherapy line manager

For further details please see attached JD&PS.

Person specification

Knowledge and Experience

• Post graduate demonstrable experience in core rotations: Neurology, Acute Respiratory, Orthopaedics/MSK
• Demonstrable experience of working in acute hospital
• Demonstrable experience of teaching
• An awareness of current NHS and Health issues influencing this post
• Proven evidence of contribution to clinical education / supervision of less experienced staff, students or assistants
• Demonstrable experience of working as part of a multidisciplinary team
• Proven evidence of relevant CPD

• Previous demonstrable experience of working in Health Care of Elderly
• Clinical Educator course
• Audit demonstrable experience
• Demonstrable experience of working in a major trauma unit
• Demonstrable experience of working in a similar role
• Demonstrable experience of complex MDT working and discharge planning

Qualifications

• Degree (BSc Hons Physiotherapy) or equivalent
• HCPC registration
• Attendance at additional relevant professional courses

• MSc relevant to the area
• Attendance of additional professional courses

Aptitude and Abilities

• Professional manner
• Legible and concise handwriting

• Proven evidence of personal leadership

PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL COMMUNICATION WILL BE ELECTRONIC, PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL ACCOUNT REGULARLY INCLUDING YOUR JUNK FOLDER.

If you need support with the online application process or require reasonable adjustments with the application and/or interview process please contact the Recruiting Manager for this post.

We recognise that work life balance is important for our colleagues and so we invite requests from applicants about less than full time/flexible working for our advertised roles. We recommend contacting the manager of the role prior to applying and we commit to giving requests full consideration.

We welcome and encourage applicants who identify with all protected characteristics to apply for our roles. We believe that diversity strengthens our teams and improves our patients' experience. At UHP we aim to create an inclusive workplace and hospital where everyone feels they belong and included.

It is sometimes necessary to close vacancies before the closing date. If you have not heard from us within 4 weeks of the closing date, please assume that you have not been shortlisted.

Providing false information is an offence & could result in the application being rejected or summary dismissal/police action if an applicant is successful.

This is an automated process & the information will only be used for these purposes prior to your taking up the position with us.

For Doctors Roles:

Unsolicited CVs and Candidate Profiles/Details

University Hospitals Plymouth has a commitment to sourcing candidates directly and as such we do not accept speculative CVs from agencies.

We do, however, work with a defined list of preferred HTE Framework suppliers who may be invited to support us in sourcing candidates for particular roles.

In line with our preferred supplier list, we only pay agency fees where we have a signed agreement in place and an agency has been instructed by a member of the Trust’s Medical Workforce team.

We do not pay agency fees where speculative and unsolicited CVs are submitted to the Trust or Trust employees by any other means than the official route above. Where this is not observed the Trust reserves the right to contact these candidates directly and initiate discussions without payment of any agency fee.

Any candidate details (whether written or spoken) or CVs that are referred directly will not constitute an introduction. The Trust will under no circumstances be responsible for any recruitment fees in relation to these contacts.

Submission of any unsolicited CVs, candidate’s details and/or proposals to the Trust will not be considered further and will be deemed evidence of full and unlimited acceptance of this Agency Protocol.

In order to establish and maintain good working relationships with the Trust’s agency suppliers, we ask that this Protocol is adhered to and thank you for your co-operation.