Specialist Occupational Health Physiotherapist

We employ over 9,500 staff, many of whom are internationally renowned and have won awards for their work.

Job overview

We are focused on helping members of the organisation to manage their health and empower them to safely return or remain in work.

We welcome applications from existing Band 7 and band 6 physiotherapists who have suitable MSK experience. We believe that this opportunity will develop any member of staff who specialises, or who wishes to specialise in MSK to learn new skills, whilst also developing their existing clinical reasoning skills in this highly rewarding role.

As part of this opportunity you will be offered a period of formal training which will equip you to hit the ground running in your new role.

You will have completed all core rotations and have extensive experience within MSK/Occupational Health physiotherapy and be able to provide progressive evidence of CPD. You should possess a genuine passion and interest in this area of work as it involves assessment and treatment of employees who are experiencing problems as a result of work related issues.

Main duties of the job

Undertake an Occupational Health clinical specialist musculoskeletal Physiotherapy and Work Smart role and also assist in operationalising a reasonable adjustments centralised funded co-ordinated case management approach pilot for 12 months.

To be responsible for the operational management of the Occupational Health clinical specialty.

To provide specialist knowledge and advice to the Occupational Health team and other senior managers and clinicians in order to ensure appropriate representation of your service at operational and strategic levels.

To act as the clinical specialist for the Occupational Health service, advancing clinical practice in this area of work and taking a lead in developing best practice and embedding this into the service.

To deputise for the Head of Occupational Health & Wellbeing Service as required.

To balance the clinical specialist aspects of the post as appropriate and as agreed with the Head of Occupational Health & Wellbeing Services.

Clinical specialists working within the team are responsible to the designated therapies team lead.

Working for our organisation

We operate Zero Tolerance to aggression, violence, bullying and harassment. We will make reasonable adjustments to ensure our recruitment and selection process is accessible to all. Flexible Working applications will be considered. The Trust operates a No Smoking Policy.

Should you require a reasonable adjustment to our recruitment process please contact a member of Recruitment Services on 01254 732075 at the earliest opportunity to ensure that measures can be put in place to enable your application for this post.

Please Note: new entrants to the NHS will normally commence on the first pay point of the relevant band.

We employ over 7,000 staff, many of whom are internationally renowned and have won awards for their work.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

1. Be professional and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of your own work, including the management of patients in your care. Ensure a high standard of clinical care for the patients under your management, and across the team/service area.
2. Represent the Trust externally (locally, regionally and nationally as appropriate) in the appropriate physiotherapy specialty
3. Undertake the comprehensive assessment of patients, including those with highly complex presentations, using investigative and analytical skills. Formulate individualized management and treatment plans where appropriate. Develop comprehensive and effective discharge plans, ensuring the timely completion of physiotherapy intervention, and onward referral as appropriate.
4. Accept clinical responsibility for patients referred to the team, and ensure the team’s caseloads are organised effectively and efficiently with regard to clinical priorities and use of time.
5. Be responsible for ensuring the effective selection and use of all treatment resources available.
6. Be responsible for equipment used in carrying out physiotherapy duties, and adhere to departmental policy, including competence to use equipment and to ensure the safe use of equipment by others through, teaching, training and supervision of practice.
7. 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.
8. Provide specialist advice to colleagues working within other clinical areas.
9. Provide specialist advice, teaching and training to other staff groups as appropriate
10. Communicate complex clinical information effectively with patients and carers to obtain assessment and cooperation to maximize rehabilitation potential and to facilitate understanding of condition.
11. Maintain accurate, comprehensive and up-to-date documentation, in line with legal and departmental requirements, and communicate assessment and treatment results to the appropriate disciplines.
12. Assess capacity, gain informed consent and have the ability to work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment.
13. Undertake regular measurement and evaluation of your area of clinical work and current practices through the use of audit and other measures, individually and with colleagues. Ensure that clinical outcomes and patient feedback are included in your audit plans. Compile high quality reports (at masters level) as appropriate. Make recommendations for change, and manage the implementation of any agreed changes.

1. Maintain registration with the Health Professions Council, and adhere to professional standards of conduct at all times.
2. Maintain own clinical professional development through demonstrating up to date knowledge of research, policy, trends, and new developments relating to the clinical and clinical management aspects of the role. Identify the changes and developments required and manage the implementation of these within the team.
3. Actively contribute to own and others development by attendance at and delivery of presentations and training sessions at staff meetings, tutorials, training sessions in house and by organising and attending appropriate external courses and practicing reflective practice.
4. Communicate effectively and work collaboratively with medical, nursing and other Occupational Health colleagues to ensure delivery of a co-ordinated multidisciplinary service.
5. Participate in the NHS KSF appraisal scheme and Personal Development Plan (PDP) as both appraiser and appraisee, and take responsibility for ensuring that appraisals take place as required and in accordance with ELHT policy.
6. Proactively participate in delivering Clinical Governance and Risk Management in line with Trust policies.

1. Be responsible for a designated area of work. Plan and organise efficiently and effectively with regard to prioritisation and time management.
2. Agree priorities for own work area and that of relevant staff balancing other patient related and professional demands, and ensure that these remain in accordance with those of the section as a whole.
3. Lead or participate in relevant working groups in line with departmental requirements
4. Ensure that staff for whom you are responsible are supported and enabled to implement policy and service development changes.
5. Work with the Head of Occupational Health & Wellbeing Services in developing the strategic and operational management of the relevant clinical area, and contribute to the business planning process through identification of relevant issues within your specialty area.
6. Co-ordinate and produce reports as required, ensuring these are of a sufficient standard.
7. Be actively involved in assuring the collection, collation and reporting of appropriate data and statistics for the department, including the production of Key Performance Indicators.
8. Be aware of Health & Safety aspects of your work and implement any policies, which may be required to improve the safety of your work area, including your prompt recording and reporting of incidents and ensuring that equipment use is safe.
9. Demonstrate familiarity with and understanding of all relevant organisational and departmental policies and procedures and be involved in their development and review as appropriate.
10. Work flexibly to support equity of the Occupational Health & Wellbeing Services provision across the wider service.
11. Provide cover for colleagues as required in line with the needs of the wider Occupational Health and Wellbeing Service.
12. Undertake any other duties considered appropriate by the Head of Occupational Health and Wellbeing Service.

Applications are now invited from suitably qualified physiotherapists who wish to expand and consolidate their clinical and theoretical skill base in Occupational Health Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy to support Fast Physio and the Trusts Health and Wellbeing strategy.

Please ensure you check the email account from which you apply regularly as we may use this to contact you regarding your application.

Only those applicants who demonstrate clearly how they meet our person specification will be shortlisted for interview.

We reserve the right to close any vacancies from further applications when we have received a minimum number of applications from which to make a shortlist. Please ensure you apply without delay if you wish to be considered for this role.

Person specification

Education/Qualifications:

• Profession specific Diploma/ Degree
• Registration with Health and Care Professions Council
• Member of relevant professional body
• Evidence of CPD maintained in a portfolio including attendance at recent postgraduate courses relevant to the clinical field

• Involvement in Special Clinical Interest Group

Experience

• Individual and group treatment skills.
• Post graduate clinical experience
• Experience of delivering training to colleagues in health and/ or other relevant agencies
• Experience of working as part of a multidisciplinary team
• Experience of undergraduate student and/or support staff supervision
• Contribution to clinical education of junior staff/students/ assistants
• Experience of contributing to quality improvement projects for safe, personal and effective care
• Involvement in audit, research and evidence-based practice

Knowledge and skills

• Awareness of local and national NHS/Social Care agenda and its relevance to service area
• Awareness of national policy, clinical practice standards and guidelines relevant to service area
• Understanding of professional issues and their application to practices code of conduct/ethos
• Effective written and verbal communication skills to optimise patient management.
• Ability to manage risk in relationship to patient care
• Effective problem-solving skills
• Sound knowledge of a variety of assessment and clinical interventions relevant to service area
• Advanced clinical reasoning
• Appraisal Skills
• Sound knowledge of research, audit and evidence-based practice
• Workload management skills including prioritisation and delegation
• Knowledge of relevant equipment and its application
• Knowledge of a variety of assistive technology and environmental modifications
• Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office 365
• Ability to reflect and critically appraise own professional competency level and to seek help appropriately

Other

• Access to private vehicle to be able to travel across ELHT sites, including to patient's usual place of work, where required
• Ability to travel between sites in a timely manner as required in accordance with the agreed job plan

• Please note that the salary advertised is for full time hours. If this post is less than 37.5 hours per week, the salary will be pro-rata. For posts on Agenda for Change pay-scales, new entrants to the NHS will normally commence on the first pay point of the relevant band.
• This vacancy may close before the closing date if the recruiting manager deems sufficient applications have been received. Therefore it is advised to complete your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.
• Please ensure you check the email account from which you apply regularly as we will use this to contact you regarding your application.
• Please note that shortlisting is completed anonymously with candidates being assessed against the essential criteria for the post. Therefore only applicants, who can clearly demonstrate how they meet our person specification criteria in their application, will be short-listed.

Disclosure and Barring Scheme (DBS)

If the role you are applying for is identified as either controlled or regulated activity as defined in in the Safeguarding vulnerable Groups Act (2006) any offer of employment is provisional upon a satisfactory DBS check being obtained.

The healthcare sector is exempted from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

However, if you are applying for a post as a BANK worker, the payment must be made in full at the time of employment checks. By applying for this vacancy you are agreeing to this undertaking in the event you are successfully appointed.

The cost of an Enhanced Disclosure will be £55.38 and for a Standard Disclosure will be £27.38.

This cost is not applicable for a Volunteer post

The Trust is an equal opportunities employer, committed to improving the working lives of our staff and operates a 'Zero Tolerance' policy to aggression, violence, bullying and harassment. In addition, our aim is to help protect children and vulnerable adults by providing a first-class service to the recruitment of people into positions of trust.

We aim to employ a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve.

We welcome applications from everyone irrespective of ethnic origin, gender, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, disability or social background.

We especially welcome applications from members of our black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities, as we have identified that ELHT has an under-representation of BAME employees. Appointments will be made on merit.

Applicants who have a disability and meet the essential criteria for the job will be interviewed if you indicate you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme.

If you require a reasonable adjustment at any stage of the recruitment process please make the recruitment services team aware as soon as possible. By telephone 01254 732075 or email [email protected] or write to Employment Services, Parkview Offices, Haslingden Road, Blackburn, BB2 3HH