Senior Physiotherapist

at  Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust

Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust is pleased to be offering an opportunity for an experienced Physiotherapist to be part of the Intermediate Care Service. There is opportunity to gain experience in hospital avoidance, bed based rehabilitation and community rehabilitation providing physiotherapy intervention in order to prevent hospital admission, provide bed based rehab or support clients in their own home. It is an integrated service, working with social care and other community services.
Experience of multidisciplinary / multi agency working is essential.
There is opportunity to gain valuable experience and have involvement in a varied caseload. Our main aim is to plan and implement care whilst promoting independence to ensure patients can remain in their own home. The team were proud to receive the award of ‘Integrated Care at Home’ in the Trust 2019 Annual Excellence Awards.
You will have the opportunity to develop your people management skills in supporting junior members of staff including Assistant Practitioners, Reablement Officers and students.
You will have a commitment and passion for providing high quality patient care and promoting Physiotherapy within the Trust. You will have the drive and enthusiasm to be involved with service development and continued professional development.
You will join the weekend and bank holiday rota.

PLEASE NOTE, WE MAY CLOSE THIS VACANCY EARLY IF WE RECEIVE HIGH NUMBERS OF APPLICATIONS.

To act as an autonomous and collaborative practitioner within a variety of multi-disciplinary and interagency teams providing a high standard of physiotherapy to rehabilitation services, this involves working alone as part of a multi-disciplinary team within residential / nursing and community settings.
To participate in the planning, development and evaluation of ICS therapy services.
To provide daily leadership to junior staff through supervision and appraisal, and to contribute to the supervision and training of physiotherapy students on practice placements.
Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust is an integrated Trust and the only provider of NHS acute care in Walsall, serving a population of 286,700, providing inpatient and outpatient services at the Manor Hospital as well as a wide range of services in the community. Walsall Manor houses the full range of district general hospital services under one roof. The £170 million development was completed in 2010 and the continued upgrading of existing areas ensures the Trust now has a state-of-the-art Critical Care Unit, Neonatal Unit, Obstetric Theatre, and Integrated Assessment Unit facilities. Work is also well underway on its multi-million pound new Urgent and Emergency Care Centre which will house a new Emergency Department (including Children’s Emergency Department), co-located Paediatric Assessment Unit, Acute Medical Unit and Urgent Care Centre. This is scheduled for completion this year.
We would welcome applications from people from a BME background and people with a disability as these groups are currently under-represented at senior level. We value diversity within our Trust and are working to achieve equality in our recruitment.
We support flexible working for all employees and prospective applicants.
Any settled workers meeting the requirements must be offered the position in preference to any non-resident candidates meeting the requirements, unless the role falls under a PhD-level code, in which case sponsorship may be attained.
Key Responsibilities
Clinical
To undertake all aspects of clinical duties as an autonomous practitioner, including professional and legal accountability and managing clinical risk for all aspects of own work. Some aspects of work will involve delivery of the care as an individual practitioner or as part of a multi-disciplinary team. In most cases to be the sole health professional with responsibility for that patient’s episode of care.
To be responsible for organising and planning own caseload to meet service and patient priorities. Readjusting plans as situations change/arise.
To undertake advanced physiotherapeutic assessment of patients with diverse or complex physical, psychological, cognitive and behavioural conditions in order to provide an accurate diagnosis and prognosis. To formulate and deliver an individualised physiotherapy treatment programme including therapeutic handling, patient education, provision of exercise (individual/group), and other options. This includes the appropriate selection of referrals for inclusion in a range of treatment programmes, one-to-one sessions using advanced treatment options, advanced communication, questioning and reasoning skills.
Supervision takes the form of regular formal training, clinical reasoning sessions and peer review. Access to advice and support from senior physiotherapists is available if required. Clinical work is not routinely evaluated or supervised.
To undertake as directed a collection of data for use in service audit and research projects within the Intermediate Care Team. To manage and undertake research in specific areas of clinical practice and service delivery using a range of research methodologies as part of MDT audit and Rehabilitation Services research initiatives. Make recommendations to clinical lead/manager of rehabilitation services changes to practice by the team. May implement specific changes to practice.
To be responsible for safe and competent assessment, provision and use of physiotherapy equipment, patient appliances and aids by patients ensuring that junior staff/assistants/technical instructor attain competency prior to use.
Communication
Assess patient understanding of treatment proposals; gain valid formal consent and jointly agreed goals. To have the capacity to work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment.
Communication will include imparting sensitive and comprehensive information relating to diagnosis, prognosis, physical and functional recovery and potential lifestyle adjustments to patients and their relatives. This may involve informing patients that they may be unable to return to their previous level of activity/work/leisure or remain at home safely.
Regular use of verbal and non-verbal communication tools to discuss complex information about underlying influences, prognosis, and progression of rehabilitation and treatment programmes with patient or carer. This will include patients who may have difficulties with regard to complex emotional, psychological as well as physical conditions relating to the presenting complaint. This client group includes those who have difficulties in understanding or communicating; the patient may by dysphasic, depressed, deaf, and blind or who may be unable to accept their diagnosis. Communication will involve use of skills in motivating, negotiating, counselling, training, empathising and reassuring.
Communication with Colleagues
To maintain accurate comprehensive and up-to-date documentation, in line with requirements of Single Assessment and CSP standards of practice and to monitor that of less experienced staff.
To be responsible for accurate and timely data input into the lorenzo data collection system.
To represent physiotherapy service, and/or individual patient to ensure the delivery of a co-ordinated multidisciplinary service presenting a positive impression of rehabilitation services and the Physiotherapy Service. This will involve advising the multi-disciplinary team (G.Ps, Nurses, Occupational Therapists, Social Workers) on management of physical recovery and discussion of patient care, patient progress and involvement of discharge planning. Information will be provided in several formats including verbal feedback during multi-disciplinary case conferences, comprehensive written assessment and discharge summaries and via email.
Advice will be shared with Line Manager and rehabilitation services relating to service planning, changes of clinical practice, complaints and plaudits.
To take a shared approach to teamwork, understanding own role in rehabilitation services ,MDT, Physiotherapy team and the wider Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust.
Communication External
External communication may include discussion with employers and related agencies regarding return to work issues. Discussion with multi-disciplinary team members regarding patient management including GPs, District Nurses, carer services and Social Services.
Documentation
To maintain clinical case notes in line with professional and departmental standards.
To provide specialist Physiotherapy reports that are timely, accurate and user friendly as required. These must reflect the clinical interpretation of the data collected from assessment.
To submit statistical information required by the Trust, the Therapy Lead and Divisional Director
To participate in and lead where directed in the collection of data using outcome measures for departmental audit.
Training
To operate as a practice placement educator for Physiotherapy Students.
To contribute to the induction and training of Physiotherapy Students, Technical Instructors and junior staff.
To provide support and clinical supervision to junior Physiotherapy staff and Technical Instructors.
To support work experience placements within service area
Service Development and Delivery
To use local and national initiatives to influence service development and delivery
To participate in the operational planning and implementation of policy and service development within the team
To lead on delegated projects and specific clinical area .
To participate in the delivery of the Physiotherapy service development plan
Professional Development
To be responsible for maintaining own competency to practise, through CPD activities and to maintain a portfolio which reflects personal development. Maintain and develop current knowledge of evidence-based practise in the areas of rehabilitation, developing specialist knowledge of particular conditions and patient types.
To use reflective practice as a tool for CPD
To attend and contribute to Physiotherapy Service and Speciality meetings.
To provide in service training and demonstrations to service area staff, students and other disciplines.
To have good working knowledge of and ensure compliance with National and Local guidelines, policies and procedures. To keep up-do-date with clinical developments by the use of clinical databases and electronic technology.
To take delegated responsibility for the teaching, supervision and co-ordination of junior staff, students (to graduate level), physiotherapy assistants and care workers on a daily basis.
To work as an effective and responsible team member, arriving and leaving promptly, working effectively during agreed hours.
Leadership, Supervision and Appraisal
In line with local guidelines review and reflect on own practice and performance through effective use of supervision and PDR.
To Provide support, supervision and assessment for all learners, students and staff receiving education or training in clinical practice and to technical instructors and junior staff and to participate in peer support with all grades of staff.
To provide supervision and/or appraisal to students, technical instructors and junior staff and to participate in peer support with all grades of staff.
Participate in the staff appraisal scheme as an appraisee and be responsible for complying with your agreed personal development programmes, tutorials, individual training sessions, external courses and peer review.
Departmental Responsibilities
To be responsible for maintaining stock and advising on resources to carry out the job.
To ensure equipment is maintained to a safe working level and to advise service lead of equipment required to carry out the job.
To assist team leads with recruitment and selection procedures.
Other
To assist with speciality audit/surveys
This job description covers the major tasks to be carried out and the level of responsibilities to which the post-holder will work. These may be revised and changed from time to time. Discussions will take place with the post-holder

Please refer the Job description for details