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Job summary

Main area
Respiratory Medicine
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 8a
Contract
Permanent
Hours
  • Full time
  • Part time
  • Flexible working
  • Compressed hours
37.5 hours per week
Job ref
216-LD-M7191838
Employer
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Derriford Hospital
Town
Plymouth
Salary
£53,755 - £60,504 Per Annum Pro Rata
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
10/06/2025 23:59

Employer heading

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust logo

Specialist Respiratory Physiotherapist

NHS AfC: Band 8a

Job overview

Job Purpose:

 Undertake the role of a Respiratory Clinical Specialist Therapist in admission avoidance for patients with acute / exacerbating respiratory problems suitable for admission avoidance. Working alongside Thoracic medicine consultants and liaising with internal and external stakeholders to ensure maximum effectiveness, quality and patient experience.

 Working autonomously as a Clinical Specialist to provide a high level of expert patient-centred clinical care. Utilising, leading and integrating research evidence into practice, quality is enhanced in all areas of assessment, diagnosis, management and evaluation, delivering improved outcomes for service users and extending the parameters of their field of practice.

 Working in conjunction with the service manager and Thoracic medicine consultant staff, they will formulate the development of clinical guidance for all aspects of clinical practice relating to this role, developing new areas of practice and ensuring quality standards are met.

 The Clinical Specialist Therapist will work strategically across a range of models of service delivery and are expected to influence policy and choice, operating the highest degree of professional autonomy and decision making.

Main duties of the job

Take on a key clinical role in preventing hospital admissions for respiratory patients. Provide expert assessments and treatments, especially for those with complex or chronic conditions. Determine clinical diagnoses and therapy treatments, ensuring a holistic, patient-centred approach, and maintain records as an autonomous practitioner.

Utilise advanced clinical expertise, judgement, discretion, and decision-making skills to assess, examine, diagnose, and formulate timely treatment plans within an agreed scope of practice.

Evaluate investigations, revise treatment plans based on patient needs, and assess their impact and outcomes.

Assist in the safe management, referral, and discharge of patients with undifferentiated and undiagnosed conditions in various settings, such as emergency and ambulatory care, admission avoidance units, virtual wards, thoracic medicine urgent/hot clinics, and acute community outreach.

Provide expert professional advice to patients, carers, and colleagues.

Monitor and lead improvements in care standards through supervision of practice, clinical audits, implementation of evidence-based practice, teaching, and supporting colleagues, and providing professional leadership.

Contribute to clinical governance by leading quality improvement, audit, and research projects as part of the multidisciplinary service-wide performance and quality agenda.

Working for our organisation

We are a people business – where every member of staff matters and can make a difference. Patients are at the heart of everything we do. Joining University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust means becoming part of a team of dedicated staff, who are committed to leading the way through innovation, clinical excellence and great customer care. The Trust has great opportunities for career development in a highly progressive working environment. We offer all of this in a vibrant, modern city with a historic reputation for adventure. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL COMMUNICATION WILL BE ELECTRONIC, PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL ACCOUNT REGULARLY. If you have any issues with applying online and need additional support including reasonable adjustments with the application process please contact the recruitment team on 01752 432100. We recognise that work life balance is important for our colleagues and so we invite requests from applicants around less than full time/flexible working for our advertised roles. Please contact the recruiting manager to discuss this prior to your application submission. We commit to giving this full consideration in each case. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds to apply for our roles, as diversity strengthens our teams. 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

PRIMARY DUTIES & AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

Expert Practice

       Demonstrate clinical expertise, working autonomously, making highly complex clinical decisions. utilising highly advanced knowledge and experience in dealing with Respiratory patients with highly complex presentations.

       Request, interpret and act upon the results of investigations pertinent to the healthcare of respiratory patient population.

       Practice autonomous expert clinical practice, receiving and making referrals to/from a frame of clinical environments across the health network.

       Help firmly establish values-based professional practice across pathways, services, organisations and systems, working with individuals, families, carers, communities and others.

       Lead health and social care provision with service users and communities, including practice accreditation, change, and continuous improvement across the system.

       Help put in place peer reviews and evaluations of safety, quality and health outcomes, from pathway to systems level.

       High-quality, values-based professional practice that improves people’s experience, supporting them to make decisions in complex situations.

       A positive approach to working with difference and diversity, challenging stigma and using the best possible communication methods.

       Use an extensive range of verbal and non-verbal communication tools to communicate effectively with patients/carers.  Identifying and accessing where appropriate suitable equipment/persons to aid treatments, motivating, gaining cooperation and progressing rehabilitation and treatment programmes.  This will include patients who may have difficulties in understanding or communicating patients may be dysphasic, depressed, deaf, blind, have English as a second language or who may be unable to accept diagnosis or who have unrealistic expectations of therapy interventions.

       Sharing decision-making with service users and partners in every situation, so that the effectiveness of physical, psychological and social interventions and services and the transition through each stage of care and services can be assessed.

       Lead how risk is managed in unpredictable and complex situations, and where a precedent has not been set.

       Lead the ongoing development of evidence-based practice and improvement of quality, safety, and health and service outcomes.

       Lead the ongoing development of, and putting in place and reviewing, care and service pathways, standards, policies, guidelines, procedures, service improvement and practice accreditation.

       Have formal systems for collecting and reviewing feedback from patients and service users, carers and staff across services, working with service teams to identify and put in place any action needed as a result of that feedback.

       Involve local people, carers and service users in developing, evaluating and improving services.

       Work with professional bodies, clinical networks, commissioners, regional and national level, third sectors, charities and other partners.

       Contribute to a clinical assurance portfolio to evidence clinical practice. If such assurance does not exist, develop and contribute, in collaboration with colleagues across the health network.

       To demonstrate advanced knowledge, skills and experience within the field of respiratory medicine.

       To liaise with all members of the multidisciplinary team both within University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust and around the peninsula.

       To be recognised as an expert within the field of respiratory care and ensure that locally endorsed standards are developed and implemented, reflecting best practice nationally, following clinical governance policies and are evidence based.

       To adhere to all Trust and professional bodies policies and code of conduct.

       To liaise with rehabilitation facilities within the region to ensure a smooth transition of care between the acute and rehabilitation settings.

       Providing expert knowledge of the acute phase of care, in support of the development of service provision with rehabilitation units in the Local Health Community in line with national directives.

       Provide advice to medical and nursing staff and other members of the multi-disciplinary team regarding patients respiratory and chest functions/condition, when working on the emergency duty on-call rota.

Person specification

Knowledge and Experience

Essential criteria
  • Broad clinical experience with expert specialist knowledge in Cardiorespiratory / Thoracic medicine.
  • Extensive post graduate experience across all specialities
  • Previous experience at a Senior level within field respiratory / acute medical / critical care / trauma frailty and management of complex caseloads
  • Evidence of CPD and relevant post-graduate training and integrating EBP into current practice.
Desirable criteria
  • Published research paper related to the physiotherapy profession or this speciality
  • Previous working at Clinical Specialist Therapist level within the acute healthcare setting.
  • Experience of Virtual ward and respiratory Hot clinics.

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Degree level or equivalent in Physiotherapy with further specialist professional qualifications at master’s level.
  • Postgraduate Master’s degree relevant to the speciality or evidence of working at equivalent level or towards.
  • Independent non-medical prescriber qualification or evidence of working towards.
Desirable criteria
  • Demonstrable experience of teaching other professions
  • Working towards advanced clinical assessment.
  • Extended Scope / Advanced clinical practice within cardiorespiratory medicine

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Disability confident leaderArmed Forces Covenant Gold AwardMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) - Gold

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Gemma Hayes
Job title
Consultant Respiratory Physician
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
01752 202082
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