Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Roles and responsibilities

Clinical

·         Be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of professional practice.

·         Undertake the specialist assessment of patients as an autonomous practitioner, including those with highly complex presentations, and using advanced clinical reasoning skills, knowledge of evidence based practice and advanced investigative and analytical skills to determine appropriate care plan utilising specialist treatment skills and options.

·         Be highly competent in the use of Intensive Care treatment modalities including Ventilators and other assisted breathing modalities.

·         Be highly competent in assessing a wide range of conditions especially frailty syndromes; requiring an advanced theoretical knowledge of anatomy, physiology and pathology.    

·         Interpret and analyse clinical and non-clinical facts to form accurate diagnoses in a wide range of highly complex conditions and recommend the best course of intervention to other physiotherapists and members of the multidisciplinary team.

·         Demonstrate highly developed dexterity, co-ordination and palpatory sensory skills for assessment and manual treatment of patients.

·         Be responsible for discharge plans giving guidance for the junior team members as required.

·         Work with patients to identify and agree treatment goals based on assessment outcomes, which demonstrate an appreciation of the complex interaction of risk, safety, patient choice, independence, areas of conflict and eligibility for services.

·         Provide spontaneous and planned advice, teaching and instruction to relatives, carers and other professionals, promoting understanding of the aims of physiotherapy treatment plans ensuring a consistent approach to patient care.

·         Carry out appropriate treatment, re-evaluating throughout the treatment period changing treatment plan as required.

·         Develop comprehensive discharge plans in collaboration with the other members of the multidisciplinary team.

·         Co-ordinate intervention which may include other disciplines; advice and educate patient/carer/relatives/other health professionals as required.

·         Within remit of specialist expertise ensure timely referral to other health professionals/services as appropriate.

·         Ensure as physiotherapy team leader that designated staff implement policy and service developmental changes in a timely manner.

·         Contribute to policy changes concerning the physiotherapy management of patients within the boundaries of critical care and assist in the guidance of the critical care physiotherapy team to provide and efficient an effective service in this clinical area.

·         Work with the Head of Therapies and the Clinical Lead therapist in developing the operational management of the physiotherapy service and influencing strategic planning.

·         Ensure that all documentation around patient care is recorded to Trust and CSP Standards of Practice and Health Care Professionals Code of Conduct.

·         To assist in the co-ordination and ensure effective delivery of the evening and weekend services, ensuring all rotas are covered. To  assist in co-ordinating and delivering training to on-call physiotherapy staff, to ensure competence in carrying out evening and weekend duties and provide specialist advice to the on-call physiotherapy staff. 

·         Participate in the On-call Emergency Respiratory Service as required by clinical need and in relation to the appropriate Standard Operating Procedure.

·         Be responsible for ensuring that quality standards and effectiveness of patient care are continually improved.

·         Provide specialised advice to other healthcare professionals and physiotherapists

 Organisational  

·         To have an active role in the planning, development, coordination, delivery and evaluation of the critical care and respiratory medicine physiotherapy service.

·         To provide support to the clinical team leader in the daily operational management for the physiotherapy team.

·         To act as a mentor for physiotherapy colleagues, providing clinical and professional support on a regular basis.

·         To delegate to, supervise and monitor senior and staff grade physiotherapists, students and support workers.

·         To manage priorities for the Medical Rehabiliation physiotherapy team, balancing patient-related and professional/managerial demands within available resources; ensuring that these remain service led.

·         To deputise for senior staff /Clinical Lead as required.

·         To ensure that physiotherapy equipment is suitable for the needs of the patient and facilities/environment are maintained in safe order.

·         To collect data and statistics for reporting purposes.

·         To carry out designated departmental/service responsibilities.

·         To be aware of Health and Safety legislation and to comply with policies relating to the work area, including risk assessment and the prompt recording and reporting of incidents and ‘near misses’. To take necessary precautions to safeguard the welfare and safety of yourself and others.

·         To have an active role in developing, reviewing and updating departmental policies, procedures and guidelines relating to physiotherapy management of critical care patients.

·         To have an active role in the recruitment of new staff.

·         To comply with Trust and departmental policies, procedures and standards. To be involved in reviewing and updating departmental policies and procedures as required

Professional  

·        To abide by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy Professional Code of Conduct and Standards of Practice and the Health Profession Council requirements for physiotherapy registration.

·         To maintain own continuous professional development (CPD) and incorporate new trends and developments into practice. To be an active member of in-service training programmes. To attend and contribute as appropriate at staff meetings, tutorials, training sessions, courses, other CPD activities and to undertake reflective practice. To maintain a dynamic personal development plan and portfolio, with evidence of ongoing commitment to CPD and self-directed learning.

·         To maintain comprehensive and accurate assessment and treatment records in line with legal, professional, Trust and departmental policies and guidelines.

·         To train, supervise and performance manage other physiotherapists, technical instructors, assistants and students (this will include the use of formal appraisal documentation).

·         To provide leadership and peer support to physiotherapists and support workers within the paediatric physiotherapy team.

·         To demonstrate and apply a sound understanding of Clinical Governance and Risk Management, and encourage others to do likewise.

·         To act as an ambassador for the Physiotherapy service.

Communication

·      To use a range of verbal and non-verbal communication tools to communicate effectively with patients and carers.

·      To use skills of persuasion, motivation, explanation, and empathy to encourage patients to undertake their treatment programme and optimise rehabilitation potential and/or quality of life. Barriers to effective communication may regularly be evident, e.g.: altered perception, age, dysphasia, pain, psychological/emotional status.

·      To use specific skills to communicate with patients who, for example, depend on sign languages, communication boards etc.

·      To communicate patient related information effectively, to facilitate co-ordinated services and ensure seamless collaborative working with the multidisciplinary team (MDT) and multi-agencies. This may include case conferences, handovers, ward rounds, discharge planning, documentation in health records and medical reports. Patient related information might be complex, highly sensitive and contentious.

·      To contribute to and compile additional written reports which form the basis of legal documents for other agencies

·      To 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.

·      To use Information Technology for the purposes of: Communication within and outside the Trust Accessing clinical and professional information

·      To communicate effectively with colleagues at national centres of excellence to ensure continuity of ‘shared’ care.

·      Ensure all communication, which may be complex, contentious or sensitive, is undertaken in a responsive and inclusive manner, focusing on improvement and ways to move forward.

·      Ensure all communication is presented appropriately to the different recipients, according to levels of understanding, type of communication being imparted and possible barriers such as language, culture, understanding or physical or mental health conditions

This job description may be subject to change according to the varying needs of the service. Such changes will be made after discussion between the post holder and his/her manager.

All duties must be carried out under supervision or within Trust policy and procedure. You must never undertake any duties that are outside your area of skill or knowledge level. If you are unsure you must seek clarification from a more senior member of staff.