Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Expert Clinical Practice

The post-holder will:

Possess highly developed specialist knowledge through Masters level study and have significant experience in relevant specialist area of practice

Be responsible for the management of a complex clinical caseload, providing an advanced level of clinical judgement, knowledge and experience with their exceptionally high level of clinical expertise exemplifying good practice in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal conditions.

Be able to impart unwelcome news to patients about rehabilitation prospects.

Take professional and legal responsibility for their own clinical actions, exercising a high degree of personal professional autonomy involving highly complex facts or situations in order to implement an appropriate and timely management strategy for patients.

Be responsible for delivering a whole system patient focused approach, working with the multidisciplinary team throughout the healthcare community to facilitate seamless patient care.

Be responsible for the provision of an expert advice service within the musculoskeletal field for clinicians, managers and other health professionals.

Demonstrate manual therapy skills and perform manual handling tasks involving patients and equipment.

Create and develop protocols of care and design patient care pathways with the aim of providing best practice examples to others either within the region or nationally.

Assess, monitor, report and manage clinical risk.

Respond to frequent changes of priority when multiple demands are made on time, due to an unpredictable work pattern on a daily basis.

Professional Leadership and Consultancy

The post-holder will:

Work according to the Health Professions Council Standard of conduct, the Chartered society of Physiotherapy code of conduct, local policies and service standards.

Provide professional effective leadership to musculoskeletal physiotherapy professionals within the Trust, acting as a role model and positive influence to MSK professional practice.

Be an advocate for advanced practice and lead on the development, education and governance of these roles inclusive (but not exhaustive) of the First Contact Practitioner, South Warwickshire Integrated Musculoskeletal Service, orthopaedic practitioners, pain service and Musculoskeletal outpatient physiotherapy clinicians.

Be recognised as an expert within their speciality, service or field and ensure that locally endorsed standards are evidence-based to reflect the very best available practice.

Establish and lead on enhancing the mechanisms of measuring the quality of the musculoskeletal services, thereby contributing to the clinical governance and corporate agenda.

Demonstrate excellent and persuasive communication skills including the ability to listen and accurately represent the views of others, together with the ability to tailor language to the needs of the particular professional or patient group, for example, when gaining informed consent.

Possess expert negotiating and influencing skills to support clinical services and make case for change.

Enable, empower and motivate patients, carers and colleagues through empathy, understanding of their perspective and support.

Challenge current structures and identify organisational and professional barriers which limit/inhibit services.

Act as a specialist resource to other professional teams within the health care community, with the aim of promoting effective service delivery and sharing good practice. The post holder will inspire others (including other staff groups and organisations) to deliver the optimum quality of care within the specialist field and beyond.

Actively participate in networks for consultant allied health professionals and musculoskeletal allied health professional specialists.

Education and Training

The post-holder will:

Be responsible for the strategic development of teaching and learning strategies across musculoskeletal services for Physiotherapists as well as the delivery of specialist training as part of this role.

Promote and facilitate a learning culture that encourages reflection, evidencebased practice and work based learning in order that others may develop to their full potential across musculoskeletal services.

Develop and lead the education strategy for physiotherapists and identify learning needs for staff within the musculoskeletal field to support service modernisation, improved practice, enhanced roles and evidence-based practice. The education strategy should link at a national level to serve national health policy and at a local level to ensure links with universities and education providers.

Provide learning opportunities for health professionals and others via established links to higher education institutions including acting as a mentor or supervisor.

Act as a mentor or supervisor for post-graduate students undertaking university courses and contribute to educational policy in the specialist field for post qualifying practitioners.

Link with the ICB, ICS national organisations and professional bodies, universities and higher education institutes, to develop and facilitate learning opportunities and education programmes for musculoskeletal clinical specialist practitioners.

Provide education in their specialist field of clinical expertise locally, regionally and nationally by lecturing or through publishing research in professional journals.

Develop and maintain a library of appropriate information for specialist practitioners and to support production of appropriate patient information.

Maintain his/her own continuing education via internal and external courses and conferences and via completion of an ongoing professional portfolio.

Participate in an annual appraisal to evaluate and develop existing role.

Practice and Service Development

The post-holder will:

Ensure that practice development is evidence-based.

Contribute to the development of specialist musculoskeletal services, develop protocols and guidelines underpinned by evidence, audit the service provided and identify, implement and manage changes to improve patient care.

Work with the Outpatient Pathway Leads to identify and make opportunities for service re-design and establish effective project management and project teams in order to make a real difference to health and services for patients.

Have a major influence in the development and provision of cross-boundary working.

Liaise with other services within the healthcare community in both primary and secondary care (including pain management and rheumatology) to improve patient access and seamless patient care, and avoid duplication of activity.

Be able to process complex, sensitive or contentious information, leading to the development of strategic plans, which will drive change within and across the Trust and its partners.

Contribute to strategic planning and innovation for the service by expanding and developing practice and drive forward local implementation of relevant national policy. This includes interpretation of clinical, professional and national policies in the specialist musculoskeletal field and gives advice to the organisation with regards to service development and improvement.