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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

*For full details, refer to the Job Description / Specification attached.

Main tasks and responsibilities

Patient/Clinical Care

·  To manage your clinical caseload with autonomy, guided by policies, procedures, codes of practice and departmental working practices.

·       To undertake a comprehensive assessment of patients including those with a complex presentation, using investigative and advanced analytical skills and clinical reasoning.

·       Using developed knowledge and experience to make a therapeutic diagnosis of a patient’s condition and   interpret clinical findings and documentation to formulate a comprehensive specialised programme of care, including decision making about the most appropriate treatment options. For example, where self-referral occurs, clinical diagnosis is made and a programme of care is developed.

·      To supervise less experienced staff and students in the provision of patient care.

·      To provide planned and spontaneous advice to patients/clients, junior staff, staff of other disciplines, formal and informal carers and relatives.

·      To have highly developed physical, dextrous and manipulative skills for the treatment of patients, which may involve the use of specialist equipment relating to the area of therapy.

·     To be responsible for maintaining and managing accurate and comprehensive treatment records in line with professional and local standards for themselves and their team.

·   To frequently exert physical effort in cramped conditions and sustained postures for periods of up to 40 minutes several times a day. This would include moving patients as part of their treatment or moving equipment.

·    With every patient, concentration is required to listen, observe, evaluate, document, plan and act on information gathered. Work can frequently be unpredictable and interrupted.

·       To deal frequently with distressing or emotional situations, such as dealing with patients and families who are distressed due to acute or a terminal illness, those who are elderly, those with special needs and those experiencing prolonged ongoing deterioration.

·       To have daily contact with patients’ bodily fluids, odours, dust, etc.

Management Responsibilities

1.    To be the line manager for a multi-professional team managing referrals into the service, workload prioritisation and allocation within the team, taking into account the changing/competing demands.

2.    To be responsible for the day-to-day management of a team, including annual leave, sickness, initial handling of complaints, disciplinary issues and recruitment. This will also include dealing with staff who may be upset. This may be due to clinical and managerial issues.

3.    To play a key role in the coordination of activities with other agencies, such as discharge planning and case management.

4.   To propose and implement policy/procedures and service improvements, which may impact across the directorate as a whole.

5.   To be responsible for the safe and competent use of equipment and resources by staff and patients and ensure that equipment is monitored and maintained in good condition.

6.    To ensure that accurate management information is collected and collated for the team.7. To act as an authorised signatory for the team, including the signing of travel expense sheets, locum and overtime time sheets and equipment purchases, totalling more than £1000 per month.

Communication and relationships

1.   To communicate effectively with patients and carers/relatives to progress specific rehabilitation and treatment programmes. This would include providing and receiving complex information, using a range of verbal and non-verbal communication skills, particularly persuading/influencing – to ensure compliance with treatment. This will include patients who have difficulties in understanding or communicating, e.g., patients who may be dysphasic, depressed, visually impaired, hard of hearing, or may be unable to accept their diagnosis.

2.   To communicate effectively with a range of professionals within the team, within the directorate and within the trust and in external agencies, including primary care, social services, voluntary organisations and others.

3.   To regularly make presentations to groups and individuals both within the trust and external to the trust.

4.     To provide support to patients, relatives or staff who may be upset, angry or aggressive. This may include clinical and managerial issues.

5.  To regularly provide training to own discipline, multi-disciplinary/other professionals and students.

Governance

1.  To work within the standards of professional practise as described by professional body. To be  responsible for maintaining own competency to practise through postgraduate training and CPD in the specialist area/field.

2.     To provide the managerial support necessary to enable the team to achieve the same. This will include implementation and monitoring of staff appraisal systems, the development of a structured training plan for staff and access to mandatory training.

3.   To access and provide support (including clinical, peer and managerial) as required.

4.     To record and store patient related information in computerised and paper-based systems.

5.   When working in the community or domiciliary settings to work as a lone practitioner within the lone worker policy guidelines.

6.     To initiate or participate in the design of complex multi-disciplinary audit and research projects at a local, regional or national level.

7.     To maintain and develop specialist knowledge of evidence-based practise in the area of work.

8.     To be actively involved in improvements to service delivery, e.g., evaluation of clinical practise, evidence-based projects, audit, outcome measure, and representation at local meetings and attendance at national meetings.