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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

1. Communication and relationship skills

To communicate effectively with patients and carers using a wide range of verbal, nonverbal and written communication tools to share assessment findings, agree treatment plans, progress rehabilitation, give advice, teaching etc. This will include patients with communication and comprehension difficulties and those who may be unable to accept diagnosis / prognosis.

To liaise with health and social care professionals regarding patient care, treatment progress and discharge planning.

Maintain appropriate communication with the senior physiotherapists, participating in regular supervision of caseload and seeking advice when appropriate.

2. Knowledge, training and experience

The post holder must have diploma/degree in physiotherapy and have undertaken a broad range of clinical placements in training.

To be a member of the CSP (desirable)

To use basic IT skills to support practice.

To maintain professional standards by attending appropriate training and development opportunities to maintain up to date HCPC registration.

To keep up-to-date with new treatment techniques and developments for the promotion and maintenance of good physiotherapy practice.

To attend and develop a working knowledge of all organisational statutory and mandatory training.

To develop a working knowledge of the principles of Clinical Governance and their application to professional practice.

Be actively involved in the in-service training programme, professional clinical groups and all other professional development activities.

3. Analytical and judgement skills

To assess patient understanding of treatment proposals, gain valid informed consent and have the capacity to work within a legal framework with patients who lack the capacity to consent to treatment.

To manage clinical and non-clinical risk within own role according to the team and organisation’s protocols including the development of individual patient clinical risk assessments.

To understand the balance of professional development needs with service needs.

Ability to adopt a problem solving approach.

Awareness of limitations, personal strengths and weaknesses.

4. Planning and organisational skills

To contribute to the development of the team and wider physiotherapy service as directed by the senior physiotherapist

To comply with organisational and departmental policies and procedures.

To collect and submit all data and statistics as required in a timely and accurate manner.

To be aware of Health and Safety aspects of your work and implement any policies, which may be required to improve the safety of your work area, including your prompt recording and reporting of accidents or concerns.

To manage clinical and non-clinical risk within own role according to team and organisational protocols including the development of individual patient clinical risk assessments.

5. Physical skills

To deliver individualised physiotherapy treatment programmes using a broad range of physiotherapeutic manual skills in individual and group settings.

To have an appropriate level of dexterity, co-ordination and sensory skills to carry out assessment of patients.

6. Responsibility for patient / client care

To undertake assessment of patients with a wide variety of presentations and conditions: using clinical reasoning skills and assessment techniques to formulate individualised treatment plans and programmes.

To deliver individualised physiotherapy treatment programmes using a broad range of physiotherapy skills in individual and group settings.

To continually reassess patient progress, adapting treatment plans accordingly, and developing discharge plans.

To work with, and delegate work under protocol to, physiotherapy assistants and technical instructors.

To be responsible for organising and planning own caseload and work demands to meet patient and service priorities, in conjunction with the Senior Physiotherapist, alerting the Senior Physiotherapist of excessive demands and effects on patient care.

To refer patients appropriately to other Health and Social Care services according to protocol, providing timely and detailed information to ensure good continuity of care.

To undertake, record, continually review and work within individual patient Risk Assessments in line with local policy, referring to the Senior Physiotherapist where risk cannot be safely reduced/ managed.

7. Responsibility for policy and service development implementation

To contribute to the development of the team and wider physiotherapy service as directed by the Senior Physiotherapist.

To comply with organisational and departmental policies and procedures and to be involved in commenting on policy and protocol development.

To be aware of Health & Safety aspects of your work and implement any policies, which may be required to improve the safety of your work area, including your prompt recording and reporting of accidents or concerns.

8. Responsibilities for financial and physical resources

To be responsible for the safe and competent use of all equipment and facilities, ensuring faulty items are removed from use and reported for action.

9. Responsibilities for human resources (HR)

To occasionally supervise the work of less experienced physiotherapists, Physiotherapy Assistants, Technical Instructors and Physiotherapy students.

To be responsible for maintaining and developing own competency to practice through continued professional development and maintain a portfolio which reflects your development.

Participate in the organisation’s Staff Appraisal System as an appraise, including the agreement of a Personal Development Plan.

10. Responsibilities for information resources

To keep up-to-date, accurate, problem orientated medical records in physiotherapy and MDT notes in line with the organisation’s policy, legal requirements and professional standards. To provide written reports, discharge summaries etc. as required.

To collect and submit all data and statistics as required in a timely and accurate manner.

11. Responsibilities for research and development (R&D)

To participate in team/service audits and research projects as required.

12. Freedom to act

To abide by the rules of professional conduct of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.

To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own work, including responsibility of an allocated patient caseload / workload.