Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Job Summary:

1. Accountable to Manager for Children’s therapy and integration via the children’s physiotherapy team leads.

2.    To provide a high standard of neurological and neurodevelopmental Physiotherapy assessment, treatment and advice to children, young people and carers in the community setting within Lewisham healthcare; liaising with other professionals to maximise the benefits. 

3. To contribute to service development including clinical governance and audit, junior staff supervision and multidisciplinary and multiagency working.

Key Result Areas:

• To manage a caseload of children aged 0-19 providing a high standard of physiotherapy assessment, management, treatment and advice. The caseload consists of children with a wide range of neurological related difficulties and/or disabilities, many of whom may have complex or multiple pathology. Seen across a variety of locations within the community including Kaleidoscope, patients’ homes, community leisure facilities, nurseries and schools
• To be involved in supervising junior staff and students
• To be a source of clinical knowledge and advice on physiotherapy patient care for parents and carers, other health professionals within the multidisciplinary team and professionals working in external agencies.
• To maintain accurate statistics as directed by the team leads

Performance: 

• To use well developed assessment and clinical reasoning skills in order to establish an accurate diagnosis, problem list, and prognosis in order to formulate individual and agreed care / treatment plans for a range for children and young people.
• To be responsible for reassessing patient care as treatment progresses and change treatment programmes as appropriate. To use aquatic therapy, neurodevelopmental therapy, casting and Orthotic management, use of Moving and Handling techniques and equipment, use of postural management equipment, goniometry amongst other  techniques when appropriate. 
• To provide moving and handling risk assessments, supported by senior staff where necessary, related to the child’s physiotherapy programme in accordance with professional guidelines and government legislation. 
• To be skilled in communicating and negotiating with families and children of all ages who have a range of physical disabilities and may have associated barriers to understanding, such as learning difficulties, hearing and visual impairments and language. 
• To be able to diffuse potentially difficult situations with staff, patients and relatives, using well developed negotiation and interpersonal skills. 
• To be able to motivate, negotiate and communicate with children of all ages and abilities in order to effectively carry out physiotherapy assessment and treatment programmes. To motivate and persuade others including staff and parents using verbal and nonverbal communication skills and written information where needed.
• To utilise other team members, in particular clinical supervisor and other senior staff, as needed to support decision making and clinical practice in particularly complex cases.
• To maintain an up to date knowledge of specialist postural equipment, aids, adaptations and resources available to enable the child with disability to function as independently as possible.
• To assess children for specialist equipment and recommend its purchase from health, education and social services.  To set up and adjust specialist equipment specifically for individual children.  To train parents / carers and other agencies in the use of the equipment.
• To be responsible for maintaining accurate and up to date individual patient records.  To provide timely and accurate written reports and physiotherapy programmes for parents / carers, other health professionals, education and social services professionals, voluntary sector workers and solicitors as required. 
• To ensure smooth organisation, to delegate and supervise established services e.g. specialist clinics, patient groups in education settings for all ages, aquatic therapy, orthotics, gym group, developmental co-ordination clinic/group (DCD), PE and individual treatment.