Detailed job description and main responsibilities

KEY DUTIES

• To take a lead role in the advanced assessment and treatment planning of acutely ill patients requiring co-ordinated assessment and management, evaluating, and amending treatment plans as indicated.
• To ensure patients receive enhanced assessment, treatment, and where appropriate rehabilitation whilst on the Medical and Surgical wards linking with community services thus ensuring continuity of care and seamless transitions between hospital and community services.
• To ensure delivery of improved assessment strategies incorporating multi professional groups, through the standardisation of assessment and referral processes. Ensuring access to associated support services through appropriate and timely referral.
• Liaison with multi professional groups, patients, relatives, and carers to ensure maximum effectiveness of the service.
• To be professional, legally responsible, and accountable for all aspects of the work undertaken, including the management of the patients treated and to ensure a high standard of clinical expertise is delivered to those patients, maintaining up to date and accurate records as an autonomous practitioner, supporting other staff to do likewise.
• To liaise with the Team Lead for delivering and evaluating services on a day-to-day basis within the Medical and Surgical Team.
• Shared responsibility for the continuing professional development and overall performance of physiotherapists working with acutely ill patients and shared responsibility for other staff across the acute service including students and assistants in conjunction with the team leader.
• To have responsibility for own defined complex physiotherapy caseload within the Medical and Surgical Team working without direct supervision. Supervision will be achieved through regular formal and informal training and clinical reasoning sessions.
• Supervise, educate, and assess the performance of students.
• Undertake evidence-based audit and if required research projects to further clinical practice and development of patient services. Make recommendations to the team leader of the service to suggest changes to practice.
• May lead the implementation of specific changes to practice or contribute to service protocols in conjunction with the Medical and Surgical Team Leader in relation to acute care.
• The post holder must comply with all relevant policies, procedures, and training on infection prevention and control.

CLINICAL & PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Demonstrate a high level of knowledge and understanding of the short and long term physical and psycho-social issues associated with recovery from acute illness.
• Demonstrate a high level of knowledge and experience in assessment, treatment, and delivery of rehabilitation to acutely ill  patients.
• To interpret and analyse clinical and non-clinical facts to form accurate diagnoses and prognoses in a wide range of highly complex conditions to recommend the best course of intervention and develop comprehensive discharge plans.
• To accept clinical responsibility for a designated caseload of patients and to organise this effectively and efficiently with regard to clinical priorities and use of time.
• Assess patient’s understanding of treatment proposals, gain valid consent, and have the capacity to work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment.
• Use a range of verbal and no-verbal communication tools to communication effectively with patients to progress treatment and rehabilitation programmes. This will include patients who may have difficulties in understanding and communicating, for example, patients may be dysphasic, depressed, deaf, and blind or may be unable to accept diagnosis.
• To be responsible for the safe and competent use of all equipment and patient appliances and aids used by patients across the acute wards and ensure that staff members attain their competency prior to use.
• To provide specialist advice to multi professional groups involved in the care of acutely ill patients throughout the Trust.
• To link with the band 7 Respiratory Physiotherapy Lead and Medical/Surgical Team Leader to coordinate the joint training of band 5’s who are on the respiratory on-call rota to ensure they achieve their on-call competencies focusing on the acutely ill patient.
• To provide spontaneous and planned advice, teaching and instruction to relatives’ carers and other professionals, to promote understanding of the aims of the coordinated assessment and treatment and where indicated a rehabilitation service and to ensure a consistent approach to patient care.
• Represent the service and/or individual patients in multi-disciplinary team meetings, to ensure the delivery of a co-ordinated multidisciplinary service, and integrated rehabilitation treatment into the management programme. This will include discussion of patient care, patient progress, and involvement in discharge planning.
• When appropriate represent the Trust externally regarding the acute therapy service delivered to patients recovering from acute illness on the Medical and Surgical Wards.
• Work within Trust clinical guidelines and have a good working knowledge of national and local standards and monitor own and others quality of practice as appropriate.
• To maintain accurate patient records in line with Trust Policies and Procedures and ensure all junior staff do the same.
• To lead audit and ensure that the acutey service delivered is evidenced based, involving junior physiotherapists for their learning and development.

ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES

• To be responsible for a designated area of work, as agreed with the Clinical Therapy Manager and Medical & Surgical team Leader to plan and organise efficiently and effectively with regard to patient management and use of time.
• To decide priorities for own work area, balancing other patient related and professional demands.
• To maintain accurate, comprehensive, and up-to-date documentation, in line with legal and Trust requirements, and communicate assessment and treatment results to the appropriate multi professional groups in the form of reports and letters.
• To be actively involved in the collecting of appropriate data and statistics for the use of the Trust. This should include the activity generated through the day-to-day role as Senior Physiotherapist for Acute Therapy Teams, including compliance with national guidance.
• 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 the prompt recording, and reporting of incidents via the risk management system, informing the Clinical Therapy Manager.
• To comply with the organisational policies and procedures, with involvement in reviewing and updating these as appropriate.
• To undertake any other duties that may be considered appropriate by the Clinical Therapy Manager and Medical & Surgical team Leader.
• Develop and improve information sheets and booklets for patients, in line with Trust policy.

TEACHING & TRAINING RESPONSBILITIES

• Be responsible for the supervision and co-ordination of junior physiotherapy staff, students and assistants on a daily basis who are involved in the care of acutely ill patients.
• Ensure that your own practice and that of staff under your supervision meet the required professional standards or practice and follow Trust policies.
• To undertake the measurement and evaluation of your work (through audit), looking at current practices through the use of Evidence Based Practice.
• Lead training for junior physiotherapists in Medicine and Surgery, ensuring they complete their required competencies.
• Participate in equipment training for the physiotherapy service across Therapy and Rehabilitation.
• To demonstrate a sound understanding of Clinical Governance and Risk Management and to apply to work situations.

LINE MANAGEMENT / SUPERVISORY RESPONSABITILIES

• Carry out regular PDR reviews with the band 6 physiotherapists in conjunction with the Team Leader for Medicine and Surgery.
• To be responsible for organising and planning your own caseload to meet service and patient priorities. Readjusting plans as situations change/arise, taking into account the service priorities.
• To maintain own clinical professional development (CPD) by keeping up to date with current evidence-based research and practice guidelines and incorporating them as necessary into your work. Maintain CPD portfolio incorporating reflective practice.
• Contribute specialist knowledge to medical and surgical team and other teams across the acute wards in the Trust.