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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To undertake the comprehensive assessment of patients including those with complex presentations, using investigative and analytical skills and to formulate individual management and treatment plans, using clinical reasoning and utilising a wide range of treatment skills and options to formulate a specialist programme of care. 
• Provide specialist advice, teaching and training to other members of the multidisciplinary team regarding physiotherapeutic management of patients within the specialist area.
• To provide and co-ordinate post graduate development to less experienced staff and clinical placements for student physiotherapists.
• Provide specialist and highly specialist advice to physiotherapy and other health professionals, colleagues working within the Trust.
• To ensure high standard of clinical care to all patients within this clinical speciality and support less experienced staff to do likewise.
• To work within Trust and Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) Guidelines, have a good working knowledge of national and local standards and monitor own and other qualities of practice in liaison with senior physiotherapists.  
• To accept responsibility for patients with frailty diagnoses and organise this effectively and efficiently with regard to clinical priorities and use of time, when there are conflicting pressures at short notice.
• Actively participate in development of policy or process changes within Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the district wide multidisciplinary service, and as team leader, ensure staff implement policy and service development changes.
• To demonstrate highly developed dexterity, co-ordination and palpatory senses for assessment and manual treatment of patients.
• Use a large range of verbal and non-verbal communication tools to communicate with patients and carers to progress and gain participation with rehabilitation treatment programmes.  A majority of patients will have difficulties in understanding and accepting complex and sensitive information. It will also include regular interaction with relatives and carers.
• To assess capacity, gain valid informed consent and have the ability to work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment. 
• To be an active member of an out of hours emergency on-call / weekend service. 
• To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own work including management of patients caseload.
• To maintain own continuing professional development [CPD] by keeping abreast with new developments and research and incorporate them as necessary into work of own and the rest of the team
• To be an active member of the in-service training programme to develop other team members both clinically and managerially by the attendance and delivering presentations and training sessions at tutorials, training sessions in-house, and by attending external courses and practicing reflective practice.
• To provide education as necessary to other members of multidisciplinary team to allow best patient care.
• To communicate effectively and work collaboratively with physiotherapy medical, nursing and other Multidisciplinary Team colleagues to ensure a co-ordinated service.  This will include case conferences, ward rounds and discharge planning.
• Participate in staff appraisal scheme and be responsible for complying with agreed personal development plan to meet knowledge and competencies.  Development of a Personal Development Plan (PDP) will be both as appraiser and appraise.  To ensure that other members of the team have regular appraisals and assist them to work towards their PDP and career development.
• To demonstrate a sound understanding of clinical governance and risk management and apply to work situation.
• To deputise for other senior professionals e.g. Occupational Therapists within the interdisciplinary team and offer advice and assistance as appropriate.
• Decide priorities for work area, balancing other patient related and professional demands and ensure that those remain in accordance with those of the Physiotherapy Service.
• To be responsible for the effective selection of and use of all treatment resources available both within the department and on the wards.
• To be responsible for maintaining accurate, comprehensive and up-to-date documentation, in line with the CSP Standards of practice and local standard requirements.  Communicate assessment of treatment results to appropriate disciplines in the form of reports and letters.  To ensure that the rest of the team also maintains these standards.
• Be actively involved in the collection and analysis of appropriate data and statistics for audit and for departmental use.
• Be aware of Health and Safety aspects of own work including prompt recording, reporting and investigation of accidents.
• Be responsible for the safe and competent use of the gym and any other equipment by patients, relatives and staff through teaching, training and supervision of practice.  
• To undertake any other duties, that may be considered appropriate by the Acute Professional Lead Physiotherapist, Deputy Head of Therapies or Head of Therapies.