Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Communication

1.    To adapt communication skills to encourage patients to undertake their treatment programme, including patients with communication difficulties e.g. Dementia, learning difficulties, visual and hearing impairments and non-English speaking patients.

2.    To assess capacity to give consent, gain informed consent and work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment such as patients who have dementia, dysphasia, dysarthria, cognitive and perceptual problems, learning difficulties or who are acutely confused or who are sedated and ventilated.

3.    To persuade, motivate, reassure, empathise, explain and encourage patients in undertaking their treatment programme, ensure understanding of their condition and communicate effectively with patients and carers to maximise rehabilitation potential.

4.    To clearly communicate sensitive information to staff, patients and carers. This may include explaining prognoses about long-term disabilities, where an educational and counseling role is required.

5.    To be able to diffuse potentially hostile and antagonistic situations with staff, patients, and relatives using negotiation and interpersonal skills.

6.    To maintain accurate, comprehensive and up-to-date documentation, in line with legal and departmental requirements, and communicate assessment and treatment results to the appropriate disciplines in the form of reports and letters.

7.    To communicate effectively and work collaboratively with medical, nursing and therapy colleagues to ensure delivery of a coordinated multidisciplinary service. This may include attending case conferences, ward rounds and discharge planning meetings.

8.    Ensure timely communication with the team leader on all professional matters.

9.    To be responsible for maintenance of an accurate and evaluative record keeping system using POMR (Problem Orientated Medical Records) format to demonstrate evaluation, analysis and clinical reasoning in the provision of patient care.

10. To maintain the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and departments standards for documentation.

11. To record statistical information related to own activity and highlight variances in consultation with senior staff.

12. Use computer databases to provide accurate reports containing statistics and clinical information as requested by Band 7 and Band 8b Staff

Service Delivery and Improvement

1.    To plan and undertake the measurement and evaluation of practice and performance through clinical audit and studies with guidance from the Team Leader.

2.    To support more junior staff within the department to undertake clinical audit.

3.    To demonstrate a sound understanding of Clinical Governance and Risk Management and apply this to work situations.

4.    To assist Band 7 and Band 8a/b Staff in the proposal and implementation of Trust Policy and Service Developments at Newhaven Ward.

5.    To be responsible for the equipment used in carrying out Physiotherapy duties, and to adhere to departmental equipment policy and Care Quality Commission (CQC) standards. To ensure the safe use of equipment and reporting of faults by self and others including patients, carers and other health professionals

6.    To comply with and ensure implementation of all trust policies and procedures and the Health and Safety at Work Act, including adherence to Universal Precautions and Infection Control measures.

7.    To advise the team leader of any problems within the service to ensure quality and effectiveness of care for their patients.

8.    To report all complaints, incidents and accidents to the immediate senior member of staff as soon as possible and document according to trust policy.

9.    To be responsible for the equipment used in carrying out Physiotherapy duties, and to adhere to departmental equipment policy and Care Quality Commission (CQC) standards. To ensure the safe use of equipment and reporting of faults by self and others including patients, carers and other health professionals.

10. To comply with and ensure implementation of all trust policies and procedures and the Health and Safety at Work Act, including adherence to Universal Precautions and Infection Control measures.

People Management and Development

1.    To be responsible for the operational management of the clinical team in the absence of the team leader

2.    To assist the Band 7 in the day-to-day supervision and coordination of junior and therapy assistant staff.

3.    To supervise less experienced staff and formulate Individual Development Plans and undertake regular appraisals with junior and assistant staff.

4.    To supervise undergraduate physiotherapy students on clinical placements within the department.

5.    To lead interdisciplinary projects to develop the service, with assistance and guidance of more senior members of staff.

6.    To provide specialist advice to physiotherapy colleagues working within other clinical areas.

7.    To provide specialist advice, teaching and training to patients, carers and members of the multidisciplinary team regarding the physiotherapy management of patients.

8.    To provide training to junior staff, assistants and undergraduate students.

9.    To demonstrate a sound understanding of Clinical Governance and Risk Management and ensure its effective application to the work situation, guided by the Physiotherapy Team leads and Physiotherapy Management as needed.

10. To flexibly plan and prioritise own time to ensure that patient care, training, supervision, and meetings are undertaken with occasional guidance from Band 7 and Band 8a/b staff.

11. To use good prioritising and time management skills to meet the unpredictable and conflicting needs of the service.

12. To participate in departmental meetings including staff, unit and grade meetings as required and to participate in multi-disciplinary team meetings as required.

Patient Care Delivery

1.    To be professionally and legally responsible and accountable, as an autonomous practitioner, for all aspects of your own work including the management of patients in your care.

2.    To ensure high standards of clinical care within the designated area, and adhere to Trust, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and Departmental standards of care.

3.    To be competent in the comprehensive assessment of a wide range of patients, including those with a complex presentation, using advanced theoretical knowledge of anatomy, physiology and pathology, often in situations where conflicting evidence is present.

4.    To interpret and analyse clinical and non-clinical facts, which may be conflicting, using underpinning theoretical knowledge and experience to suggest a diagnoses, identify main problems and form prognoses in a wide range of complex and complicated conditions.

5.    To formulate and develop individual patient management, treatment and discharge plans, using clinical reasoning, current evidence and a wide range of treatment skills.

6.    To seek Senior guidance with highly complex or challenging patient cases.

7.    To demonstrate well developed dexterity, co-ordination and palpatory skills for the assessment, therapeutic handling and manual treatment of patients e.g. specific soft tissue mobilisation and facilitation of movement.

8.    To continually re-assess patients to progress treatments effectively and advise patients and carers on the appropriate time to return to or increase previous levels of activity.

9.    Maintain patient confidentiality and dignity at all times and support peoples’ equality, diversity and human rights.

10. To use theoretical and practical knowledge to refer to other health disciplines as appropriate, e.g. for assessment or further treatment or specialist consultant opinions.

11. To work a rostered 7-day service when implemented.

12. To be an active member of appropriate weekend / evening service.

13. To maintain professionalism in public, ward and rehabilitation areas.

14. To undertake any other duties as may be deemed necessary by Physiotherapy managers in the provision of the physiotherapy service.

Learning and Development

1.    Attend mandatory training updates as required.

2.    Undertake training as necessary in line with the development of the post and as agreed with the line manager as part of the personal development process.

3.    Achieve and demonstrate agreed standards of personal and professional development within agreed timescales.

4.    Identify own learning needs and jointly plan training requirements with your line manager.

5.    Participate in the Trust’s appraisal process to discuss how your role will help deliver the best possible care to our patients and help to deliver any changes in service.

6.    To be an active member of the departmental professional development programmes by attending in-service training sessions, delivering training sessions and by attending external courses and undertaking reflective practice.

At no time should the jobholder work outside their defined level of competence. If the post holder has concerns regarding this they should immediately discuss this with their