Highly specialist Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist

Job summary
We are looking for an enthusiastic, organised and dedicated individual with good communication and interpersonal skills to join our physiotherapy team. This position offers an exciting opportunity to work as a physiotherapy clinical specialist in the musculoskeletal outpatients setting at University Hospital Lewisham.

Main duties of the job
The post holder will assist the Team Lead in developing physiotherapy services within MSK outpatients. The role will include a large clinical caseload, clinical governance activity, supervision and the development of Band 6 and 5 physiotherapists, physiotherapy students and assistant staff working within the MSK outpatients setting. The post holder will also assist in coordinating a rolling programme of audit and training within the pathway. You should be a dynamic and motivated physiotherapist, who can provide decisive and effective Physiotherapy input and can demonstrate leadership qualities, effective communication skills, a flexible approach and an ability to work under pressure, both as part of a team and independently. You must have relevant clinical experience and teaching and organisational skills with evidence of CPD. We are an innovative Therapy Service and offer a comprehensive supervision and appraisal structure to enhance your professional development.

About us
Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:

• Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
• Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
• Improving the experience of staff with disability
• Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
• Making equalities mainstream

Job responsibilities
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Clinical

• To undertake all aspects of clinical duties and to carry a significant caseload of patients as an autonomous practitioner, including those with complex presentations.
• To work at an advanced level and to be professionally and legally accountable for a highly-specialised patient caseload and to decide priorities for own work area, balancing other patient related and professional demands.
• To be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of own work, and of the local pathway teams work. This will include the management of clinical risk, clinical governance, knowledge of indications and precautions of chosen techniques in line with national and trust clinical guidelines and protocols where they exist.
• To assess patients capacity, gain valid and informed consent to treatment and where such capacity is lacking/absent to work within a legal framework in the management of the patient.
• To undertake the comprehensive assessment and accurate diagnosis of patients including those with complex presentation, using investigative, palpatory, analytical and clinical reasoning skills.
• Under supervision of the Physiotherapy Out-Patient Team Lead to request diagnostic procedures that will inform clinical decision making as appropriate to individual competency level and the job role.
• To undertake physical treatment techniques utilizing highly developed manual skills.
• To formulate individualized clinical management programs, utilizing a wide range of treatment skills and options to plan a highly-specialized program of care.
• To use recognized outcome measures to evaluate the effect of physiotherapy interventions and ensure that treatment programs are progressing appropriately
• To provide spontaneous and planned expert advice, teaching and instruction to relatives, carers, other disciplines and agencies. To promote understanding of the aims of physiotherapy and to ensure continuation of the treatment program. To be consulted by staff within the local pathway and the trust
• To ensure accurate, comprehensive and up to date clinical records are maintained in accordance with Trust guidance and professionally agreed criteria
• To identify and employ suitable verbal and non-verbal communication skills with patients where there may be barriers to understanding or the inability to accept diagnosis. To facilitate the best possible communication outcome in every situation and use appropriate services, e.g. interpreters.
• To ensure that individual practice and that of the local pathway team is patient focused and patient views are incorporated into treatment planning
• To employ appropriate skills such as persuasion, motivation and negotiation to gain co-operation in the continuation of the agreed treatment program
• To communicate with empathy, patient information which may be of a complex and sensitive nature including details of prognosis or disability that may be unwelcome
• To receive complex patient related information from patients, relatives, carers and other professionals to effectively plan and develop individual case management
• To communicate and advise regarding complex patient related information effectively to ensure collaborative working within the physiotherapy service and with other professionals across health and other agencies to ensure the delivery of a coordinated multidisciplinary service
• To be integral in discharge planning including liaison with referring hospitals or community staff to which patients are discharged, providing timely discharge reports
• To produce comprehensive patient related reposts for other disciplines or agencies relating to assessment findings and or treatment outcomes
• To undertake an extended scope role as appropriate to the needs of the service and supervised by the team lead (an extended scope practioner undertakes delegated responsibility on behalf of medical practioner(s) including the independent management of complete episodes of care of patients from referral to discharge)
• To undertake the measurement and evaluation of work through audit, outcome measurement, the application of evidence based practice and research where appropriate. To identify and initiate audit projects to review current clinical practice within the pathway
• To facilitate the implementation and evaluation of physiotherapy clinical outcomes within a designated pathway and monitor adherence with professional and national standards
• To work to Trust and Chartered Society of Physiotherapy clinical guidelines and have a good working knowledge of relevant national standards to which quality of practice should be monitored.
• To raise physiotherapy staff awareness of current clinical developments and the implication these may have on clinical practice
• To be accessible and provide expert clinical advice to colleagues in particular for complex case management
• Once considered competent to participate in the orthopedic week-end and bank holiday roster.
• To fully participate in whatever pattern of working (including 7-day rosters) is required by the service in the future
• All clinical staff are accountable and responsible for their own clinical competence and should limit their actions to those for which they are deemed competent in line with guidance from their professional bodies.

Education Training and Research

• To educate patients/relatives/carers regarding the nature of the condition and the aims of physiotherapy intervention
• To be responsible for maintaining own competency to practice through continuing professional development activities including reflective practice, review of current research and relevant literature, maintenance of a personal portfolio and the attendance of specialist training courses as identified within a personal development plan
• To participate in peer review as appropriate
• To take an active role in appropriate uni professional and multi professional research initiatives
• To provide regular training for designated pathway staff in local site
• In collaboration with the Physiotherapy Out-Patient Team Lead, to initiate implementation of new working practices on designated site
• In collaboration with the Physiotherapy Out-Patient Team Lead, to prepare, co-ordinate, participate and contribute to the delivery if a specific in-service training program for staff in the designated pathway
• To train, assess and confirm competency of staff within the pathway on designated site
• To undertake the tuition, supervision and performance assessment of undergraduate physiotherapy students. This will include working with universities to ensure the standard of practice and teaching meets the standards set by the degree level qualification
• To provide specialist teaching and instruction to other disciplines to ensure a consistent approach to patient care
• To assist / support colleagues undertaking higher education, audit and research projects
• To participate in mandatory / statutory training as required by the trust and national standards
• To maintain state registration with the Heath and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and to provide evidence of that registration annually upon request

Service Management

• To manage day to day workload and maintain level of service within the pathway at the local site and assist other members of the team to make appropriate prioritization choices. To ensure the effective exchange of information across the pathway team and co-ordination of service delivery
• To use prioritizing and time management skills to meet the unpredictable and conflicting needs of the service
• To participate in ensuring clear and open channels of communication exist within the physiotherapy pathway team. To ensure the cascade of received information including corporate, strategic ideas to all pathway staff
• To maintain communication links and collaborative working patterns with other recognized experts and networks in the specialty
• To participate in, and occasionally lead physiotherapy pathway meetings and to attend staff and managerial meetings as requested by the Physiotherapy Out-Patient Team Lead and Therapy managers
• To be responsible for management of informal conflicts, disagreements and complaints in the local site pathway by using highly developed negotiation skills
• To ensure all incidents, accidents and complaints within the pathway are reported and documents in the appropriate timeframe and in line with Trust policy. To ensure Therapy managers are made aware of all incidents, accidents and complaints
• To monitor the quality of care provided in the designated pathway at the local site and promote a culture of evidence based practice within the team
• To participate in the interpretation of professional and national standards for the specialty, recommending and implementing changes in clinical practice where indicated
• To take responsibility for the regular inspection and safe use of equipment. To advise appropriate personnel of the need to review availability of suitable resources for patient care. To comply with Health and Safety requirements and follow the policy for safe disposal of equipment
• To be aware of the cost/benefit implications in the selection and ordering of appropriate equipment to be provided to the patient for long term use as an individual and by the local pathway team
• To maintain and provide accurate and timely activity information both as an individual and for the designated pathway. To do this in accordance with local and national requirements to help inform service delivery and evaluation
• To adhere to the policies and procedure of the Trust and Physiotherapy service
• To undertake other duties commensurate with the grade as requested by senior physiotherapy managers

Person Specification
Qualifications & Training
Essential

• Diploma/Degree in Physiotherapy
• HPC registration
• Undertaken a range of relevant postgraduate courses
• Undertaken clinical educators training

Desirable

• MCSP
• Member of Special Interest Group
• MSc or working at M level or equivalent experience / qualification
• Undertaken appropriate managerial training

Experience
Essential

• Comprehensive post graduate physiotherapy experience including experience of relevant specialist pathway
• Experience of working autonomously and unsupervised
• Experience of having supervised staff who are directly accountable to the post holder
• Experience in completing audit and evidence based projects
• Evidence of actively participating in in-service training and evaluation effectiveness of training
• Experience and ability to work collaboratively within MPT

Desirable

• Previous experience at band 7 level
• Attended external courses relevant to subject area
• Involvement in research in relevant specialist pathway
• Evidence of leading change management and innovation in clinical practice
• Evidence of presenting to MDT groups, undergraduate and postgraduate staff

Knowledge
Essential

• Specialist knowledge of evidenced based physiotherapy for designated specialist pathway
• Knowledge of national guidelines and standards pertaining to specialist pathway and physiotherapy
• Understanding of clinical governance and it's implication for physiotherapy
• Awareness and understanding of NHS structure, current issues and developments
• Understanding of the legal responsibilities of the profession

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).