CYPS Physiotherapist

Job overview

The post holder will be a Band 7 Physiotherapist specialising in paediatrics and participating as a member of the Gloucestershire Children’s Physiotherapy team independently managing a specialised clinical caseload.  This involves assessment, advising, planning, delivering and evaluating treatment for a complex caseload of children and their families.  They will also co-ordinate a local team, as a locality lead, on a day-to-day basis taking responsibility for delegation, supervision, development and teaching.

The post holder will provide leadership within the Children’s Physiotherapy Service providing, co-ordinating, developing, auditing and evaluating the service ensuring it is evidence based and in line with Clinical Governance requirements.

The post holder will work in collaboration with the CYPS Physiotherapy Head of Service and other CYPS senior leads to deliver operationally efficient and effective services by providing strong operational leadership and ensuring alignment of physiotherapy service priorities with the Directorate and Trust priorities and values.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will work in collaboration with the CYPS Physiotherapy (PT) Head of Service and other CYPS senior leads to deliver operationally efficient and effective services by providing strong operational leadership and ensuring alignment of PT service priorities with the Directorate and Trust priorities and values.

• To undertake all aspects of clinical duties as an autonomous practitioner
• To manage clinical risk within own patient caseload
• To undertake the comprehensive and accurate diagnostic assessment of children, including those with a complex presentation, using investigative, analytical and advanced clinical reasoning skills
• To formulate individualised, specialised clinical management programmes, utilising a wide range of treatment skills and options to plan a specialised programme of care for use in both the home and school setting
• To ensure accurate, comprehensive and up to date clinical records are maintained in accordance with Trust guidance and  professionally agreed criteria
• To produce comprehensive patient related reports for other disciplines or agencies relating to assessment findings and/or treatment/management outcomes
• To work to Trust, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and Association of Paediatric Chartered Physiotherapists clinical guidelines and have a good working knowledge of relevant national standards to which quality of practice should be monitored

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To identify and employ suitable verbal and non-verbal communication skills with children/families/carers who may have difficulties in understanding or communicating for example, hearing loss, altered perception, expressive and receptive dysphasia, pain, fear or the inability to accept diagnosis

• To educate children/relatives/carers regarding the nature of the condition and the aims of physiotherapy intervention following permission from children/ families/carers to share information in line with current local and national guidelines

• To engage the children/families/carers where appropriate, in the planning of individualised treatment goals and agree a specialist management programme to maximise functional ability

• To employ appropriate skills to facilitate motivation and gain co-operation in the adoption and continuation of the agreed management programme

• To communicate with empathy, patient information which may be of a complex and sensitive nature

• To communicate complex patient related information effectively to ensure collaborative working within the Children’s Physiotherapy Service. To communicate effectively with other professionals across health and other agencies to ensure the delivery of a co-ordinated multidisciplinary service

• In conjunction with the local senior physiotherapists, undertake supervision and performance management of all staff who report to the post holder

• To participate in the Trust individual performance review process as both appraiser and appraisee

• To assist in recruitment and selection procedures for the Children’s Physiotherapy Service

• To contribute to the clinical induction of physiotherapy staff

• To participate in and if requested lead departmental meetings to ensure the effective exchange of information across the team and co-ordination of local service delivery

• To take responsibility for the safe use of equipment and to advise appropriate personnel of the need to review availability of suitable resources for patient care

• To undertake specific tasks as designated by the Head of Service

• To contribute to developments within the Children’s Physiotherapy Service and the wider multidisciplinary/multi-agency team and if requested lead related project groups

• To propose service changes for own work area

• To act as a locality lead; ensuring performance, communication and compliance with clinical and operational processes within area.

• If requested to represent Children’s Physiotherapy at Trust service development meetings to ensure specialist physiotherapy advice and guidance is included in new service proposals

• To collect, collate and input statistical data as required

• To adhere to the policies and procedures of the Trust

• To maintain state registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HPCP)

• To be an active member and contribute to the organisation and delivery of the in-service training programme

• To take responsibility for the tuition of other physiotherapists, physiotherapy technicians and assistants as identified through the personal review process

• 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

• If required provide appropriate teaching and instruction to other disciplines and agencies to ensure a consistent approach to patient care

• To participate in mandatory/statutory training as outlined in the Trust Health and Safety Policy

• To attend Safeguarding training as appropriate

• To be responsible for maintaining own competency to practice through continuing professional development activities including reflective practice, review of relevant literature, participation in local in-service training programmes and peer review, maintenance of a personal portfolio and the attendance of relevant training courses as identified within a personal development plan The qualification, training & experience requirements for the role are underlined in the Job Description/Person Specification.