Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Main Duties and Responsibilities 

Nature of work

To provide specialised paediatric physiotherapy assessment and treatment for CYP in our specified geographical area.

To work and communicate effectively with multidisciplinary and multi-agency teams. 

To supervise, educate and assess the performance of physiotherapy students, working with universities to ensure the standard of practice and teaching meets the standards set down by the degree level qualification.

To appropriately delegate work/tasks to therapy assistants, maintaining oversight of their input with children and young people.

To work in a variety of settings such as clinics, mainstream schools/nurseries, special schools/nurseries, client’s homes and other community settings.

Where appropriate, to act as a key worker for CYP on their caseload, ensuring that there is effective communication between all members of the team and that a coordinated approach is in place.

Planning 

To plan their own diary and prioritise their caseload to ensure fair and equitable service delivery for all service users, in line with the service offer.

To work as an autonomous practitioner supported by regular clinical and management supervision.

To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of their own work, including the management of CYP in their care.

To comply with departmental and organisational policies and procedures.  

To keep abreast of the latest equipment options, and to be responsible for the assessment and requisition of equipment such as postural sleep systems, specialised orthotics, walking aids and standing frames for CYP on their caseload.

Patient contact

To undertake comprehensive, specialised physiotherapeutic assessments of CYP including those with diverse or complex presentations considering their functioning in family, school and other environments, using advanced clinical reasoning and communication skills.

To develop and support individualised aims and programmes in collaboration with CYP, their families and other professionals.  

To support parents/carers in developing skills to support physiotherapy aims and ensuring their competence, when the CYP requires support.

To work collaboratively in multi-disciplinary clinics e.g. joint paediatrician/physiotherapy clinics, complex physical needs clinics, plaster clinics to support the needs of CYP and their families and agree joint goals/plans for intervention.

To be responsible for reassessing CYP care as treatment progresses and make appropriate adjustments to therapy programmes, using appropriate outcome measures to guide practice and measure effectiveness.

To accurately and efficiently identify presenting symptoms, formulate prognoses and work towards the best course of intervention, including knowing when to refer on to additional services.

To incorporate evidence based practice and NICE guidelines using clinical assessment, reasoning skills and knowledge of treatment modalities available, to provide cost-effective and efficient physiotherapy for CYP.

To be responsible for discharging CYP from caseload on completion of treatment.

To be responsible for the assessment and requesting of equipment such as postural sleep systems, walking aids and standing frames, for CYP on the postholders’ caseload, considering effective use of resources.

To be responsible for the safe and competent use of all equipment, patient appliances and aids used by CYP.

Policy development  

To undertake evidence based audit and research projects to further own and team’s clinical practice.  

Make recommendations to the Physiotherapy clinical lead for changes to practice and be willing to lead/support the implementation of changes to practice or contribute to service protocols/pathways.

To undertake the measurement and evaluation of current practices through the use of evidence based practice projects, audit and outcome measures, either individually, in task and finish groups or alongside Physiotherapy Team Leaders/Physiotherapy Clinical Lead. To work with colleagues to change the service protocol in line with results.

Communication

To represent the children’s physiotherapy service and /or individual CYP at the multi-disciplinary and multi-agency team meetings, to ensure the delivery of a co-ordinated multidisciplinary service, and integrate physiotherapy treatment into the management programme. This will include discussion of patient care, patient progress, entry to school, and access to the curriculum and involvement in discharge planning.

To work effectively with other members of the team around the CYP, including families, carers, education staff, other health professionals, social services and voluntary agencies.

To assess the ability of the CYP and their carers to understand the management programme and to gain valid informed consent. To work within a legal framework with CYP who lack capacity to consent to treatment.

In some instances the post holder may be required to take on the key worker role for a CYP on the caseload, requiring liaison with other disciplines agencies and interpretation of professional jargon for the families.

To provide clear, concise written reports for other agencies for statutory processes to meet legal requirements, e.g. Education, Health and Care Plan, Tribunal cases.

Contribute to CCS’ internal communication strategies ensuring effective two-way communication and engagement within the organisation.

Contribute to CCS’ external communication strategies working with the Head of Communications to raise awareness and promote the reputation of CCS’ services.  

The post holder will be required to use a range of verbal and non-verbal communication tools to communicate effectively with CYP and their carers to progress rehabilitation and treatment programmes. This will include working with CYP who may have difficulties in understanding and/or communicating. To work with families and parents who are often in a grieving process, giving difficult information to families during this time.

To communicate effectively with CYP, families and other professionals to agree joint goals for therapy.

To employ advanced communication skills to investigate and manage concerns, incidents and complaints recognising limitations and referring to more senior colleagues, where appropriate.

Patient and Public Engagement 

To contribute to ensuring that CCS responsibilities to engage and consult with patients and the public are met in line with statutory requirements, e.g. through Youth Focus Group, parent Groups, attendance at Pinpoint Conference. 

To actively seek feedback from service users to help inform improvements and developments in services delivered.

People Management

Maintaining own professional development and ensure complies with mandatory requirement to take part in appraisal process.

To be involved in the supervision of physiotherapy students in their clinical practice and effective use of the clinical record keeping system (SystmOne), according to our professional body guidance and the Cambridgeshire Community Services standards.

To provide support, guidance and training to therapy assistants assessing and evaluating competence and delegating work appropriately.

To encourage and support the professional development of other members of the team.

To participate in the staff appraisal scheme as an appraiser for therapy assistants, where appropriate.  

To support in the recruitment of therapy assistants and administrative staff, where appropriate.

To train educational assistants to support the child’s physical goals in the educational setting.

Research and Development Activity

To be responsible for maintaining your own competency to practice through CPD activities, and to maintain a portfolio which reflects personal development.

To maintain and develop current knowledge of evidenced-based practice in Paediatric physiotherapy developing specialist knowledge of particular conditions and patient types.

To participate in the staff appraisal scheme as an appraisee and be responsible for complying with his agreed personal development programmes to meet set knowledge and competencies.

To undertake the measurement and evaluation of work and current practices through the use of evidence-based practice projects, audit and outcome measures, either individually or with more senior physiotherapists.

To be an active member of the in-service training programme by attendance at, and participation in, in-service training programmes, tutorials, individual training sessions, external courses and peer review, ensuring delivery of feedback following attendance at external courses.

To be competent in carrying out literature searches and to actively maintain/update specialist knowledge. 

To partake in research opportunities as they arise, including application for funding where appropriate.

To undertake the collection of data for use in service audit and research projects.

To manage and undertake research into specific areas of clinical practice and service delivery using a range of research methodologies as part of MDT audit and departmental research initiatives. To work with the lead practitioner to change practise in line with the results of audit.