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Job summary

Main area
Therapy Services
Grade
Band 8a
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
318-25-T0330
Employer
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Gloucestershire Royal Hospital
Town
Gloucester
Salary
£53,755 - £60,504 (pa pro rata if part-time)
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
15/05/2025 23:59

Employer heading

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust logo

Critical Care / Surgical Physiotherapist Advanced Practitioner Band 8a

Band 8a

Join us at an exciting time for Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust! We have an ambitious plan for our journey to Outstanding and are looking for aspirational, committed individuals to join us, making a real difference to both staff and patients.

As a former winner of England for excellence award: Tourism destination of the year, the beautiful city of Gloucester and the scenic regency spa town of Cheltenham are fantastic places to work and live.

As a hospital Trust we are currently involved in over 100 clinical trials and studies, whilst also providing acute elective and specialist services to a population of over 620,000.

By joining Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust new colleagues can look forward to a warm welcome and a future full of opportunities and support.

 

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen as an established qualified Advanced Practitioner to join our Inpatient Therapy Team in Critical Care/ Surgery. Applications are welcome from individuals who do not meet the criteria for a qualified advanced practitioner but are committed to undertaking an accredited programme. This role will provide you with the skills to develop into an Advanced Practitioner with NHSE faculty funding to support your education and development. The successful candidate will be supported with completion of the required competencies and capabilities. 

You will need to have evidence of working across the 4 pillars of advanced practice; clinical experience in acute respiratory physiotherapy, leadership and management, learning and education, research and development. 

The successful candidate will be passionate about respiratory medicine, motivated to develop their own skills and that of the therapy service, provide high quality and evidence-based therapy.  They will be motivated to develop and support colleagues alongside the demands of working in a busy acute hospital whilst embracing the responsibilities and of an Advanced Practitioner. 

The post holder will collaborate and network across the county-wide respiratory pathway including the therapy service, multidisciplinary team, paediatrics and community partners.  This is with a focus on enhancing patient outcomes via exceptional patient care and rehabilitation.

Main duties of the job

- Assessment of patients on initial presentation, initiation of management plan as appropriate with a focus on implementing optimal self-management and rehabilitation plans. Including prescribing (where required for role and integral to patient management), review of existing treatments and therapeutic intervention and ongoing review as clinically indicated. This will be across the CCSR service for the inpatient adult and paediatric physiotherapy on-call populations.

- To request and interpret diagnostic investigations, including pathology and radiological imaging, and using findings to initiate treatment.

- Provide advice, support and education to colleagues

- Develop and deliver educational programmes for staff locally and work with advanced practitioners nationally to develop practice

- Act as clinical role model / educator for developing and delivering care that is responsive to changing requirements

- To constructively challenge others and demonstrate receptiveness to challenge

- Take active part in Clinical Governance, Quality Improvement, research and development initiatives

- Facilitate research-based practice and assist in disseminating research findings and influencing change

Working for our organisation

It is expected that all employees uphold the values of the organisation as our values underpin everything we do and describe the way we expect our staff to behave towards our patients, families and carers and between each other. We have the following three values:

1.    Caring 

Patients said: "Show me that you care about me as an individual. Talk to me, not about me. Look at me when you talk to me."

2.    Listening

Patients said: "Please acknowledge me, even if you can't help me right now. Show me that you know that I'm here.

3.    Excelling

Patients said: "Don't just do what you have to, take the next step and go the extra mile."

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

In line with the Trust Vision to provide the “Best Care for Everyone…”

The Advanced Practitioner (AP) provides high quality, individualised clinical management for patients using advanced clinical assessment and diagnostic reasoning skills to determine and initiate changes to treatment as necessary. The post holder will be a clinical expert in the field and will fulfil the 4 domains of Advanced Practice:

 - Clinical Practice

- Leadership and Management

- Facilitation of Learning and Education

- Research and Development

Advanced practice is delivered by experienced, registered health and care professionals. It is a level of practice characterised by a high degree of autonomy and complex decision making. This is underpinned by a master’s level award that encompasses the four pillars of clinical practice, leadership and management, education and research, with demonstration of core capabilities and area specific clinical competence. Advanced practice embodies the ability to manage clinical care in partnership with individuals, families and carers. It includes the analysis and synthesis of complex problems across a range of settings, enabling innovative solutions to enhance people’s experience and improve outcomes. This definition therefore requires that health and care professionals working at the level of advanced practice will exercise autonomy and decision making in a context of complexity, uncertainty and varying levels of risk, holding accountability for decisions made.

There is an expectation that a maximum of 80% of the post holder’s time will be spent in direct clinical practice, having clinical responsibility for a defined cohort of patients and providing leadership for clinicians within this clinical area. The remaining time (a minimum 20%) will be allocated to non-clinical duties in an agreed job plan that meets service and role needs, being reviewed annually or more frequently as required.

The Advanced Practitioner Physiotherapist will join the Therapy Service within Critical Care, Surgery and Respiratory (CCSR) to support the development and delivery of the Respiratory pathway.  They will be a pivotal member of a multidisciplinary team, optimising physiotherapy assessment, intervention and management of patients with respiratory enhanced care requirements. Contribute to person centred optimal care, self-management, rehabilitation and quality of life outcomes.  This may include and not be limited to patients requiring delivery of non-invasive ventilation, high-flow nasal oxygen, patients at high risk of respiratory deterioration and those requiring enhanced monitoring.

The post holder will contribute to safeguarding and clinical effectiveness within the service by participating in audit and research as part of the MDT in this specialist field. The post holder will also be involved with, and where appropriate collaborate in, national and international research contributing to relevant networks and forums, with the aim of supporting the development of excellence in care and treatment of patients.

 

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Degree/Diploma in Physiotherapy
  • Registered Health Care Professional with a regulatory body
  • MSc Advanced Practice from an accredited pathway or willingness to undertake NHSE ePortfolio (supported) route
  • Formal assessment of achievement of capabilities specific to context of practice by occupationally competent assessor
  • Independent Prescribing qualification, where essential to the delivery of service and role and where professional groups have appropriate legislation in place

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Extensive depth and breadth of clinical experience in acute critical care/respiratory physiotherapy. Including the management of the sedated and ventilated patient.
  • Experience acting as a clinical expert for patients with complex critical care and respiratory needs including sedated and ventilated patients, non-invasive ventilation / high-flow nasal oxygen, able to make high-level skills decisions, for patients who are acutely unwell or deteriorating respiratory conditions, informed by advanced diagnostic, assessment and treatment skills
  • Able to manage differentiated and undifferentiated presentations and complex situations to make evidence-based judgements
  • Demonstrate the enhanced aptitude required to initiate, evaluate and modify a range of interventions
  • Experience of management and leadership in practice
  • Evidence of teaching, education, supervision or mentorship in practice
  • Evidence of leading research, audit or quality improvement
Desirable criteria
  • Evidence of publication and dissemination of research
  • Experience of educational supervision of trainee advanced practitioners
  • Development of professional and management procedures within own area and across several related disciplines relevant to service area

Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • Able to critically appraise and synthesise the outcome of relevant research, evaluation and audit
  • Demonstrates ability to take overall responsibility and accountability
  • Ability to organise and prioritise own workload and that of the CCSR therapy team effectively
  • Excellent communication skills with MDT members, patients and their families, both verbal and written
Desirable criteria
  • Evidence of leading research as Principal Investigator
  • Experience of developing practice guidelines and governance

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Christopher Williams
Job title
Head of Inpatient Therapy
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
0300 422 8559
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