Main tasks and Responsibilities

 Communication

• To use a range of verbal and non-verbal communication tools to communicate effectively with patients to progress rehabilitation and treatment programmes, and to ensure an understanding of their condition/problem so that patients are supported in self management of their condition.  The communication skills of motivation, explanation, demonstration and education will be used with a wide variety of patients ranging from the paediatric patient to the older person to gain informed consent.
• To utilise a variety of effective communication skills to address specific problems such as cognitive impairment, expressive and receptive communication difficulties, embarrassment, anxiety, pain, fear, visual/hearing impairment, language and cultural diversity issues.
• To ensure that relevant information is communicated in a timely manner to other members of the Physiotherapy service, across all relevant sites, other agencies and other departments and NHS trusts as necessary.  This will include telephone conversations, e-mails, faxes, report writing, ward rounds, case conferences, and multi-disciplinary team meetings. 
• To achieve and maintain a level of information technology relevant to all areas of work.
• To ensure that all information is communicated in a professional, effective and diplomatic way, to staff, patients and relatives including prognosis of physiotherapy treatment, difficult feedback and complaints.

 Responsibility for Patient/Client Care

• To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own clinical practice as an autonomous practitioner and seeking advice from senior staff where appropriate.
• To undertake a comprehensive assessment of patients with multi-pathologies and complex needs following evidence based guidelines.  The assessment involves the interpretation of complex information from a variety of sources.
• To be skilled in the use of a variety of manual physiotherapy assessment techniques including auscultation of the chest, palpation and invasive suctioning which ultimately assist in the advanced clinical reasoning process to formulate a diagnosis.
• To formulate a patient centred problem list and individually tailored treatment plan based on assessment findings.  To create soundly reasoned prognoses and recommend best course of intervention and developing negotiated goals leading to comprehensive discharge plans.  For example advising the medical team on complex patient’s rehabilitation potential and long term functional capabilities.
• To deliver an individual physiotherapy treatment programme based on a sound knowledge of evidence based practice and treatment options using advanced reasoning skills and knowledge of treatment skills including manual physiotherapy techniques, patient education, exercise prescription and exercise classes.
• Assess patient understanding of treatment proposals, gain valid informed consent and have the ability to work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment.  For example patients who are ventilated and sedated or cognitively impaired patients.
• Evaluate patient progress, based on validated and standardised outcome measures, reassess, alter and progress treatment programmes accordingly.
• To be responsible for maintaining accurate and comprehensive patient treatment records in line with professional e.g. Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and Trust standards of practice.
• To develop specialist knowledge, training and risk assessment to supervise the use of equipment including hoist equipment, IPPB, Cough Assist, manual handling equipment and tilt table.
• To accurately assess risk when working in unfamiliar surroundings with unpredictable loads e.g. practising transfers with heavily dependent patients.
• To carry out assessment and treatments, with moderate to intense physical effort on a daily basis.  This will include positioning dependent patients, supporting patients’ limbs in asymmetrical postures during exercising and supporting patients in walking and transferring.
• To work in an environment where work patterns are often interrupted by demands from patients, carers, other clinical staff and students, including responding to phone and bleep queries. To be able to carry out concurrent activities and multitasking and work in an unpredictable working pattern.
• To comply with the Trust Manual handling Policy and Local Therapeutic Guidelines when moving equipment patients.
• To sensitively deal with distressing or emotional circumstances including the care of terminally ill patients.
• To carry out potentially distressing treatment modalities in the best interest of the patient i.e. nasal pharyngeal suction
• To participate in the emergency out of hours on-call service, working alone on these occasions.  Advice can be accessed by telephone as necessary from senior staff.
• To be mentally alert when responding to the stressful situation of being on-call.

Analysis and Judgement

·         To undertake a comprehensive assessment of patients with multi-pathologies and complex needs following evidence based guidelines Carry out standardised and non-standardised clinical assessments of functional ability  liaising with senior staff and the MDT

·         Provides advanced recommendations/advice regarding management of each patient according to the individual needs of the patient.

·         Monitors, reviews and modifies treatment plans/goals to measure progress and ensures effective outcomes e.g. planning safe patient discharges.

·         Prioritises own patient caseload and develops individualised treatment interventions within resources.

·         Discusses and makes recommendations to the MDT with regard to complex patient management.

 Planning and Organisation

·         Manages an agreed caseload consistent with recommendations of service therapists and professional supervisors and national recommendations.

·         Undertakes all necessary verbal and written communication required for patient care and within the scope of professional standards and Trust requirements.

·         Responsible to the Senior Therapist/Team Leader and supervises and appraises members of staff and students as allocated.

·         Exercises good personal time management, punctuality and maintains consistent and reliable attendance.

·         Helps to organise and lead relevant departmental and Trust meetings, audit projects and in-service training sessions.

Responsibility for policy and service development implementation

·         To contribute to improvements in service delivery and clinical practice

·         To assist the manager in service redesign and modernisation.

·         Identify areas of unmet patient needs and service gaps and/or areas requiring service development in consultation with  service manager

·         Responsible for keeping up-to-date with current local and national developments in relevant clinical area.

·         Supports Departmental and Trust strategies regarding Clinical Governance issues.

·         Contribute as required to audit/ research projects within own clinical area.

·         Participates in the therapy training programmes.

·         Leads and participates in the co-ordination of  departmental and therapy service-wide initiatives

Responsibility for human resources

·         To assist within the team in the supervision, appraisal, induction and co-ordination of junior staff, and physiotherapy support workers as required. Ensure that your own practice and that of staff under your supervision meet the required professional standards of physiotherapy practice.

·         To be responsible for the safe and competent use of gym equipment during patient sessions and to assist in the supervision of junior and student physiotherapists to do likewise, through teaching, training and supervision of practice.

·         To deputise for the teams more senior staff in their absence, taking responsibility for the day to day operational management of the team.

·         To be actively involved in the organisation and running of in-service training and external courses.

·         To be prepared to be flexible in the working day around the needs of the clinical caseload and to be response to unexpected situations e.g. acute patient illness, urgent referrals, staff sickness.

·         To contribute to improvements in service delivery and clinical practice

·         To assist the physiotherapy manager in service redesign and modernisation.

Service Development and Quality Governance

·         Assists in induction of new recruits. This may include recommending the development and updating of induction programmes where necessary.

·         Responsible for providing regular supervision and individual performance reviews for less experienced staff with guidance from senior staff.

·         Assists in the teaching and training of junior staff taking responsibility for practice placement education and written assessments.

·         To audit and monitor performance against local and national guidelines and standards both professional and clinical.

·         To undertake as directed the collection of data for use in service audit and research projects.  To participate in 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 ensure in conjunction with senior staff that the therapy service responds to national initiatives and policies within the frame work of Clinical Governance, this will ensure that practice can develop, be effective and is evidence based.