Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical

• To undertake all aspects of clinical duties as an autonomous practitioner.
• To be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of own work, including the management of patients in your care and to ensure a high standard of clinical care for the patients under your management.
• To hold responsibility for own caseload working without direct supervision.
• To undertake advanced comprehensive assessments of patients with complex problems, which require a high level of analysis and interpretation, using clinical reasoning skills and manual assessment techniques, to provide an accurate diagnosis of their condition.
• To interpret and analyse complex clinical and non-clinical data to form an accurate diagnosis and prognosis in a wide range of complex conditions in order to select and recommend the best course of intervention.
• To formulate and deliver individual physiotherapy treatment programmes based on a sound knowledge of evidence-based practice, considering the range of possible options.
• To evaluate patient progress, reassess and alter treatment programmes if required.
• To accept clinical responsibility for a designated caseload of patients and to organise this effectively and efficiently with regard to clinical priorities and time availability.
• To use a range of highly developed verbal and non-verbal communication tools to communicate effectively with patients to progress rehabilitation and treatment programmes.  This will include patients who may have difficulties in understanding or communicating, such as those who are sensory impaired, dysphasic or have some degree of confusion or dementia.
• To use persuasive, motivation and reassurance skills to achieve the outcome required.
• To demonstrate highly developed dexterity, co-ordination and palpatory senses for assessment and manual physiotherapy treatment of patients.
• To assess patients understanding of treatment protocols, gain valid informed consent, and have the capacity to work within a legal framework with patients who lack the capacity to consent to treatment.
• To enable patients to come to terms with chronic disability on a daily basis.
• To provide specialised advice, teaching and instruction to patients, relatives, carers and other professionals to promote understanding of the aims of physiotherapy and to ensure a consistent approach to patient care.
• To manage clinical risk within own patient caseload.
• To work within Trust and Chartered Society of Physiotherapy Clinical Guidelines, to have a good working knowledge of national and local standards, and to monitor own practice.
• To be responsible for maintaining accurate and comprehensive patient treatment records in line with the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy Standards of practice.
• To supervise more junior staff and support workers within your area of service, using organisation, prioritisation and delegation skills.
• To provide specialist training and assessment of physiotherapy degree students, within your area of specialty.
• To have specialist knowledge and skills in the use and application of relevant equipment and to be responsible for your own safe and competent use of all that equipment, aids and appliances and that of more junior staff, support workers and students within your team.
• To liaise with medical and nursing staff, therapists and other members of the multi-disciplinary team, to ensure the delivery of a co-ordinated package of patient care.
• To work with the Therapy Services Manager and Team leader to develop operational policies for the physiotherapy service in your area of work and to audit the service against local and national standards.
• To participate on the in-patient on-call overnight/weekend physiotherapy service rota

Professional

• To be responsible for maintaining own competency to practice through CPD activities, and maintain a portfolio which reflects personal development.
• To maintain and develop current knowledge of evidence-based practice and incorporate new developments into your specialist area of work.
• To participate in the staff Individual Performance Review appraisal scheme and be responsible for complying with your agreed personal development programmes to meet set knowledge and competencies.
• To undertake staff Individual Performance Reviews, supervision and mentorship of junior staff, including Technical Assistants and Administrative staff, as required.
• To attend and participate in in-service training programmes, individual training sessions and external courses as expected and/or identified at Individual Performance Review, and to undertake reflective practice.
• To deliver presentations and training at physiotherapy and multi-disciplinary training events and on an individual basis.
• To demonstrate a sound understanding of Clinical Governance and risk management and apply to the work situation.
• To undertake measurement and evaluation of work and current practice through the use of audit, outcome measures and evidence based practice.  From this be able to make recommendations for change.
• Support Team lead and Therapy Manager in service development.
• To undertake any other duties as delegated by the Therapy Services Manager commensurate with banding level.

Organisational

• To undertake, as directed, the collection of activity data to enable the Trust to monitor its performance.
• To ensure that your own practice meets the required professional standards of physiotherapy practice
• To decide priorities for your area of responsibility to ensure the provision of an efficient and effective service by you, balancing patient related and other professional demands and readjusting your plans as situations changes/arise on a regular basis.
• To attend mandatory training sessions as determined by the Trust
• To be responsible for equipment used in carrying out physiotherapy duties and to adhere to departmental policy, including competence to use equipment and ensuring the safe use of equipment by others through training and supervision of practice.
• To maintain accurate comprehensive and up to date documentation, in line with legal and professional standards and requirements and communicate assessment and treatment results to the appropriate disciplines in the form of reports and letters.
• To report all accidents, incidents and complaints in accordance with Trust policy.
• To undertake any other duties as delegated by the Therapy Services Manager commensurate with the grade and experience of the post holder.

For a full comprehensive list of main responsibilities and duties, please kindly refer to job description and personal specification attached.