Advanced Practitioner: Physiotherapy - Spines

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Physiotherapist to develop and work in our citywide, non-medically led Spinal Service at University Hospitals of Liverpool Group. This is a split role between our ED/inpatient service and outpatient spinal Therapies. Within ED/inpatients you will manage a spinal caseload using specialist knowledge from theoretical and practical experience, developing an extended scope of practice. In outpatients you will provide spinal clinical expertise within the Physiotherapy department, Musculoskeletal Triage Clinics (MCAS) and Consultant-led Clinics to deliver high quality patient care.

Working with other advanced practitioners (APs), you will lead on service development and provide clinical education, supervision, leadership, research and audit, in addition to clinical expertise, in line with the HEE AP framework. Working within this large university hospital foundation trust will enable you to shape service delivery, influence practice and drive innovation and change at a local, regional and national level, with specific focus on management of spinal presentations across primary and secondary care.

If you would like to be part of this exciting journey but don’t have all the requisite knowledge and experience, training/apprenticeship MSc AP posts will be considered. This role is ideally suited to full-time applicants, though some flexibility is available. There is an expectation to work across the two main acute hospital sites.

Main duties of the job

1. To deliver expert specialist evidence-based care including development, assessment, planning, implementing, evaluating programmes of evidence-based care for a defined caseload.  2. To improve the experience and outcomes of care for patients by taking the lead in investigations and treatments prescribed. 3. To provide a consistent and personalised service by ensuring that the patients receive the best care, in the best place from the best person or team. 4. To provide social, emotional and psychological support for patients from referral and throughout their treatment. 5. To make appropriate referral to consultants/other specialist/members of the multidisciplinary team in primary, secondary or tertiary care settings. 6. To be aware of risk management issues both locally and nationally and develop strategies to address identified issues.

MSK outpatients comprises 60% of the role.

Please see both attached job descriptions for full details regarding roles and responsibilities. Shortlisting will be based on the shared essential criteria relevant to the combined role.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Key responsibilities

Clinical:

1. To deliver expert specialist evidence-based care including: development, assessment, planning, implementing, evaluating programmes of evidence based clinical care for a defined caseload.  2. To take a lead role in the triage, clinical assessment and management of patients with spinal conditions referred to the outpatient physiotherapy service. This will include working in an Advanced Practice role assessing and diagnosing patients referred to the Musculoskeletal Triage and MCAS service and within consultant-led clinics.  3. To maintain and develop a specialist service for patients within the caseload, ensuring that the treatment and follow up of this group of patients is delivered in a timely manner. 4. To provide and maintain a diagnostic service for the Trust. Ensure clinician-led clinics provide for both diagnoses and reporting of subsequent results for identified patients. 5. Using a shared decision-making approach, they will be required to make onward referrals to relevant services and agencies to optimise patient care.  6. To provide teaching as an in-house measure to all medical and clinical staff, not only within the Care Group but also from other services. 7. To provide a clinician-led clinic service to patients. 8. To maintain and develop a specialist clinical service for patients within the caseload, ensuring that the treatment and follow up of this group of patients is delivered in a timely manner 9. To provide expert care, advice and support for patients and their relatives/carers and ensure that advice and point of contact is available throughout the patient’s journey. 10. To maintain personal accountability for professional and ethical actions and ensure compliance with the standards of professional conduct issued by the relevant regulatory body

Research

11. Initiate and participate in any future projects that may occur within the area.  12. To evaluate and critique recent research, to be used to enhance best practice. 13. Actively investigate current practice, using research papers and evidence data. 14. To be involved in relevant research projects promoting the role of clinician and presenting appropriate papers. 15. To identify areas in which research is viable. 16. To be competent in literature review techniques and research methodology.

Education and training development

17. Maintain own professional knowledge base and skills, meet PREP requirements, and continually update knowledge.  18. To provide education to members of the multidisciplinary team, relating to the area of specialist knowledge. 19. To promote and give presentations about the role of the specialist clinician. 20. To act as an educator and assessor to promote and maintain skills and knowledge to physiotherapy staff and relevant medical and clinical staff, including specialist registrars and senior house officers. 21. To be actively involved in health promotion in line with Government targets. Management and Quality:

22. To provide a consistent and personalised service by ensuring that the patients receive the best care, in the best place from the best person or team – acting as a change agent for the development of the service.  23. To improve the experience and outcomes of care for patients by taking the lead in investigations and treatments prescribed. Assisting in the audit and data collection required for developing evidence-based services. 24. To provide verbal and written reports to appropriate managers and clinical leads. 25. To monitor the effectiveness of the service by continuous audit. 26. To ensure that equipment is maintained and serviced as required. 27. To develop protocols, documentation, standards and guidelines to enable best practice for the care of patients. In the identified/specified area. 28. To be involved in complaints handling according to the Trust’s Complaints Procedure. 29. To establish a clear focus, vision and direction for the service, within the Care Group. 30. To ensure effective and efficient use of financial resources, contributing to increasing the efficiency and controlling cost within the departmental budget.  Making recommendations regarding supplies and purchasing of equipment.

Communication and Liaison:

31. To promote effective communication within the hospital and to the patient and/or their relatives. 32. Act as a point of liaison between all hospital departments involved in the patient’s journey. 33. Act as a source of specialist information for clinicians and other members of the multidisciplinary team. 34. Liaise with other departments/ Trusts regarding services provided and current practises to develop best evidence-based practice. 35. To be skilled to impart distressing information with respect and empathy. 36. To ensure that all patient records are maintained contemporaneously.

* The post holder shall as necessary provide cover for and undertake duties of absent colleagues. * The post holder shall follow all the policies and procedures of the organisation.