Band 7 Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist - Acute Medicine

Job overview

BAND 7 CLINICAL SPECIALIST PHYSIOTHERAPIST - ACUTE MEDICINE

Permanent | 37.5 hours per week

Come and join a forward-thinking and driven Acute Medicine Therapy Team who constantly put patient care and your professional and personal development to the forefront.  We are looking for a positive, proactive clinician with leadership and specialist skills in the field of Acute Medicine to help us build a strong future for therapy.  You will have your own clinical caseload, providing advanced specialist assessments and interventions to a wide range of medical patients including palliative care, neurology, bariatric, dementia, frailty and multi-pathological conditions.  You will also provide clinical support to team members and students as well as assist in their training and development.  You will play an integral role in service development, ensuring our service follows national guidelines and is up to date with Evidence Based Practice relative to the area of Acute Medicine.  We work closely with our wider multidisciplinary team to achieve the best outcomes we can for our patients.

We are an integrated department of occupational therapists, physiotherapists, dietitians and assistants and have strong relationships between the wider multidisciplinary team and community colleagues.  Our core hours are 08:00-16:00 but we can offer flexibility.  You will also work as part of our seven-day roster.

A development band 6-7 post would be considered for the right applicant.

Main duties of the job

You will manage a complex caseload whilst supporting/training team members to manage their own caseloads.  Good prioritisation, organisational and time management skills will be needed to balance clinical and non-clinical duties.  You will be responsible for ensuring the use of advanced effective assessment skills to identify appropriate patients and to formulate, implement and evaluate individualised treatment and rehabilitation plans.  You will need advanced communication skills to ensure a successful multidisciplinary approach to patient care and to support positive dialogue with the team and wider colleagues.  You will be responsible for other non-clinical duties such as chairing team meetings, in-service development ideas, training/supervision of students, therapy assistant practitioners and Band 5 and 6 colleagues.  This will include the use of formal appraisal documentation.  You will be key to being actively involved in the measurement and evaluation of your work and current practices through the use of Evidence Based Practice projects, audit and outcome measures.  Through this being able to make recommendations for and assist with change.  You may be responsible for ensuring adequate staffing levels, absence management and wellbeing support for staff within the team in the absence of a Team Leader.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To lead in the advanced assessment and treatment of patients admitted to the Acute Medicine wards including patients with multi-pathology, palliative care needs, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, osteoarthritis, cardiac conditions, frailty and bariatric patients, who will often have highly complex and/or chronic presentation, often with barriers to communication
• To use advanced clinical reasoning skills to determine clinical diagnosis, treatment indicated, onward referrals and to maintain records as an autonomous practitioner
• To plan, co-ordinate, deliver and evaluate the Acute Medicine Therapy Team Service, and to prioritise and delegate appropriately to the team as required
• Support the Team Leaders to manage staff attendance in accordance to Trust policies, by completing return to work interviews with team members
• To support the wellbeing of staff within the team and signpost to relevant support networks
• To work closely with other James Paget University Hospital therapy teams in order to receive referrals and use patient information to help prioritise the workload
• To assist with development of team goals and development with the Team Leaders, Professional Leads and Integrated Therapies Clinical Lead, and support the team in achieving them
• To provide highly specialist advice and teaching to the Acute Medicine Therapy Team and to other members of the multidisciplinary team
• To keep abreast of new research and development within the speciality, identifying any learning needs within the team and arrange training as necessary
• To be proactive in-service development and individual development within the team, implementing changes as and when appropriate
• To organise and lead clinical audits, ensuring regular monitoring of the quality of the service provided to patients.  Delegate work as necessary to other members of the team
• To work a rostered seven-day service
• In the absence of a Team Leader, you would be expected to deputise and offer leadership on day to day running of the team

We offer:

• Training and development opportunities
• Protected CPD time
• Generous annual leave:  27 days on appointment, 29 days after five years’ service, and 33 days after 10 years’ service
• NHS pension scheme
• NHS discounts
• Salary Sacrifice car scheme
• Employee celebration - regular staff awards
• International peer support group and celebration events
• Neurodiversity support
• Health and Wellbeing Service, including counselling, physiotherapy, mental health, and menopause support etc.
• Career pathway development, supportive PDP to help you achieve your goals
• Social events
• Long service recognition
• Single accommodation on site for new staff
• Physiotherapy specific training in an integrated therapy department
• Recruitment support
• Excellent maternity package

Please see the attached Job Description for more details of the main duties and responsibilities of the role.

Please watch the following videos for an insight into our Integrated Therapies Department:

Landscape version:  https://youtu.be/tklpzav7UrU

Portrait version:  https://youtube.com/shorts/U4lwU9T1wKA?feature=share