Care of Older People Physiotherapy Team Lead

Job overview

Care of Older People Team Lead Physiotherapist (Band 7)

We are seeking an experienced and enthusiastic Physiotherapist to join our Care of Older People Therapy Team at Whittington Health. You will have specialist expertise in assessing and managing older adults with complex medical, frailty, cognitive, neurological and musculoskeletal conditions.

As Team Lead Physiotherapist, you will provide clinical and operational leadership, delivering high-quality, patient-centred care across the service. You will manage a complex caseload, provide expert rehabilitation, and support safe and timely discharge planning to maximise patient independence and outcomes.

Working closely with colleagues across health and social care, you will contribute to patient flow, service development and quality improvement, ensuring patients receive the right care in the right place at the right time.

You will provide leadership, supervision and education to therapists, therapy assistants and students, promoting evidence-based practice and workforce development. The role requires excellent clinical reasoning, communication and leadership skills, together with a commitment to outstanding care for older people.

Whittington Health is committed to supporting your professional and leadership development through regular supervision and development opportunities. The post includes participation in weekend working as part of the departmental rota.

Main duties of the job

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead the Care of Older People Therapy Team, ensuring high-quality, patient-centred care.
• Assess, diagnose and treat older adults with complex medical, frailty, cognitive, neurological and musculoskeletal conditions.
• Represent physiotherapy within multidisciplinary meetings, board rounds and service development.
• Deliver specialist rehabilitation to maximise function, independence and recovery.
• Coordinate effective discharge planning and support safe, timely transitions of care.
• Liaise with community, social care and voluntary sector services to support patient flow.
• Prioritise workload and resources to ensure safe and efficient service delivery.
• Develop and support rehabilitation and discharge pathways.
• Provide leadership, supervision, appraisal and education to staff and students.
• Contribute to organisational objectives, quality improvement and patient outcomes.
• Communicate effectively with patients, families and carers, promoting person-centred care.
• Lead and participate in audit, service evaluation and research activities.
• Maintain accurate, timely and legally compliant clinical records.
• Participate in weekend working and extended service provision as required.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Main duties Clinical 1. To be responsible for maintaining a high standard, both professionally and legally, of clinical practice both in own practice and for ensuring that others in the team maintain competent clinical skills and operate to a high level.

• To be responsible for the assessment of patients, including those with complex presentations, and to select appropriate assessment tools for this.
• To use clinical reasoning skills and specialist clinical knowledge to formulate treatment plans, using a wide range of treatment skills. To carry out, evaluate progress and adjust treatment plans, as necessary.
• To be able to demonstrate advanced evidence based clinical reasoning when considering treatment options and management approaches to therapy provision for older patients presenting with a range of health conditions.
• To demonstrate highly developed and advanced clinical skills that require specialised skills such as precision, hand eye co-ordination, sensory co-ordination, and manual handling in the therapeutic handling of patients with a range of presentations.
• To in-reach and provide clinical expertise and support for junior staff members and colleagues with managing complex patients with assessment, treatment, and ongoing discharge planning.

Please see the full job description and person specification for the role if you are interested to apply. Please ensure you demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria in your application.

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.