Head of Physiotherapy

Job overview

We are looking to recruit an enthusiastic person to be our Head of Physiotherapy for the Trust. They will need to have a strong interest and passion for working in mental health. They will manage a small team of physiotherapists and clinical exercise staff across the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. The post holder will work clinically with patients with complex needs and provide clinical support to the team and the wider physiotherapy staff in the directorates.

Main duties of the job

• Proactively ensuring the professional standards, quality and effective professional supervision and management of physiotherapy and clinical exercise team across the Trust.
• Promote the development of physiotherapists and clinical exercise practitioners across the trust, include active, ongoing student input/support and link with local Universities.
• Providing strategic leadership across the Trust, ensuring representational and advisory role both internally (e.g. physical health committee, other relevant initiatives) and externally for the physiotherapy service.
• To provide clinical expertise, supervision and support across the Trust for all physiotherapists and clinical exercise leads.
• Develop, influence and set up new physiotherapy care pathways across the Trust and collate evidence to demonstrate value.
• Identify and lead on clinical research, audit and data collection priorities for the physiotherapy and clinical exercise services.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical

To provide a direct clinical service and clinical cover for physiotherapy staff as appropriate.

Communication

To represent the physiotherapy services corporately within the organisation and with local partners to provide and disseminate information appropriately, ensuring effective communication structures for the physiotherapy services.

To have a high professional profile within the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists (CSP) and other organisations that will enable national and local promotion and dissemination of knowledge and expertise on behalf of the Trust.

To pursue a professional development plan that will support this and extend professional knowledge.

Documentation

To oversee and maintain up-to-date written and electronic records and activity data, in accordance with professional and Trust standards.

Leadership, Supervision & Appraisal

To provide a strong professional lead to improve and develop physiotherapy and clinical exercise services in line with service and client needs, corporate objectives and legislative requirements.

To provide professional supervision for senior physiotherapy staff and clinical exercise lead as per trust supervision.

To promote the professional contribution of the physiotherapists, to offer guidance and support and to appraise their performance in conjunction with their managers.

To line manage corporate physiotherapy staff and clinical exercise team.

To use meetings with the Professional Head of OT to review performance and set common objectives.

Training Staff & Students to ensure physiotherapy students have placements in the Trust and to ensure quality standards for these.