Highly Specialised Elbow Arthroplasty Physio with Research Role

Job overview

We are pleased to invite applications from experienced MSK physiotherapists seeking to combine highly specialised clinical practice with a dedicated research role, working within our well-established elbow arthroplasty service.

The post is for a Highly Specialised Elbow Arthroplasty Physiotherapist at AFC Band 7, with a research role.

The working pattern is Monday to Friday, based at Wrightington Hospital, split between physiotherapy clinics, orthopaedic clinic and dedicated research sessions in accordance with an agreed job plan. There is no requirement for on-call working, although hours may occasionally be required in line with local service delivery, including weekends and Bank Holidays.

You should hold a degree or diploma in Physiotherapy and be HCPC registered, with evidence of relevant postgraduate clinical education and CPD. A higher degree or research qualification is desirable. Candidates are required to show evidence of their certificates to the interview panel.

Main duties of the job

The role will be based at Wrightington Hospital, with responsibility for the advanced assessment, diagnosis and treatment of patients with complex or chronic elbow conditions, including those undergoing or being considered for elbow arthroplasty.

You will need highly developed clinical reasoning and differential diagnostic skills to ensure patients are managed safely, efficiently and effectively as an autonomous practitioner, directing the care pathway for your patients including assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning and onward referral as indicated.

You will work closely with Orthopaedic Consultants undertaking elbow surgery, specialist elbow physiotherapists and academic and research governance partners including Edge Hill University, the Research Delivery Team and Research Sponsorship Team.

You will also develop and deliver research, service evaluation and audit projects related to the elbow, including protocol development, grant applications and dissemination of findings. Previous experience of research delivery is desirable; training, mentorship and support will be provided to develop your research skills further.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities

Key Results from the job holder

• To provide clinical leadership for a designated area of work and to plan and organise efficiently and effectively with regard to patient management and use of time.
• To maintain own clinical professional development (CPD) by keeping abreast of any new trends and developments, and incorporate them as necessary into the work of the team.
• To establish priorities for own work area, balancing other patient related and professional demands, and ensure that they remain in accordance with those of the service as a whole.
• To develop and deliver research, service evaluation and audit projects, including protocol development, grant applications, dissemination and implementation.
• To ensure excellent standards of evidence-based care are delivered in specialist area of responsibility.
• Provide day to day management for designated staff.

Planning and organisational

• To be responsible for personal time management between physiotherapy services, orthopaedic clinic and research in accordance with an agreed job plan.
• To be responsible for a designated area of work, as agreed with the Team Lead/Clinical Lead, and to plan and organise efficiently and effectively with regard to patients’ management and use of time.
• To decide priorities for own work area, balancing other patient related and professional demands, and ensure that these remain in accordance with those of the service as a whole.
• To be responsible for ensuring the effective selection and use of all treatment resources available.
• To be responsible for ordering, monitoring and maintaining equipment used in carrying out therapy duties, and to adhere to departmental policy, including competence to use equipment and to ensure the safe use of equipment by others through, teaching, training and supervision of practice.
• To deputise for the Team Lead/Clinical Lead in terms of operational issues as required.
• To maintain accurate, comprehensive and up-to-date documentation, in line with legal and departmental requirements and communicate assessment and treatment results to the appropriate disciplines in form of reports and letters.
• To be actively involved in the collection of appropriate data and statistics for the use of the therapy department.
• To comply with the organisational and departmental policies and procedures and to be involved in the reviewing and updating as appropriate.
• To be actively involved in the recruitment and selection of lower grade staff.
• To maintain own clinical professional development (CPD) by keeping abreast of any new trends and developments, and incorporate them as necessary into your work.
• To participate in the staff appraisal scheme and Personal Development Plan (PDP) as both appraiser and appraisee.
• To undertake the measurement and evaluation of your work and current practices through the use of Evidence Based Practice projects, audit and outcome measures, either individually or with Team Lead/Clinical Lead. Use information gained to make recommendations for change.
• To demonstrate a sound understanding of Clinical Governance and Risk Management and apply to work situation
• To undertake any other duties as considered appropriate by the Team Lead/Clinical Lead for MSK.

Communications and Key Working Relationships

• To be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of your own work including the management of patients in your care. To ensure high standards of clinical care for the patients under your management, and support more junior staff to do likewise.
• Post holders are required to work independently, within broad clinical and professional guidelines. Work is supervised rather than managed and this supervision may be provided by peers who may be internal or external to the organisation
• To interpret and analyse clinical and non-clinical facts to form accurate diagnosis and prognosis in a wide range of highly complex conditions, to recommend the best course of intervention, and to develop comprehensive discharge plans.
• To produce informative and detailed information for out of Trust patient transfers for continuing physiotherapy management.
• To deliver the physiotherapy element of care for patients within the outpatient departments, and on occasions to deliver appropriate elements of care normally undertaken by other therapy colleagues. • To represent the Trust externally (locally and regionally) regarding physiotherapy services provided to patients within the speciality.
• To undertake the comprehensive assessment of patients, including those with a complex presentation, using investigative and analytical skills and to formulate individualised management and treatment plans, using clinical reasoning and utilising a wide range of treatment skills and options to formulate a specialised programme of care.
• To accept clinical responsibility for a designated caseload of patients, and to organise this effectively and efficiently with regard to clinical priorities and use of time.
• To demonstrate highly developed dexterity, co-ordination and palpatory senses for assessment and manual treatment of patients.
• To participate in the development of policy and practice changes within the musculoskeletal and Therapy services which will impact on service users.
• To communicate complex patient-related information (as well as non-patient information) effectively and work collaboratively with medical, nursing and therapy colleagues to ensure delivery of a co-ordinated multidisciplinary service.
• To communicate effectively with patients and carers to maximise rehabilitation potential and to ensure understanding of condition. Use communication skills such as persuasion, motivation explanation to encourage patients to undertake their management programme.
• To use communication tools (verbal and non-verbal) to gain informed consent with patients where there will often be barriers to effective communication e.g. loss of hearing, altered perception, expressive and receptive dysphasia, pain, fear etc.To assess capacity, gain valid informed consent and have the ability to work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment.

Responsibility for Human Resources

• Provide day to day supervision, management and development for designated staff.
• To work with Team Leaders within the Physiotherapy service to ensure smooth running of the overall service.
• To participate in the staff appraisal scheme and personal development plan (PDP) as both appraiser and appraisee. This will include the use of formal appraisal documentation
• To accept appropriate responsibility for any tasks delegated to less senior qualified or unqualified staff.
• To ensure that designated staff implement policy and service development changes.
• To work with the Team Lead/Clinical Lead and other staff in developing the strategic and operational management of the service.

Responsibility for Teaching

• To provide spontaneous and planned advice, teaching and instruction to relatives, carers and other professionals, to promote understanding of the aims of physiotherapy, and to ensure a consistent approach to patient care.
• To provide specialist and highly specialist advice to physiotherapy colleagues working within other clinical areas (outpatient departments, sub-acute sites and in-patient specialities etc) re: patients with upper limb conditions.
• To provide specialist advice, teaching and training, including presentation to other members of the IDT/MDT regarding the physical and medical management of patients with upper and lower limb conditions.
• To educate, supervise and performance manage more junior staff, trainee assistant practitioners, physiotherapy assistants and students. This will include the use of formal appraisal documentation.
• To educate, supervise and performance manage via the use of competencies qualified and unqualified nursing staff, in specific areas of physiotherapy management.

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.