Highly Specialist Paediatric Physiotherapist

Job overview

Job summary

The Specialist Children’s Division is a highly experienced and Professional multi-disciplinary provision delivering Therapeutic services for children with the London borough of Enfield.

The services currently comprise of: Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech and language therapy, Dietetics, Complex Needs and Palliative Care Nursing and Specialist Family support. The service works closely with other disciplines within the Child Development Team and Primary Care Team (Health Visiting, School Nursing and Safe guarding services) to provide services across the borough.

The service also works closely with the Local Authority (in particular Joint service for children with Disabilities and Special Education Needs Department) including Schools in the provision of a joined up Health, Education and Social Care provision.

The Physiotherapy service is an established Musculoskeletal (0-14 years) and Neurodisability (0-19 years) service which provides specialised Physiotherapy assessment and intervention to children with varying needs in community settings, special schools, clinic and the CDC.

The band 7 physiotherapist will have a mixed caseload consisting of children of all ages.

Main duties of the job

To provide specialist assessment for children aged 0-18, who may have complex presentation, to determine relevant clinical picture and specific treatment indicated, working as an autonomous practitioner

To provide specialist advise and work closely with members of the multidisciplinary team, including Paediatricians, Orthopaedic Consultants, GPs, SLT, OT, Nurses, Social care professionals, Educational professionals and other services.

To educate families and carers regarding their child’s specific physiotherapy management including exercise programmes, targeted activities, positioning advice and physical activity recommendations.

To work closely with Wheelchair services, Orthotics department and other specialist equipment agencies, Voluntary agencies and other professional groups to ensure physiotherapy treatment is fully integrated into patient care programmes.

To be responsible for the appropriate physiotherapy treatment of an identified group of children, with a wide variety of conditions, including children with severe physical and/or cognitive impairment, some of whom may have complex social and psychological needs

To formulate individualised physiotherapy management and treatment plans using clinical reasoning skills and utilizing a wide range of specialist treatment approaches.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To use highly specialized handling skills and manual physiotherapeutic techniques during assessment and treatment of children, some with complex disabilities and movement disorders.

To make complex decisions and appropriate judgments as a frontline practitioner to interpret situations that may require child protection action.

To work to locally and nationally agreed standards set by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and the Association of Paediatric Chartered Physiotherapists.

To be aware of and follow NICE guidance relevant to conditions of childhood.

To assess children for a variety of highly specialist equipment and recommend its purchase by health and education. To be responsible for its safe set up, adjustment and competent use of all physiotherapy equipment by parents, carers and educational staff.

To demonstrate a sound understanding of risk management and to undertake risk assessments involved in the manual handling of the children during 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.