Neuromyelitis Optica

Job overview

We are seeking to recruit a senior physiotherapist with neurological experience to form part of the NMO multi-disciplinary team. This post is for 29 hours per week, consisting of one day per week to attend the NMO out-patient clinic, and the rest of the time split between providing wellbeing service, patient follow-ups, and attending outreach clinics, patient days and annual meetings that may require a longer working day.

The NMO Service is a Nationally Commissioned Highly Specialised Service providing diagnosis and care of patients with NMO. This post involves providing physiotherapy support for all appropriate Oxford NMO patients, including:

• Physiotherapy assessment: using advanced clinical skills to provide specialist support to patients and advice to the NMO team.
• Expertise to advise patients on the management of their physical deficits.
• Assessment of activity and exercise programmes.
• Onward referral to local services and advice on mobility aids.

Additionally, this role involves supporting the Oxford NMO Service to maintain and promote its role as a specialist service by:

• Participating in outreach clinics and annual meetings/patient day.
• Contributing to the development of the service by undertaking audits of outcome assessment tools used and producing patient information literature.
• Educating other healthcare professionals and advising on the rehabilitation needs of this patient group

Main duties of the job

• To work in conjunction with the NMO team, lead nurse and lead consultant to provide a coherent and effective service to NMO patients, taking the lead on therapy and wellbeing aspects of the service.
• To take the lead in developing and offering a broader wellness service along with 2 full time specialist nurses and a team of doctors.
• To be responsible for providing physiotherapy and wellbeing support for all appropriate NMO patients in outpatients and remote clinics, in-patient ward settings, remote support via telephone and email, and day cases for NMO review.
• Supports delivery of the physiotherapy service by working with the NMO team and fostering leadership skills and experience.
• Uses advanced clinical reasoning skills to provide specialist support and advice to the NMO team.
• Supports team members in maintaining and improving all aspects of evidence-based practice and quality assurance in the team.
• Involving in service development projects to improve the NMO service in response to analysis of patient outcomes and national service specifications.
• The post is a band 7 physiotherapist role and as such significant NHS physiotherapist experience is essential, relevant post-graduate qualifications and the ability to work autonomously at a senior physiotherapist level.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical

• To be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of own professional activities
• To support team members for management and implementation of patient care programmes in NMO Physiotherapy and to input into appropriate care programmes
• To carry out assessment of patients as an autonomous practitioner, including those with highly complex presentations and to use advanced clinical reasoning skills, knowledge of evidence-based practice and advanced expertise to determine appropriate care plans utilising specialist treatment skills and options
• To formulate accurate prognoses and recommend best course of intervention, developing comprehensive treatment/discharge plans
• To be responsible for own patient care plans and to be consulted frequently for expert advice and guidance by junior and senior team members and other health care professionals
• To continually reassess patients in order to progress treatments effectively and advise patients, carers, medical and other colleagues as required
• To assess patients’ capacity to understand and gain valid, informed consent for treatment. To work within a legal framework with patients who lack the capacity to consent or refuse treatment
• To co-ordinate intervention, which may include other disciplines, advise and educate patients/carers/relatives / other health professionals
• To always manage clinical risk within own caseload and to support team leaders in ensuring clinical risk is effectively managed across the NMO service
• To provide physiotherapy input to patients as part of the multi-disciplinary team patient care review
• To be responsible for maintenance of accurate written records, to include comprehensive progress and discharge reports to referrers
• To maintain an accurate and evaluative record keeping system for own clinical caseload and to be responsible for ensuring/maintaining the Departmental Standards
• To demonstrate highly developed dexterity, co-ordination and palpatory sensory skills for assessment and manual treatment of patients
• To be highly competent in assessing a wide range of conditions and multiple pathologies, based on advanced theoretical knowledge of anatomy, physiology and pathology, often in situations where conflicting evidence is present
• To be able to motivate and persuade others (including staff and patients) through advanced communication skills, with the benefit of verbal and non-verbal skills, using written and electronic information where needed
• To demonstrate expert ability to communicate complex and sensitive information to patients, carers, and other staff, where there may be barriers to communication i.e., non-English speaking patients, those with communication disorders, impaired speech, or hearing, and ensure all members of the team do likewise
• To demonstrate the ability to communicate complex and sensitive information in an understandable form to patients, carers and staff
• To impart complex information to small groups of people, for example, in MDT meetings and training sessions, using a variety of methods of communication
• To clearly convey complex knowledge of techniques, biomechanics, anatomy and physiology to patients and staff
• To give and receive complex and sensitive information about staff and patients, which may include information about long-term/ permanent disabilities
• To maintain close links, communication and liaison between all staff and people involved in patient care and always promote good working relationships
• To sensitively deal with distressing or emotional circumstances regarding patient care, e.g., imparting news of poor prognoses
• To support more junior staff when indicated in the management of challenging patient
• To deal effectively with patients suffering from conditions that may lead to anxiety and aggressive behaviour

Management

• To support the NMO team members in ensuring that staff implement policy and service developmental changes
• To support the work done between the NMO team members in the maintenance of common service standards
• To support the ability of the NMO team to ensure that the service responds to national initiatives and policy within the framework of clinical governance, including clinical effectiveness, evidence-based healthcare, managing clinical risk and research and development issues
• To contribute to the management of the department, including the development and implementation of departmental policies, which will impact on the physiotherapy service
• To attend mandatory fire, manual handling and resuscitation training on an annual basis and be familiar with local procedures within speciality areas of work and ensure that staff within the team are aware of their responsibilities
• To use, develop and report on outcome measures specific to the role
• To develop patient information literature specific to the role
• To assist in providing statistics and annual analysis reports regarding NMO using databases in an accurate and timely manner
• To skilfully and flexibly plan and manage one's own time and support the NMO team, including patient care and project work
• To achieve the effective management of a small caseload of patients, including responding to urgent referrals, prioritising clinical work and balancing other patient-related and professional activities in accordance with departmental standards
• To resolve informal complaints and to be well-versed with the Trust’s formal complaints procedure

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.