Senior Specialist Paediatric Respiratory Physiotherapist

Job overview

This is a new and exciting role where you will be pivotal in the opportunity to shape a new service providing care closer to home for our local population in Lambeth and Southwark.

The post holder will work alongside the existing Children's  Hospital at home team in the set-up and implementation for respiratory physiotherapy advice and treatment to patients in their home environment, supporting the facilitation of early discharge from hospital and prevention of admissions to ED and in-patient services.

We are looking for someone who is able to work flexibly as an autonomous practitioner and innovate within a dynamic environment who demonstrates the initiative to embrace and drive change in how we deliver healthcare.

You will be a Senior Specialist Paediatric Respiratory Physiotherapist with wide experience in respiratory care.

Main duties of the job

The post works closely alongside the Children's Hospital at home team including medical and specialist nursing staff.

The post holder will be embedded within the hospital at home team whilst working closely with the inpatient LTV/chronic respiratory physiotherapy team.

There will be the opportunity for peer support with the inpatient team including complex patient discussion meetings and supervision.

As part of this role will be the initiation and adjustment of respiratory physiotherapy treatment plans, including clear escalation and weaning plans, the post holder will demonstrate advanced skills in the use of a wide range of treatment skills and respiratory physiotherapy devices including cough assist, the oscillating vest and various airway clearance adjuncts.

The post holder will organise and carry out training for patients, parents, carers, schools and where appropriate to the wider MDT. Advanced communication and organisational skills are required for this role.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

You will provide a high standard of physiotherapy assessment and treatments, including the review of treatment programmes for LTV patients and patients with chronic respiratory conditions at home.

This will comprise of patients who have multi-pathologies and those who have highly complex presentations including LTV needs and acute-on-chronic disease. The main duties of this role are outlined below and in more detail in the attached Job Description.

Provide respiratory physiotherapy support and advice to the respiratory MDT. The role is embedded within the hospital at home team with close working relationships and links with the Evelina respiratory physiotherapy and MDT.

Provide initiation and adjustment of treatment plans, including clinically reasoned clear escalation and weaning plans. The post holder will demonstrate advanced skills in the use of a wide range of treatment skills and devices including cough assist, the oscillating vest and various airway clearance adjuncts.

This role requires the use of advanced communication skills, to provide clear instructions to the patient and families/carers and to clearly communicate and document these plans in a timely manner to the wider MDT.

Education and teaching physiotherapy techniques and delivering education to families, carers, schools and patients will be a large part of this new role, requiring advanced organisational skills.

To demonstrate service development skills in the form of scoping other services, exploring current research and carrying out regular service reviews including audits. Data collection will be part of this role.

Key Relationships

a.     Hospital at home team (including medical and specialist nursing staff)

b.     Paediatric respiratory MDT (including medical and specialist nursing staff)

c.     Clinical lead paediatric physiotherapist

d.     Clinical Specialist Paediatric Respiratory Physiotherapists

e.     Long Term Ventilation Physiotherapist

f.      Physiotherapy team at ELCH and GSTT

g.     Paediatric allied health professional teams, pharmacists and palliative care MDT

h.     Community paediatric physiotherapists outside the trust