Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Main Tasks and Responsibilities

Clinical

1. To be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of own professional activities
2. To undertake the specialist assessment of patients as an autonomous practitioner, including those with highly complex presentations, and using clinical reasoning skills, knowledge of evidence based practice and advanced expertise. Determines appropriate care plan utilising specialist treatment skills and options
3. To interpret and analyse clinical and non-clinical facts to form accurate diagnoses in a wide range of highly complex conditions and to formulate accurate prognoses and recommend best course of intervention, developing and implementing comprehensive treatment and discharge plans
4. To be highly competent in assessing a wide range of  conditions based on specialist theoretical knowledge of anatomy, physiology and pathology, often in situations where conflicting evidence is present.
5. To develop and support the leadership skills and knowledge of the paediatric therapy team through teaching and supervision.
6. To be responsible for own patient care plans and will be consulted frequently for specialist advice and guidance by junior team members and other health care professionals.
7. To continually reassess patients in order to progress treatments effectively and advise patients, carers and other colleagues as required.
8. To assess a patient’s capacity to understand and to gain valid, informed consent for treatment. To work within a legal framework with patients who lack the capacity to consent or refuse treatment.
9. To co-ordinate intervention which may include other disciplines; advises and educate patient/ carers/ relatives/ other health professionals
10. To demonstrate the ability to communicate complex and sensitive information to patient, carers and other staff, where there may be barriers to communication e.g. non-English speaking patients; those with communication disorders, impaired speech, hearing, and ensure all members of the team do likewise.
11. To provide expert advice on cardiorespiratory care to other clinical areas on the JR site as required, thereby providing specialist care for patients and emergency support for colleagues. This may include medical colleagues and other clinical staff, ensuring that specialist physiotherapeutic is incorporated into patient care.
12. To communicate effectively with all other disciplines involved in the patient’s care both in the Hospital and in the community thus ensuring a multidisciplinary approach and integrated service.
13. To manage clinical risk within own caseload and the team members at all times
14. To participate in an out of hours service as a lone practitioner within the hospital site.
15. When working on the out of hours rota, provide advice to medical and nursing staff, and other members of the MDT regarding patients’ cardiorespiratory functions.
16. To be responsible for self and team for maintenance of accurate written or electronic records using POMR system. To include comprehensive progress and discharge reports.
17. To attend meetings and seminars/case conferences as appropriate, and liaise with and advise other disciplines, as appropriate, to achieve comprehensive, effective and confidential patient management through to discharge
18. To use specialist knowledge to refer to other health disciplines as appropriate
19. To demonstrate physical ability to carry out physiotherapy assessment and interventions including manual therapy techniques and therapeutic handling
20. To demonstrate highly developed dexterity, co-ordination and palpatory sensory skills for assessment and manual treatment of patients
21. To adhere to Professional Standards, Trust and other relevant bodies, guidelines and standards for treatment. To assess and manage clinical risk within own, and other team members’, caseloads.

Management

1. To be responsible for the daily management, of own caseload supporting the physiotherapy specialist leads helping to provide clinical care as per agreed job plan.
2. To be responsible for ensuring that quality standards and effectiveness of patient care are continually improved, including national guidance and initiatives.
3. To deputise for the Childrens Head of Therapies in the management of the Childrens Therapy Service if required.
4. To support the organisation of an appropriate and cost effective out of hours service by assisting the Team leader in Paediatric Critical Care.
5. Ensure competent use, repair and maintenance reporting of all equipment, gym equipment and patient appliances and that designated staff attain competency prior to use.
6. To comply with all Trust policies and procedures and Health and Safety at Work Act, including adherence to Universal Precautions and Infection Control measures.
7. 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. 
8. To participate in the Trust Appraisal Scheme, both as appraisee and as appraiser.
9. To attend and be an active participant in departmental staff and peer group meetings.
10. To maintain an accurate and evaluative record keeping system (POMR) format for own clinical caseload and assist the Childrens Therapy |lead in ensuring that all physiotherapists are maintaining the Department Standards.
11. To provide statistics and analysis reports regarding the designated service using databases in an accurate and timely manner.
12. To flexibly plan and organise own time and assist in the organisation of team rota to include patient care, training, supervision and meetings.
13. To achieve the effective management of a caseload of patients including responding to urgent referrals, prioritising clinical work and balancing other patient related and professional activities in accordance with departmental standards as indicated in job plan.
14. Ensure that the agreed quality standards of service, based on professional guidelines and standards from CSP Clinical Practice, and national guidelines are maintained and to work with the Principal Physiotherapist in implementing this area.
15. To motivate and persuade others through developed communication and negotiation skills, with the benefit of verbal and non-verbal skills, using written and electronic information where needed
16. To maintain close links, communication and liaison between all staff and people involved in patient care, student education, as appropriate and promote good working relationships at all times
17. To resolve informal complaints and to be well versed with the Trust’s formal complaints procedure. To ensure that the Childrens Therapy Lead is informed of complaints.
18. To impart complex information to small groups of people, for example in class and training sessions, using a variety of methods of communication.
19. To be able to manage potentially stressful, upsetting or emotional situations in an empathetic manner
20. To ensure close lines of communication with Childrens Therapy Lead, and senior staff as necessary, and to ensure timely and effective communication on all professional matters
21. To contribute to the recruitment of staff, including short-listing of applicants and being a member of the interview panel.
22. To support the Childrens Therapy Lead in maintaining the e-Roster across the Childrens Therapies and Gait clinical service unit.

Education:

1.    To be responsible for the provision of specialised teaching to peers and junior staff; this may be to large groups.

2.    To provide expert teaching to undergraduate and post graduate students external to the Trust as required and agreed with the Childrens Therapy Lead.

3.    To be responsible for own personal professional development and keep abreast of new clinical practices in paediatric physiotherapy. To attend and contribute to, specialist continuing education programmes. To attend external courses / education as appropriate.

4.    To maintain a CPD portfolio reflecting personal professional development and ensure all members of designated team have a comprehensive performance plan.

5.    To clearly convey complex knowledge of techniques, biomechanics, anatomy and physiology to patients and staff

6.    Lead the supervision, mentoring, training, performance management and professional development of physiotherapists on rotation in Acute Respiratory and those undergoing out of hours competency training, including adult staff who provide care to children at the Horton Hospital (DGH).

7.    To supervise undergraduate physiotherapy students as required, and to liaise with academic institutions regarding student performance. See Further Information and Guidelines.

8.    To support and advise less experienced clinical educators as required.

Research and audit

1.        To participate in the department’s ongoing audit and appropriate work-related research/evaluation projects in areas relevant to the clinical field.

2.        To assist in the supervision of evidence-based projects for rotational staff, and the professional presentation of the project to the physiotherapy department.

3.        To keep abreast of evidenced based practice in cardiorespiratory/paediatric physiotherapy by use of relevant reading, attendance at in-service training, external courses and database searches, relevant to core role.

4.        Ensure implementation and adherence of national and local standards and participate in appropriate work-related research projects and in clinical trials as required.