Band 6 Paediatric Physiotherapist

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

1.          Communication and relationship skills

• To communicate effectively with patients and carers and other health care professionals and non-professionals using a wide range of verbal and non-verbal communication tools to share assessment findings, agree treatment plans, progress and modify management programmes, give advice, teaching etc. This will include patients, family members or carers with communication and comprehension difficulties and those who may be unable to accept diagnosis prognosis.
• To liaise with health and social care professionals and other agencies regarding paediatric patient care, treatment progress and discharge planning

2.          Knowledge, training and experience

• To be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of own work including the management of neurological paediatric patients in your care. 
• To maintain a continuing professional development portfolio which reflects development

3.          Analytical and judgement skills

• To interpret and analyse clinical and non-clinical facts to form an accurate diagnosis in a wide range of highly complex neurological paediatric conditions.
• To determine clinical diagnosis and ensure the provision of advanced physiotherapy treatment indicated.

4.          Planning and organisational skills

• To plan, organise and prioritise own workload, balancing other patient related and professional demands ensuring that these remain in accordance with those of the team as a whole
• To organise, manage and delegate work under protocol to, physiotherapy assistants and technical instructors ensuring a high standard of service.

5.          Physical skills

• To undertake specialised assessment of neurological paediatric patients including those with diverse and complex presentations and life changing conditions: using clinical reasoning skills and assessment techniques to formulate an age appropriate and individualised treatment plan and programme.

6.          Responsibility for patient / client care

• To deliver individualised physiotherapy treatment programmes using a broad range of physiotherapeutic skills in individual and group settings.
• To continually reassess patient progress, adapt treatment plans accordingly, and develop discharge plans.
• To refer patients appropriately to other health and social care services according to protocol providing timely and detailed information to ensure good continuity of care.
• To assess patient, parent, carer and educational staff, understanding of treatment proposals, gain valid informed consent and have the capacity to work within a legal framework with patients who lack the capacity to consent to treatment.
• To be responsible for equipment used in carrying out physiotherapy 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

7.          Responsibility for policy and service development implementation

• To work with senior staff to ensure that clinical governance targets are met including the development of clinical standards and protocols, audit, research, clinical and non-clinical risk management.
• To work with head of service, manager  and clinical specialists to introduce innovative methods of service delivery, which provide best practice, positive outcomes, improved access and the involvement of users in the planning, implementation and evaluation of services

8.          Responsibilities for financial and physical resources

• To demonstrate and apply an understanding of clinical governance and risk management to the work situation and manage clinical risk within your own caseload.
• To be aware of health and safety policies with the Medway community healthcare CIC and other areas of work (schools, nurseries, respite houses etc). 

9.          Responsibilities for information resources

• To keep up to date, accurate, problem orientated medical records in physiotherapy and MDT notes in line with Medway community healthcare CIC policy, legal requirements and professional standards and to provide written reports, discharge summaries etc as required and to ensure staff within the area of responsibility do likewise
• To contribute to the effective collection and timely submission of clinical information and data to support decision making and the management and delivery of care and the management and delivery of care in the community and tertiary hospitals and also during the transit between the acute and community services for children.
• To maintain accurate and adequate clinical records.

10.       Responsibilities for research and development (R&D)

• To contribute to the Medway community healthcare CIC research and development strategy through participation in multidisciplinary research initiatives, which inform practice and contribute to local evidence base to support service delivery.

11.       Freedom to act

• As an autonomous practitioner to take a major role in the advanced assessment and advanced treatment of paediatric patients (within the speciality) who may have acute, complex and / or chronic disabilities which may be life threatening conditions.

12.       Physical effort (refer to effort factor questionnaire)

• Areas of the role which may require physical effort either as a sustained or sudden requirement. The frequency should also be given, ie as an occasional or on-going requirement. Moving / transferring patients / clients, moving equipment, long periods of driving or inputting at a keyboard should also be identified.

13.       Mental effort (refer to effort factor questionnaire)

• Areas of the role which require mental effort including the nature, level, frequency and duration of the mental effort required.  The frequency of the requirement should also be identified, ie whether this occasional or a frequent need

14.       Emotional effort (refer to effort factor questionnaire)

• Areas of the role which require emotional effort and the nature, level, frequency and duration demands of the emotional effort required

15.       Working conditions (refer to effort factor questionnaire)

• The nature, level, frequency and duration of demands arising from inevitably adverse environmental conditions (eg inclement weather, extreme heat/cold, smells, noise and fumes) and hazards, which are unavoidable.