Detailed job description and main responsibilities

CLINICAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• To provide specialist assessment for children aged 0-5, who may have complex presentation, to determine relevant clinical picture and specific treatment indicated, working as an autonomous practitioner
• To help develop and extend the reach of universal services, delivering a model of early intervention and prevention to children and families from birth to 5 years from deprived backgrounds.
• To provide training, supervision and support to health visitors, early years practitioners, nursery staff and parent champion volunteers working on the project.
• To run intervention groups for parents/carers of children with identified as ‘at risk’ of early developmental delay.
• To work with the health visiting team and other professional groups in the private, voluntary and independent sectors to establish a clear and well-used referral pathway, offering guidance, training and support as required.  
• To undertake screening and review assessments and to organise and run targeted intervention groups.  
• To deliver and continue to improve on promotion and widespread uptake of an established training package to key partners within the early years sector.
• To provide specialist advice and work closely with members of the multidisciplinary team, including OT, SALT, Health Visitors, GP, Nurses, Social care professionals, educational professionals and other services.
• To educate families and carers regarding their child’s specific physiotherapy management including exercises, targeted activities, positioning advice and physical activity recommendations
• To formulate individualised physiotherapy management and treatment plans using clinical reasoning skills and utilizing a wide range of specialist treatment approaches.
• To be skilled in both verbal and non-verbal communication with children of all ages with varying levels of cognition, and who have a range of physical and psychological barriers to understanding.
• To be skilled in communicating with parents and carers, from all cultural and social backgrounds.  
• 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 demonstrate a sound understanding of risk management and to undertake risk assessments involved in the manual handling of the children during physiotherapy management. 

RESPONSIBILITY FOR PATIENTS 

•  To manage an independent day-to-day diary.  Planning and organising clinics, community groups and outreach visits, often in coordination with other specialised health professionals and adapting to constant changes associated with patient compliance, urgent patient referrals and staff absences.
• To maintain an accurate and evaluative record keeping system in accordance with departmental standards in order to maintain a high level of care and legal evidence of practice
• To attend TAF (team around the family), professional and children protection proceedings, demonstrating the ability to provide accurate and objective informations

RESPONSIBILITY FOR POLICY AND SERVICE DEVELOPMENT

• To be responsible for monitoring and developing individual high standards of patient care.  To participate in group discussion and suggest possible changes to service delivery and policies within the paediatric team and implement where necessary.
• To attend a variety of specialized external courses and feedback information to the department as part of in-service training or to inform service provision.
• To undertake evaluation of personal practice through outcome measures and participate in audit to make recommendations for changes within the service.
• To be an active member of the in-service training programme by the attendance and delivery of presentations at staff meetings and training sessions.

   RESPONSIBILITY FOR FINANCIAL AND PHYSICAL RESOURCES

• To ensure safe and effective use of equipment, resources and consumables at all times

 RESPONSIBILITY FOR LEADING AND MANAGING

• To participate in staff appraisal scheme, taking responsibility for setting and implementing own goals within own personal development plan and to participate in regular supervision sessions with the band 7 physiotherapist from the team.

RESPONSIBILITY FOR INFORMATION RESOURCES

•  To keep accurate records of assessments and treatments in accordance with Trust and professional standards.
• To maintain patient information confidentiality in accordance with the Data Protection Act.
• To comply with all trust policies and the Health and Safety at Work Act including adherence to the Universal Precautions and Infection Control measures, and to attend mandatory training as required. 

   RESPONSIBILITY FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

• To undertake audit and research as agreed with the Clinical Lead
• To use audit results, current research and national guidelines to recommend changes to service delivery and to demonstrate evidence-based practice.
• To keep up to date with current research and development in practice to maintain a high level of evidence -based practice and continued professional development in accordance with the Health and Care Council guidelines.

 TRUST POLICIES

Probation                  

Employment by the Trust is subject to a six (6) month probationary period, during which time you will be required to demonstrate to the Trust's satisfaction your suitability for the position in which you are employed. During your probationary period, your employment may be terminated by you or the Trust by providing one (1) week notice in writing.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

The Trust is committed to fair and transparent recruitment and selection procedures and to providing a workplace where all staff are treated with respect and feel included.   It is the aim of the Trust to ensure that no job applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment because of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

Health & Safety

Employees must be aware of the responsibilities placed on them under the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 to maintain a safe environment for both staff, patients and visitors, to observe obligations under organisational and departmental Health & Safety policies, maintaining awareness of safe practices and assessment of risk.

Data Protection and Caldicott

To obtain, process and use information (held on computer and/or manual filing systems) in a fair and lawful way. To hold person identifiable information for specific registered purposes and not to use, disclose or transfer person identifiable information in any way that is incompatible with the Data Protection Act 2018, other legislation and Caldicott requirements. To disclose person identifiable information only to authorised persons or organisations as instructed. When using email to transmit person identifiable information within or outside the Trust, the Trust Email Policy must be strictly followed.

Infection Control

All healthcare workers have an overriding duty of care to patients and are expected to comply fully with best practice standards.  You have a responsibility to comply with Trust policies for personal and patient safety and for prevention of healthcare associated infection (HCAI); this includes a requirement for rigorous and consistent compliance with Trust policies for hand hygiene, use of personal protective equipment and safe disposal of sharps. Knowledge, skills and behaviour in the workplace should reflect this; at annual appraisal you will be asked about application of practice measures known to be effective in reducing HCAI.

Smoking Policy

The Trust provides a smoke free work environment.

Confidentiality

Under no circumstances, either during or after the end of your employment (however it is terminated), may you divulge any unauthorised person confidential information relating to the Trust. This includes but is not limited to, information covering patients, individual staff records, industrial relations, financial affairs, contract terms and prices or business forecasts.

Clinical Governance

Staff are expected to provide patients with timely and effective care. Treatment and direct / indirect support must be based on best practice.  Everyone is responsible for this and his/her job in the Trust is important in achieving this.

Rehabilitation of Offenders Act

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Should you be offered the post it will be subject to a criminal check from the Criminal Records Bureau before the appointment is confirmed. This will include details of cautions, reprimands, final warnings, as well as convictions.

Safeguarding Vulnerable People

It is a basic human right of every child and adult to be protected from harm and NHS Trusts have a fundamental part to play in this.  We expect all our staff to recognise signs of vulnerability and to report and act on any concerns in line with policy and guidance contained in 'Working Together - Every Child Matters' and 'No Secrets - guidance on developing multi-agency policies and procedures to protect vulnerable adults from abuse' on which our Trust Polices are based.

Review

This job description is an outline, which reflects the present requirements of the post and is not  intended to be an inflexible or finite list of duties and responsibilities. As these duties and responsibilities change and develop the job description will be amended from time to time in consultation with the post-holder