Physiotherapy Assistant

This is an exciting opportunity to work as a member of the Community Learning Disability directorate assisting the physiotherapists to maintain a high standard of patient care. This dynamic team is looking for someone confident and caring to support service delivery, innovation and service development.

The Community Learning Disability Teams deliver a service to adults with varying degrees of learning disability, some of whom have complex physical health needs, Autistic Spectrum Disorders, mental health difficulties and/or challenging behaviour. The team consists of Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language Therapy, Nursing, Psychiatry, Psychology and Art Therapy. This post provides an opportunity to work with the qualified physios but also as part of the wider multi-disciplinary team.

The post holder will assist with the assessment and rehabilitation of people with Learning Disabilities, progressing treatments as agreed. The post-holder will also undertake administrative duties to support the department. The workload will include outpatient appointments and community working, involving travelling to different bases in the borough and clients' homes. The service also provides a number of hydrotherapy sessions and the delivery of hydrotherapy is a core element of the role.

The post holder will work as part of the multidisciplinary team providing person centred care to service users with complex physical health difficulties and/or challenging behaviour. They will share a caseload with the qualified physiotherapist and will be expected to work unsupervised at times.

The ALD physio service covers the three boroughs of Bromley, Bexley and Greenwich. This post is primarily based at the Queen Marys site in Sidcup, however there may be rare occasions when cross cover is required.

Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children’s centres, schools and people’s homes.

We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.

Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:

- We’re Kind
- We’re Fair
- We Listen
- We Care

Key Tasks and Responsibilities

**Clinical**:

- Under the guidance and supervision of the physiotherapist, to carry a caseload of clients, taking responsibility for implementing and reinforcing treatment programmes using a range of physiotherapy techniques.
- To participate in the assessment of clients’ including: - information gathering through liaison with clients, carers and the MDT - observation of functional tasks - assessing change from baseline assessment
- To prescribe walking aids and other single use clinical equipment as delegated by qualified clinician. This will include assessment and keeping accurate records of the walking aid prescription.
- To implement the treatment of adults with a learning disability as delegated by the physiotherapist, assessing progress and making minor alterations as required.
- To work, at times without direct supervision or presence of a physiotherapist and report back progress or problems to the physiotherapist.
- To treat clients individually or in a group, in a variety of settings e.g. in day centres, residential setting and hydrotherapy pools.
- To undertake skilled support work, e.g. hydrotherapy. This will include planning and implementing hydrotherapy sessions without the presence of a physiotherapist.
- To instruct clients and carers, providing direction and guidance on a range of physiotherapy and mobility activities as part of their own clinical work or as directed by the physiotherapist.
- To use empathy, sensitivity and good interpersonal skills, to support clients and carers in implementing physiotherapy advice and management programmes.
- To attend client appointments for specialist services, e.g. Surgical Appliances, Whe