Respiratory Practitioner

Are you a Physiotherapist or Nurse, interested in specialising in Respiratory Care? Do you want to be part of an evolving and dynamic team?

We're looking for a full time Respiratory Practitioner to join our Community Respiratory Service. The post is being offered as a fixed term secondment for 12 months. Part-time applicants may be considered.

You will join a well-established and supportive team of multidisciplinary practitioners, clinically led by a respiratory nurse and with input from secondary care consultants and healthcare professionals.

The CRS is a seven day service. It is multi-faceted and aims to improve the self management of people with chronic lung conditions through education, support and close liaison with the wider health and social care community. The CRS provide a variety of innovative components including a pulmonary rehabilitation programme, supplementary oxygen assessment, and rapid response for those in an exacerbation. The CRS also aims to reduce unnecessary hospital admissions where possible. You will be expected to acquire skills in all these areas.

This is an excellent opportunity open to a Physiotherapist or Nurse with the right approach and a flexible, ‘can do’ attitude. Band 5 applicants with a specialist interest, and experience, in respiratory conditions will be considered.

Car driver with car available for work are essential as the post is based at Brighton General Hospital.
- As an autonomous practitioner; assessment and treatment of caseload and provision of a specialist respiratory service to patients within their own homes or in clinic settings for post hospital discharge and long term self-management, and also provision of care in the Pulmonary Rehabilitation and Oxygen services.
- Being an active member of the multidisciplinary team (MDT), assessing and treating patients with complex respiratory needs, maintaining accurate and comprehensive patient records.
- Identification of measures that would contribute to a stabilisation in patient status and reduction in hospital admissions.
- Involvement in the running and delivery of Pulmonary Rehabilitation and Oxygen services, including, but not exclusively, exercise testing, prescription and progression, and education.
- Support of the line manager in the provision and management of the Respiratory community services, including responsibility for assisting in managing junior staff.
- Engagement in own continued professional development (CPD) and service development, in conjunction with the team lead, consultant and relevant therapy leads.
- Participation in the clinical and service MDT meetings
- Provision of empathetic care with clear ability to identify needs and work with multiple agencies across the whole spectrum of respiratory patients
- Work with Palliative Care to ensure patients at the end of their life have good quality and proactive supportive end of life care plans / discussions

As the largest provider of community healthcare services in Sussex, our teams help people to plan for and manage changes to their health, supporting patients and their families to live more independently. We employ over 5,000 full and part time staff, and provide community services to a population of 1.3 million people.

Each year our dedicated clinicians see adult or child patients more than 2.6 million times, caring for people from their earliest moments right up to the final stages of their life.

SCFT teams deliver a range of health and care services to more than 9,000 people every day, working in care homes, clinics, intermediate care units, people’s own homes, GP surgeries, schools and other community venues across the region.

Our vision is to provideexcellent care at the heart of the communityand achieving the highest level of service is our top priority.

We develop and nurture our staff, and recognise that they are our greatest asset.

We give them clear career pathways, support their wellbeing, recognise and value their diversity and provide them with the leadership, skills and knowledge they need to deliver the best care for our patients now and in the future.

Please see our attached Staff Benefits Brochure to find out more about SCFT and the benefits of working with us
- To work with the multi-disciplinary team (MDT) to support the primary and secondary care staff in the care of patients with chronic respiratory disease facilitating early discharge and promoting alternatives to admission.
- To work with a variable shift pattern to cover Monday-Friday 8am-8pm and weekends and bank holidays 8.30am-4.30pm.
- Using advanced specialist skills be responsible for assessing the physical and psycho-social needs of people with chronic respiratory disease, achieve competence and confidence in assessing acutely unwell adults and initiating appropriate therapeutic care plans and treatment.
- Planning with the person and carer, the goals and treatment plans and working with other professionals to achieve these. This will includ