Falls Prevention Therapy Lead

Job summary Working as part of the Trust Falls Prevention Team, to deliver falls prevention across the community, and partner agencies ( SWASFT, primary care, care homes and care agencies) for adult fallers, implementing all aspects of best practice to prevent falls and reduce the impact of harm and injury when a fall occurs.
Linking policies and pathways across the Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust (TSDFT) to enhance integrated care.Work alongside clinical teams, patient representatives and external partners to support them with expert falls knowledge, lead falls initiatives and progress work inline with national initiatives, guidance, improvement plans and learning from incidents.A highly visible and proactive leader acting as a clinical resource ensuring staff are competent, trained and up to date with the most up to date falls prevention evidence base and that patients and carers, along with the general public are informed on falls prevention and have access to information to support them to live healthy independent lives in their home of choice.To advise on relevant policies and workstreams where complex issues that relate to falls and falls prevention are involved and to support community staff on specific falls problems with patients who have complex presentations.
Main duties of the job You will provide education on falls prevention across Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust (TSDFT) specifically but not exclusively, 65 years and above as well as those aged 50 plus with long-term conditions; with the emphasis on community staff and the Trust's partners.
Devise and review teaching methods and review feedback.
You will co-lead on national audits relating to falls prevention, maintain the database of falls data and report to Falls Improvement Steering Group (FISG) governance and relevant other meetings.
Oversee, advise and escalate any required action plans for clinical areas that require improvement on falls will support and co-chair bi-monthly FISG and disseminate outcomes via minutes, action log and falls newslettersupport investigations as part of the team involved in incident reporting for falls at moderate and above harm.
As a subject matter expert to review incidents and action plans, advise on these and share learningReview falls dashboard (Tableau) each month looking at with Quality Assurance Team where care home residents have complex presentations and falls prevention is proving challenging.
This will involve oversight of the Paris falls register (Torbay only)Co-manage the postural stability strength and balance service in conjunction with the Public Health and Personalised Care Manager About us Why Work With Us Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust is an integrated organisation providing acute health care services from Torbay Hospital, community health services and adult social care.
When we formed our integrated care organisation in October 2015 we became the first Trust in England to join up hospital and community care with social care.
As one organisation, we are working with our partners to improve the way we deliver safe, high-quality health and social care.
The Trust runs Torbay Hospital as well as four community hospitals, stretching from Dawlish to Brixham.
We also provide health and social care to the local population.
We have around 500,000 face-to-face contacts with patients in their homes and communities each year and see over 78,000 people in our Emergency Department annually.
We serve a resident population of approximately 286,000 people, plus about 100,000 visitors at any one time during the summer holiday season.
We have been an authorised NHS Foundation Trust since 2007 and have over 12,000 public members and we employ approximately 6,000 staff including frontline health and social care staff.
We also have over 800 volunteers who make a difference each and every day to the people we care for.
Job description Job responsibilities Plan and champion system wide falls prevention strategy for thecommunity teams along with the Trusts and promote initiatives including training for falls prevention with partner organisations.
Demonstrate clear, clinical, professional leadership and direction to the Allied Health professionals and nurses across the Trust, particularly in the community, working with those who are at risk of falls and falling; as a positive role model, influencing others through professional attitudes and behaviours in line with the Trusts values.
Act as an ambassador for patients who are at risk of falling/falls ensuring that the service reflects their needs and those who care for volunteers within the falls prevention service.
Co-Chair and manage the FPSG, bi-monthly, and disseminate learningthrough the falls newsletter and through the governance structure of the Trust.
Work as an autonomous practitioner as a falls expert advising in riskassessments and interventions, along with incident review and learningResponsible for writing and maintaining falls prevention policies, protocols and SOPs, also inputting to other relevant Trust documents when appropriate to do so.
Lead falls prevention campaigns including falls awareness week and winter messages, in conjunction with the falls lead for the acute, FPSG and practice educators Training Compile, review and update fall prevention training for the staff across the ICO including induction, formal training, webinars, videos, etc.
Train community staff and partner organisations, including informal carers, where relevant, on falls prevention and post fall training.
Give advice and signpost if contacted by patients or family membersEnsure relevant Family and Friends feedback of services where on the development of efficient and effective pathways for patients at risk of falls.
Provide professional support to clinical teams, delivering evidence based expert falls prevention advice that supports the provision of effective care to patients, reducing the risk of falls and risk of suffering harm as a result of a fall.
Co-manage the postural stability strength and balance service (FaME Falls exercise management programme) with the Public Health and Personalised Care Manager.
Including regular Postural Stability Strength and Balance meetings, governance, recruitment, service development and arranging professional development for the instructors every 3 years.
Develop, review and update falls risk assessments and interventiondocuments as part of the Trusts documents for example: the Care and Risk assessment booklet/MFFA/electronic patient record (EPR)Review the MFFA - Multi-factorial falls assessment for the community in line with service capacity, new evidence base and changes in care pathways with particular reference to the Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) to avoid duplication and develop falls risk assessment on the EPR .
Work to support teams maintaining people in their own homes asindependently and safely as possible as they age thereby reducing hospital conveyance, unnecessary hospital admissions and the impact this has on frail older people.
Person Specification Qualifications Essential AHP Degree level Evidence of continued professional development Teaching qualification or equivalent in experience Care of the older adult qualification or equivalent in experience Desirable To have or be working towards, Masters level modules/degree Postural Stability Instructor or equivalent qualification in older people's evidence base exercise to reduce falls and harm from falls (FaME/Otago) Knowledge Essential Experience of working with older people to develop services and implement 'what matters to them' when developing services Previous experience of working autonomously at an advanced level delivering effective prevention and patient/service user care QI experience of leadership and successfully managing change including changes that involved staff at senior level Significant knowledge of current falls priorities, policies and developments in falls including RCoP and NICE recommendations.
Awareness of governance and safety/quality requirements and evidence of involvement in serious incidents and learning from these Resource management- planning and budgets Experience of audit, research and evidence based care and how to integrate this learning into practice Wide ranging experience of developing training initiatives to support all levels of staff Effectively communicate, collaborate and negotiate with the multi-disciplinary teams at all levels within the organisation, with key stakeholders and external agencies Manage own workload with competing priorities Desirable QI qualification/experience