Senior Physiotherapy Assistant

NB. We will be operating a wait list and other Physiotherapy Assistant jobs are likely to come up in different departments with different hours of working.
The post holder will assist the Physiotherapists within Critical Care to maintain a high standard of patient care by undertaking delegated clinical programmes of management and administrative duties to support the functioning of the department. The specific clinical and administrative duties vary from area to area. To take part in rotas as required, including weekends and bank holidays.
Physiotherapy Assistants do not hold a professional qualification, and work only under the direction of qualified physiotherapists and require a period of induction and training, approximately three months, to achieve required competency to perform all tasks.
You will be working across King's Critical Care Units alongside the qualified Physiotherapists. You will be expected to carry your own caseload of patients and provide the pre-prescribed treatment plans utilising a variety of basic physiotherapy techniques including mobilisation, passive range of motion and exercise programmes. You will also be assisting the Physiotherapist in complex treatment sessions for patients who require more than one therapist for support. You will have some non clinical tasks for the running of the team including referrals, documentation, taking messages, documentation and other admin tasks. You will be working with patients of varying ages, levels of disability and social and economic backgrounds, so will need to use a variety of communication skills and techniques to help you build rapport with your patients.
King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK’s largest and busiest teaching Trusts with a turnover of c£1.8 billion, 1.5 million patient contacts a year and more than 15,000 staff based across South East London. The Trust provides a full range of local and specialist services across its five sites. The trust-wide strategy of Strong Roots, Global Reach is our Vision to be BOLD, Brilliant people, Outstanding care, Leaders in Research, Innovation and Education, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion at the heart of everything we do. By being person-centred, digitally-enabled, and focused on sustainability, we aim to take Team King’s to another level.
We are at a pivotal point in our history and we require individuals who are ready to join a highly professional team and make a real, lasting difference to our patients and our people.
King’s is committed to delivering Sustainable Healthcare for All via our Green Plan. In line with national Greener NHS ambitions, we have set net zero carbon targets of 2040 for our NHS Carbon Footprint and 2045 for our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus. Everyone’s contribution is required in order to meet the goals set out in our Green Plan and we encourage all staff to work responsibly, minimising their contributions to the Trust’s carbon emissions, waste and pollution wherever possible.
- Once inducted, to work with mínimal or no direct supervision of a physiotherapist. To carry own caseload of patients, with straight-forward physiotherapy problems, as delegated by the physiotherapist.
- To assist with the care of patients including any personal care that may be required pre/post or during the rehabilitation session.
- To provide treatment to patients following a pre-prescribed treatment plan utilising a variety of basic physiotherapy techniques such as assisting a patient to transfer with an appropriate aid or specific exercises
- To be able to recognise change in the condition of a patient, decide whether to treat and watch and document the patient response/reaction to any treatment undertaken.
- To monitor patients’ joint range whilst undertaking limb care regime and report changes to the physiotherapist
- To assist the physiotherapist with individual rehabilitation, progressing to independent routine treatment sessions where immediate change or progression of exercise is not required.
- To teach the patient safe transfer methods and develop clinical judgement skills and experience to progress the patient onto other aids following departmental protocol or instruction from the physiotherapist
- To collect data from patients for recognised outcome measures and document for the physiotherapist to interpret.
- To organise own delegated work tasks and activities being flexible to the needs of the service as indicated by the physiotherapist.
- To take and relay messages accurately on the telephone and face to face with patients, relatives, health care professionals and others e.g. company representatives
- To provide and receive information from patients, nurses and other professionals regarding a patient’s condition and treatment progress.
- To be able to motivate and persuade patients through effective communication skills, utilising verbal and non-verbal skills. Communication will be tailored to the patients’/carers’ level of comprehension or cognition