Specialty Physiotherapist

Job summary

Vascular and Emergency Surgery Team Lead

We are looking for a dynamic, forward thinking, enthusiastic experienced Band 6 or band 7 physiotherapist with a specialist intertest in surgery to lead our supportive and friendly Physio and Occupational Therapy team alongside the Band 7 OT team lead. The role offers a broad range of experience across surgery, gastroenterology, and vascular services with a focus upon emergency surgery.

With rapidly expanding services and growing opportunities for development you will need to be able to manage the team, providing clear structure and direction. You will need to have high levels of professionalism and strong communication skills to work effectively in this role building links with the surgical CSU's and ward matrons.

Housing one of the largest standalone emergency surgery units in the country, working with the Clinical Lead Therapist, you will be reviewing the current structure and function of the team to maximise the quality and impact of therapy and rehabilitation we provide, refining patient pathways, identifying unmet need, and supporting staff to grow. You will be expected to encourage staff to participate in CPD, audit, service development, supervision and teaching of junior staff including students and the wider MDT. A culture of continuous service development and education for all grades of staff underpins our team ethos alongside the trust core values of delivering compassionate excellence to staff and users alike.

Main duties of the job

To deliver high quality evidence-based physiotherapy to those presenting with acute and chronic complex vascular and surgical conditions. To lead the VES physiotherapy team fostering a culture and approach that is supportive, person-centred and progressive. Effectively lead, supervise and develop physiotherapists, therapy assistants, and students within the team To conduct and supervise projects that seek to improve the quality and experience of clinical services offered by the team. To deputise for the clinical lead therapist to effectively support strategic, governance, and operational functions of the service and department To contribute to and participate in development of the senior management team.

To undertake clinical duties across 7 days a week, including overnight on call

About us

Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) is a world-renowned centre of clinical excellence and one of the largest NHS teaching trusts in the UK. We employ approximately 12,500 staff (including over 4,000 nurses and 2,000 doctors and 850 AHP staff). The Trust comprises four main hospital sites: the John Radcliffe Hospital (which includes the Children's Hospital, West Wing, Eye Hospital, Heart Centre and Women's Centre), the Churchill Hospital and the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, all located in Oxford, and the Horton General Hospital in Banbury, North Oxfordshire.

Our values, standards and behaviours define the quality of clinical care we offer and the professional relationships we make with our patients, colleagues and the wider community. We call this Delivering Compassionate Excellence and its focus is on our values of compassion, respect, learning, delivery, improvement and excellence. These values put patients at the heart of what we do and underpin the quality healthcare we would like for ourselves or a member of our family.

Find out more here

Job description

Job responsibilities

Clinical

1. To undertake the role adhering to regulatory, professional and organisational standards of practice.

2. To undertake assessment, therapeutic intervention and management of patients, including those with highly complex presentations, deploying sound clinical reasoning and skills within the scope of the role.

3. To work with patients, their carers, and members of the MDT to form appropriate care and treatment plans utilising specialist treatment skills, knowledge of evidence-base and a variety of treatment options.

4. To assimilate and analyse a range of information to form accurate therapy diagnoses, clinical problems and treatment plans in a wide range of highly complex conditions

5. To formulate accurate prognoses and recommend best course of intervention, developing and implementing comprehensive treatment and discharge plans

6. To evaluate and reassess patients to progress their treatment and management plans effectively.

7. To assess a patient's capacity to understand and to gain valid, informed consent for treatment. To work within a legal framework with patients who lack the capacity to consent or refuse treatment.

8. To advise and educate patient, carers, relatives, and other health professionals.

9. To demonstrate the ability to communicate complex and sensitive information to patients, carers and other staff, where there may be barriers to communication non-English speaking patients; those with communication disorders, impaired speech, hearing, and ensure all members of the team do likewise.

10. To liaise with and advise other physiotherapists, occupational therapists, relevant medical and nursing staff, social workers and other health care professionals in clinical and operational matters.

11. To communicate effectively with all other disciplines involved in the patient's care both in the hospital and in the community thus ensuring a multidisciplinary approach and integrated service.

12. To identify, assess and manage clinical risk within the teams work and engage with the governance structure of the department to minimise risk of harm.

13. To participate in weekend, and emergency on-call duties as part of the Trusts seven day working and out of hours services.

14. To demonstrate physical ability to carry out physiotherapy assessment and interventions including manual therapy techniques and therapeutic handling.

Management

1. To effectively supervise, teach and appraise junior staff, assistants, and students to maximise their capabilities.

2. To be responsible for the daily operational leadership of the VES team alongside the B7 occupational therapist ensuring that the service is delivered against its specification and staff are supported in this endeavour.

3. To be responsible for competent use and maintenance reporting of equipment used as part of the role and to ensure that all staff/students and assistants attain competency prior to use.

4. To effectively plan, organise and manage your own time, patient caseload, meetings, training in accordance with operational and workforce pressures.

5. To be able to respond to unpredictable demands on your time and frequent interruptions whilst maintaining professionalism.

6. To assist in the planning of juniors, students and assistants timetables and deputise for the senior staff in organisational duties.

7. To take an active role in assisting senior colleagues with service development.

Education

1. To complete all statutory, mandatory and other necessary training requirements within the required timescales.

2. To contribute to the education of the MDT, patients, families and carers to ensure optimal care, treatment, health promotion and disease prevention.

3. To maintain an accurate and contemporary record of personal and professional development.

4. To oversee the design and delivery of an effective and clinically relevant training programme to support staff development.

5. To attend and actively participate in departmental education and development activities.

6. To maintain and develop current knowledge of evidence-based practice particularly in emergency surgery and gastroenterology with an overview of developments within vascular care ensuring specialist within the vascular team are equipped to develop specialist services.

Research and governance:

1. To lead and supervise clinical audit and quality improvement work aiming to improve the quality of the teams practice.

2. To maintain clinically applied knowledge formed from contemporary science and evidence-based guidance and ensure this is integrated into the teams clinical delivery by way of policy and procedure.

3. To lead the teams governance arrangements ensuring that the team operates on the basis of openness and a just culture.

4. Represent the team at governance meetings held within the clinical group.

General:

1. To carry out physiotherapy assessments and treatments on a daily basis, with moderate physical effort.

2. To comply with the Trusts manual handling policy and local therapeutic handling guidelines.

3. To work in an environment where the work patterns may be disrupted by frequent demands from patients, clinical staff, students and administrative support staff.

4. To support qualified staff when indicated in the management of challenging patients.

5. To sensitively deal with distressing or emotional circumstances regarding patient care imparting news of challenging outcomes such as a life limiting or palliative prognosis, lifestyle adjustments (TPN/PEG feeds, long term drains/stomas) or chronic pain management.

6. To deal with patients suffering from debilitating acute conditions (, necrotising pancreatitis) that may lead to disengagement, anxiety or aggressive behaviour.

7. To comply with all Trust policies and procedures and Health and Safety at Work Act, including adherence to universal precautions and infection control measures, and ensure that staff within the team are aware of their responsibilities.

8. To participate in the Trust Appraisal Scheme as an appraiser and an appraisee.

9. To attend and be an active participant in departmental staff and peer group meetings.

Person Specification

Education

Essential

Degree in Physiotherapy Health and care professions council registration Evidence of postgraduate continuing professional development in surgery

Experience

Essential

Previous experience of effectively managing surgical patients with complex comorbidities and high acuity including management of respiratory need. Broad range of junior experience across surgery, respiratory, orthopaedics, MSK, gerontology and neurology specialties. Participation in on-call and weekend rota.

Physiotherapy and multidisciplinary team Skills, knowledge & abilities

Essential

Advanced clinical knowledge and reasoning skills in emergency surgery and gastroenterology, the management of patients post ICU and their respiratory care. Advanced understanding of complex socioeconomic needs within the patient group, ability to assess risk and frailty. Involvement in leading teams, setting culture and bringing direction. Effective people mentoring and development skills. Understands and applies the principles of equality, inclusivity and diversity to all aspects of leadership and clinical practice. Excellent verbal and non-verbal communication skills Proven organisational skills, including prioritisation and delegation Ability to work within a stressful and unpredictable environment Competent digital IT skills Awareness and an ability to enact the Trust values. Understands and applies principles of good clinical governance to prevent harm. Able to lead and organise a team on a daily basis, including the skills to resolve current clinical and operational issues

Personal Qualities

Essential

Understands constituents of effective team performance Positive and growth mindset High reliability Good communicator Empathetic Supportive of others Able to carry out moderate physical effort throughout the working day and carry out concurrent activities. Ability to comprehend and work within the Trust's policies of data protection, equal opportunities and Health and Safety.

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