Physiotherapist - Palliative Care

Job summary

Phyllis Tuckwell providessupportive and end of life care for people living with an advanced or terminalillness. Based in Farnham, Camberley and Guildford, we serve a population of550,000 across West Surrey and North-East Hampshire.

PHYSIOTHERAPIST - PALLIATIVE CARE

24 hours per week Salary: £27,669 per annum (WTE £43,233 basedon hours a week)Base location: Farnham

Are you a highly motivated Physiotherapist lookingto make a difference in the specialism of palliative care?

Are you enthusiastic about supporting people livingwith complex needs and terminal illness, to maximise their quality of life,enabling them to live well at the end of life?

Main duties of the job

An opportunity hasarisen for a physiotherapist to join our established team. The postholder willsupport patients and their families living with advanced and terminal illness, whohave complex and changing needs. They will becommitted to working alongside patients to facilitate them to live well,according to their choices and priorities as they approach the end of life. Thepost will be mainly community based, including working with patients in theirown homes and as part of the Living Well service, providing Physiotherapy led exercisegroups. The postholder may also input on the in-patient unit, according to teampriorities and service needs. The rolewill cover the Farnham and Guildford sites and surrounding areas.

We would welcomeapplications from candidates who have a wide clinical experience (includingwith medically unwell patients), excellent communication and interpersonalskills and are skilled at providing patient-centred holistic care. Thesuccessful candidate will have sound organisational and triage skills toprioritise caseloads. They will work collaboratively with the MDT, including occupational therapists,clinical nurse specialists and the medical team.

Regular clinicalsupervision, training and support is provided by Phyllis Tuckwell, and teammembers are encouraged to develop their skills and ensure evidence-basedpractice to provide best quality patient care.

About us

Phyllis Tuckwell offers:

6 weeks paid holiday plus public holidays

Continuation of NHS Pension or PT Group PersonalPension Plan (matched contributions up to

Health Cash Plan Scheme

Employee Assistance Programme

Staff Benefit Voucher Scheme

Comprehensive education and training with personaldevelopment opportunities

Clinical supervision and support

A motivated and compassionate team whose passion isto make a difference

Multidisciplinary working within a forward thinkingand supportive organisation

Please note: Forthis role, applicants must have Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)membership and have the right to work in the UK.

This post is subject to an enhanced Disclosureand Barring Service check.

PhyllisTuckwell is an Equal Opportunities employer.We are committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive culture and welcomeapplications from all sections of the community.

NOMEDIA OR AGENCIES

Job description

Job responsibilities

POST: PhysiotherapistSpecialist Palliative Care.

ACCOUNTABLE TO: Lead Physiotherapist

JOB PURPOSE:

The Physiotherapist will workalongside other team members to provide a high-quality service to the patientsof Phyllis Tuckwell. They will work with patients and their families tooptimise function and enhance quality of life.Emphasis will be on what matters to that person and enabling them toachieve their goals through rehabilitative palliative care. The role will enable patient choice andpatient safety and will support PTs falls prevention initiatives. They will provide a service to patients whosefunctional ability is deteriorating and who need timely specialist assessmentand intervention to enable them to safely remain in their own homes and avoidhospital admissions if this is their preference. The Physiotherapist will work as part of thecommunity team across West Surrey and North-East Hampshire and on ourIn-Patient Unit at Camberley.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Clinical

To assess, plan, implement, evaluate and modify high qualityPhysiotherapy interventions that support patients and their families with focuson palliative rehabilitation,

To encourage andsupport patients to set person specific goals and engage in physical activityas is appropriate to their needs and preferences.

To maintaineffective relationships with internal and external professionals and relevantorganisations, and to utilise these aiming to provide seamless person centredcare.

To hold clinical responsibility for managing and prioritising owncomplex caseload, across different settings, community, in-patients andout-patients (both individual and group).

To assess andadapt physiotherapy intervention as appropriate and support patients to adjust andadapt as their condition changes.

To walk alongsidea person and their family enabling choice, working in partnership, and sharingdecision making.

To be able to analyse and interpret complex clinical and socialinformation from a range of sources, communicating in a detailed timely andaccurate way using suitable verbal and written communication.

To providephysiotherapy and rehabilitation expertise to the wider multidisciplinary team,advising on patients functional abilities and contributing to dischargeplanning.

Use a range of specialist therapeutic interventions and approaches withindividuals and groups to promote non-pharmacological symptom management of breathlessness, fatigue and pain.

To engagepatients and their families enabling them to adjust to their physical, cognitive, psychological, and sociallosses and plan for future changesin their functional ability.

To have a goodunderstanding of the safe use of equipment used in physiotherapy interventions,and to report any hazards or defects.

To ensureclinical practice is current, in line with best practice and underpinned byclinical competencies where appropriate.

To have skills to triage newreferrals to Physiotherapy, prioritising appropriately.

To, as thepatients condition indicates, provide manual and hands on treatment to a rangeof patients, which may include needing to physically assist a patient duringrehabilitation, in line with moving and handling guidelines and regulations.

To attend and actively participate in clinical and multidisciplinarymeetings ensuring all patients on caseload have been brought to the MDT.

To communicate effectively with patients, relatives and otherprofessionals to ensure continuity of care.

Professional

To be registered with the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) topractise using the title Physiotherapist and to act within current standards ofconduct, performance and ethics.

To comply with the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP)Professional Standards

To be aware of PT policies, procedures and guidelines and ensuremandatory training is up to date.

To maintain clear, concise timely records which comply with CSP, HCPC,PT policy and comply with policy and procedures on record keeping and datasecurity.

To promote awareness of the philosophy of holistic palliative care andthe role of Physiotherapy, within PT and other palliative care services.

To be an ambassador embracing the vision and values of PT.

To play an active part in the development and maintenance of goodrelationships with our stakeholders, colleagues, and customers.

Training and Development

a)Team

To provide trainingand clinical support to the wider team, to promote understanding of therapyinput and the benefits of a rehabilitative approach.

To provide education,supporting relevant skills development in colleagues, patients, and families andto empower and delegate tasks safely and effectively. This is to facilitate patients to self-manageand colleagues to support a patients functional independence.

To provideclinical support and supervision to the Therapy Assistant, volunteers and otherteam members.

To participate inany wider education programme organised by the PT for the benefit of otherhealth care professionals.

To help developan open and flexible culture within the team with continuous learning, inresponse to changes to evidence-based practice, from incident, complaints andcomplements.

To participate in the induction and training of new PT staff.

To mentorPhysiotherapy students on placement.

b)Personal

To maintain competence to practice by pursuing a range of professional developmentopportunities, therapy CPDactivities, attending clinical updates/external training opportunities asidentified with line manager.

To take responsibility to review and reflect on own practice andperformance, maintaining a professional portfolio recording learning outcomes.

To ensure up to date withmandatory training.

To engage with PTperformance review system, setting realistic objectives for personal andprofessional growth.

To participate in regularclinical supervision.

To cascade skills and knowledge to colleagues following attendance oncourses and training.

Research

To participate inaudit and service evaluations as part of PT quality assurance plans.

To maintain a culture of learning, research and development and beaware of current research, policy, guidance, and opinion.

To participate ininter-hospice projects as appropriate opportunities arise.

Safeguarding, Equality, Diversityand Inclusion

Roleholders are required to understand their responsibilities in the safeguardingcontext, ensuring that Phyllis Tuckwell reduces the risk of harm or abuse ofadults and children at risk.

You are required to

adhere to Phyllis Tuckwells Safeguarding Policy (held on the NEST),which supports the local authoritys multi agency safeguarding policy, the law(Care Act 2014) and Mental Capacity Act 2005 (including Deprivation of LibertySafeguards).

inform the appropriate PT professional where there is concern that anadult or child may be at risk of harm, abuse, or neglect.

Phyllis Tuckwell is committed to an Equal Opportunitiesapproach, valuing, and respecting everyone as individuals, with diverseopinions, cultures, lifestyles, and circumstances.

Thisjob description is underpinned by Phyllis Tuckwells philosophy, culture, andcore values, which actively embrace diversity and inclusion and promotes totalteam spirit.

This job description is current and subject to yearlyreview in consultation with the jobholder. It is liable to reflect andanticipate necessary changes to support the PT strategy.

Person Specification

Personal Characteristics

Essential

To be motivated and enthusiastic as a Physiotherapist to improve the lives of our patients. To be self-aware and have effective coping strategies. To be flexible, adaptable and support other members of the team. Good organisational skills, able to plan and prioritise effectively. Proactive and committed to learning and evidence-based practice. Car driver with a full/clean driving license and access to a car to assess people in their own homes. Good attendance and punctuality record. Willingness to take on new projects and responsibilities.

Qualifications

Essential

Degree or Diploma in Physiotherapy. HCPC registration as a Physiotherapist Evidence of continuing professional development relevant to the role

Desirable

CSP membership

Experience

Essential

Minimum of 3 years with broad range of experience including experience of working with people with neurological, respiratory and musculoskeletal conditions. Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary team. Experience of a rehabilitative approach to working with patients with complex needs. Experience of working with patients across different settings including in the community. Experience working with, and supporting, students and therapy assistants.

Desirable

Experience of palliative care and of supporting people in last weeks of life. Experience of group work.

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

Demonstrates well developed verbal and written communication skills. Excellent interpersonal skills. Able to work effectively and efficiently with individuals and groups To have specialist assessment and treatment skills for patients with complex conditions using a variety of approaches. A sound understanding of falls prevention and willingness to support falls prevention at PT. Ability to listen and show sensitivity to others. IT literate. To provide teaching and education to MDT colleagues, the physiotherapy team, patients, and carers. Able to triage new referrals to the physiotherapy service, prioritising and allocating appropriately. Able to work as an autonomous practitioner making sound clinical decisions. Ability to problem solve and cope with stressful and complex situations. Physically able to assist patients during assessment and treatment. Interest in and understanding of rehabilitative palliative care.

Quality

Essential

Commitment to providing high quality individualised holistic care to patients and their relatives/carers. Be able to demonstrate an understanding of the importance of policies and procedures and their relevance to practice. An understanding of boundaries and risk management, and where escalation may be appropriate. Evidence of ability to challenge current practice and instigate change.

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