Job summary

Medway community healthcare children's therapy services is expanding to meet the needs of the Medway and Swale population.

We are looking to recruit a physiotherapist to join our musculoskeletal physiotherapy team on permanent contract.

Whilst respecting and developing each individual profession we are offering a multidisciplinary training programme to help therapists new to the NHS to gain skills to enable competent delivery of care that embraces the latest evidence and meets all national guidelines.

If successful you will be joining the musculoskeletal physiotherapy team and will be supported by senior members of the team and work alongside other professionals. We will deliver regular training sessions, individual pre-arranged supervision sessions, a wide variety of shadowing opportunities and work place experience in addition to managing an individual caseload to allow practice and consolidation of skills. Any therapist new to the area will be supported to settle through a wider induction programme.

You will work through the ACPC competency frame works with supervision and be expected to be self-motivated in developing your knowledge, clinical reasoning and treatment approach in working with children. We are looking to welcome someone with innovation and enthusiasm as we plan to develop and expand our service.

Main duties of the job

As an autonomous practitioner, to deliver a paediatric physiotherapy service within the childrens therapy team, providing assessment, intervention and advice for children, their families and carers.

To develop specialist skills, knowledge and competence through participation, reflection, supervision and training.

Work both independently and autonomously as part of a multidisciplinary team.

Have individual responsibility for continued professional development (CPD).

To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own work including responsibility of an allocated patient caseload/workload.

About us

So what else?

This is your chance to join a progressive and innovative service in a social enterprise that is patient and staff focused - you'll even have the opportunity to become an MCH shareholder.

We encourage staff to get involved in exploring new ways of working and service development.

We'll provide well established, in-service training, one to one supervision, and appraisals with regular support.

You'll be able to develop your skills in a friendly and supportive team.

Would you like to work flexibly?In the NHS, we are reminded every day of how important work life balance is. As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us, for our patients and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement.

The small print

Informal visits can be arranged on request.

We will offer you the choice of two pension schemes; the NHS Pension scheme and the scottish widows group pension scheme.

MCH encourages all staff to be double COVID vaccinated to protect themselves, their colleagues, their family and their patients.

Job description

Job responsibilities

1. Communication and relationship skills

To communicate effectively with patients and carers and other health care professionals using a wide range of verbal and non-verbal communication tools share assessment findings, agree treatment plans, progress rehabilitation, give advice, teaching etc. This will include patients with communication and comprehension difficulties and those who may be unable to accept diagnosis/prognosis.

To liaise with health and statutory agencies regarding patient care, treatment progress and discharge planning.

Maintain appropriate communication with the Senior Physiotherapist supervising the rotation, participating in regular supervision of caseload and seeking advice when appropriate.

2. Knowledge, training and experience

To develop specialist skills, knowledge and competence through participation, reflection, supervision and training.

Work both independently and autonomously as part of a multidisciplinary team.

Have individual responsibility for continued professional development (CPD).

To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own work including responsibility of an allocated patient caseload/workload.

To be responsible for maintaining and developing own competency to practice through professional development and CPD activities and maintain a portfolio which reflects your development.

Be actively involved in the in-service training programme, professional clinical groups, peer review groups, attendance at external courses and all other professional development activities

3. Analytical and judgement skills

To assess patient understanding of treatment proposals, gain valid informed consent and have the capacity to work within a legal framework with patients who lack the capacity to consent to treatment.

4. Planning and organisational skills

To be responsible for day-to-day supervision of technical instructors.

To work with, and delegate work under protocol to generic technical instructors.

To occasionally supervise the work of less experience Technical Instructors and Physiotherapy students.

To be responsible for organising and planning own caseload and work demands to meet patient and service priorities, in conjunction with the Senior Physiotherapist alerting the Senior Physiotherapist of excessive demands and effects on patient care.

5. Physical skills

To undertake assessment of patients with a wide variety of presentations and conditions: using clinical reasoning skills and assessment techniques to formulate individualised treatment plans and programmes

6. Responsibility for patient / client care

To provide a comprehensive patient focused paediatric physiotherapy service to children living in the medway areas.

To provide physiotherapy as an integrated part of the multiagency team.

Provide physiotherapy to children referred into the integrated paediatric team. This will involve work in schools, nursery outside clinics and patient homes.

To deliver individualised physiotherapy treatment programmes using a broad range of physiotherapeutic skills in individual and group settings.

To continually reassess patient progress, adapting treatment plans accordingly and developing discharge plans.

To refer patients appropriately to other health and statutory and voluntary services, according to protocol, providing timely and detailed information to ensure good continuity of care.

To undertake, record, continually review and work within individual patient Risk Assessments in line with local policy, referring to the senior practitioner where risk cannot be safely reduced/managed.

To assess patients for standard and bespoke aids and appliances, request their provision and teach patients and carers in their safe application and use.

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7. Responsibility for policy and service development implementation

To aid the Childrens therapy head of service in the development of the Physiotherapy service within integrated Paediatric team.

To contribute to the development of the team and wider physiotherapy service, as directed by the senior Physiotherapist.

To comply with organisational departmental and Trust policies and procedures and be involved in commenting on policy and protocol development.

8. Responsibilities for financial and physical resources

To be responsible for the safe and competent use of all equipment and facilities, ensuring faulty items are removed from use and reported for action.

To be aware of Health and Safety aspects of your work and implement any policies, which may be required to improve the safety of your work area, including your prompt recording and reporting of accidents or concerns.

To manage clinical and non-clinical risk within own role according to team and Trust protocols including the development of individual patient clinical risk assessments.

9. Responsibilities for human resources (HR)

Participate in clinical supervision of generic technical instructors and Physiotherapy students as delegated by the Childrens Head of service and clinical lead.

Participate in the organisations staff Appraisal system as an appraisee including the agreement of a Personal Development Plan.

10. Responsibilities for information resources

To keep up to date, accurate problem orientated medical records in Physiotherapy and MDT notes in line with Trust policy, legal requirements and professional standards and to provide written reports, discharge summaries etc as required.

To collect and submit all data and statistics as required in a timely and accurate manner

11. Responsibilities for research and development (R&D)

. To participate in team and service audits and research projects

12. Freedom to act

To abide by the Rules of Professional Conduct of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.

13. Physical effort (refer to effort factor questionnaire)

14. Mental effort (refer to effort factor questionnaire)

15. Emotional effort (refer to effort factor questionnaire)

16. Working conditions (refer to effort factor questionnaire)

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

BSc Degree in Physiotherapy or equivalent

Desirable

APCP/CSP Registration

Experience

Essential

Experience working with children with additional needs

Desirable

Experience working within an MSK department

Skills

Essential

Good communication skills with ability to adapt communication for whom you are working with

Desirable

Good IT skills and use of electronic note system

MCH values

Essential

Good understanding of MCH values

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