First Contact Physiotherapist (musculoskeletal conditions)

NHS; Bishop Auckland; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 53,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent healthcare organization in the Durham Dales is seeking a First Contact Physiotherapist to enhance patient care for musculoskeletal conditions. The candidate will support patient diagnosis and treatment, providing expert advice to the care team while managing their own caseload of patients. This role offers significant independence and requires advanced clinical practice skills, making it vital for delivering integrated care within the community.

Benefits

Paid mileage

NHS pension

Car lease scheme transferable

Support for training & development

Free Car Park

Health service discounts

Complimentary refreshments

Immunisations offered

Eye tests reimbursed

Qualifications

• HCPC registration required.
• Experience in a primary care setting.
• Working towards advanced clinical practitioner status.

Responsibilities

• Assess, diagnose, and triage patients with MSK conditions independently.
• Develop tailored care programmes in partnership with patients.
• Justify referrals to specialist services when necessary.

Skills

Analytical skills

Interpersonal skills

Leadership

Clinical reasoning

Problem-solving

Education

BSc degree in Physiotherapy

MSc Degree in Physiotherapy

HEE FC Primary care roadmap training completed

Job description

First Contact Physiotherapist (musculoskeletal conditions)

The Durham Dales Health Federation is a formal collaboration of the 12 GP Practices in the Durham Dales locality. You will work in the three practices of the Teasdale PCN, to support the diagnosis and treatment of patients with musculoskeletal conditions. You will act as a first point of contact for patients with new musculoskeletal conditions, offering evidence based treatment to help manage these conditions. You will offer expert advice to other members of the practice team, including GPs and nurses, to support high quality patient care.

Main duties of the job

Be the first point of contact for expert clinical assessment and diagnosis of patients presenting with MSK conditions in primary care/GP practices. This will include patients who present with a range of multiple needs and underlying pathologies/other primary conditions

Use of advanced clinical assessment tools and application of expert treatment modalities/techniques will be required

The link between primary, community and acute services, when the patient is managed via primary care ensuring an integrated care pathway for individual patients that meets their needs. This will include provision of triage to other services and/or directly providing management and advice

Develop effective communication between primary care services/GP practices and other relevant care providers. Educate on the role of the FCP, its impact on referral patterns and patient care pathwaysWork independently, without day to day supervision, to assess, diagnose, triage, and manage patients, taking responsibility for prioritising and managing a caseload of the PCNs Registered Patients

Work independently, without day to day supervision, to assess, diagnose, triage, and manage patients, taking responsibility for prioritising and managing a caseload of the PCNs Registered Patients

About us

A group of 12 GP practices across Durham Dales got together, looking for a solution to help them provide the care patients needed, share resources and ideas, and be prepared for the challenges the NHS would face in the future.The answer they came up with was a formal collaboration between the dozen practices: the Durham Dales Health Federation. DDHFs founding principal is to work together to provide high-quality, cost effective primary healthcare services.That means providing a range of services that all GP practices in the area can use to help look after patients.We employ a range of clinical staff pharmacists, dispensers, nurses, emergency care practitioners and social prescribing link workers as well as non-clinical, administration support staff.

Benefits DDHF can offer; paid mileage. NHS pension. A car lease scheme which is transferable. We fully support training & development. Regular 1-2-1 support & appraisal. Dress Down Friday(office workers). Complimentary refreshments. Free Car Park, Health service discounts, Immunisations offered, Eye tests reimbursed.

Job responsibilities

Use advanced clinical practice skills and clinical reasoning to provide comprehensive diagnostic and treatment support patients who present with complex musculoskeletal conditions and/or multiple pathologies and/or mental health and/or pain management needs

Request and progress investigations (such as x-rays and blood tests) and referrals to facilitate the diagnosis and choice of treatment regimes , considering the limitations of these investigations, interpret and act on results and feedback to aid patients diagnoses and management plans

Carry own caseload as an autonomous practitioner, providing direct clinical/physiotherapeutic care for patients with a range of complex musculo-skeletal conditions and who may have significant other primary or secondary conditions/multi-pathologies

Be able to decide when appropriate to use advanced clinical practice clinical skills that may include:

Joint/soft tissue injection therapy, including administration of prescription only medication [POM] to aid treatment.

Non-medical prescribing

Use professional judgement and advanced clinical reasoning skills to make decisions about safe and effective patient care in unpredictable situations, including when there is incomplete/contradictory information

Demonstrate understanding of the impact of physiotherapeutic interventions on existing conditions and treatment programmes e.g. podiatric treatment, drug therapies, etc.

Ensure physiotherapy interventions are integrated and supportive of the whole treatment aims promoting a holistic approach to condition management

Be able to clinically justify referral onto appropriate MSK pathways within the community or wider healthcare services, including referral to the appropriate stage of the pathway and the use of social prescribing

For patients managed as part of own caseload, take the lead for the management of the patients journey on their care pathway, acting as the link for the patient between primary care and other services/professionals

Justify clinically referrals to other specialist services. This will include referral to acute and specialist services such as surgical orthopaedics, rheumatology and neurology, other AHP services, nursing services and to the primary care medical teams. This requires advanced knowledge of the role of other specialist health professionals

Recognise Red flags, serious pathology and potential underlying non- MSK related disease, that may present as MSK symptoms and refer appropriately.

When needed, accelerate the patients referral to other health professionals/ services

Work in partnership with the patient at all times to attain maximum participation in treatment programmes. This will include working with patients from diverse social background and cultures and understanding how this will affect treatment proposals and models

Develop integrated and tailored care programmes in partnership with patients

Use effective shared decision making with a range of first line management options (appropriate for the persons level of activation)

Assess levels of Patient Activation to confirm levels of knowledge, skills and confidence to self-manage

Agree appropriate support for self-management through referral to rehabilitation focussed services and social prescribing provision

Provide expert advice and act as source of expertise in the management of musculoskeletal conditions and provide a specialist advisory service to patients, specialist physiotherapists other specialist healthcare professionals and members of the primary care team, including advising GPs on management of MSK conditions

Provide advice, instruction and teaching on aspects of management of a condition to patients, relatives, carers and other health professionals

Continually review and develop specialist clinical and diagnostic skills in response to service need

Be accountable for decisions and actions via Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) registration, supported by a professional culture of peer networking/review and engagement in evidence-based practice

Person Specification

Qualifications

• BSc degree in Physiotherapy
• Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) registration
• HEE FC Primary care roadmap training completed and working at advanced level 7 Practice [within the ACP framework]
• Completed or working towards a Supplementary Prescribing qualification/
• MSc Degree in Physiotherapy

Skills

• Able to understand and analyse complex issues and balance competing priorities in order to make difficult clinical decisions.
• Ability to analyse and interpret complex/ often incomplete information, pre-empt and evaluate issues and recommend an appropriate course of action to address the issues.
• Excellent interpersonal and organisational skills
• Ability to evidence a sound understanding of the NHS principles and values
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, able to influence and persuade others articulating a balanced view and able to constructively question information
• Strong and inspirational leadership
• Flexible skill set to adapt to and meet needs of the PCN Population and support public health
• Experience of working within a primary care setting
• Evidence of working across organisational boundaries within health and social care
• Independent thinker with demonstrated good judgement, problem-solving and analytical skills
• Evidence of inspiring and motivating teams with the ability to communicate passionately, effectively.
• Ability to negotiate effectively within the MDT or across a range of services/providers

Experience

• Working at advanced clinical practitioner status
• Significant leadership and experience in applying the physiotherapy process to include MSK assessment, interpretation, individual care planning, motivation, monitoring and evaluation of highly specialized MSK treatment
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft and GPIT systems, alongside prescribing data monitoring systems
• Experience of senior level decision making and delivery in a changing environment
• Experience of supervision of specialist staff/ line management
• Experience of working with a diverse range of stakeholders/ providing leadership within the MSK pathway
• Ability to demonstrate leadership when introducing change.
• Ability to integrate latest evidence based practice into services and ability to use to lead change across a pathway/ range of providers
• Working towards Advanced clinical practitioner status
• Strong knowledge of cognitive behavioural and motivational interviewing approaches / skills

Other

• Ability to co-ordinate and prioritise workloads able to multi-task as well as be self-disciplined and highly motivated
• Demonstrates a flexible approach in order to ensure patient care is delivered
• High degree of personal credibility, emotional intelligence, patience and flexibility
• Ability to cope with unpredictable situations
• Confident in facilitating and challenging others

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

£45,708 to £52,308 a yearDepending on experience