Neuropsychiatry Rehabilitation Physiotherapist

NHS; Greater London; On-site; GBP 51,000 - 59,000; Full time

Job description

Job Summary

The role will be based at the inpatient Lishman unit but may involve input across all 3 parts of the pathway (outpatients, FiND and Lishman unit) if required. The post holder would be the lead physiotherapist on the unit working with a band 6 physiotherapist and wider members of the MDT.

The Lishman Unit is a 15-bedded inpatient ward located at the Bethlem Royal Hospital (moving to Denmark Hill in 2025). This is a level 1 rehabilitation unit that specialises in neuropsychiatry inpatient rehabilitation, offering multimodal assessment and treatment by a multidisciplinary team of experts. The inpatient treatment programme involves multidisciplinary therapy.

The unit has two streams of patients:

1. Patients with functional neurological disorder (FND): we are one of very few specialist inpatient units in the UK who admit patients with severe disabling FND. Admissions typically last 12 weeks, though this can vary.
2. Patients with neurological disease or damage who require complex neuropsychiatric treatment and/or neurorehabilitation. Mostly these are patients who have sustained an acquired brain injury (ABI) but we also take patients with neurological conditions (e.g. Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, post-encephalitis) when these conditions are associated with cognitive problems or other psychological issues.

Main Duties of the Job

1. To provide care for patients with FND and acquired brain injury across the neuropsychiatry pathway.
2. Working in neuropsychiatry services and as part of the MDT clinical team to provide a comprehensive physiotherapy service for the management of highly complex patients within the neuropsychiatry pathway.
3. To ensure a high quality, effective and efficient physiotherapy service.
4. To manage and supervise the physiotherapy staff and RSW's by providing structured appraisals, meetings, and peer support.
5. To provide clinical guidance for staff both internally and externally.
6. To contribute to the regular ward rounds, MDM's, goal setting and ward training.
7. To use expert physiotherapy knowledge and clinical reasoning to manage own complex caseload.
8. To contribute to planning and service development.
9. To work jointly with the MDT to provide group work, joint sessions and one to one therapy sessions.
10. To complete successful assessment, goal setting, treatment planning and discharge planning.
11. To be involved in the completion of the UK-Roc database.

About Us

South London and Maudsley NHS Trust work closely with the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London and are part of King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre. There are very few organisations in the world that have such wide-ranging capabilities working with mental illness. Our scope is unique because it is built on three major foundations: care and treatment, science and research, and training.

Date Posted: 15 April 2025

Pay Scheme: Agenda for change

Band: Band 7

Salary: £51,883 to £58,544 a year per annum inclusive of outer HCAs

Contract: Permanent

Working Pattern: Full-time

Reference Number: 334-CLI-7108778

Job Locations: Bethlem Royal Hospital, Monks Orchard Rd, Beckenham, BR3 3BX

Job Responsibilities

1. Clinical: To practice as an autonomous and integrated senior therapist. To assess with MDT patient to determine the most appropriate pathway for their needs. To provide input to patients with FND and other neuropsychiatric conditions across the service, providing a physiotherapy assessment and treatment plan. This should include the use of evidence-based practice, set to meet individual SMART goals and to routinely use outcome measures to monitor individuals' progress and response to physiotherapy, which compliments the over-arching MDT and individual goals. To manage and prioritise a caseload of patients, working jointly with OT/psychology/rehab support workers/SALT/nursing team to deliver a collaborative treatment plan. To facilitate goal setting sessions and provide written updates. To develop and deliver educational sessions in a group setting and individualise information for patients directly linked to their MDT goals. For these goals to have clear timeframes for achieving. To assess and document risk, escalating concerns to neuropsychiatrist or other team members. To develop and provide a written discharge report containing a relapse plan and future goals for the patient. When needed, to undertake pre-admission assessment and post discharge visits.
2. Communication: Provide and receive patient information and overcome barriers to understanding of illness. To deliver complex information sensitively, taking into consideration the psychological model of FND and the common psychological issues around acquired brain injury. Communicate with patients assessing capacity, for and obtaining appropriate level of consent for their treatment. Use highly developed skills of motivation and explanation, to ensure patients and carers have a full understanding of their condition and treatment options and to gain co-operation in their treatment programme to maximise their potential gains from it. Use highly developed skills of persuasion and motivation to promote self-management skills to assist patients in coping with their conditions including lifestyle change and adjustments. Communicate highly complex patient related information effectively with multi-disciplinary team colleagues including medical staff, OT, SLT, psychology, and psychotherapy colleagues. To develop a shared understanding within the MDT of how goals are developed and achieved for patients. This includes overcoming frequent barriers to communication for example: cognitive impairments, fluctuating mood levels, sensory deficits, pain or fear. To ensure delivery of a coordinated multi-disciplinary service.
3. Documentation: To oversee and maintain up-to-date written and electronic records and activity data, in accordance with professional, local and Trust standards. Physiotherapy notes should be written within the CSP standards using a SOAP note format. To collect outcome data on all patients, collecting evidence of the benefits of the service. To develop and maintain updated patient hand-outs and guides, in keeping with the national standards on assessable information. To ensure the completion of clinical outcome measure and contribute to the UK Roc Database.
4. Supervision: To collaboratively participate in monthly managerial and professional supervision. To provide regular supervision to junior staff (including Band 6 Physiotherapist and rehabilitation support workers). Supervision is available from the Head of Physiotherapy and the Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist. To participate in annual and mid-year appraisal held jointly with clinical service manager and the Trust head of physiotherapy. To participate in team Reflective practice sessions. To participate and lead on student supervision.
5. Professional Ethics & Development: To work within the standards set by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. To maintain and develop own skills as a physiotherapist. To maintain own knowledge on area of clinical work along with mandatory training and to ensure other training needs are identified and addressed in a timely manner. Where applicable to work within National Framework Standards (NSF) and National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines.
6. Service Development & Delivery: To collect data on referrals and physiotherapy needs. To provide evidence for the effectiveness of physiotherapy for FND and Brain Injury patients and to work with colleagues to further develop treatment models and the evidence base.
7. Organisational: To demonstrate the Trust commitments. To demonstrate an understanding of and compliance with departmental and organisational policies for example; Infection control, maintenance of equipment, manual handling, health and safety, incident reporting and complaints.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Hold a degree or equivalent diploma in physiotherapy
• Registered with the Health & Care Professions Council

Experience

• Have extensive post-registration experience including as a senior physiotherapist in Neuro and functional work.
• Have expert knowledge and experience in the assessment, treatment and management of patients with neurological conditions including brain injury and functional neurological disorders.
• Experience of working as part of a Neuro Rehabilitation MDT.
• To have worked within an NHS rehabilitation setting.

Knowledge

• Excellent Communication skills
• Able to Demonstrate excellent clinical reasoning skills
• Problem Solving Skills
• Ability to initiate change
• Understanding of the basis of CBT and how the approach relates to physiotherapy intervention

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration.

Employer Details

Employer Name: South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

Address: Bethlem Royal Hospital, Monks Orchard Rd, Beckenham, BR3 3BX

Website: South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust