Physiotherapist - Band 6

NHS; King's Lynn; On-site; GBP 37,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading palliative care provider is seeking a Specialist Physiotherapist to join their Therapy team. The role involves managing patient caseloads, supervising junior staff, and delivering innovative physiotherapy interventions to improve quality of life for patients nearing the end of their life. Candidates should have a degree in Physiotherapy and at least 24 months of relevant experience. The position offers a salary range of £37,182 - £44,774 per annum based on experience.

Benefits

Access to blue light card

Onsite Cafe

Free Parking

Pension Scheme

Employee Assistance Programme

Qualifications

• A minimum of 24 months experience as a junior physiotherapist.
• Recent experience in palliative care, acute medicine, or oncology.
• Experience supervising junior therapists and/or students.

Responsibilities

• Manage therapy caseload and supervise interventions by assistants.
• Plan and implement patient-centred physiotherapy interventions.
• Lead self-management groups for patients managing symptoms.

Skills

Clinical reasoning skills

Excellent interpersonal skills

Ability to reflect and adapt practice

Education

Degree or diploma in Physiotherapy

HCPC Registration

Advanced communication skills training

Job description

Tapping House is a leading provider of palliative care services in Norfolk. We are an independent charity delivering innovative and specialist rehabilitative therapy, end of life care and bereavement services.

Rehabilitative Palliative Care integrates rehabilitation, enablement, self management and self-care into the holistic model of palliative care. Thespecialist physiotherapy post has been developed to promote and embedthis patient-centred approach with patients attending Therapy and those whoreceive end of life care at home.

The purpose is to support people to livefully until they die.The Tulip Centre will see people at all stages of their health journey, fromdiagnosis where there can be uncertainty over prognosis, through todeteriorating advanced disease. Most interventions will occur in thedepartment, but there is a recognised need to complement existingcommunity therapy services and the hospices inpatient unit, in providingsupport, particularly with breathlessness and anxiety management. Both theHospice at Home service provides care and support for people recognised tobe in their final weeks of life. The physiotherapist will provide interventionsat home to support, as required, those people with difficult symptoms suchas breathlessness and distress, and in supporting functional difficulties.

Main duties of the job

You will be working within the Therapy team, consisting of 2 OccupationalTherapists, 1 Rehabilitation Assistant and a Complementary Therapist. Youwill be directly responsible to the Therapy Lead, and will work closely with the wider multi-disciplinary team. You will have line managementresponsibilities for junior members of the Therapy department, as well asresponsibility for supervising students on placement and daily managementof volunteers.You will be required to work independently and as part of themultidisciplinary team applying clinical skills in physiotherapy includingassessment, treatment planning, intervention and evaluation, which includesindividual and group orientated approaches. This will be appropriate to thepatients needs and stage of illness.You will contribute to the evaluation and continued development of thetherapies service, and will provide specialist advice and education on allaspects of physiotherapy management and rehabilitation for patients,relatives and health care professionals, both within the organisation andoccasionally to the wider community.

About us

Our modern building islocated in peaceful and picturesque grounds and offers plenty of free parkingand a subsidised onsite cafe.

• Access to blue light card
• Access to Complementary Therapy
• Onsite Cafe
• Free Parking
• Pension Scheme
• Access to Employee Assistance Programme

Job responsibilities

Clinical

• To be professionally and legally responsible for all aspects of yourwork, including the management of patients in your care and thesupervision of interventions provided by Rehabilitation Assistantsto these patients
• As part of the therapy team, you will be involved in the overallmanagement of the therapy caseload, with key workerresponsibility for patients undergoing a predominantlyphysiotherapy focused plan of care
• Use evidence based and patient-centred principles in planning,implementation and evaluation of physiotherapy interventions
• To be patient centred in defining their goals and engage in atreatment and support programme with particular emphasis onadaptation to illness, changing function and developing self management strategies
• To communicate sensitively with patients, carers, families andstaff using advanced communication skills
• To attend multidisciplinary meetings and contribute to themultidisciplinary approach to care.
• To ensure that the needs of patients and carers are identifiedwithin a holistic framework, to include their physical,psychological, social and spiritual needs, fostering aninterdisciplinary approach to rehabilitation
• To actively lead self-management groups to equip patients tocope better with some of the symptoms experienced by thedisease process and side effects of treatment, includingbreathlessness and fatigue management, as well as exercisegroups,
• To work with, and facilitate, other members of the multidisciplinaryteam in implementing therapeutic and supportive programmes forindividuals and groups, maintaining and developing innovativepractice
• To maintain clear referral processes for external and internalservices/teams and support the smooth transition of patientsbetween services
• To maintain accurate and contemporaneous clinical records, usingthe SystmOne electronic patient record
• To liaise with carers and external agencies regarding therapeuticinterventions/activities; and to play an active role in dischargeplanning from the Tulip Centre and other services whenappropriate
• To delegate work to and provide support for the TherapyVolunteers
• Support patients under the care of the Hospice at Home team whowould benefit from physiotherapy input, including advice onmanaging respiratory deterioration, reduced mobility and pain
• Support patients within the inpatient unit who would benefit fromphysiotherapy input, including advice on managing respiratorydeterioration, reduced mobility and pain
• To support future hospice developments, requiring physiotherapyinput.

Physical, Mental and Emotional Effort Required

• To be able to cope with change and organisational developments.
• To be able to cope emotionally with difficult and complexcommunication issues, demonstrate resilience and copingstrategies, and to support team members at difficult times.
• To be an active participant in individual or group clinicalsupervision, and to take the lead in providing supervisionopportunities within the hospice

Management

• To meet regularly, on a one-to-one basis with the Therapy Lead.
• Alongside the Occupational Therapist, be responsible formanaging the Therapy caseload, and day to day functioning of thedepartment, deputising for the therapy lead as required and beinga link between senior management and junior staff
• Contribute, monitor and review the development of serviceobjectives, protocols and policies under the leadership of theTherapy Lead.
• To be involved in or lead on quality improvement projects andclinical audit
• Manage, supervise and appraise junior staff, students andvolunteers

Education and Development

• Manage, supervise and appraise junior staff, students andvolunteers
• To contribute to the safe and competent use of all equipment/aidsused, and to ensure that all staff are competent in their use
• To use and instruct others (such as health and social careprofessionals, or carers) to use moving and handling techniquesas required by the individual and their environment
• To take responsibility for own continued personal and professionaldevelopment through participation in individual developmentreview, clinical supervision, and other educational activities
• To keep up-to-date with local and national developments inpalliative care
• To work towards an organisationally approved CompetencyFramework and to maintain a professional portfolio
• To be involved in the delivery of formal teaching for hospice andcommunity staff and care related volunteers through plannededucation programmes
• To contribute to the orientation, development and support of otherstaff and students working in other clinical areas; acting as mentorto students and supervisor to less experienced staff
• To foster a philosophy of continuous learning and evaluation andto take responsibility for self, professional team and carevolunteers development, identifying training and education needs.

This job description is not exhaustive. It merely acts as a guide and may beamended to meet the changing requirements of the Hospice at any time afterdiscussion with the post holder

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Degree or diploma Physiotherapy
• HCPC Registration
• Evidence of relevant post-graduate courses/CPD
• Further qualification in end
• of life care or equivalent
• Advanced communication
• skills training
• Membership of Chartered
• society of Physiotherapy &
• Association of Chartered
• Physiotherapists in
• Oncology and Palliative
• Care

Experience

• A minimum of 24 months experience as a
• junior physiotherapist
• Recent post registration experience in a
• relevant setting i.e. palliative care, acute
• medicine, neurology, oncology or
• community.
• Experience of working with people who
• are nearing the end of their life
• Experience of the use of outcome
• measures to enhance service delivery
• Able to provide evidence
• of staff supervision
• experience involving leave
• planning, rotas and minor
• employee relations issues
• Experience of supervision
• and appraisal of junior
• therapists and/or students
• Previous experience of working with volunteers
• Experience of working
• with people who are
• nearing the end of their life

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE & APTITUDE

• Good use of clinical reasoning skills and
• Ability to use a wide range of assessment
• and treatment techniques
• Ability to prioritise ones own workload and
• that of others
• Demonstrate the ability to work as a key
• member of a team
• Well-developed written and verbal
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Very good presentation skills
• Ability to reflect and adapt practice to suit
• Committed to lifelong learning and
• through post graduate education
• and outlook
• Experience of undertaking
• audit
• Ability to work flexibly and
• proactively to meet the
• needs of varied clinical
• Areas
• Change management and
• Supervisory skills
• Teaching Skills

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

• Sense of humor
• Mature attitude to work
• Reliable
• Flexible/adaptable
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Ability to empathise, use tact and
• diplomacy
• Professional in appearance and manner
• Effective time management skills and the
• ability to work flexibly at times, to meet the
• requirements of the service

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.

Depending on experience£37,182 - £44,774 per annum dependent on experience