Senior Rotational MSK Physiotherapist

Job Overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a senior physiotherapist to join our dynamic MSK team. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to rotate around a variety of areas. Rotations are 9 months long and include MSK out-patients, community based MSK out-patients, hand therapy, and elective orthopaedic inpatients. There is exposure to rheumatology, hydrotherapy, and a variety of classes. The role is 37.5 hours per week, based over 7 days, Monday - Sunday.

Due to the specialised nature of this role, Band 6 experience is preferred but significant Band 5 NHS experience is essential.

You will have the chance to work with surgeons and specialist therapists who are experts in their field and this gives rise to excellent learning opportunities. There is opportunities to get involved with research, service improvement and we have a well established learning and development programme.

Candidates are required to present original certificates for qualifications at interview stage.

Main duties of the job

The main duties of the job include

• The physiotherapy assessment and treatment of a wide range of post-operative trauma and elective orthopaedic conditions.
• Opportunities for audit and research.
• Opportunities to watch ground-breaking operations to enhance clinical knowledge.
• To work closely with senior colleagues to develop and enhance current service provision
• To plan for and treat patients with complex needs who require orthopaedic surgery.
• The role also involves the development of other staff in the team and wider MDT, supporting students, supervising junior and unqualified staff
  
  
  

Working for our organisation

Choose Well – Choose WWL

Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals, NHS Foundation Trust are the proud providers of acute hospital and community services to the people of the Wigan Borough and surrounding areas. At WWL, we value our staff believing that ‘happy staff, makes for happy patients’. We have a recognised track record in staff engagement, and living our values ‘the WWL Way’.

WWL are committed to placing the patient at the heart of everything we do, and in the provision of safe, effective care that acknowledges and ensures dignity. With this in mind we are seeking to recruit people who share our values and beliefs.

On-Call

Please note that senior positions (AFC band 8A or above) may be expected to participate in an on-call rota, if the role is predominantly operational.

Responsibilities

Detailed job description and main responsibilities Duties and Responsibilities

Key results from the job holder

• To accept clinical responsibility for a designated area of work and to plan and organise efficiently and effectively with regard to patients management and use of time.
• To maintain own clinical professional development (CPD) by keeping abreast of any new trends and developments, and incorporate them as necessary into your work.
• To decide priorities for own work area, balancing other patient related and professional demands, and ensure that they remain in accordance with those of the section as a whole.
• To work within an interdisciplinary team (IDT) to provide physical, functional, psychological and emotional rehabilitation as part of a holistic approach to patients with neurological dysfunction.
  
  
  

Planning and Organisational Duties

• To be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of your own work including the management of patients in your care. To ensure high standards of holistic clinical care for the patients under your management, and support more junior staff to do likewise.
• Post holders are required to work independently, guided by defined clinical and professional guidelines. Access to a more senior physiotherapist is available when necessary. Clinical work is evaluated on a regular basis.
• To interpret and analyse clinical and non-clinical facts to form accurate diagnosis and prognosis in a wide range of conditions, to recommend the best course of intervention, and to develop comprehensive discharge plans.
• To undertake the comprehensive assessment of patients, including those with a complex presentation, using investigative and analytical skills and to formulate patient centred treatment plans, using clinical reasoning and utilising a wide range of treatment skills and options to formulate a programme of rehabilitation.
• To accept clinical responsibility for a designated caseload of patients, and to organise this effectively and efficiently with regard to clinical priorities and use of time.
• To accept partial responsibility for any tasks delegated to less senior qualified or unqualified staff.
• To demonstrate appropriately developed dexterity, co-ordination and palpatory senses for assessment and manual treatment of patients.
• To maintain own clinical professional development (CPD) by keeping abreast of any new trends and developments, and incorporate them as necessary into your work.
• To undertake the measurement and evaluation of your work and current practices through the use of evidence based practice projects, audit and outcome measures, either individually or with team leader. Use information gained to make recommendations for change.
• To decide priorities for own work area, balancing other patient related and professional demands, and ensure that they remain in accordance with those of the section as a whole.
• To be responsible for ensuring the effective selection and use of all treatment modalities available, both on the community settings and hospital sites.
• To maintain records, comprehensive and up-to-date documentation, in line with legal and departmental requirements and communicate assessment and treatment results to the appropriate disciplines in form of reports and letters.
• To be actively involved in the collection of appropriate local, regional and national data and statistics for the use of the physiotherapy service and neurosciences.
• To comply with the organisational and departmental policies and procedures and to participate in the reviewing and updating, as appropriate.
• To demonstrate a sound understanding of Clinical Governance and Risk Management and apply to work situation.
  
  
  

Communications and Key Working Relationships

• To work within an interdisciplinary team (IDT) to provide physical, functional, psychological and emotional rehabilitation as part of a holistic approach to patients with neurological dysfunction.
• To support the team leader in developing policy changes within neurosciences.
• To assist the team leader in ensuring that designated staff implement policy and service development changes.
• To work with the team leader and therapy lead in developing the operational management of the orthopaedic physiotherapy service.
• To communicate effectively with patients and carers to maximise rehabilitation potential. Use communication skills such as persuasion, motivation, explanation to encourage patients to undertake their rehabilitation programme in line with patient orientated goals.
• To use communication tools (verbal and non-verbal) to gain informed consent where there will often be barriers to effective communication, e.g. challenging behaviours, impaired cognition, anxiety, dysphasia, etc. to assist rehabilitation.
• To assess capacity, gain valid consent and have the ability to work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment.
• To communicate complex patient-related information (as well as non-patient information) effectively and work collaboratively with medical, nursing and therapy colleagues to ensure delivery of a co-ordinated multidisciplinary service. This will include case conferences, ward rounds, attendance at specialist services appointments, consultant appointments and discharge planning meetings.
• To advise the team leader and therapy lead on ordering, monitoring and maintaining equipment used in carrying out physiotherapy duties and to adhere to departmental policy, including competence to use equipment and to ensure the safe use of equipment by others through teaching, training and supervision of practice.
• To deputise for the team leader in terms of operational issues, as required.
  
  
  

Responsibility for Finance

• To identify deficits in resources required to carry out the job and bring to the attention of the Therapist
• To be responsible for the monitoring of materials and equipment and maintain stocks.
• To maintain timely statistics and other records as requested by the Therapy Service and the Trust.
  
  
  

Responsibility for Human Resources

• To assist the team leader to educate, supervise and performance manage more junior staff, trainee assistant practitioners, physiotherapy assistants and students. This will include the use of formal appraisal documentation.
• To participate in the staff appraisal scheme and personal development plan (PDP) as both appraiser and appraisee.
  
  
  

Responsibility for Health & Safety

Compliance with the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 – the post holder is required to fulfil a proactive role towards the management of risk in all of their actions. This entails the risk assessment of all situations, the taking of appropriate actions and reporting of all incidents, near misses and hazards, and a statutory duty of care for their own personal safety and that of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions.

Responsibility for Teaching

• Supervise, educate and assess the performance of physiotherapy students; this would be to a graduate standard and involve working with Universities to ensure the standard of practice and teaching meets the standard set by the degree level qualification.
• To provide spontaneous and planned advice, teaching and instruction to relatives, carers and other professionals, to promote understanding of the aims of physiotherapy, and to ensure a consistent approach to patient care.
• To provide advice and support to physiotherapy colleagues working within other clinical areas (out-patient departments, sub-acute sites and other in-patient specialities) regarding patients with neurological dysfunction.
• To provide advice, teaching and training to other members of the IDT/MDT regarding the management of patients with neurological conditions.
• To be an active member of the in-service training programme by the attendance and delivering of presentations and training sessions at staff meetings, tutorials, training sessions in house and by attending external courses and practising reflective practice
  
  
  

Work Circumstances & on-call

• To work weekends and shifts when on the orthopaedic rotation at Wrightington.
  
  
  

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Qualified HCPC Practitioner
• Diploma/ Degree in Physiotherapy
  
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Relevant clinical courses
• Clinical educators Course
• Member of relevant special interest groups
  
  
  

Experience

Essential criteria

• Experience in musculoskeletal physiotherapy
• Evidence of relevant courses and CPD
• Substantial NHS Band 5 experience
  
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Band 6 experience
  
  
  

Skills

Essential criteria

• Evidence of clinical reasoning skills.
• Evidence of excellent interpersonal skills.
• Evidence of involvement in relevant clinical audit
• Ability to pass on skills/knowledge to others within both formal and informal environments.
• Ability to work independently and also collaboratively within the multidisciplinary team.
• Excellent communication skills with patients,  Critical appraisal skills.  Ability to maintain judgement under pressure.  Ability to participate in the education of other healthcare professionals including students.  Forward thinking, motivation and enthusiasm. Page 2 of 3 healthcare professionals, managers and other agencies
• IT literate
  
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Critical appraisal skills.
• Ability to maintain judgement under pressure.
• Ability to participate in the education of other healthcare professionals including students.
• Forward thinking, motivation and enthusiasm.
  
  
  

Knowledge

Essential Criteria

• Knowledge of a range of approaches to the physiotherapy management of a variety of musculoskeletal disorders.
• Experience of self directed learning
  
  
  

Additional

Essential criteria

• Speak English to an appropriate standard relevant to the role. i.e with confidence and accuracy, using correct sentence structure and vocabulary, and without hesitation.
• Ability to travel freely around the trust area.
• Flexible to work patterns
• To be able to participate in weekend working as required

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