Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist/Occupational Therapist

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Band 7 Therapist who relishes the opportunity to contribute, facilitate and lead on service improvement and innovation to join the Home First Team based at St Peter's Hospital.

The Home First Team covers the "front door" of the hospital: Accident and Emergency, Clinical Assessment Unit and Older Persons Assessment Unit and brings together acute hospital services with Adult Social Care and District & Borough Services whilst maintaining strong links with Urgent Community Response Team to improve the interface between acute and community services and the pathway for older adults.

The successful candidate will be supported by the Clinical Lead for Home First and have the opportunity to input into the development of the Therapy role and service delivery in ED and work closely with a multidisciplinary team to provide timely, holistic and comprehensive therapy assessments with a transdisciplinary approach, facilitate rapid discharge of medically optimised patients and avoid unnecessary hospital admissions. You will also be expected to participate in the supervision and development of junior staff and demonstrate enthusiasm and the ability to balance clinical and operational demands.

There will be scope to develop your clinical and leadership skills through formal supervision, appraisal and project management. Internal and external training opportunities exist.

Main duties of the job

1. Act as a specialist Therapist to ensure high standards of practice across all areas covered.
2. To be responsible for the daily management of the Home First Team and enhanced MDT to ensure patient flow.
3. To provide highly specialist assessment and interventions.
4. To make sound clinical judgements with regards to risk-weighted discharge planning within short time frames.
5. To expedite discharges in a timely manner, in collaboration with other MDT members.
6. To provide education and teaching to therapists and the wider MDT, acting as a specialist resource.
7. To supervise junior staff and students from both Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy disciplines.
8. To participate in supporting the 'Front of House' weekend rota.

About us

Ashford and St. Peters Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust serves a population of more than 410,000 people living in North-West Surrey, parts of Hounslow and beyond.

Over 3,700 highly trained doctors, nurses, midwives, therapists, healthcare scientists and other support staff make up our workforce, providing a wide range of services across our two hospital sites, Ashford, Surrey and St Peter's, Chertsey, Surrey.

We also run many specialist clinics in the community and local community hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

Our vision is to be one of the best healthcare Trusts in the country. There has never been a better time to join us in the NHS at ASPH. We are committed to providing continuous professional development and flexibility to shape our workforce around our patient care.

We are expanding our theatres at Ashford Hospital and moving towards this becoming our dedicated elective centre. We want to create a state-of-the-art centre for excellence for planned surgical procedures.

We can offer you the full range of NHS benefits/discounts and in addition:

• Excellent pension scheme and annual leave entitlement.
• On-site Nurseries.
• On-site staff cafes.
• On-site parking.
• Support in career development.
• Salary Sacrifice schemes including wage stream, lease cars, Cycle to Work schemes and home electronics.

Job description

Job responsibilities

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE POST:

Clinical

1. To work as an autonomous clinician to undertake a significant specialist clinical caseload and undertake highly skilled assessments of patients with complex problems.
2. Use excellent investigative, analytical and diagnostic skills to assess complex patients.
3. Utilise clear clinical reasoning skills to adopt a wide range of treatment options and skills to formulate specialised programmes of care and discharge plans.
4. Hold expert knowledge regarding community services to support safe and effective discharges and make referrals to other disciplines and agencies as appropriate e.g. Primary Care Services, Adult Social Care.
5. To support other less experienced staff with their patients.
6. To achieve and maintain a high standard of clinical care using evidence based practice, keeping up to date with clinical developments, analysing current research, discussing and implementing changes in clinical practice and encouraging this throughout the team.
7. To be responsible for setting and monitoring of standards and policies of clinical practice in the team and evaluate outcomes.
8. To take responsibility for the writing of evidence based clinical guidelines and protocols as appropriate to the speciality and for regularly reviewing and updating those guidelines.
9. To be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of professional activities working within codes of practice and professional guidelines.
10. To demonstrate physical ability to carry out assessments and interventions including manual and therapeutic handling techniques. This involves frequent light to moderate physical effort.
11. To maintain accurate records in line with the College of Occupational Therapy standards and Trust and service standards and policies.
12. To attend relevant board rounds, meetings as appropriate in order to ensure appropriate management and effective and timely discharge of patients.

Communications and Engagement

1. To be able to communicate complex and sensitive information to patients, carers and other staff including imparting unwelcome news relating to their rehabilitation potential.
2. To use a range of verbal and non-verbal communication tools to communicate effectively and sensitively with patients in order to progress treatment programmes and discharge plans. This may include patients who have difficulties in understanding or communicating.
3. To assess patients understanding of treatment and discharge proposals, gain valid consent and have the capacity to work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment.
4. To communicate effectively with all disciplines involved in a patients care, both those from within the organisation and those outside to ensure efficient multidisciplinary working.
5. To maintain accurate records in line with COT, Trust and service standards and policies and ensure patient records of directly supervised staff also comply with these standards.
6. To attend staff meetings and actively participate ensuring understanding of information imparted.
7. To take responsibility for leading local team meetings to ensure accurate and timely information dissemination.
8. To initiate and maintain good contact with local services both internal and external i.e. Adult Social Care, CSH Surrey.
9. To ensure timely and effective communication with the Clinical Lead for Home First or Therapy Manager for Occupational Therapy on all operational or professional matters.

Leadership or Managerial

1. To effectively plan the daily management of a caseload of patients and ensure team working within SPH and across site, effectively prioritise, plan and manage their caseloads too.
2. To be able to prioritise clinical and managerial work and balance other patient related and professional activities as required.
3. To be able to manage potentially stressful and upsetting or emotional situations in an empathetic manner.
4. To supervise junior and senior staff where appropriate.
5. To participate in the appraisal scheme as an appraiser and to be appraised.
6. To maintain the high standards of the service by contributing to the individual team and service objectives.
7. To contribute to the overall strategic view of the in patient service at ASPH, by monitoring and evaluating activity.
8. To initiate and lead service improvement and projects to develop services in line with recent NHS initiatives and guidance and in response to demand.
9. To demonstrate a high level of understanding of clinical governance and clinical risk.

Education

1. To supervise and lead on the professional development and training of Occupational Therapists and other members of the team in the specialist field.
2. To undertake regular supervision with individuals to support clinical reasoning and to undertake patient sessions as facilitator and participant.
3. To participate in any training sessions as a recipient and facilitator.
4. To disseminate any training received to other staff and healthcare professionals.
5. To be actively involved in special interest groups in order to share and disseminate knowledge to colleagues.

Technology or system support

1. To maintain timely and accurate statistical information as required by senior staff and managers.
2. To be responsible for the accurate input of clinical information onto the Trust IT system.
3. To keep up to date with advances in technology.

Research/Audit/Quality

1. To regularly participate in and lead on appropriate work related research/evaluation projects and to be aware of current research relevant to the speciality.
2. To participate in and initiate clinical audit and the evaluation of clinical effectiveness in line with Trust policies.
3. To evaluate your own clinical effectiveness.
4. To ensure relevant topics are included in annual clinical governance and service plans.
5. To undertake and present relevant evidence based projects.

General responsibilities

1. To support the department and organisation by carrying out any other duties that reasonably fit within the broad scope of a job of this grade and type of work.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Achieved HCPC registration.
• Holds a Diploma/Degree in Physio/Occupational Therapy.
• Evidence of ongoing CPD.

Desirable

• Member of relevant professional body/special interest groups.
• Completed Clinical Supervisor and/or Practice Educator Course.
• Completed Leadership training.

Experience

Essential

• Worked within the NHS.
• Worked within Urgent and Emergency Care.
• Worked in Elderly Care and Frailty.
• Provided teaching to internal and external representatives.
• Assessed competencies and capabilities of staff.

Desirable

• Has led a team.
• Has contributed to service re-design and / or change management.

Knowledge

Essential

• Understands NHS system and structure.
• Understands discharge pathways and different discharge options.
• Utilised clinical governance for service review, development and improvement.
• Uses appropriate NSF and clinical guidelines for Speciality and professional discipline.

Skills

Essential

• Worked within an MDT that interfaces with different services.
• Highly skilled communication styles.
• Advanced clinical skills and reasoning.

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. For further information visit the .

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. .
UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see

Employer details

Employer name

Ashford & St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Address

St Peter's Hospital

Guildford Road

Chertsey

KT16 0PZ

Employer's website