Job Summary
We are looking for Physiotherapist to join our committed and friendly team at the Whittington Hospital. We need you to be a respiratory specialist with advanced knowledge & skills of delivering outstanding & compassionate physiotherapy treatment to patients in ICU & across Respiratory, General Acute & Paediatric wards.
You will be an integral part of the ICU team responsible for the delivery of therapy to patients in critical care demonstrating clinical expertise in both the acute management of respiratory compromise & rehabilitation of patients following critical illness.
You will also work closely with our excellent Respiratory consultants to deliver the NIV service & be involved in regular audit, & development work in support of this.
We provide a specialised respiratory out-patient service where you will co-manage a caseload of primarily patients with bronchiectasis alongside the Clinical Respiratory Lead Physiotherapist.
The role has weekend & on call commitments on a rota basis.
As a skilled & passionate educator, you will support the service to develop the next generation of respiratory physiotherapists, delivering competency based & in situ training with patients to ensure Band 5’s and 6’s are confident & prepared to treat & manage patients with complex respiratory presentations.
You will receive regular supervision & dedicated support to enable you to meet the responsibilities of this role and we will actively support your professional and clinical development.
Main duties of the job
To be responsible for therapy provision across Respiratory and Critical Care services & general acute wards.
Deliver clinical expertise in both the acute management of respiratory compromise & rehabilitation of patients following critical illness.
Undertake advanced assessment & treatment of patients who may have complex &/or chronic presentation.
Determine clinical diagnosis & physiotherapy treatment indicated, working autonomously.
Be the lead physiotherapist for the Non-Invasive ventilation (NIV) service, including routine audit of all NIV set ups in conjunction with the Lead NIV consultant.
Represent Physiotherapy at the ITU Clinical Governance meeting.
Be responsible for providing Paediatric respiratory physiotherapy cover, working in close collaboration with the Paediatric physiotherapy lead.
To have delegated responsibility from the Respiratory Clinical Lead for the management & leadership of staff on the on-call rota providing support & expert advice during working hours & some evenings & weekends
To manage an out-patient caseload of patients with primarily bronchiectasis & a small cohort with dysfunctional breathing, working closely with referring respiratory consultant teams & colleagues.
To support the operational team management of Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Apprentices & Assistants in conjunction with peer colleagues.
To be a skilled educator & lead the Respiratory Competency & On-call training programme for Band 5 &Band 6 rotational staff.
About us
Whittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the way we look after our staff. We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief. The Trustbelieves that as a public sector organisation we have an obligation to have recruitment, training, promotion and other formal employment policies and procedures that are sensitive to these differences. We think that by doing so, we are better able to treat our patients as well as being a better place to work.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of own professional work activities.
To assess patients understanding of treatment proposals, gain valid informed consent and have the capacity to work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment.
To demonstrate, highly specialist knowledge and skills in the management and treatment of respiratory disease.
To undertake specialist assessment with designated caseload (inpatient and outpatient) as an autonomous practitioner, carry out diagnostic procedures and interpret the results for patients with multifaceted respiratory and / or rehabilitation problems including those patients with a complex presentation, using investigative and analytical skills.
To request, in consultation with medical colleagues, and use the results of specialist investigations (e.g., x-rays, C.T scans, blood tests, arterial blood gases) to assist the formulation of diagnoses and plan patient management.
To use specialist physiotherapy skills in the management of acute respiratory failure, which may include correctly identifying patients in need of Non-Invasive Ventilation (NIV) in accordance with the Trust guideline.
To administer NIV, selecting appropriate settings, and regimen for usage. Provide specialist guidance to all health care professionals involved in patients care including the weaning and discontinuing when appropriate to do so.
To facilitate the care of patients with a tracheostomy by liaising with Site Managers regarding appropriate ward placement, providing expert advice to all disciplines involved in the management of such patients and advise on appropriate weaning strategies for complex patients.
To provide specialist physiotherapy to paediatric patients with respiratory presentations within the Whittington Health NHS Trust.
To interpret and analyse clinical and non-clinical facts to form accurate diagnoses and prognoses in a wide range of highly complex conditions, to recommend the best course of intervention, and to develop comprehensive discharge plans. To formulate, evaluate and reassess individualised physiotherapy management and / or treatment plans, using clinical reasoning skills and utilising a wide range of treatment skills and options to formulate a specialised programme of care for patients with multiple pathologies, complex respiratory and medical conditions, and those in acute respiratory distress.
To provide advice on specialised physiotherapy care and treatment for patients with respiratory problems based on theoretical knowledge and relevant practical experience, and to be consulted frequently for specialist advice and guidance by junior team members and other health care professionals both within and outside the Trust.To be highly competent in assessing a wide range of conditions experienced by patients with respiratory problems based on advanced theoretical knowledge of anatomy, physiology, and pathology, often in situations where conflicting evidence is present.
To demonstrate a sound understanding of clinical governance, clinical risk and demonstrate utilisation of the current best clinical evidence when designing treatment plans.
To always manage clinical risk within own patient caseload and to ensure clinical risk is effectively managed across designated work areas.
To demonstrate visible leadership and ensure that a high standard of clinical practice and patient care is maintained in both own practice and ensuring that other physiotherapists in the team do likewise, through ongoing competency assessment and evaluation of treatments and outcomes.
To keep up to date with clinical developments, analysing current research and discussing, advocating, and implementing changes to improve care and clinical practice accordingly.
To be informed of and work to the standards expected in the specialty area and ensure that junior members of the team are informed and work to these same standards.
To use specialist knowledge to refer to other health disciplines, units or services as appropriate including recommending further investigations or referral onto other specialist centres such as Lane Fox Unit for long term weaning.
To demonstrate physical ability to carry out physiotherapy assessment and interventions, including manual physiotherapy techniques and therapeutic handling. These techniques require direct and close physical contact with the patient and require regular training and practice sessions to maintain competency and the sensitivity and specificity of handling e.g., airway suctioning, passive movements.
To demonstrate highly developed dexterity, co-ordination and palpatory sensory skills for assessment and manual treatment of patients.
To plan and manage the physiotherapy on-call and weekend service, ensuring policies and procedures are in place, all rosters are covered (in conjunction with the Clinical Leads), and that training and induction is provided for all physiotherapists on the 24-hour emergency on-call and weekend rotas.
As the lead for the on-call and weekend service, be responsible for the induction and training of new and existing on-call staff to ensure competency of staff carrying out evening and weekend duties.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Degree in Physiotherapy or equivalent.
- HCPC registration.
Desirable
- Member of a clinical interest group of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.
- Post Graduate master’s degree or equivalent.
Previous Experience
Essential
- Extensive post-graduate experience, including supervision/teaching of less experienced post-graduate staff within an acute respiratory setting
- Post-graduate experience in trauma/orthopaedic related work area appropriate to meet late shift and weekend working requirement.
- Wide range of rotations at Band 5 and Band 6 level.
- Experience of providing acute care in a hospital setting.
- Previous participation on call and weekend work.
Desirable
- Extensive post-graduate experience, including supervision/teaching of less experienced post-graduate staff in Respiratory / trauma/neurology related area.
Skills
Essential
- High standard of written and spoken English. IELTS Level 7 for overseas candidates
- High level interpersonal skills such as negotiation, counselling and communication including the ability to communicate effectively with persons with sensory or cognitive impairments or language and cultural barriers.
- Ability to relay and interpret complex, sensitive or contentious information e.g. to individual and groups of patients, staff and multidisciplinary teams.
- Ability to develop, implement and evaluate individual programmes of care for respiratory patients with multiple pathologies.
- Clinical leadership skills
- Specialist skills in acute respiratory care.
- Advanced teaching skills to patients, carers, students, all levels of physiotherapy staff and other professionals using a variety of formats including specialist training.
- High level negotiation and when required persuasive skills for teamwork and patient motivation.
- Evidence of excellent clinical reasoning skills.
- An understanding of the role of physiotherapy within current emerging health environment
- Specialist knowledge & experience of a wide range of approaches to the management of patients across a number of respiratory specialities including NIV, critical care settings, demonstrated by advanced clinical reasoning.
- Excellent organisational and time management skills.
- Evidence of team building skills.
Organisational requirements
Essential
- To be able to prioritise team tasks and team as well as own complex and varied workload.
- Ability to implement service development policies and standards of care for acute respiratory patients.
- Ability to manage basic human resources procedures such as staff appraisal, performance management, recruitment, and interviewing.
Knowledge
Essential
- Demonstrate awareness of current developments and best practice in acute respiratory areas
- Demonstrate specialist knowledge of the assessment, management, and rehabilitation in critical care settings.
- Good working knowledge of health and social care pathways for the patients with acute respiratory conditions.
- Evidence of CPD and ability to manage own learning in the form of objectives, reflective practice and career development plans.
- Demonstrate understanding of team management.
- Demonstrate an understanding of setting and maintaining standards of care for respiratory patients.
- Demonstrate computer literacy skills in the form of spreadsheets, graphs/charts, presentations and documentation templates.
Desirable
- Evidence of relevant post-graduate courses.
- Demonstrate an understanding of change management
Personal Qualities
Essential
- Flexible approach to change / adaptable to service / team needs.
- Able to self-manage and work independently and in conjunction with other team members/professions.
- Conduct self and professional affairs in an appropriate and confident/assertive manner when required
- Able to perform late shift, on call and weekend duties at a senior level
- Ability to do required hours over a 7-day period including evenings ((late shift), nights (on-call), weekends and bank holidays.
- Enthusiasm with the ability to motivate self, staff, and others.
- Positive outlook with a can-do and problem-solving attitude
- Accepting of feedback to improve self, team, and others performance.
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.
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 UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
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. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Closing Date: 23 June 2024
