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Highly Specialist Paediatric Physiotherapist (Neonates)

Employer
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Location
Luton and Bedford
Salary
£41,659 to £47,672 a year pro rata
Closing date
10 Jun 2023

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Profession
Physiotherapist, Other allied health
Grade
Band 7
Contract Type
Permanent
Hours
Part Time
This is an exciting new physiotherapy role to work within an existing established neonatal Physiotherapy team at Luton and the opportunity to contribute to developing a service at the Bedford site. You will be working as part of a wider experienced neonatal AHP team, including OT, Speech and Language Therapists and Dieticians. You will also be working with a supportive multidisciplinary developmental care team at both sites and have the opportunity to input into the existing neurodevelopmental follow up service.

The role is supported by a budget to provide neonatal training opportunities for example FINE, Prechtl general movement assessment etc. We welcome contact from you to find out more about this exciting post or to arrange an informal visit. We welcome applicants who would prefer alternative hours to thoseadvertised or to work flexibly. There is also opportunity for the post to be a development opportunity from band 6 to band 7 as you will part of a very established team.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be responsible for the delivery of specialist neonatal physiotherapy support within the model of Family Integrated Care to infants and families on the neonatal units at Bedfordshire Hospitals Neonatal Services on both Luton and Bedford site

The role will use highly specialist skills to manage their own complex caseload, working collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team. They will be responsible for providing advanced neonatal physiotherapy assessment, advice and interventions with babies who are most at risk of developmental issues in the future and to support the neonatal unit with promoting and delivering family integrated developmental care.

The post holder will work as an integral member of the neonatal multidisciplinary team, working closely alongside families, Neonatal Consultants and Nursing Teams, Infant Feeding team, AHP and Psychology Team (local and ODN) to provide evidence based care.

About us

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A& E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics.

You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career.

We have state-of-the art facilities placing us at the heart of cutting edge health care. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.

Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. Please ensure that you make your application as soon as possible.

All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering their first six months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required.

Please review all documents attached to this advert to ensure you familiarize yourself with all requirements of the job.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Clinical Responsibilities
  • To undertake the comprehensive assessment of patients, including those with a complex presentation, using investigative and analytical skills. To interpret clinical and non-clinical facts to form accurate diagnosis and prognosis in a wide range of highly complex conditions. These include children with neurological, orthopaedic and respiratory problems.
  • To have highly developed skills in the observation, handling and assessment skills for an extremely fragile patient population and to interpret and analyse clinical and non-clinical facts, including perinatal and maternal history to assist in the formulation of accurate diagnoses and prognoses in a wide range of highly complex conditions.
  • To formulate individualised management and treatment plans recommending the best course of intervention. To formulate a specialised programme of care using clinical reasoning and to utilise a wide range of treatment skills. This usually involves liaison with a wide range of professionals across the health and social services. Due to the complexity and nature of the patients conditions, care management is often longer term and thus requires frequent re-assessment.
  • To develop comprehensive discharge plans.
  • To be able to work as an autonomous practitioner within a team and as a lone worker.
  • To demonstrate highly developed skills in the positioning and handling of babies with complex needs for assessment and treatment and assist others to do likewise through teaching and training.
  • To maintain current knowledge of specialised positioning equipment for babies on the neonatal unit. To make recommendations and decisions regarding appropriate equipment to meet the needs of specific patients.
  • To assess capacity, gain valid informed consent from child or carer and have the ability to work within a legal framework with patients/parents who lack capacity to consent treatment.
  • To liaise closely with parents, care staff and other professionals involved with this patient group and manage the day to day running of the section.
  • To liaise closely with local physiotherapists regarding onward referral to community paediatric physiotherapy for babies who require ongoing physiotherapy intervention.
  • To assist with reviewing, organising and participate (as appropriate) in the neurodevelopmental follow up clinic with Neonatal consultants to assess children at 9 months and 2 years

Training, education and research
  • To maintain clinical professional development (CPD) by keeping informed of any new trends, which includes attending internal or external courses and incorporating them as necessary into the workplace (reflective evidence-based practise).
  • To be an active member of the in-service training programme by delivering presentations and training sessions at staff meetings and tutorials. To provide supervision for more junior staff, technical instructors and assistants.
  • To be responsible for the teaching and supervision of physiotherapy students.
  • To provide specialist advice, teaching and training to other members of the multidisciplinary team (MDT) (including hospital and community based consultants, specialist nursing teams and paediatric therapy services) regarding the physiotherapy management of neonatal patients with neurological, orthopaedic and respiratory conditions.
  • To undertake the measurement and evaluation of work and current practise through audit and outcome measures, either individually or with a manager.
  • To participate in the staff personal development and appraisal scheme as both appraiser and appraisee.
  • To regularly evaluate the service in line with the objectives of the network and local teams.
  • To lead on physiotherapy specific developmental care training to staff and parents within the neonatal unit

Operational Management
  • To demonstrate a sound understanding of Clinical Governance and apply to work situation.
  • To be aware of health and Safety and risk management aspects of clinical work. To implement any policies, which may be required to improve the safety of the work area, including the prompt recording and reporting of accidents or equipment defects to senior or designated staff.
  • To comply with the organisational and departmental policies and procedures and be involved in the reviewing and updating as appropriate.
  • To regularly participate in working parties developing policy changes within the community that will impact on service users.
  • To be responsible for equipment used in carrying out physiotherapy duties and to adhere to departmental policy, including competence to use equipment and ensuring the safe use of equipment by others through teaching, training and supervision of practise.
  • To be actively involved in the collection of appropriate data and statistics for the use of the department.
  • To manage the neonatal follow up outpatients waiting list, report the findings to the physiotherapy manager and ensure that the waiting list stays as low as possible.
  • Work with the Neonatal AHP team to evaluate and identify the current needs of the service with the Unit Leads create job plan with priorities for service provision within funded time.
  • To work with the head of service in developing the strategic and operational management of the neonatal physiotherapy service.
  • To co-ordinate and produce service and staffing reports as requested by a manager.
  • Design and undertake evidence-based audit and research projects to further own and teams clinical practice and improve service delivery within the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and neonatal follow up section. Identify and implement changes as agreed with the Occupational Therapy/Physiotherapy Manager for Inpatients.
  • Undertake a team leader role alongside the Community Paediatric Team Leader in planning, co-ordinating and evaluating the neonatal physiotherapy service to these children with diverse and complex disorders.
  • To deputise for the team leader in his/her absence

Communication
  • To communicate assessment and treatment plans to the appropriate disciplines in the form of reports, letters and patient notes. This involves communication with professionals from the health and social services.
  • To communicate effectively and work collaboratively with other neonatal Allied Health Professionals to ensure the delivery of a coordinated multidisciplinary service and to integrate developmental care and early intervention into the daily care of the infant. This will include multi-disciplinary discussion of infants care and progress and involvement in discharge planning, including attendance at discharge planning meetings.
  • To communicate effectively with and work collaboratively with multiple medical, nursing and therapy staff within both acute and community settings. This also extends to professionals in social services and the voluntary sector.
  • To communicate effectively with patients and carers, including advice, instruction and teaching to ensure a consistency in the approach to understanding of conditions and to maximise rehabilitation potential. Due to the long-term nature of the condition of patients seen, great emphasis has to be placed on the variety of types of treatment to maintain patient and carers motivation, to ensure the success of treatment programmes.
  • To promote understanding of the aims of neonatal physiotherapy and early intervention and to ensure a consistency in the approach to patient care when dealing with patients, carers and other professionals.
  • To represent the trust externally regarding neonatal physiotherapy services provided to patients.

Professional
  • To be responsible for maintaining own competency to practice through Continuing Professional Development activities, the local Trust staff appraisal scheme and agreed personal development plan.
  • To actively maintain and develop the specialist skills required of a highly specialist paediatric physiotherapist (neonates) by participating in reflective practice, attending in-service training, relevant national courses, clinical specialist groups, clinical supervision and peer review.
  • To fulfil all specified mandatory training requirements
  • To be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of work including the management of patients following national, local and occupational policies.
  • To accept clinical responsibility for a designated caseload of patients and to organise this effectively and efficiently with regard to clinical priorities. To balance this with other patient relayed and professional demands within the available working hours.
  • To be clinically responsible for a designated area of work, as agreed with the Team lead community Paediatric Physiotherapy manager. To manage this area of the service with regard to organisation and clinical supervision of staff to ensure an efficient and effective service.
  • To co-ordinate and deliver training to junior physiotherapy colleagues and other members of the MDT regarding physiotherapy management of children with complex needs including knowledge and practical skills.
  • To deputise for the Paediatric Community Physiotherapy manager or the manager of the Physiotherapy and Orthotics Services.


Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Diploma/Degree in Physiotherapy
  • HCPC registration
  • Evidence of CPD maintained in a portfolio
  • Post graduate qualifications/evidence


Desirable

  • Clinical educators training
  • Neonatal Assessment course
  • Bayley scales of infant and toddler development assessment.
  • APCP membership


Communication Skills

Essential

  • Relevant IT skills
  • Excellent verbal and non-verbal communicaton
  • Ability to disseminate complex information to others
  • Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

    418-DTO4710-SJ

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