An excellent opportunity has arisen for a Band 6 Senior Physiotherapist within our integrated stroke team consisting of physiotherapists, occupational therapists and therapy support workers. We are looking for a candidate with proven specialist skills in stroke, who will provide therapy across both our acute and hyper-acute stroke units.

The successful candidate will be passionate about stroke, motivated to develop their own skills and that of the service, and provide therapy that is of a high quality and is evidence based. They will be motivated to develop and support colleagues alongside the demands of working in a busy acute hospital.

Main duties of the job

- The post holder assumes responsibility for the day-to-day management of the clinical area, in the absence of the team leader.

- The post holder is supervised by a named therapist, who may not be present at all times. Clinical and professional supervision is in the form of regular clinical reasoning sessions, observed practice, peer review and formal training.

- The post holder will link with the Band 7 clinical lead therapist to support the use of resources within budget. The level of managerial responsibility involves the supervision and appraisal of junior therapists, support workers and undergraduates, with the support of the Band 7.

About us

Join us at an exciting time for Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust . We have an ambitious plan for our journey to outstanding and are looking for aspirational and committed individuals to join us , making a real difference to both staff and patients.

As a former winner of England for excellence award: Tourism destination of the year , the beautiful city of Gloucester and the scenic regency spa town of Cheltenham are fantastic places to work and live.

As a hospital trust we are currently involved in over 100 clinical trials and studies, whilst also providing acute elective and specialist services to a population of over 620,000.

By joining Gloucestershire hospitals NHS trust new colleagues can look forward to a warm welcome and a future full of opportunities and support.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Improving quality and developing practice

To work as a specialist practitioner in the clinical area utilising theoretical knowledge, clinical experience and clinical reasoning skills and techniques to assess, diagnose, plan and offer a range of treatment options deliver, evaluate and amend the treatment plan. This will include patients with diverse or complex presentations/multi-pathologies in individual or group therapy sessions. Working as an autonomous practitioner with access to guidance from the clinical lead therapist when necessary, including working as a lone practitioner in the community.

To maintain clear, accurate and concise patient records in line with departmental and professional standards and include relevant outcome measures. This will include writing patient reports for e.g. medical practitioners and solicitors requests.

To support audit and research projects, to further own and teams clinical practice. To be involved in making recommendations for changes to practice and procedures for the relevant clinical area, and the implementation of these changes.

To contribute to the Clinical Governance and Quality agenda by active participation in service initiatives, health and safety and risk management.

To participate in the out of hours service at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and/or Cheltenham General Hospital after appropriate induction and training as required.*

To comply with Trust and Departmental policies and procedures e.g. Health and Safety at Work Act (1974), Manual Handling, clinical equipment competency, risk management, Data Protection Acts and patient confidentiality at all times. This will include demonstrating compliance with the terms of all safeguarding policies and processes relevant to the safeguarding of adults and children in thecare of GHNHSFT and to undergo regular mandatory training concerned with safeguarding matters.

Leadership and management

To be responsible for the organisation of own caseload and appropriately delegate to junior therapists and support workers. To ensure the team is effective in the day to day running of the clinical area.

To communicate with the multi disciplinary team (MDT) to aid effective patient care, which will include taking an active role in team meetings, joint treatment sessions, case conferences and specialist interest group meetings. Either working alone or as part of the multi-disciplinary team, to make recommendations for appropriate and timely discharge/transfer from hospital

Education and training

To consolidate and learn new skills and competencies to provide holistic care using the Therapy Competency Framework. To develop clinical reasoning and treatment techniques through the active participation in training and development. To consolidate knowledge and skills learned through this process with the direction of senior staff, and deliver research based presentations as part of in-service training. This will involve facilitating own learning opportunities, reflecting on practice and learning through this process

To participate in the supervision, caseload monitoring and clinical education of junior therapists, support workers and undergraduate students. Providing support, guidance, training, and assessing and evaluating competence, in order to fulfil clinical governance requirements and retain a skilled workforce. To participate in the undergraduate education process, as a clinical educator for undergraduates from the University of the West of England or other universities. This involves the assessment of students competency to practice and contributes to their BSc honours award in the defined profession.

Most Challenging Part of the Job:

- Dealing with an unpredictable workload and ensuring priorities are met especially during times of staff shortages

- Balancing the day to day clinical work with the non-clinical responsibilities of the post.

- Managing stressful, upsetting or emotional situations in an empathetic manner including managing own stress and developing resilience

- Taking responsibility for the supervision and appraisal of undergraduates, support workers and less experienced staff

- Working within a changing national and local context and adapting to meet these demands

Physical Effort and Working Conditions:

- Frequent daily manual handling of patients both with and without equipment with a range of weights and disabilities

- Frequent daily manual handling of equipment range of weights, sizes & shapes, and over varying distances

- Frequently working in awkward positions involving bending, kneeling, reaching, crawling as a part of patient treatment

- Often working in confined/cramped spaces eg. space around beds on wards, or in patients own homes

- Frequent exposure to contagious conditions and bodily fluids

- Occasionally experiencing distress when treating terminally ill patients or patients with chronic degenerative diseases

- Occasional management of patients who may become aggressive.

- Frequently working under pressure with heavy caseloads and time/staffing level constraints

- Frequent repeated concentration for sustained periods e.g. assessment, analysis and problem solving etc

- Frequent use of VDU equipment

- Constant interruption from other members of staff, medical professionals, including carrying a bleep, or mobile phone

This job description may be amended by management through consultation with the postholder in order to reflect changes in, or to, the job.

Person Specification

Qualifications, Skills and Knowledge

Essential

• Degree/diploma in Physiotherapy
• Registered with the Health & Care Professions Council
• Experience of working in the NHS in the UK
• Experience of working in stroke / neurosciences
• Experience of delivering a high level of skill in assessment and management of complex patients
• Demonstrate excellent communication skills and ability to work with others

Desirable

• UK driving licence

Employer details

Employer name

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Cheltenham General Hospital

Sandford Road

Cheltenham

GL53 7AN

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

318-23-D&S-T1264