To provide a high standard practitioner service at outpatient and community specialist clinics/groups for those living with obesity.

To use evidence-based principles/current best practice of exercise, nutrition and behaviour change techniques to assess, plan and implement healthy lifestyle management, within the Physiotherapy and Nutrition and Dietetics Departments.

This post is a static role within the healthy living physiotherapy team across both sites of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Trust as well as some community sites in South East London boroughs.

Main duties of the job

Please refer to the job description for more details

• To be professionally and legally responsible for all aspects of the post holders own work
• To carry out assessment of patients as an autonomous practitioner, and to use clinical reasoning skills and knowledge of evidence based practice to formulate appropriate care plan utilising a range of treatment skills and options
• To use specialist knowledge of obesity as a disease and other known associative health conditions to tailor exercise programmes individually following professional and department guidelines
• To use specialist nutrition knowledge, assessment and analysis to provide individualised nutritional advice in line with professional guidelines and best evidence base
• To use specialist knowledge of behaviour change techniques to assist with service users with long term behaviour change. Demonstrate a knowledge base of behaviour change theories.
• To recommend best course of intervention based on accurate physical and nutritional assessments, developing comprehensive onwards follow up plans following discharge from the service
• To work with and seek appropriate guidance from Registered Dietitians and Physiotherapists in clinical decision making when required

About us

Department Information

The Physiotherapy and the Nutrition & Dietetics Departments are within the Therapies & Rehabilitation and the Medical Specialties Clinical Directorates, respectively. The combined departments have over 400 staff and provide services across the Trust. The Healthy Living service is managed within both departments and this post specifically within the Physiotherapy Rehabilitation Service and its Clinical Lead Physiotherapist. The service provides nutritional and physiotherapy support to outpatients living with overweight and obesity and to staff throughout the department who manage overweight and obese patients.

Organisational Values:

Our values help us to define and develop our culture, what we do and how we do it. It is important that you understand andreflect these values throughout your employment with the Trust.

The post holder will:

• Put patients first
• Take pride in what they do
• Respect others
• Strive to be the best
• Act with integrity

Our values and behaviours framework|describes what it means for every one of us in the Trust to put our values into action.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Service Development

• To implement policy changes that impact on all service users, and advise team leader of any service development changes made, to ensure quality standards and effectiveness of patient care.
• With guidance, to identify situations where service improvement is required due to reduced effectiveness, efficiency and/or quality.
• With guidance, to take appropriate action to challenge the area of development via applying a range of standard research methods/tools and evaluating the outcome.

Physical resources

• To be responsible for competent use and maintenance reporting of all equipment used on each community and outpatient site including any free weights or gym equipment

Human resources

• To participate in the supervision, teaching and appraisal of assistants and technical instructors as required
• To contribute to supporting dietitian and physiotherapy students on placement

Information resources

• To maintain an accurate and evaluative record keeping system (POMR) for own clinical caseload
• To supervise assistant record keeping system according to departmental standards

Planning and Organisation

• To flexibly plan and organise own time, patient caseload, meetings and training and to adjust plans as required according to staffing levels.
• To support junior members of the team and delegate tasks as appropriate, for example exercise class allocation.
• To ensure smooth organisation of patient group work including gym classes

Communication

• To be able to motivate and persuade others through effective communication skills, with the benefit of verbal and non-verbal skills, using written and electronic information where needed
• To demonstrate the ability to communicate complex and sensitive information to patient, carers and other staff, where there may be barriers to communication i.e. non-English speaking patients use of interpreters excess noise or lack of privacy.
• To maintain close links, communication and liaison between all staff and people involved in patient care, student education, research or policy development as appropriate

Education

• To contribute to the education of multidisciplinary groups, patients, families and carers as appropriate.
• To be pro-active with regard to learning from other dietetic and physiotherapy staff within the department, and other MDT staff in the Trust.
• To be responsible for and actively record own personal professional development and maintain a CPD portfolio which reflects same
• To assist in organising and actively participate in the in-service education programme within the specialist clinical area and other outside courses/ lectures as appropriate
• To keep abreast in understanding and knowledge of all new developments which are applicable to specific physiotherapy treatments and nutrition advice.
• To undertake an evidence based project with professional presentation of the project periodically, and in line with agreed service developments, to the physiotherapy/dietetics department

Research, Quality and Audit

• To participate in the departments ongoing audit and appropriate work related research/ evaluation projects
• To keep abreast of evidenced based practice in the clinical area by use of relevant reading, attendance at in-service training, external courses and database searches
• To ensure good working knowledge of national and local standards and monitor quality as appropriate

As part of the physiotherapy departments commitment to meeting patient needs and delivering excellence we provide a 24 hours, 7 day service. It is therefore essential the post holder be able to work their hours flexibly and contribute fully to both existing and new rotas.

The following statement forms part of all job descriptions:-

The post holder is required to follow Trust policies and procedures which are regularly updated including:

Confidentiality / Data Protection / Freedom of Information

Post holders must maintain the confidentiality of information about patients, staff and other health service business in accordance with the Data Protection Act of 2018. Post holders must not, without prior permission, disclose any information regarding patients or staff. If any member of staff has communicated any such information to an unauthorised person, those staff will be liable to disciplinary action up to and including dismissal. Moreover, the Data Protection Act 2018 also renders an individual liable for prosecution in the event of unauthorised disclosure of information.

Following the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) 2000, post holders must apply the Trusts FOI procedure if they receive a written request for information.

Information Governance

All staff must comply with information governance requirements. These includes statutoryresponsibilities (such ascompliance with the Data Protection Act),following nationalguidance (such as theNHS Confidentiality Code of Practice) andcompliance with local policies and procedures (such as the Trust's Confidentiality policy). Staff are responsible for any personal information (belonging to staff or patients) that they access and must ensure it is stored, processed and forwarded in a secure and appropriate manner.

Equal Opportunities

Post holders must at all times fulfil their responsibilities with regard to the Trusts Equal Opportunities Policy and equality laws.

Health and Safety

All post holders have a responsibility, under the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) and subsequently published regulations, to ensure that the Trusts health and safety policies and procedures are complied with to maintain a safe working environment for patients, visitors and employees.

Infection Control

All post holders have a personal obligation to act to reduce healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs). They must attend mandatory training in Infection Control and be compliant with all measures required by the Trust to reduce HCAIs. All post holders must comply with Trust infection screening and immunisation policies as well as be familiar with the Trusts Infection Control Policies, including those that apply to their duties, such as Hand Decontamination Policy, Personal Protective Equipment Policy, safe procedures for using aseptic techniques and safe disposal of sharps.

Risk Management

All post holders have a responsibility to report risks such as clinical and non-clinical accidents or incidents promptly. They are expected to be familiar with the Trusts use of risk assessments to predict and control risk, as well as the incident reporting system for learning from mistakes and near misses in order to improve services. Post holders must also attend training identified by their manager, or stated by the Trust to be mandatory.

Flexible Working

As an organisation we are committed to developing our services in ways that best suit the needs of our patients. This means that some staff groups will increasingly be asked to work a more flexible shift pattern so that we can offer services in the evenings or at weekends.

Safeguarding children and vulnerable adults

Post holders have a general responsibility for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults in the course of their daily duties and for ensuring that they are aware of the specific duties relating to their role.

Sustainability

It is the responsibility of all staff to minimise the Trusts environmental impact by recycling wherever possible, switching off lights, computersmonitors and equipment when not in use, minimising water usage and reporting faults promptly.

Smoking Policy

The Trust is committed to providing a healthy and safe environment for staff, patients and visitors. Staff are therefore not permitted to smoke on Trust property or in Trust vehicles

Review of this Job Description

This job description is intended as an outline of the general areas of activity and will be amended in the light of the changing needs of the organisation. To be reviewed in conjunction with the post holder.

Person Specification

Previous experience

Essential

• Exercise delivery experience in a group setting using relevant clinical skills.
• Experience of estimating nutritional intake using 24-hour recall, food diaries, food frequency questionnaires and analysis software

Skills / Knowledge

Essential

• Knowledge of diet and food habits in relation to weight loss and healthy lifestyles

Desirable

• Knowledge of co-morbidities associated with people with overweight and obesity

Qualifications/ Education

Essential

• Attained or enrolled in an exercise or nutrition related degree or equivalent experience

Employer details

Employer name

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

Address

St Thomas' Hospital

London

SE1 7EH

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

196-LIS8034