Rapid Access Services is a 7-day community service comprising of three pathways Urgent Community Response, Discharge to Assess, and Virtual Ward. Our physiotherapists work together with OTs, nurses, paramedics, social workers, pharmacists, and support staff to prevent admission to hospital for unwell patients, or facilitate early discharge from the local hospitals for patients who will recover quicker in their own home.

There is an Urgent Response Falls pathway for non-injured fallers. We work closely with the ambulance service and other external agencies to respond within 2 hours to these patients.

The caseload is varied and we work closely with our community neuro and respiratory teams, GPs, ambulance service and acute hospitals to provide an urgent response and risk assessment for people in their own homes.

This is a 7 day service consisting of varying shift patterns between 9am-10pm.

> Willing to discuss flexible working

> Happy to arrange an informal visit

> We would consider a fixed term secondment of 12 months

Shortlisting to be completed by 20th August 2024

The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.

Main duties of the job

This post will involve cross working over the three pathways incorporated within the Rapid Access Service: Urgent Community Response Team (UCR), the Discharge to Assess (D2A) Team and The Virtual Ward (VW).

Which are all based at St. Pancras Hospital near vibrant Camden Town but cover the whole of the London Borough of Camden, one of the most diverse populations in London. The service is purely community based and has the privilege of being invited into the homes of Camden residents from as far north as the borders of Golders Green and as far south as Holborn and everywhere in between.

The Urgent Community Response Team care for patients who are acutely unwell and at risk of admission to hospital and require a timely, same day, intervention to provide acute nursing and therapy intervention to prevent that admission. D2A facilitate same-day discharge from Camden's local hospitals for patients who are medically fit for discharge and below their functional baseline requiring additional support at home.

About us

Experience of working autonomously is essential, as our team is often faced with some challenging situations which present themselves in the home environment. We are a high functioning team, adapting to the evolving changes within the primary care setting.

The main Physio role as part of the Discharge To Assess (D2A) and Virtual Ward (VW) pathway, is to support timely discharges from acute hospitals. These are variable in complexity, consisting of simple risk assessments for those below their usual functional ability, but also for those with a new ongoing delirium, non-weight bearing, or those with a specialist brace due to a spinal fracture. It is crucial that they have an immediate assessment in their own home environment to ensure their safety and optimal function upon discharge.

Within the Urgent Community Response (UCR) pathway, the key is to provide Physio assessment, treatment and interventions in people's home in order to prevent hospital admissions. This can also consist of supporting same day discharges from A& E. There is opportunity to work alongside our OT, nursing and paramedic colleagues, and social workers in order to provide an MDT approach to meet people's wishes to remain at home. This is the best place for recovery where possible, and also reduces ambulance and acute hospital pressures.

Job description

Job responsibilities

As a member of the Rapid Access Service, you will be expected to be a skilled physiotherapist who is an excellent communicator, is flexible and able to adapt to the needs of both patients and service.

This is a challenging and highly rewarding role within a fast-paced, and ever evolving primary care team. This will enable you to develop your skills in the holistic treatment within a variety of areas. These include knowledge of medications and their impact on function being competent in taking observations and completing NEWS2 scores on patients, interpreting these scores and identifying and escalating when a patient is unwell being exposed to an array of medical and long-term conditions in people over the age of 18 identifying the need for a GP or specialist review as part of diagnostics, and being competent in liaising directly with the appropriate specialist community teams to ensure seamless care.

Due to a 7-day working pattern, you will have a have a shared team caseload. You will provide complex assessments and interventions and will make high impact clinical decisions. You will be expected to work autonomously whilst being very well supported by a dynamic and approachable team, who will encourage growth and leadership in your role. You will have the opportunity to develop skills in supervising junior staff and identifying and participating in service development through QI projects.

As part of your role you will also have the opportunity to be Clinician of The Day (COD). This consists of screening all referrals for all pathways. This is a key leadership role in which the COD is required to challenge where necessary the appropriateness of referrals, and ensure all the relevant information is gained to ensure safety for all parties. The COD co-ordinates and oversees the therapists caseload on that given day, and allocates new referrals as they are discharged from hospital. This is a balancing skill in order to ensure the team have capacity and the discharge is well co-ordinated in line with the integrated discharge teams.There is much scope for development of clinical skills within this role, and our team has a proud history of a high staff retention rate and have experience of developing and promoting therapists within the team.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Degree / Diploma Physiotherapy
• Registration with HCPC as a Physiotherapist

Desirable

• Member of CSP
• Membership and/or involvement in a CSP Professional Network
• Post-Graduate MSc degree
• Post Registration course

Experience

Essential

• Previous experience of working in the UK or a similar health economy as a physiotherapist.
• Previous general experience to include the following: oOlder people/elderly rehab oMedicine & general surgery oOrthopaedics oFalls oDementia oRespiratory
• Supervisor experience (Students or juniors)
• Experience of completion of audit and service developments

Desirable

• Experience of working as an autonomous practitioner in a community setting

Knowledge.

Essential

• Excellent communication skills, fluency in written and verbal English
• Demonstrates flexibility, problem solving, initiative and leadership skills
• Able to demonstrate clinical and professional development
• Understanding the principles of Multi-Disciplinary Teamwork
• Demonstration of knowledge of standards of practice, evidence and best practice guidelines
• Able to demonstrate an understanding of clinical risks

Desirable

• Excellent IT skills including Outlook, Word, Excel, databases etc

Attitudes, aptitudes, personal characteristics

Essential

• Personally and professionally responsible
• The ability to work under pressure and set priorities, delegate and manage own time
• The ability to work in a team
• Demonstrates Leadership skills

Employer details

Employer name

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

St Pancras Hospital

London

NW1 0PE

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

333-G-CC-1313-D