Team Lead Physiotherapist, Frailty inWorcester inWorcester PUBLISHED TUE 14 JAN 2025

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic and self-motivated physiotherapist with specialised experience in Frailty and Older People to join our dynamic Frailty Team at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.

This is a 34-hour-per-week position on a 12-month fixed-term contract to cover maternity leave to start ~ May 2025.

In this role, you will provide both operational and clinical leadership to the Frailty Team at Worcestershire Royal Hospital. You will work closely with the Frailty Occupational Therapy team to deliver an efficient and integrated therapy service.

Your responsibilities will include delivering an effective, evidence-based service to older people living with frailty and general medical patients. As part of an enthusiastic MDT, you will work in the Emergency Department, Frailty SDEC, and inpatient wards to provide early assessment and intervention, supporting and facilitating the discharge process.

You will also be responsible for the clinical supervision and management of both rotational and static staff, as well as physiotherapy support workers.

The role requires participation in the multidisciplinary 7-day service for frailty, as well as involvement in existing respiratory or orthopaedic out-of-hours and weekend services, depending on your experience and service needs.

Working as an experienced, autonomous practitioner, to provide a high standard of patient focused care through advanced assessment, accurate diagnosis, development and delivery of individual treatment programmes for patients within given speciality. To take responsibility of own caseload in area of speciality.

To assist in the planning, co-ordination, delivery and evaluation of the physiotherapy service provided within outpatients at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.

To provide supervision, support and education for qualified and unqualified physiotherapy staff, and to other members of the multi-disciplinary team.

To participate in departmental audit and research in support of evidence based practice.

To undertake a team leader role in planning, co-ordinating, delivering and evaluating the physiotherapy service provided to patients within a outpatients.

To advise physiotherapists on the physiotherapy treatment and management of patients within outpatients.

To communicate with the MDT as appropriate to provide comprehensive assessment to determine admission prevention as appropriate to given speciality.

To work alongside the other clinical leads within the speciality to ensure outpatient services are delivered and evaluated effectively.

About us

Please see the attached Job Description document for a full overview of this post.

Key Duties:

Clinical:

• To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of practice, including the management of patients receiving treatment.
• To ensure the delivery of care to the patient is of a high clinical and professional standard using a wide range of physiotherapy techniques and extensive post graduate experience, and to encourage members of the team to do likewise.
• To make clinical judgements involving complex and often multi pathology patients regarding potential for rehabilitation. Such decisions may cause some conflict and financial implications.
• To deliver group sessions where appropriate within area of speciality e.g hip and knee pre op group.
• To be responsible for own caseload within speciality and organise all other members of the team in order to provide an efficient service taking into account clinical priorities that can rapidly change throughout the course of the day.
• To ensure that patient confidentiality, privacy and dignity is maintained at all times.
• To undertake comprehensive clinical assessment, including clinical risk of patients, including those with complex/ highly complex, sensitive and multi pathological presentations using advanced investigative skills within speciality. Using highly specialised analytical and clinical reasoning assessment skills to interpret findings and to apply these to the development of individual evidence based patient management plans. Some patients will have been referred by a medical practitioner but not examined.
• To regularly evaluate subjectively and objectively the effectiveness of the treatment, using appropriate outcome measures and to decide when medical review is needed and to adjust treatment accordingly.
• To demonstrate a high level of specialised skill and expertise in the delivery of treatment to patients, including highly skilled handling. To demonstrate highly developed dexterity, co-ordination and manual skills for assessment and treatment of patients. Appropriate treatments are selected from an extensive repertoire of physiotherapeutic interventions e.g Normal Movement, Motor Relearning, manual therapy techniques, respiratory techniques, use of NIV and exercise therapy dependant on speciality.
• To work in partnership with medical, nursing and MDT to develop services in accordance with local and national service and clinical guidelines.
• To co-ordinate with other members of the MDT to facilitate discharge planning, participating in weekly MDT meetings, home visits and progress meetings with patients, relatives and carers. This is according to speciality.
• To maintain comprehensive, accurate and contemporaneous treatment records, including valid consent appropriate to the intervention, and discharge report or referrals for ongoing therapy in another setting.
• To liaise closely with other specialist teams to provide optimal, seamless care to patients.
• To act as a source of specialised knowledge and provide advice to other physiotherapy colleagues and the MDT within given speciality.
• To provide specialist advice, support, training and mentoring to other members of the multi-disciplinary team and all staff who participate in rotas / weekend / on call working associated within the given speciality.
• To co-ordinate and ensure effective delivery of rotas within area of speciality with assistance of the Clinical Lead.
• With the assistance of the Clinical Lead, to accept clinical responsibility for outpatients, including management of the waiting lists across the trust.
• To use advanced judgemental skills and a comprehensive knowledge of physiotherapy interventions to plan individual treatment programmes of care, reflecting evidence based practice.

Communications:

• To assess capacity, gain valid consent and to work within a legal framework with patients who lack the capacity to consent to treatment.
• To communicate effectively using skills of persuasion, motivation, reassurance, explanation and negotiation, with patients where barriers to effective communication may be evident, e.g. expressive and receptive dysphasia, altered perception, hearing loss, mental disabilities, pain and fear. Barriers to communication will regularly be evident.
• To give a clear explanation of realistic expectations and develop a treatment plan in negotiation with the patient using written information where required.
• To write clear and concise notes based on physiotherapy assessment and treatment of patients, in accordance with professional standards.
• To produce written discharge summaries and/or progress reports to GPs, Consultants, or other referring health professionals regarding complex conditions within speciality.
• To liaise with ward staff for handover of patient status, and with other healthcare colleagues as appropriate, and attend meetings and case conferences.
• To liaise with junior therapists regarding caseloads.
• To communicate with all health professionals, patients, relatives and carers personally or by telephone or email to maintain a seamless service. E.G. members of the Critical Care Out Reach team regarding acutely ill patients in the ward setting to establish a network of care of the highest quality.
• To be part of the specialised physiotherapy team, communicating effectively to establish current workload and organise assistance where required.
• To lead the team in the absence of the clinical lead, communicating effectively to establish current workload and organise assistance when required.
• To liaise verbally, in writing and electronically with medical, nursing staff and other healthcare professionals, encouraging a multidisciplinary team approach to patient care utilising best practice to develop and improve clinical services.
• To work in partnership with all members of the MDT to co-ordinate patient care and discharge planning, by attending ward rounds, case conferences and regular MDT meetings as appropriate to given speciality.

Education and Training:

• To maintain own clinical professional development by a variety of means (internal/external courses, journal reviews, self-directed study) in order to maintain up to date clinical knowledge.
• To be appraised annually by the Clinical Lead/ Site Manager to formulate a personal development plan. This should take into account personal objectives with regards to education and development, and Trust objectives including management and service issues.
• To appraise, mentor and train other members of the team including rotational staff and assistants.
• To liaise with the Physiotherapy manager or Clinical lead as appropriate re the organisation of physiotherapy equipment specific area. E.g walking frames, NIV, electrotherapy equipment.
• To assess and appraise students in line with University guidelines. To provide supervision and training to physiotherapy students.
• To participate in all mandatory training as required by the trust.
• To be an active member of the departmental in-service training programme, by attending and delivering training in the form of presentations, journal reviews, and demonstrating reflective practice.
• To provide training to junior staff in physiotherapy medical devices within speciality.
• To provide supervision, teaching and training to junior staff within given speciality, to promote a high standard of patient care through the delivery of skilled assessment and treatment.
• To demonstrate an understanding of clinical governance in physiotherapy practice.
• To regularly evaluate current physiotherapy practice through the use of outcome measures and audit, and to use this information to recommend service improvements.
• To promote physiotherapy within specific speciality by the provision of teaching and instruction to patients, carers, relatives and other health professionals.
• To keep abreast of new developments in physiotherapy, evidence based practice, ensuring that physiotherapists working within given speciality are also informed.
• To assist with the planning, coordination and delivery of specific training within given speciality.
• To take an active role in multi-disciplinary training, both as provider and participant, giving specialist advice / training to MDT colleagues where needed.
• To be responsible for the Physiotherapy training programmes and continued assessment and competency of staff from other professions as appropriate to speciality.
• To adhere to local departmental and trust policies.
• In the absence of the Clinical Lead, to represent the Physiotherapy department in appropriate management and directorate meetings.
• To provide spontaneous and planned advice, teaching and instruction to relatives, carers and other healthcare professionals both within the trust and externally to promote an understanding of the aims of physiotherapy and to ensure a consistent approach to patient care.

Organisation and Management:

• To assist in the leadership of the outpatient team.
• To provide and be part responsible for organising and monitoring the specialised physiotherapy service within a designated area.
• To be responsible for prioritising and allocating work and ensuring the effective selection and use of resources.
• To be responsible for own caseload and organise other members of the team in order to provide an efficient service, taking into account clinical priorities, that can rapidly change throughout the course of a day.
• To ensure the Clinical Lead/ Site Manager is fully informed of all matters affecting the speciality by regular reporting.
• To be aware of, adhere to National, Professional, Trust and Departmental policies. To assist in forming new departmental policies if necessary, and propose ideas for development of the service.
• To collect accurate and up to date statistical information to assist in audit and departmental evidence regarding physiotherapy treatment.
• To be involved in managing human resources within the department (recruitment and selection process/absence management/ performance management)