Physiotherapist

Job responsibilities

To provide a high quality and efficient Physiotherapy service to patients with a wide range of physical and medical conditions referred to the Specialist Palliative Care Service.

To work as an integral member of the multidisciplinary team at Hospice of the Valleys, assisting in the provision of support and rehabilitation to adults, in all End of Care Life settings including the community, Living Well Service, local hospital and care homes.

To provide clinical expertise in the prioritisation, assessment, and treatment of patients within the scope of the conditions referred to the Specialist Palliative Care service.

To ensure that service provision supports the objectives of End-of-Life Care provision across the Hospice of the Valleys

Clinical Duties

1. To be responsible for the day-to-day management of the Physiotherapy service to the Specialist Palliative Care Team

2. To work as an autonomous practitioner managing your own caseload including advanced assessment, implementation and evaluating evidence-based treatment and applying specialist skills to support palliative care patients with varied and often complex conditions.

3. To be responsible for prioritising, organising, and planning own caseload to meet service and patient priorities. Readjusting plans as situations change/arise.

4. Make clinical decisions within the home and in liaison with the multidisciplinary team and other clinicians including GPs and external agencies in preventing some hospital admissions

5. Actively contributing to the multidisciplinary team within the Specialist Palliative Care Service

6. To undertake PT assessment, addressing the patients physical, psychological and functional skills

7. To help patients define their goals and engage them in a treatment/support programme to work towards mutually agreed goals.

Communication

1. To communicate directly with other healthcare professionals within the Specialist Palliative Care Team to ensure a holistic approach to patient care, attending regular meetings as required.

2. To be able to communicate to an advanced level in clinical situations and within the community with the wider professional team.

3. To demonstrate compassion, empathy and sensitivity to patients who may have complex emotional and physical conditions such as pain, anxiety, fear of falling, dealing with diagnosis carrying prognosis.

4. To use effective communication skills to ensure patients needs are fully addressed in emotive, complicated, and difficult situations.

5. To maintain excellent communication links with the Multidisciplinary Team, outside agencies, other Trusts, and healthcare professionals ensuring seamless and coordinated provision of care.

Professional

1. To promote high professional standards across the multidisciplinary Specialist Palliative Care team.

2. To maintain accurate, comprehensive and up to date treatment records in accordance with the guidelines

3. To be actively involved in the collection of appropriate data and statistics for the use of the service.

4. Practice within a legal and ethical framework that adheres to the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, Code of Professional Conduct and local Trust policies and procedures.

5.Maintain confidentiality of information consistent with legislation and policies.

Training and Education

1. To provide advice and education within the Specialist Palliative Care Multidisciplinary Team, other agencies and other health care professionals, acting as an expert and specialist in the professional field.

2. To provide necessary on-the-spot and prepared advice, teaching and instruction to individuals, families and carers consistent with a high-quality approach to patient care.

3. To work closely with the different professionals within the team to provide an integrated approach to patient assessment, treatment, and support.

4. To attend relevant courses, seminars, and workshops in order to maintain a current professional knowledge base and to take responsibility for maintain a Continuing Professional Development CPD portfolio.

5. To attend mandatory training when required.

6. To contribute to internal and external training programmes

Physical Working conditions & Environment

1. To have the ability to adapt assessment and treatments within the home, ensuring quality as well as the safety of patients and self.

2. To apply lone working principles within the Specialist Palliative Care Service setting.

3. Have a UK driving licence to carry out home visits. To have the ability to travel between sites in a timely and efficient manner and the ability to respond to visit requirements in area of work.

4. To comply with local risk procedures when dealing with challenging behavioural needs and high-risk extreme environments.

5. To have highly developed physical skills which involves dexterity, co-ordination and sensory skills for assessment and manual treatment of patients

General Duties

Confidentiality

All employees are required to uphold the confidentiality of all information records in whatever format, encountered in the course of employment and after it.

All employees are bound by the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulations when, in the course of their employment, they deal with information records relating to individuals Equality and Diversity

The Hospice is committed to promoting an environment that values diversity. All staff are responsible for ensuring that they treat individuals equally and fairly and do not discriminate on the grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. The Hospice expects all staff to behave in a way that recognises and respects diversity in line with the appropriate standards.

Health and Safety

All employees have a responsibility under the terms of the Health and Safety at Work Act1974 to protect and promote their own health and that of others in the workplace

All employees must comply with all Hospice Health and Safety Procedures Infection Control

Information Governance

All employees are responsible for ensuring they undertake any training relating to information governance, read the Hospices policies, procedures and guidance documents relating to information governance, and understanding how this affects them in their ...