Team Lead Physiotherapist

Job overview

There is an exciting fixed term opportunity, to cover maternity leave, on our Health and Ageing Physiotherapy team for a dynamic and enthusiastic Physiotherapist, with a special interest in the care of older adults who is looking to develop their managerial and leadership skills, to work as a Band 7 Team Lead.

The Health and Ageing team aims to provide high-quality, effective care to our older adult patients through evidence based practice. The team works closely with all members of the multidisciplinary team to assess, treat and rehabilitate older adults ensuring safe and timely discharges.

The successful post holder will work as part of a multidisciplinary team.

This is a fixed term, full-time post based at the Denmark Hill site and requires some weekend working.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be responsible for providing both leadership to the Health and Ageing Physiotherapy service across the inpatient wards and outpatient clinic as well as high quality, effective and efficient patient care. The post holder is required to have excellent clinical communication and interpersonal skills and will need to be able to communicate effectively with service stakeholders within the service.

As an autonomous practitioner you will use highly specialist physiotherapy knowledge and skills to manage your own complex caseload. You will be responsible for leading and managing the team including supervising, teaching and developing staff and students to meet individual and service needs. The post requires a flexible approach to working and where necessary you will be required to deputise for the Clinical Lead as well as undertaking weekend working.

You must have a degree or equivalent in Physiotherapy and registration with the Health Care Professions Council is essential for this post.

Working for our organisation

King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK’s largest and busiest teaching Trusts with a turnover of c£1.8 billion, 1.5 million patient contacts a year and more than 15,000 staff based across South East London. The Trust provides a full range of local and specialist services across its five sites. The trust-wide strategy of Strong Roots, Global Reach is our Vision to be BOLD, Brilliant people, Outstanding care, Leaders in Research, Innovation and Education, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion at the heart of everything we do. By being person-centred, digitally-enabled, and focused on sustainability, we aim to take Team King’s to another level.

We are at a pivotal point in our history and we require individuals who are ready to join a highly professional team and make a real, lasting difference to our patients and our people.

King’s is committed to delivering Sustainable Healthcare for All via our Green Plan. In line with national Greener NHS ambitions, we have set net zero carbon targets of 2040 for our NHS Carbon Footprint and 2045 for our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus. Everyone’s contribution is required in order to meet the goals set out in our Green Plan and we encourage all staff to work responsibly, minimising their contributions to the Trust’s carbon emissions, waste and pollution wherever possible.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical and Professional

· Be responsible for the efficient, effective and safe management of all patients.

Receive referrals, undertake full assessment and independently plan individual, specialised, evidence-based, treatment programmes for patients appropriately depending on the physiotherapist’s diagnosis.

· Carry a significant clinical caseload including highly complex and diverse patient groups.

· Prioritise work efficiently.

· Provide individual patient equipment as required.

· Be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of own work, and of the team.

· Use recognised outcome measures.

· Advise, guide and teach assistant and junior staff, with the assessment and management of patients with a wide range of pathological and social problems.

· Develop new working practices and local guidelines and keep abreast of new techniques in relation to the management of the patients in this specialty.

· Lead on production of clinical guidelines and local policies.

· Provide guidance and advice to other professions and bodies involved in the provision of older persons rehabilitation services and to the patients and their carers.

· Have a flexible approach to working including seven day service, overnight respiratory on call and weekend duty rotas.

Communication

· Be able to persuade and motivate patients through effective communication skills.

· Provide and receive information from patients, carers and other professionals regarding a patient’s condition and treatment progress.

· Communicate effectively with patients and carers to maximise rehabilitation potential and to improve understanding of the condition.

· Develop and maintain close working relationships with other members of the team, ensuring appropriate attendance at ward rounds, multi-disciplinary meetings and case conferences.

· Provide recommendations of clinical management and highly specialist advice to the MDT and external organisations.

· Develop and maintain close working relationships with physiotherapy colleagues, referring clinicians and other appropriate professions and agencies in the provision of rehabilitation services.

· Be integral in discharge planning.

· Take an active part in departmental meetings.

· Ensure open lines of communication within own team and guide junior staff in effective communication skills.

· Be responsible for local management of informal conflicts, disagreements and complaints.

· Represent the department and profession at trust-based working groups e.g. Clinical Governance and provide highly specialist knowledge to those groups.

· Represent the Trust at regional events or meetings e.g. AGILE and develop best practice at King’s through liaison with other regional specialists/colleagues and other relevant forums.

Information Management

· Ensure staff are aware of appropriate outreach services, available for patients.

· Maintain comprehensive and accurate patient notes and records in accordance with departmental policy.

· Write legal reports if required.

Physical Resources

· Maintain equipment inventory, ensure equipment is ordered appropriately and investigate bids for further equipment.

· Be responsible for regular inspection and ensure reporting of defects of equipment used in this area.

· Be aware of the cost/benefit implications in the selection of appropriate equipment to be provided for patient long-term use as an individual and by the team.

Service Development

· Contribute to the formulation of departmental policies and procedures and participate in agreed developments in the physiotherapy service or its organisation.

· Initiate and implement changes to working practices related to research findings or service initiatives.

· Undertake clinical audit, report on findings and after discussion with the clinical lead, implement changes and re-audit.

· Have a sound knowledge of Clinical Governance and have an active role in clinical effectiveness and audit within the department, taking a lead role as required.

· Identify and advise the Physiotherapy Manager and Clinical Lead Physiotherapist of actual or potential changes in service requirements or delivery.

Education and Training

· Be a clinical educator by being responsible for the training and professional development of under-graduate students.

· Prepare and participate in lectures, seminars and demonstrations to other physiotherapists, student physiotherapists and other disciplines as appropriate.

· Ensure planned in service training for the team is appropriate.

· Foster, encourage and facilitate the development of evidence-based projects.

· Train and assess staff in undertaking high risk discharges.

· Train and assess competence of any new physiotherapy assistant.

· Assess competence of nursing staff in some clinical techniques

· Be responsible for maintaining own competency to practice through CPD activities.

People Management and Performance

• Deputise for the Clinical Lead Physiotherapist.
• Have an active role in effective team working in the physiotherapy department, leading, assisting and supporting other team members.
• Be responsible for the standard of physiotherapy carried out by physiotherapy assistants or technical instructors working in team.

· Manage workload and assist other members of the team to make appropriate priorities.

· Lead, coach and manage the performance of the team.

• Participate in regular performance appraisal meetings.
• Ensure the team is compliant with all statutory, mandatory training.
• Manage team absences including sickness in line with Trust policy.
• Identify and fill any vacancies that arise within the team in line with the Trust’s recruitment policy and process.
• Identify talent and support the internal talent management process in order attract and retain and succession plan for your people.
• Review skills mix at regular intervals in order to identify any potential opportunities to maximise resource utilisation / allocation, ensuring job descriptions are kept up to date.
• Ensure overall wellbeing of the team is maintained. Continuously support in improving the morale of the team and implementing a culture of zero-tolerance for bullying and harassment.

General

· Undertake Therapy Handling training and comply with the guidelines.

· The post holder has a general duty of care for their own health, safety and wellbeing and that of work colleagues, visitors and patients within the hospital, in addition to any specific risk management or clinical governance accountabilities associated with this post.

· Staff may be required to work across multiple sites dependent upon the needs of the service. This includes both static and rotational posts.

• Observe the rules, policies, procedures and standards of King's College Hospital NHS Trust together with all relevant statutory and professional obligations.
• To live and role model the King’s Values of:

- Understanding you

- Inspiring confidence in our care

- Working together

- Always aiming higher

- Making a difference in our community

• To observe and maintain strict confidentiality of personal information relating to patients and staff.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Degree in Physiotherapy

Desirable criteria

• Working at a Masters level, as demonstrated by ongoing CPD, evidence based project work, external post graduate lecturing

Knowledge and Experience

Essential criteria

• Wide-ranging post graduate clinical experience including respiratory, rehabilitation, musculo-skeletal, orthopaedic and neurological conditions
• Specialist knowledge and understanding of frailty and conditions affecting older adults predominantly with examples
• Awareness of NHS structure and discharge planning pathways

Skills and Competencies

Essential criteria

• Demonstrates leadership attributes and motivational skills
• Able to organise own workload, and that of junior staff, using prioritisation and delegation skills to support workers
• Demonstrates good communication skills including writing and listening with examples.
• Demonstrates ability to work as part of an MDT

IMPORTANT

• Check your email account regularly as this is how we will communicate with you
• If you delete the job from any of your accounts, you may be prevented from accessing further communications
• To enquire about your application or inform us of any changes in your circumstances, please contact the named person on this advert
• Please provide email addresses for referees where possible
• Please review the documentation on our recruitment microsite, particularly the Trust’s criminal records checking policy
• All staff have a responsibility for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and for ensuring they are aware of the specific duties relating to their role.
• Please note that the closing date is given as a guide. On occasion, we might close a vacancy early due to a high number of applications being received. You are advised to submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

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