Community Physiotherapist Job Specification
Main Purpose of the Job
To manage a caseload of patients independently and be accountable for assessing, interpreting, planning and implementing physiotherapy treatment and care to patients within professional guidelines. To ensure that patients receive the appropriate care in the most appropriate setting and to keep the patient at the centre of his or her care, ensuring patient and carer participation in decision making.
Main Responsibilities and Duties
- To treat, support and work within a multi-professional team.
- To undertake assessments, treatments and care planning.
- Supervise and train junior staff and physiotherapy assistants.
Patient Client Care
- Ensure own clinical credibility through professional practice, regular updating and maintaining clinical skills.
- To update own knowledge in light of current research and practice.
- To deliver clinical care for a variety of patients, occasionally with complex needs.
- Accountable for the assessing, interpreting, planning, implementing and evaluating of care plans. Ensuring that care needs and wishes are carefully and accurately documented in the clinical records.
- To ensure consent for any treatment is undertaken and documented.
- Ensure effective communication of complex, sensitive patient information, between hospital, community professionals, patients and carers, promoting collaborative inter agency working, this will include overcoming communication difficulties (e.g. hearing/language).
- To enable patients to reach their optimum level of independence.
Responsibilities for People or Training
- Provide and receive clinical supervision and provide high quality leadership to ensure ongoing high standards.
- To develop and demonstrate clinical credibility through professional practice, supervision and regular updating of clinical skills.
- To facilitate the development of individual team members.
- To provide peer support.
- To facilitate and provide teaching to patients, carers and team members.
- To promote best practice, monitor and support junior staff and assistants.
- Develop and maintain skills required for patient care within a community setting.
Other Factors
- To support the Community Team Leader with the day to day prioritisation, planning and delivery of a high quality physiotherapy service.
- Organise and manage own time and when appropriate, allocating work in order to achieve the patient’s goals.
- To manage risks in diverse and sometimes challenging environments.
- To ensure that record keeping is to a consistently high standard in accordance with local and national standards.
- To ensure high levels of effective communication occur between all team members.
- To promote and facilitate communication to staff, patients and carers.
- To use evidence-based practice, to ensure clinical care is effective.
- To highlight and report appropriate and potential risks.
- To work with and beyond the immediate team to promote service development and new ways of working.
Flexibility
This job description is not intended to be exhaustive and it is likely that duties may be altered from time to time in the light of changing circumstances, in discussion with the post holder. This role profile is intended to provide a broad outline of the main responsibilities only. The post holder will need to be flexible in developing the role with initial and on-going discussions with the designated manager.
Specialist Community Physiotherapist – Person Specification
The following criteria will be assessed from information provided on your CV, during the shortlisting and assessment process, and by your referees.
Criteria
Education, Qualifications and Training
Essential
- MCSP Dip PT / BSc / BSc (Hons) PT / MSc Physiotherapist
- Registered as a Physiotherapist with the Health and Care Professionals Council
- Registered with the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
- Relevant Post graduate qualification
- Teaching and assessing in clinical practice
- To possess a current, valid driving licence and to be a competent driver
- Evidence of continuing professional development
Desirable
- Further qualifications relevant to community practice
Experience & Knowledge
Essential
- Up to date community experience
- Case management experience
- Experience of working with adults
- Working with a multi-disciplinary team
- Experience within a wide range of patient/client care groups
Desirable
- Evidence of innovative and flexible approach to care and the organisation of care
Skills
Essential
- To be able to communicate with people from a wide range of backgrounds
- To be able to work flexibly and sensitively
- Wide range of interpersonal and communication skills
- Competence in a wide range of physiotherapy skills
- I.T. literate
- Manual handling skills and experience
- Ability to sensitively inform service users on complex and distressing issues. Able to support and facilitate staff in dealing with these situations
- To be flexible and adaptable •
Desirable
- Organisational skills
- Report writing
- Knowledge of mobile phone use.
- Life experiences that have enhanced professional development
- Specific speciality area
