Professional Documents
Culture Documents
1. JOB IDENTIFICATION
Grade:
3. JOB PURPOSE
To act as a source of specialist advice for Physiotherapy staff and others, where
appropriate.
To be responsible for own practice and accountable for all aspects of highly specialist
Paediatric/LD Physiotherapy treatment and care delivered to the patient, as an
autonomous practitioner and sole specialist.
Manage the physiotherapeutic treatment of children with a range of conditions,
including children with severe physical and cognitive the impairment or disabilities.
To act independently to plan, implement, evaluate, treat and progress patient care to
maximise the child’s potential, providing highly specialised advice, which contributes
to an accurate diagnosis.
To plan, organise and manage group activities, some of which are multidisciplinary.
To liase with a wide range of individuals, developing links with other community staff
to enhance patient care and provide continuity of service.
To educate staff within the Physiotherapy service, and other members of the
multidisciplinary team, to promote understanding of the role of physiotherapy, and
therapeutic techniques for specific children.
Be able to analyse clinical and social information from a range of sources and
integrate into physiotherapy assessment and development of care/treatment plans
To participate in all indirect activities associated with the holistic care of the
children/clients within the Physiotherapy caseload (e.g. wheelchair/orthotic/podiatry
clinics)
Be the main source of clinical expertise and advice for junior and less senior
physiotherapists in the team, regarding Paediatric and LD issues.
To provide specialist advice on patient care to other health, social, educational and
voluntary sector services as part of a multidisciplinary team. This may involve
challenging or requesting changes to treatment programmes/care plans set by other
paediatric professionals
Analyse and understand the impact on clients and physiotherapy treatment of various
treatment plans/diagnosis from other disciplines. This includes interpreting medical
and educational and psychological assessments of the patient
Be responsible for maintaining a high standard of clinical practice both for self and
other Physiotherapy staff, regarding paediatric or learning disability clients.
Be highly skilled in communicating with children and adults, who may have a range
of physical and psychological barriers to understanding.
Be able to motivate and persuade children of all ages with a range of complex
conditions/disabilities to work with treatment programmes and work towards
treatment goals.
To assess paediatric and learning disability clients for specialist equipment and
recommend its purchase by having an expert knowledge of the options available.
To work to standard set by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and other national
and local standards.
Be responsible for maintaining accurate and up to date patient notes to reflect care
provided and meet professional standards, including complex reports involving
sensitive and emotive information e.g. Child Protection issues/severity of disability
Service development/Management
Propose changes to service delivery within the paediatric team and implement when
necessary, acting in partnership with the Physiotherapy Department.
To plan organise and prioritise own patient caseload and to teach and lead delegated
physiotherapy treatments, ensuring regular supervision when required.
Undertake own CPD, participate in peer reviews and maintain up to date knowledge
of speciality through research and work of clinical interest groups.
General
Assess and provide appropriate paediatric equipment, i.e. standing frames, walkers,
specialised seating, wheelchairs, orthotics, sleep systems etc
Ensure good communication with patients and carers, demonstrating ability to deliver
difficult diagnosis with tact and sympathy. Providing ongoing support to families
during times of emotional distress. Managing distressed or aggressive patients or
carers in complex and sensitive situations.
Patients will have a wide range of medical and cognitive problems and require the
physiotherapist to utilise developed interpersonal skills to facilitate rehabilitation in
both an individual and group setting.
To attend and contribute verbally and write reports for Child Protection proceedings
as necessary, often dealing with highly sensitive information
5, SUPPORTING INFORMATION
Physical effort
Assess and treat clients in difficult/cramped conditions at time, such as in their homes,
schools or in cluttered ward areas, when they are not able to come into the
Physiotherapy gym.
Assessing and treating clients involves kneeling, crouching, bending and stretching,
frequently and for a long duration on a daily basis.
Frequent moving and handling of clients, both in the community and in hospital,
involving the use of hoists and other manual handling equipment.
Mental effort
Long periods of concentration daily, for approximately 5-6 hours, while assessing and
treating patients, often as a lone practitioner and therefore having to respond to
interruptions from other staff and the public
Frequently dealing with patients with complex needs, which requires highly
specialised clinical reasoning and communication skills to assess and treat.
Teaching clinical and manual skills to carers, parents and other staff, daily, for
approximately 4-5 hours daily
Availability to all staff and public in remote areas, frequently being approached for
physiotherapy advice/opinion, both in work and own time, leading to daily
unpredictable working patterns
Emotional effort
Dealing regularly with patients and carers who can become angry, upset or aggressive.
Supporting parents/carers who have been advised of a child’s life limiting condition.
Having to give unwelcome news regarding limited expectations from treatment and
instruction in physiotherapy regimes, which will impact on school and family life.
To negotiate with parents and children to ensure optimum management and care of
patients.
Lone working often dealing with highly complex emotional/social situations in the
community with no immediate support.
Working conditions
On occasion be exposed to body fluids, vomit, blood, urine, MRSA, and sputum,
which may or may not be infected
6. STANDARD ELEMENTS
Confidentiality
Comply with Western Isles NHS Board’s policy on confidentiality
Respect the confidentiality and privacy of patients and staff at all times
NHS Western Isles attaches the greatest importance to the health and safety of its
employees. It is the Board’s policy to do all that is reasonable to prevent personal
injury and hazard to health by protecting staff and others including the public from
foreseeable hazards compatible with the provision of proper services to patients. The
Board expects its entire staff to take reasonable care of their own health and safety
and that of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions at work. More
detailed information is given in Departmental safety policies where appropriate.
This involves:
a) Acting in ways consistent with the Board’s policies and procedures
b) Treating those you come into contact with equitably and with respect
c) Recognising the need for aids and adaptations
Physiotherapy Department
Qualifications
Diploma/Degree in Physiotherapy
Experience
Able to demonstrate ability to audit own and others practice, have postgraduate
research skills
Personal attributes
Other
Good IT skills
Car owner