Band 6 Children's Physiotherapist | Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust in Southend-on-Sea

Are you passionate about improving the lives of children and young people? We are seeking an enthusiastic, motivated and innovative Band 6 Children's Physiotherapist to join our friendly and supportive Children's Therapy Team. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced physiotherapist, or a Band 5 ready to progress, to develop their specialist paediatric skills within a well-established multidisciplinary service.

As a Children's Physiotherapist, you will play a vital role in helping babies, children and young people achieve their maximum physical potential, independence and quality of life.

About Our Service

Our service sees children from birth to 18 years of age. We provide comprehensive assessments, interventions and treatment programmes for children and young people presenting with difficulties in the following areas:

• Movement and coordination disorders
• Neurological disorders
• Musculoskeletal and orthopaedic conditions
• Transition into adult services

The post holder will work across a variety of settings including clinics, schools, nurseries, children's centres, community venues and family homes, delivering high-quality, child-centred care.

Join Us

If you are a compassionate and dedicated physiotherapist who is committed to making a positive difference to the lives of children, young people and their families, we would love to hear from you.

The successful candidate will:

• Assess, diagnose and manage a varied paediatric caseload.
• Deliver evidence-based physiotherapy interventions for children and young people with a range of developmental, neurological, orthopaedic and long-term conditions.
• Develop and review individualised treatment programmes.
• Work collaboratively with families, carers, education staff and healthcare professionals.
• Contribute to Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) where appropriate.
• Provide advice, training and support to parents, carers and professionals.
• Participate in multidisciplinary team working and service development initiatives.
• Support junior staff, students and therapy assistants as required.
• Maintain accurate clinical records and outcome measures.

Valuing you. Recognising your dedication.

At EPUT, we look after you. Receive supervision and support to help you fulfil your potential. Join an inclusive EPUT community and connect with others through engagement events and equality or champion networks. If you need help, we provide mental health and wellbeing services, occupational health advice and counselling.

27 days holiday, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days after 10 years’ service. Excellent pension of up to 14.5% of your pensionable pay. Staff discounts include Blue Light Card, NHS discount offers, and staff benefits. £8K relocation package if you move to Essex to join us. Season ticket loans are interest-free to cover the cost of travelling to and from work via tram, rail, or bus.

ROLE SUMMARY

To provide high standards of advanced physiotherapy input and high quality of care to children of all ages including adolescents and their families across Southend and South East Essex facilitating multi-agency service delivery to include comprehensive assessment and specialist interventions.

To manage a caseload of children and their families with varied and sometimes complex needs undertaking appropriate assessment, intervention and evaluation through programmes of care and support to meet identified needs.

To work in a variety of settings most appropriate to the child’s needs including the Lighthouse centre, schools and homes.

To communicate effectively with a range of people to include users of services and their families, Local Authority, other NHS services and the private and voluntary sector partners.

To work closely with education for provision of services to mainstream and special schools, nurseries and colleges.

To assist with service developments, audits and service promotion.

To supervise and delegate responsibilities to junior staff and Technical Instructors.

To make recommendations for innovations and service wide changes in practice and be responsible for the implementation of such change.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

The post-holder will have responsibility for their own caseload and be responsible for a defined area of the service or a particular patient type, working without direct supervision. They will be confident undertaking all aspects of clinical duties as an autonomous practitioner, developing and delivering individualised treatment plans and maintaining accurate patient records.

Supervision will take the form of regular formal training and clinical reasoning sessions, peer review, case conferences. Access to advice and support from a senior therapist is available if required, clinical work is not routinely evaluated.

The post-holder will be responsible for supervising, educating and assessing the performance of junior physiotherapists and Physiotherapy students. They will be expected to undertake evidence-based audit and research projects during each rotation.

The post-holder will be responsible for providing a high standard of assessment, treatment and evaluation to those patients on your caseload.

The post-holder will be responsible for the provision of a high standard of paediatric physiotherapy to children and young people (CYP) aged 0-18 who are referred to the service. This will include physiotherapy assessment, providing therapy interventions, devising therapy programmes, setting and reviewing goals, assessing for specialist equipment and orthotics and orthopaedic monitoring.

The post-holder can expect to work in a variety of locations within South East Essex according to the needs of the children; this may include clinics, schools and the child’s home. Working with families, carers and teaching staff without direct supervision.

The post-holder will be supported by a Band 7 Paediatric Physiotherapist for their informal and monthly formal supervision, their appraisal and development.

We provide three main specialties of Paediatrics: Early intervention (including neurodevelopment, orthopaedic monitoring, CPIPs and orthotics/Serial Casting), community within mainstream and specialist schools and the functional improvement team (including MSK).

To build on previous experience to further develop clinical and managerial competencies.

To be an autonomous professional practitioner working without the need for direct supervision and able to supervise students and non-qualified staff within the team.

To practice in accordance with the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy rules of Professional Conduct and Standards of Physiotherapy, and the Health Professions Council’s regulations.

Patient Contact/Clinical Duties

To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own work, including the management of patients in your care.

To undertake a comprehensive assessment of patients including those with diverse or complex presentations/multi pathology, using acquired clinical reasoning skills and manual assessment techniques to provide an accurate diagnosis of their condition.

Formulate and deliver an individual physiotherapy treatment programme based on a sound knowledge of evidence-based practice and treatment options using clinical assessment, reasoning skills and knowledge of treatment skills e.g. manual physiotherapy techniques, patient education, exercise classes, electrotherapy techniques and other alternative options.

Formulate accurate prognoses and recommend best course of intervention, developing comprehensive discharge plans.

Assess patient understanding of treatment proposals, gain valid informed consent and have the capacity to work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment.

Use a range of verbal and non-verbal communication tools to communicate effectively with patients to progress rehabilitation and treatment programmes. This will include patients who may have difficulties in understanding or communicating.

Evaluate patient progress, reassess and alter treatment programmes if required.

To manage clinical risk within own patient caseload.

Represent, in the absence of a senior physiotherapist, the physiotherapy service and/or individual patients at the multi-disciplinary team meetings, to ensure the delivery of a coordinated multidisciplinary service, and integrate physiotherapy treatment into the treatment programme. This will include discussion of patient care, patient progress and involvement in discharge planning.

To accept clinical responsibility for a designated caseload of patients, and to organise this efficiently and effectively with regard to clinical priorities, and use of time. To continually monitor junior physios and student caseload to ensure appropriate throughout and quality.

Apply a high level of understanding of the effects and impact of illness/disability and injury on the patient’s abilities and recommend appropriate lifestyle changes and provide appropriate clinical advice to patients, carers and relatives.

To be aware of the requirement of the health and safety act as it relates to the department and safety of the patients and staff.

Maintain and develop current knowledge of evidence-based practice, developing specialist knowledge of conditions and patient types.

To communicate in a timely way high sensitive information effectively to consultants, GPs and other therapists. Issues communicated may include child protection, sensitive information relating to patient’s progress.

To communicate highly complex information effectively with patients and carers to maximise rehabilitation potential and to ensure understanding of the condition. Communication skills such as counselling, reassurance, persuasion, motivation explanation and negotiation will be used with a variety of patients. Barriers to effective interpretation will regularly be evident e.g. use of interpreters, pain, anger, depression, frustration and or fear altered perception and or loss of hearing.

To comply with the Trust Manual Handling Policy and local therapeutic handling guidance at all times.

To deal sensitively with patients who have high levels of anxiety and aggression caused by pain or limited mobility.