Physiotherapist- AR

Senior Community Physiotherapist – Reablement / Access & Independence Service

Service Area: Adult Social Care – Access and Independence / Reablement Service

Job Purpose

To work as a senior member of the Access and Independence Service, delivering high-quality physiotherapy assessments and interventions to adults with complex needs in the community. The post holder will promote independence, prevent unnecessary hospital admissions, support timely discharge, and reduce reliance on long-term care, in line with the Council’s Adult Social Care vision. The role requires autonomous clinical decision-making, effective risk management, multi-agency working, and the supervision and development of therapy assistants and students.

Values

The post holder is expected to work in line with Haringey’s values of being Human, Ambitious, Accountable and Professional.

Key Responsibilities

• Assessment
  • Undertake holistic, person-centred assessments of adults with complex physical, functional and environmental needs in the community.
  • Support service users to set meaningful, client-centred goals that promote independence.
  • Assess mobility, balance and functional ability, using standardised physiotherapy outcome measures to evaluate effectiveness of interventions.
  • Complete comprehensive falls risk assessments and develop appropriate prevention strategies.
  • Assess transfers and moving and handling needs to reduce risk to service users and carers, and where possible enable single-handed care.
  • Assess and provide equipment to maximise independence with activities of daily living.
  • Carry out urgent home assessments to facilitate timely hospital discharge or respond to functional deterioration in the community.
  • Identify long-term care needs where reablement is not sufficient, explore alternative services, and present care recommendations and costings to the Care Authorisation Panel.
  • Identify safeguarding concerns, complete risk assessments, and make referrals in line with safeguarding adults procedures.
  • Assess mental capacity and support informed decision-making in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act and Care Act.
  • Complete carers’ assessments to support informal carers and reduce the risk of carer breakdown.
  • Identify service users who may be eligible for Continuing Health Care (CHC) due to complex health needs.
  • Support duty functions by triaging referrals when required to ensure appropriate pathways into Adult Social Care.
• Provision of Services and Interventions
  • Deliver evidence-based physiotherapy interventions to promote independence and prevent deterioration.
  • Prescribe mobility aids and develop treatment programmes appropriate to individual needs.
  • Recommend equipment, adaptations, and alternative methods of task completion to enable service users to lead as full a life as possible.
  • Ensure cost-effective service provision in line with eligibility criteria, departmental guidelines, and available resources.
  • Manage a complex caseload independently, prioritising workload effectively to meet service demands and performance targets.
  • Complete timely referrals and case transfers to other professionals or services as appropriate.
  • Maintain accurate, timely, and high-quality case records in line with statutory requirements, including recording on Mosaic.
  • Contribute to the effective running of the service by supporting team managers when required.
• Consultation and Liaison
  • Maintain effective working relationships across Adult Social Care and partner agencies, including NHS services, acute hospitals, mental health services, GPs, district nurses, voluntary organisations, housing providers and independent care agencies.
  • Promote the service to relevant internal and external stakeholders.
  • Provide specialist physiotherapy advice and guidance to other agencies, including housing associations and carer agencies.
• Supervision, Training and Development
  • Provide professional supervision, support and development to Physiotherapy Assistants, Reablement Assistants and students.
  • Participate in staff appraisals, induction programmes, and in-service training.
  • Act as a professional resource for other practitioners within Adult Social Care and partner services.
  • Contribute to service development, quality improvement initiatives and projects.
• Administration and Governance
  • Maintain accurate and up-to-date case records and written reports using Council IT systems.
  • Ensure confidentiality and information governance in accordance with Data Protection legislation and Caldicott principles.
  • Comply with Health and Safety legislation and Council policies.
  • Maintain up-to-date knowledge of community care legislation, social care policy and professional standards.
  • Uphold the Council’s Equality and Diversity policies and ensure services are delivered fairly and without discrimination.

Person Specification

Essential

• Diploma / BSc in Physiotherapy
• HCPC registration
• Post-qualification experience delivering physiotherapy assessments and interventions in acute or local authority settings
• Experience of managing complex cases, risk and safeguarding concerns
• Knowledge of the Care Act, Mental Capacity Act and safeguarding adults procedures
• Ability to complete holistic assessments and set client-centred goals
• Experience working within a multi-disciplinary team
• Experience supervising, mentoring or supporting junior staff or students
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including report writing
• Ability to manage difficult conversations with service users, carers and families
• Awareness of cost-effective service delivery
• Commitment to equality, diversity and inclusive practice
• Evidence of ongoing CPD and professional development

Desirable

• Experience working within a local authority Adult Social Care setting
• Knowledge of Continuing Health Care processes
• Experience using Mosaic or similar case management systems
• Experience contributing to service development or quality improvement initiatives