First Contact Physiotherapist in Maryport

Job summary

An opportunity has arisen for a Physiotherapist to join our team at Maryport Health Services.

This role would be to work alongside a current Physiotherapist, working as First Contact Physiotherapists.

This post would be for part time hours, working up to two days per week.

The successful candidate would have experience of working in the NHS and patient facing care.

The aim of the role is to assess the patient on first presentation, provide a diagnosis, make a plan with the patient, giving advice, and/or referring on to any other services as needed, with the aim of supporting individuals to manage their health and continue to live independently.

The successful candidate will be an integral, well supported part of a practice team including ANPs, ACPs, Paramedic Practitioners, Nurses, Doctors, and Pharmacists.

Main duties of the job

Independently assess and treat routine and complex patients, putting into practice clinical reasoning and physiotherapeutic skills and using a variety of physiotherapy techniques appropriate to the patient and making decisions about the best course of action for patients' care (including in relation to undifferentiated conditions).

This will involve seeing patients, without prior contact with their GP, in order to establish a rapid and accurate diagnosis and management plan.

Progress and request investigations, using ICE system, to facilitate diagnosis and choice of treatment regime, understanding the information limitations derived from these and the relative sensitivity and specificity of particular tests diagnostic services such as x-rays and blood test, and interpret and act on results to aid diagnosis and the management plans of patients.

Deliver programmes of supported patient self-management, in ways that facilitate behavioural change, optimise individuals' physical activity, mobility, fulfilment of personal goals and independence, and that minimise the need for pharmacological interventions.

About us

Joining a team of nearly 80 staff, who all like to support each other and deliver the best possible service to the patients.

We serve a practice population of approximately 14,000 patients.

We provide a uniform, free tea and coffee (and cake sometimes!), access to the NHS pension scheme, 6 weeks + bank holidays per annum (pro rata), birthday as a day off, free parking, training and good craic.

Please apply with CV and cover letter to

• Job responsibilities
• Take professional responsibility as a first-contact physiotherapist, with high-level decision-making and clinical-reasoning skills to assess, diagnose and triage of patients.
• Manage a complex caseload (including patients with long-term conditions, co-morbidities and multi-factorial needs).
• Accountable for decisions and actions via HCPC registration, supported by a professional culture of peer networking/review and engagement in evidence-based practice.
• Streamlines pathway of care by providing a responsive service so that patients receive timely access to care.
• Ensure care is proactive, preventive in focus and population based, with an emphasis on early intervention.
• Provide care which is tailored to the individual needs and respects patients privacy, dignity and individuality.

This would include, appraising the impact of individuals' clinical status on their general health, well-being, employment status (including in relation to function, physical activity, mobility and independence.

• Support patients to set their own goals and be confident in their approach to self-management, ensuring treatments offered are based on the best available clinical evidence.
• Communicate effectively and appropriately with patients and carers complex and sensitive information regarding diagnosis, pathology and prognosis.

Using these communication skills to persuade, motivate and negotiate with patients with respect to their treatment goals and realistic outcomes.

• Provide learning opportunities for the whole multi professional team within primary care.
• Work with MDT to develop more effective and streamlined clinical pathways and services.
• Exercise professional judgement, making, justifying and taking responsibility for decisions in unpredictable situations, including in the context of incomplete/contradictory information.
• Manage interactions in complex situations, including with individuals with particular psychosocial and mental health needs and with colleagues across the primary care team, sectors and settings.
• Ensure clinical records are kept in accordance with professional and Practice criteria for record keeping.

Person Specification

Professional Practice

Essential

• Demonstrates general physiotherapy skills and knowledge in core areas.
• Is able to plan, manage, monitor, advise and review general physiotherapy care programmes for patients in core areas, including disease states / long term conditions identified by local Needs Assessment.
• Demonstrates accountability for delivering professional expertise and direct service provision.
• Exercise a critical understanding of personal scope of practice and to identify when a patient needs referring on and where there are opportunities for developing the scope and competence of the wider MDT to meet patient care needs.
• Integrates a broad range of interventions into practice, including injection therapy and independent prescribing, while also promoting non-pharmacological solutions to patient care.
• Through patient assessment and working in partnership with patients and their carers, make decisions about the best pathway of care, informed by the urgency and severity of patient need, patient acuity and dependency, and the most appropriate deployment of resources.
• Manage risk in unpredictable, uncertain situations to uphold patient safety, including by referring on to other primary care team members and to specialist services, as needed.
• Able to follow legal, ethical, professional and organisational policies/procedures and codes of conduct.
• Involves patients in decision making and supporting adherence as per NICE guidance.

Qualifications

Essential

• Completion of an undergraduate degree in Physiotherapy, and registration with the Health and Care Professions Council.
• Able to demonstrate in practice portfolio experience in core physiotherapy and MSK physiotherapy.
• Member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP).
• May hold or be working towards a prescribing qualification.
• May hold or be working towards a postgraduate physiotherapy qualification.
• Ongoing Learning and Development

Essential

• Demonstrate ability to improve quality within limitations of service
• Demonstrate ability to motivate self to achieve goals
• Demonstrate understanding of the implications of national priorities for the team and/or service
• Demonstrate understanding of the process for effective resource utilisation
• Demonstrate understanding of, and conforms to, relevant standards of practice
• Demonstrate ability to identify and resolve risk management issues according to policy/protocol
• Follow professional and organisational policies/procedures relating to performance management
• Demonstrate self-development through continuous professional development activity
• Participate in the delivery of formal education programmes
• Demonstrate an understanding of current educational policies relevant to working areas of practice and keeps up to date with relevant clinical practice

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications.

For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years.

Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement.

Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).