PCN First Contact Physiotherapist

About Us: The Confederation, Hillingdon CIC works with General Practice and other healthcare providers to deliver its vision for “Hillingdon to deliver the best primary care outcomes for patients in the whole of London”. We are a not-for-profit community interest company. The Confederation works to develop and support individual GP practices, PCNs and Neighbourhoods and their changing needs. We deliver excellent clinical services ourselves both at scale and complementary to General Practice. We are the provider representative voice for local General Practice into the wider NHS and other Partners. We are ‘of the NHS’ but independent, innovative and transformational.

Our Values:

Job Summary: As a First Contact Physiotherapist, the post holder will work as part of a multidisciplinary team across the practices of a Primary Care Network (PCN), with the PCNs GPs and other clinicians and staff, as well as staff and clinicians from community, acute, social and voluntary sectors. They will work directly with patients to assess and treat conditions, manage long-term conditions as well as promote self-care. They will be part of a significant team of PCN First Contact Physiotherapists working under the supervision and support of a designated clinical supervisor.

The post holder will:

• Provide clinical expertise, acting as first-contact physiotherapist 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 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.

Primary Responsibilities:

• To independently assimilate and respond in a timely and professional manner to the patient referrals.
• This includes introducing themselves and the service to the patient in order to create service expectation.
• To allow sufficient space for a patient’s history to ascertain relevant information in order to guide treatment options or further investigation or referral.
• To perform appropriate physical examination to assess patients with a wide range of clinical musculoskeletal conditions in order to reach a clinical decision.
• Assessment may be made on a variety of systems including the musculoskeletal system.
• Screening for other systems such as Cardiovascular, Neural or Respiratory will be required.
• To make clinical judgments as to the best course of action or treatment, accepting the risk for decisions that do not lead to further patient assessment.
• This involves making a specific plan for ongoing care with appropriate differential diagnosis considered.
• To provide appropriate healthcare advice which contributes to the diagnosis, care or treatment specific to a wide range of clinical musculoskeletal conditions.
• Provide brief interventions of assessment, advice and exercise, reducing the need for same day or week GP appointments.
• To be proactive in encouraging the use of a range of self-management strategies to patients or their carer/relative and in doing so overcome potential barriers.
• This will frequently require negotiation with patients on the return to activities where cognitive, behavioural and motivational issues may be significant barriers to change.
• To incorporate relevant extended practice skills into first contact clinics and follow ups as required.
• To communicate effectively with secondary care providers ensuring that patients are signposted appropriately, building close links between the services.
• To liaise with on-site staff as appropriate for ongoing care including reception staff, practice nurse, health care assistant and GP.
• To use the computer system to ensure that appropriate and accurate documentation of all episodes of patient assessment, including any adverse events, Safeguarding issues and other important matters.
• To encourage and provide relevant feedback into the service from users and other relevant staff.
• This includes using case studies to improve service design and strategic care management.
• To meet the HCPC Standards of proficiency and work within the Values and Behaviours.

Service Development:

• Contribute physiotherapy advice for the development and implementation of new pathways and services that have physiotherapy components (e.g. advice on treatment pathways and patient information leaflets).

Education and Training:

• Provide education, training and awareness advice to the primary healthcare team on physiotherapy matters.

Care Quality Commission:

• Work with the general practice team to ensure the practice is compliant with CQC standards.

Collaborative Working Relationships:

• Participates in the Primary Care Network Multidisciplinary Team.
• Liaises with CCG colleagues including CCG commissioners, to ensure consistency of patient care and benefit in surgeries.
• Foster and maintain strong links with all services across the PCN and neighbouring networks.
• Explores the potential for collaborative working and takes opportunities to initiate and sustain such relationships.
• Recognises the roles of other colleagues within the organisation and their role to patient care.
• Can recognise personal limitations and refer to more appropriate colleague(s) when necessary.
• Demonstrates ability to integrate general practice with community and hospital physiotherapy teams.
• Liaises and demonstrates effective communication with other stakeholders as needed for the collective benefit of patients including but not limited to: Patients and their representatives, GP, nurses and other practice staff, other healthcare professionals including community pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, social prescribers, first contact physiotherapists, physicians associate and paramedics, community nurses and other allied health professionals, hospital staff with responsibilities for physiotherapy.

Professional Development:

• Work with your line manager to undertake continual personal and professional development, taking an active part in reviewing and developing the role and responsibilities.
• Involved in one to one meetings with line manager monthly to discuss targets and outcomes achieved.
• Adhere to organisational policies and procedures, including confidentiality, safeguarding, lone working, information governance, and health and safety.
• Work with your line manager to access regular clinical supervision, to enable you to deal effectively with the difficult issues that people present.
• Review yearly progress and develop clear plans to achieve results within priorities set by others.
• Participate in the delivery of formal education programmes.
• Demonstrate an understanding of current educational policies relevant to working areas of practice and keep up to date with relevant clinical practice.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience Required:

• Completion of an undergraduate degree in Physiotherapy.
• Registration with the Health and Care Professions Council.
• Has a Masters Level qualification or the equivalent specialist knowledge, skills and experience.
• Can demonstrate working at Level 7 capability in MSK related areas of practice or equivalent (such as advanced assessment diagnosis and treatment).
• Can demonstrate ability to operate at an advanced level of practice.
• 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.
• Recognises priorities when problem-solving and identifies deviations from normal pattern and can refer to seniors or GPs when appropriate.
• Able to follow legal, ethical, professional and organisational policies/procedures and codes of conduct.
• Involves patients in decisions about prescribed medicines and supporting adherence as per NICE guidelines.
• The practices use the clinical system software ‘EMIS’.

Education, Training and Development:

• Understands and demonstrates the characteristics of a role model to members in the team and/or service.
• Demonstrates self-development through continuous professional development activity.
• Demonstrates an understanding of current educational policies relevant to working areas of practice and keeps up to date with relevant clinical practice.
• Ensures appropriate clinical supervision is in place to support development.

Leadership:

• Demonstrate understanding of the physiotherapy role in governance and is able to implement this appropriately within the workplace.
• Demonstrate understanding of, and contributes to, the workplace vision.
• Demonstrates ability to improve quality within limitations of service.
• Reviews yearly progress and develops clear plans to achieve results within priorities set by others.
• Demonstrate ability to motivate self to achieve goals.
• Promotes diversity and equality in people management techniques and leads by example.

Health & Safety / Risk Management:

• The post-holder must comply at all times with all local Health and Safety policies, in particular by following agreed safe working procedures and reporting incidents using the organisations Incident Reporting System.
• The post-holder will comply with the Data Protection Act (1984) and the Access to Health Records Act (1990).

Equality & Diversity:

• The post-holder must co-operate with all policies and procedures designed to ensure equality of employment.
• Co-workers, patients and visitors must be treated equally irrespective of gender, ethnic origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion etc.

Patient Confidentiality:

• The post holder must at all times respect patient confidentiality and, in particular, the confidentiality of electronically stored personal data in line with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation and in keeping with The Confederation Information Governance Policy and procedures.
• The post holder should not divulge patient information unless sanctioned by the line manager and required for the role.

Communication & Working Relationships:

• The post-holder will establish and maintain effective communication pathways at all times with project team members.

Special Working Conditions:

• The post-holder is required to travel independently between sites (where applicable), and to attend meetings etc. hosted by other agencies.

Job Description Agreement:

• This job description is intended to provide an outline of the key tasks and responsibilities only.
• There may be other duties required of the post-holder commensurate with the position.
• This description will be open to regular review and may be amended to take into account development within The Confederation.
• All members of staff should be prepared to take on additional duties or relinquish existing duties in order to maintain the efficient running of the service or function.
• This job description is intended as a basic guide to the scope and responsibilities of the post and is not exhaustive.
• It will be subject to regular review and amendment as necessary in consultation with the post holder.

Person Specification:

Essential Criteria:

• Registration with the Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC).
• BSc/Grad Dip in Physiotherapy.
• Evidence of CPD and post registration portfolio.
• CPD pertaining to Primary Care and MSK management.
• Minimum of 2 years post-qualification experience.
• Experience as Senior Physiotherapist working in autonomous MSK role.
• Clinical experience of triage and care planning.
• Understanding of professional ethics/code of conduct and their application in practice.
• Excellent Physical examination skills and prioritisation of relevant screening.
• Excellent interpersonal, influencing and negotiating skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrate the ability to communicate complex and sensitive information in an understandable form to a variety of audiences (e.g. patients).
• Good IT skills.
• Able to obtain and analyse complex technical information.
• Recognises priorities when problem solving and identifies deviations from the normal pattern and is able to refer to seniors or GPs when appropriate.
• Able to work under pressure and to meet deadlines.
• Produce timely and informative reports.
• Gain acceptance for Recommendations and influence/motivate/ persuade the audience to comply with the recommendations/ agreed course of action where there may be significant barriers.
• Work effectively independently and as a team member.
• Demonstrates accountability for delivering professional expertise and direct service provision.
• Safeguarding adult and children level three.
• Basic life support training.

Desirable Criteria:

• MSc or MSc modules for advanced practice.
• Extended Scope competencies around bloods, imaging and prescribing.
• Experience of working in Primary care and first contact roles.
• Knowledge of other specialities common with pain (Rheumatology, Vascular, Endocrinology etc).