Physiotherapist - Hospice in Wakefield

Job summary

The Family Care Team brings together rehabilitation, reablement, discharge planning, family support and bereavement services within an integrated multidisciplinary model. Physiotherapy contributes across Care Services, supporting patients in inpatient, Wellbeing and community settings according to assessed need and service priorities.

Job Purpose

To provide specialist physiotherapy assessment, intervention and rehabilitation for people with progressive and life-limiting illness across inpatient, Wellbeing and community settings. Working collaboratively within professional scope, the postholder will use specialist clinical reasoning and a rehabilitative palliative-care approach to maximise function, independence, comfort, confidence and quality of life according to what matters to the patient.

Working alongside Occupational Therapy, the Therapy Assistant and the wider multidisciplinary team, the postholder will support rehabilitation, symptom management and timely discharge, while contributing to service development, outcome measurement, education, audit and continuous quality improvement.

Main duties of the job

Provides specialist physiotherapy assessment, rehabilitation and enablement for patients with complex palliative, long-term and life-limiting conditions. Manages a specialist caseload using advanced clinical reasoning to undertake holistic assessment, formulate personalised rehabilitation plans and establish meaningful, patient-centred goals. Delivers evidence-based interventions to address mobility, balance, strength, deconditioning, functional decline, breathlessness, fatigue and reduced exercise tolerance, promoting independence, self-management and quality of life. Assesses and manages falls risk, contributes to fall prevention strategies, and advises on mobility aids, rehabilitation equipment, positioning, transfers and moving and handling to ensure safe and effective care.

Works collaboratively across inpatient, wellbeing and community settings, contributing to discharge planning and supporting safe transitions through home assessments, community interventions and close liaison with multidisciplinary teams, community services, primary care, social care and equipment providers. Supports the development of out-of-hospice pathways and integrated models of care, ensuring coordinated rehabilitation and avoiding duplication of interventions. Uses professional judgement to delegate appropriate activities to Therapy Assistants while maintaining clinical oversight, supervision and patient safety.

About us

Wakefield Hospice, is committed to providing the highest level of symptom management and care for people who have advanced active, progressive and life threatening illness.

Wakefield Hospice is a purpose-built specialist palliative care unit that opened in April 1990 providing 16 registered beds, a day therapy unit, bereavement support and education. Over the years the day care unit developed initially into a day therapy unit and ultimately into a drop-In centre providing therapies, information and care for patients, carers and bereaved families.