Specialist Physiotherapist (IMC at Home) in Wigan

We have an exciting opportunity for a Specialist Rehabilitation Physiotherapist to join the Community Division in the borough of Wigan. We are aiming to recruit a suitably qualified, enthusiastic, and experienced individual to our developing Intermediate Care at Home Team. Working pattern is Monday to Sunday, full time (37.5 hours). Enhanced DBS with Adults' Barred List will be required - obtained during pre-employment checks.

The Team provides rehabilitation for patients in their own place of residence and other community settings. You will be rehab focused and be passionate about facilitating and supporting patients to return and remain in their own homes using a home first approach. You will be a team player who thrives on the challenges of working across health and social care teams and have excellent communication skills. The ideal candidate will be forward-thinking, innovative and be willing to work flexibly to support the development of the service. Support is available from band 7 therapists within the service. NHS experience is essential as is substantial Band 5 community rehabilitation experience.

This is a mobile post, making multiple home visits each day to deliver therapy interventions for patients in their own place of residence. If you do not reference your access to a vehicle and suitable insurance in your application, you cannot be considered unless you are medically unable to drive.

Main duties of the job

• To complete functional and specialist physiotherapy assessments of people in their own homes and community settings.
• To plan and implement effective interventions, work closely with other community services, to support patients to return and remain in their own homes, whilst maximising function and independence, while effectively managing risk.
• To act as a source of knowledge on the management of a varied range of conditions providing an advisory service to patients, relatives, healthcare professionals and social care.
• To assist the Team Leader in planning, co-ordinating, delivering and evaluating the intermediate service provided on a day-to-day basis.
• Function as an effective member of the multi-disciplinary team and the integrated team within Health and Social Care.
• To manage a defined caseload using evidence based/client centered principles to assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions.
• To regularly supervise students on practice placement.
• To provide leadership and clinical supervision for other junior staff as delegated by supervisor.
• To support team leads in the development and delivery of in-service training for MDT colleagues.
• To consider and support service development alongside senior colleagues including data collection, audits, service review etc.

Working for our organisation

Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are the proud providers of acute hospital and community services to the people of the Wigan Borough and surrounding areas. At WWL, we value our staff believing that ‘happy staff, makes for happy patients’. WWL are committed to placing the patient at the heart of everything we do, and in the provision of safe, effective care that acknowledges and ensures dignity. With this in mind we are seeking to recruit people who share our values and beliefs.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities:

• To act as a source of knowledge for patients presenting with a range of conditions, acquired, congenital and progressive in nature and provide advisory/educational service to patients, relatives, therapists and other healthcare professionals.
• To demonstrate and apply a broad level of understanding of the impact of disability and ensure high standards of holistic clinical care.
• To interpret and analyse clinical and non-clinical facts to contribute to accurate diagnosis and prognosis, to recommend the best course of intervention, and to develop comprehensive management or discharge plans.
• To work with clients and/or carers to identify goals as part of an overall care plan in co-operation with the inter-disciplinary professional team using recognised goal setting system.
• To be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of your own work, including the management of patients in your care, and to maintain overall accountability for delegated duties of treatment to junior staff for patients on your caseload.
• To act as an advocate for patients’ needs and wishes when necessary.
• To manage a defined caseload using evidence based / client centred principles to access, plan, implement and evaluate interventions.
• To provide leadership and clinical supervision for other junior staff as delegated by manager and/or professional supervisor.
• To regularly supervise junior staff members, Rehab Practitioners and students on placement within the service.
• To work collaboratively within the services across Wigan and liaise with professionals and voluntary agencies to optimise patient care.
• To provide spontaneous and planned advice, teaching and instruction to relatives, carers and other professionals, to promote understanding of the aims of intervention, and to ensure a consistent approach to patient care.
• To provide advice and support to colleagues working within other clinical areas regarding patients with rehabilitation needs.
• To comply with the Code of Ethic and Professional Conduct, Health and Care Professions Council Guidance and National and Trust Policies and Procedures.
• To accept clinical responsibility for a designated caseload of patients, and to organise this effectively and efficiently with regard to clinical priorities and use of time.
• To review and reflect on own practice and performance through effective use of professional and operational supervision and appraisal.
• To maintain a professional portfolio of Continuing Professional Development recording learning outcomes through participation in internal and external development opportunities.
• To contribute to client related developments and activities within the multi-professional and interdisciplinary team.
• To justify own clinical judgments when differences of opinion occur.

Planning and Organisational Duties

• To exercise good personal time management, punctuality and consistent reliable attendance.
• To plan, prepare and undertake client assessments for a designated caseload in line with professional and national standards and guidelines.
• To use clinical judgment in order to prioritise caseload in line with clinical guidelines and protocols.
• To plan and implement individual and/or group interventions in collaboration with clients using graded activity to achieve therapeutic goals.
• To monitor, evaluate and modify treatment for clients with multiple needs/pathology in order to measure progress and ensure effectiveness of intervention.
• To be responsible for ensuring the appropriate and effective selection of treatment modalities and sites for delivery of interventions i.e. in a community or hospital setting.
• To demonstrate a sound understanding of Clinical Governance and Risk Management and apply to work practices.
• To maintain accurate and comprehensive patient treatment records in line with Trust Policies, Code of Ethic and Professional Conduct, Health and Care Professions Council Guidance and National and Trust Policies and Procedures.
• To contribute to the Trust’s clinical governance arrangements and quality agenda.
• To maintain timely statistics and other records as requested by the service and the Trust.
• To monitor the quality of record keeping for support staff and students.
• To demonstrate understanding of national and local guidelines and legislation relating to health and social care and their impact on service delivery.
• To participate in the planning, evaluation and audit of practices, clinical pathways and protocols within your clinical area.
• To participate in the day-to-day organisation and development of the Service.
• To participate with other team members in measurement of and evaluation of work and current practice through use of outcome measures and audit.
• To contribute to the Trusts and Teams Clinical Governance arrangements and the quality agenda.
• To demonstrate the ability to critically evaluate current research, apply them to practice and disseminate findings at a local level.
• To broaden research and development skills through participation in local audit and research projects.
• To identify and implement service and practice development within own area of clinical specialism in conjunction with supervisor and/or manager.

Communications and Key Working Relationships

• To demonstrate excellent verbal and non-verbal communication with the ability to motivate people and empathise with the challenges of ill health management.
• To demonstrate effective communication skills with patients, relatives, carers, team members and other agencies.
• To convey information on diagnosis, prognosis and treatment plans in a range of verbal and non-verbal forms that clients/relatives can understand.
• To use communication skills and aids, to gain informed consent where there will often be barriers to effective communication e.g. challenging behaviours, impaired cognition, anxiety, dysphasia.
• To assess capacity, gain valid consent and have the ability to work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment.
• To be able to organise and take a lead in Multi-Disciplinary Team / Inter-disciplinary team meetings and case conferences.
• To respect the individuality, values, cultural and religious diversity of clients and contribute to the provision of a service sensitive to these needs.
• To maintain good working relationships.
• To act as an advocate for patients’ needs when necessary.
• Use a variety of skills to gain consent and co-operation to treatment plans.
• To educate patients, relatives and carers in conditions and their effects in order to adapt to an appropriate lifestyle.

Responsibility for Finance

• To advise team leader on resources required to carry out the job.
• Be responsible for the monitoring of materials and equipment and bring defects or deficits to the attention of the team leader / clinical manager.
• To advise, assess and prescribe appropriate equipment for patient use within resources available in Health, Social Services and Education.

Responsibility for Human Resources

• To be responsible for working within locally agreed protocols and guidelines.
• To actively participate and comply with the annual PDP and appraisal system.
• To plan and implement the induction of junior staff/students.
• To receive, plan and deliver in-service training for own profession and others.
• To undertake the supervision of junior staff as delegated by senior staff.
• To regularly supervise, evaluate and assess students to include negotiating learning contracts and setting objectives.
• To ensure annual retention on Health Professions Council Register to maintain state registration, taking responsibility for own continued professional development and document this evidence in a professional portfolio, showing proof of competence to practise within the NHS.
• To take responsibility for ensuring clinical supervision needs are met and personal development plans are undertaken.

Responsibility for Health & Safety

• To comply with the Trust Manual Handling and Health and Safety Policies at all times and within guidelines for therapeutic handling.
• To contribute to the Clinical Governance agenda, attending Clinical Forum, Staff meetings, Care Governance etc.
• To assess risk to ensure safety of user/carer/self and colleagues and report back to senior member of team where applicable.
• Compliance with the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 – the post holder is required to fulfil a proactive role towards the management of risk in all of their actions. This entails the risk assessment of all situations, the taking of appropriate actions and reporting of all incidents, near misses and hazards, and a statutory duty of care for their own personal safety and that of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions.

Responsibility for Teaching

• To be responsible for providing fieldwork education placements and liaising with students/college.
• To promote the service to the wider community delivering awareness training to other health professionals as required.
• To take part in training/education of colleagues and staff/students of other disciplines.

Work Circumstances & on-call

• To deputise for the Team Leader as required.
• To be responsible, in conjunction with the Operational Leads and Highly Specialist therapists, for the delivery of evidence-based practice.
• To be responsible for clinical supervision of appropriate staff.

Person specification

• Diploma / Degree in Physiotherapy/Occupational therapy.
• HCPC Registration.
• Evidence of Post Graduate Study and relevant post graduate qualifications.
• Training from a higher Education Institution for graduate student supervision.
• Post registration experience in rehabilitation and condition management.
• NHS Experience.
• Experience of working with multi-agencies.
• Experience of working in an inter-disciplinary team and independently.
• Experience of liaison with other professionals and partnership working.
• Experience of supervising students and staff from different professions.
• Post graduate experience related to clinical speciality.
• Experience of working in a community setting.

Skills

• Evidence of working without direct supervision and being able to use own initiative.
• The ability to understand and respect different points of view working with people from a variety of cultures.
• Must demonstrate excellent verbal and non-verbal communication with the ability to motivate people and empathise with the challenges of long term condition management.
• Good literacy in computer use i.e. Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint.
• Effective communication (both written and verbal) and interpersonal skills with the ability to be flexible in approach as the situation requires.
• Excellent time management skills / ability to prioritise own caseload with the education and supervision of team members and support / delegate the organisation of the caseload of support staff.
• Good analytical judgement skills.
• High level clinical reasoning skills and problem-solving skills.

Knowledge

• Specialist knowledge in relevant clinical skills and approaches to patient management.
• Knowledge of research / audit.
• Working knowledge of Evidence Based Practice.
• Evidence of clinical and professional post qualification training and education.
• Demonstrate and evidence commitment to lifelong learning.

Additional

• Speak English to an appropriate standard relevant to their role, i.e. with confidence and accuracy, using correct sentence structures and vocabulary, and without hesitation.
• To maintain professional registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP).
• Ability to travel independently within the requirements of the post.
• Ability to work flexibly according to service needs.
• Experience in supervising therapy support staff.
• Experience of training staff.

Use of Artificial Intelligence in Job Applications

If you choose to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) or other automated tools to help draft your application, please ensure all content is personalised and an accurate reflection of your own skills, experience and professional judgement. AI may be useful for idea generation, grammar, or formatting, but it must not replace your own supporting statement or be relied on as the sole source of content. Wrightington Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust does not advocate reliance on AI during applications and expects applications to be genuine and tailored to the role; over-reliance on AI-generated text may negatively affect your application.

For further information and best practice on using AI when applying for NHS roles, please refer to the attached “Applying for a role in the NHS guidance”.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration. This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.