Band 5 Physiotherapist - Salisbury

Job description

Job overview

Are you a recently qualified physiotherapist with a passion for holistic care?

We have a career opportunity for someone who is keen to work in a diverse specialist area. You will combine your physiotherapeutic skills with the desire to learn and develop the expertise to work with those experiencing Severe Mental Illness (SMI).

Our work is both challenging and rewarding with every day presenting different opportunities. You will be supported by an established team of specialist clinicians to deliver evidence based, person centred care, where you'll be central to service users' recovery journeys.

You'll be working with individuals with SMI so we need to see clearly from your application that you have a good understanding of what this may involve. It would also be helpful to hear how your NHS placements have influenced your interest to work in this field.

This post is primarily based on our inpatient wards at Fountain Way, however, there may be some potential for service expansion into the community over time.

Main duties of the job

To provide effective physiotherapeutic assessment and intervention and evaluation relating to physical and mental health and working with both
individuals and groups in a variety of settings.

To ensure that client treatment is constantly reviewed and adapted to changing needs

To work both autonomously and as part of the wider multidisciplinary team.

To maintain strict confidentiality and respect the individual rights of clients at all times.

To take an active part in clients' Support Conversations and Personal Wellbeing Plans (PWP).

To advise on matters relating to physiotherapy, practical management and health promotion.

To contribute to the risk assessment process as part of the PWP.

To be responsible for identifying issues regarding the safeguarding of others who may be at risk, and reporting all such concerns in accordance with Trust safeguarding procedures.

Working for our organisation

We are the lead provider of healthcare for people with serious mental illness, learning disabilities and autism across Bath and North East Somerset (BaNES), Swindon and Wiltshire, and Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.

We aim to provide High Quality, Compassionate Care everywhere, every day. This means our services will be safe, clinically effective and provide a positive all round experience for our patients, families and carers. And we believe passionately in treating everyone with kindness, respect and empathy.

Key to this is providing a supportive and safe environment for our 4,000 staff where we all feel welcome and able to do the best we can for those we support. Our staff and teams work incredibly hard delivering services across more than 90 locations, covering 2,200miles, to more than 1.8million people.

At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical Responsibilities

To provide effective physiotherapy interventions. Learning how to identify and assess problems relating to physical and mental disorders requiring physiotherapy, working with both individuals and groups in a variety of settings .

To ensure that client treatment is constantly reviewed, and adapted to their changing needs.

To maintain strict confidentiality and respect the individual rights of clients at all times.

To take an active part in Personalised Wellbeing Planning (PWP).

To advise on matters relating to physiotherapy, practical management and health promotion.

To contribute to the risk assessment process as part of the PWP.

To be responsible for identifying issues regarding the safeguarding of others who may be at risk, and reporting all such concerns in accordance with Trust safeguarding procedures.

To observe the requirements of the Health and Safety at Work Act and to be aware of risks to patients and self, taking all precautionary safety measures required.

Personal

To work within the national standards of physiotherapy and the professional code of conduct.

To work in a collaborative and co-operative manner with other professionals and non professionals working with the clients, demonstrating good communication skills.

To comply with the terms of the contract of employment and the Trust's statement of values and beliefs.

To maintain registration with the Health and Care Professional Council, and comply with the relevant code of conduct and standards of professional practice.

To fully participate in management, clinical and professional supervision sessions relevant to the role, as required by the Trust.

To fully participate in annual review and appraisal reviews.

To maintain up to date knowledge and competency in the skills required to perform safely and effectively in the role.

To undertake relevant training (including statutory and mandatory training) and be responsible for personal development in line with Trust requirements.

To have very well established motivational skills to engage those with severe and enduring mental health issues.

Demonstrate a broad range of physiotherapy interventions , using safe and appropriate techniques.

To be able to build therapeutic relationships with those acutely mentally unwell, using well developed communication skills and overcoming barriers to communication such as cognitive ability, altered perception and language.

To provide support to service users at times of extreme emotional distress; this may involve being aware of traumatic histories and events.

Administration

To undertake administrative tasks in relation to own work and as requested.

To maintain accurate and comprehensive service user records using RIO, in accordance with Trust and Professional record keeping standards.

Recording patient's activity and statistical data using information technology.

To maintain strict confidentiality and respect the individual rights of clients at all times.

To be able to plan own workload with independent diary management, including managing both inpatient and community commitments.

To carry administrative functions associated with the role.

To maintain accurate caseload lists.

To discharge service users at the end of a period of care.

Training and Development

To participate in physiotherapy and inter-disciplinary training, keeping professionally up to date and ensuring own professional development and maintaining a Portfolio .

To ensure engage in regular support and supervision from senior physiotherapists and attend relevant professional meetings.

To participate in the induction of new staff and support students, as well as those less experienced, in the clinical area.

To ensure attendance at mandatory training and have a continuing professional development plan in line with the Trust appraisal policy.

To be aware of, and work to all relevant Trust policies and procedures, including infection control, lone working, AWOL and GDPR.

Communications and Working Relationships

To develop skills to work autonomously within a multi-disciplinary team developing skills in exchange of clinical information between relevant parties.

To communicate with service users, team and carers in a way which recognises difference and ensures that people feel included and that their individual communication needs are met.

To liaise with other professionals and non-professionals working with the clients.

To demonstrate good communication skills.

To communicate effectively with service users with mental health conditions, overcoming barriers to understanding by effective listening and observation and adapting communication accordingly.

To attend clinical team meetings, providing structured and objective information on service user progress as required and contributing to the clinical decision making process.

To communicate sensitive clinical information with service users, carers, other healthcare professionals and outside agencies where persuasion, reassurance or cooperation is required.

To promote and educate on other areas of physical wellbeing including smoking cessation, weight management and healthy lifestyles and habits.

To work with other members of the MDT to provide joint sessions, and identify and make appropriate referrals to other relevant professions such as, Occupational therapy Dietetics and Nutrition.

To decide when to escalate issues to senior staff (e.g. new, emerging or changing risks or red flags) and take appropriate action to non-routine situations.

To be responsible for maintaining appropriate boundaries with service users and within your scope of practice.

To work alongside other professionals to ensure clients are able to carry out interventions as designated in their PWP.

To provide support and teaching to other health professionals around the role of physiotherapy and its benefits to service users.

To maintain links with other junior staff .

Practice development

To contribute towards and support with the implementation of agreed action plans and clinical audits, within the clinical governance framework and the relevant standards that are required and monitored within the team.

To contribute towards service development and provision through identifying new opportunities, and creating appropriate partnerships.

To contribute towards the development of standard policies and processes related to the Physiotherapy service.

To contribute towards continual safety and quality improvement activities as part of a team and implementing agreed action plans.

To continue to develop links with outside partners, creating appropriate pathways for information sharing

Resources

To ensure any equipment is in safe working order, reporting any faults.

Other duties

To observe the requirements of the Health and Safety at Work Act and to be aware of risk to patients and self, taking all precautionary safety measures required.

Most challenging part of this role

Working with and motivating a patient group to be exposed to distressed, anxious or aggressive service users and carers.

To deal with emotional situations with a client group who may have barriers to understanding and whose mental health problems can be challenging and emotionally draining for staff.

Maintaining links with other physiotherapists in a geographically widespread trust.

Maintaining the profile of a small discipline, the benefits of which are often poorly understood.

Person specification

Essential and Desirable

Essential criteria

• BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy Degree
• HCPC Registration
• Core student placements within the NHS
• Clear and demonstrable interest in Mental Health

Desirable criteria

• Experience of working in the NHS as a Physiotherapy Assistant or Junior Physiotherapist
• Experience of working with people with a mental health condition

Other Requirements

Essential criteria

• Empathy for individuals who have experienced mental health problems and ability to cope with behaviour which may be challenging at times.
• Independently mobile across geographical area.

We are proud to be fostering a diverse workforce that reflects our communities. A key commitment to this is improving staff representation from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities, those from the LGBTQ+ communities, people with 'lived-experience' of mental health conditions and people living with disabilities,- we are a 'Disability Confident Employer' offering a guaranteed interview to Disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria. This includes people with a variety of disabilities and neurodivergent conditions (for example autism, ADHD, sensory, physical and learning disabilities).

We encourage applications from people who wish to work on a flexible basis, recognising that flexibility may mean a range of different working patterns and hours, we do our utmost to work with our staff to meet their needs and the needs of our service users.

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