Care of Older People Physiotherapy Team Lead

Job description

Job summary

Care of Older People Team Lead Physiotherapist (Band 7)

We are seeking an experienced and enthusiastic Physiotherapist to join our Care of Older People Therapy Team at Whittington Health. You will have specialist expertise in assessing and managing older adults with complex medical, frailty, cognitive, neurological and musculoskeletal conditions.

As Team Lead Physiotherapist, you will provide clinical and operational leadership, delivering high-quality, patient-centred care across the service. You will manage a complex caseload, provide expert rehabilitation, and support safe and timely discharge planning to maximise patient independence and outcomes.

Working closely with colleagues across health and social care, you will contribute to patient flow, service development and quality improvement, ensuring patients receive the right care in the right place at the right time.

You will provide leadership, supervision and education to therapists, therapy assistants and students, promoting evidence-based practice and workforce development. The role requires excellent clinical reasoning, communication and leadership skills, together with a commitment to outstanding care for older people.

Whittington Health is committed to supporting your professional and leadership development through regular supervision and development opportunities. The post includes participation in weekend working as part of the departmental rota.

Main duties of the job

Main Duties and Responsibilities

1. Lead the Care of Older People Therapy Team, ensuring high-quality, patient-centred care.
2. Assess, diagnose and treat older adults with complex medical, frailty, cognitive, neurological and musculoskeletal conditions.
3. Represent physiotherapy within multidisciplinary meetings, board rounds and service development.
4. Deliver specialist rehabilitation to maximise function, independence and recovery.
5. Coordinate effective discharge planning and support safe, timely transitions of care.
6. Liaise with community, social care and voluntary sector services to support patient flow.
7. Prioritise workload and resources to ensure safe and efficient service delivery.
8. Develop and support rehabilitation and discharge pathways.
9. Provide leadership, supervision, appraisal and education to staff and students.
10. Contribute to organisational objectives, quality improvement and patient outcomes.
11. Communicate effectively with patients, families and carers, promoting person-centred care.
12. Lead and participate in audit, service evaluation and research activities.
13. Maintain accurate, timely and legally compliant clinical records.
14. Participate in weekend working and extended service provision as required.

About us

Whittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the way we look after our staff. We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief. The Trust believes that as a public sector organisation we have an obligation to have recruitment, training, promotion and other formal employment policies and procedures that are sensitive to these differences. We think that by doing so, we are better able to treat our patients as well as being a better place to work.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Main dutiesClinical1. To be responsible for maintaining a high standard, both professionally and legally, ofclinical practice both in own practice and for ensuring that others in the team maintaincompetent clinical skills and operate to a high level.

2. To be responsible for the assessment of patients, including those with complexpresentations, and to select appropriate assessment tools for this.

3. To use clinical reasoning skills and specialist clinical knowledge to formulate treatmentplans, using a wide range of treatment skills. To carry out, evaluate progress andadjust treatment plans, as necessary.

4. To be able to demonstrate advanced evidence based clinical reasoning whenconsidering treatment options and management approaches to therapy provision forolder patients presenting with a range of health conditions.

5. To demonstrate highly developed and advanced clinical skills that require specialisedskills such as precision, hand eye co-ordination, sensory co-ordination, and manualhandling in the therapeutic handling of patients with a range of presentations.

6. To in-reach and provide clinical expertise and support for junior staff members andcolleagues with managing complex patients with assessment, treatment, and ongoingdischarge planning.

Please see the full job description and person specification for the role if you are interested to apply. Please ensure you demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria in your application.

Job description
Job responsibilities

Main dutiesClinical1. To be responsible for maintaining a high standard, both professionally and legally, ofclinical practice both in own practice and for ensuring that others in the team maintaincompetent clinical skills and operate to a high level.

2. To be responsible for the assessment of patients, including those with complexpresentations, and to select appropriate assessment tools for this.

3. To use clinical reasoning skills and specialist clinical knowledge to formulate treatmentplans, using a wide range of treatment skills. To carry out, evaluate progress andadjust treatment plans, as necessary.

4. To be able to demonstrate advanced evidence based clinical reasoning whenconsidering treatment options and management approaches to therapy provision forolder patients presenting with a range of health conditions.

5. To demonstrate highly developed and advanced clinical skills that require specialisedskills such as precision, hand eye co-ordination, sensory co-ordination, and manualhandling in the therapeutic handling of patients with a range of presentations.

6. To in-reach and provide clinical expertise and support for junior staff members andcolleagues with managing complex patients with assessment, treatment, and ongoingdischarge planning.

Please see the full job description and person specification for the role if you are interested to apply. Please ensure you demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria in your application.

Person Specification

Education and Qualifications

Essential

• Degree in Physiotherapy or equivalent.
• HCPC registration
• Evidence of completion of courses in line with clinical specialism.
• Portfolio and evidence of continuing professional development relating to specialism
• High standard of written and spoken English. IELTS Level 7 for international candidates.

Desirable

• Member of Professional Body
• Member of Specialist Section or special interest group

Experience

Essential

• Minimum 4 years post-graduate experience with minimum 2 year at band 6 level in an NHS in-patient setting
• Wide range of B5 and B6 rotations or equivalent senior experience in specialism or related area.
• Experience of orthopaedic and surgical cases and managing a complex caseload within the specialism.
• Experience of respiratory on call work.
• Previous experience of being a key member in multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience of risk management and how to effectively rate patient associated risk and/or mitigate risk.
• Knowledge of clinical governance and its application to support effective and safe working practices.
• Managing/Supervisory experience - staff and students
• Experience of appraisal - self and others
• Teaching experience to own and other professions formally and informally.

Desirable

• Team leadership experience
• Understanding of human resources procedures such as staff appraisal, performance & sickness management, recruitment and interviewing.
• Experience of Quality Improvement - audit, research, service development.

Skills and Knowledge

Essential

• Knowledge of orthopaedic and surgical conditions in planned and unplanned care.
• Knowledge of frailty, fractures, falls, and appropriate physiotherapy management.
• Knowledge of current developments and best practice in Orthopaedic/Surgical physiotherapy care and management
• Advanced level clinical reasoning and judgement
• Able to prioritise own and other workloads, managing stress and unforeseen circumstances.
• Able to prioritise own and other workloads, managing stress and unforeseen circumstances.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, managing and adapting to barriers to communication.
• Negotiation, persuasion and influencing skills
• Knowledge of relevant legislation, policies and guidelines related to work practice.
• Excellent IT and record keeping skills
• Able to lead training and education sessions with excellent presenting skills.
• Experience of staff development
• Competent and skilled in moving and handling techniques and familiar with a wide range of equipment to support this e.g. hoists, sara steady, slide sheets etc

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Able to do the required hours and shift pattern including on call, late shift and weekend duties
• Able to undertake manual handling tasks and comply with Trust Manual Handling Guidelines
• Personally responsible and accountable as a practitioner and supervisor.
• Able to demonstrate and deliver compassionate care and leadership in line with Trust values
• Enthusiastic, motivated with a can-do attitude and able to act as a role model to developing staff.
• Innovative/Flexible approach to change / adaptable to service / team needs
• Accepting of feedback to improve self, team, and others performance.

Person Specification
Education and Qualifications

Essential

• Degree in Physiotherapy or equivalent.
• HCPC registration
• Evidence of completion of courses in line with clinical specialism.
• Portfolio and evidence of continuing professional development relating to specialism
• High standard of written and spoken English. IELTS Level 7 for international candidates.

Desirable

• Member of Professional Body
• Member of Specialist Section or special interest group

Experience

Essential

• Minimum 4 years post-graduate experience with minimum 2 year at band 6 level in an NHS in-patient setting
• Wide range of B5 and B6 rotations or equivalent senior experience in specialism or related area.
• Experience of orthopaedic and surgical cases and managing a complex caseload within the specialism.
• Experience of respiratory on call work.
• Previous experience of being a key member in multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience of risk management and how to effectively rate patient associated risk and/or mitigate risk.
• Knowledge of clinical governance and its application to support effective and safe working practices.
• Managing/Supervisory experience - staff and students
• Experience of appraisal - self and others
• Teaching experience to own and other professions formally and informally.

Desirable

• Team leadership experience
• Understanding of human resources procedures such as staff appraisal, performance & sickness management, recruitment and interviewing.
• Experience of Quality Improvement - audit, research, service development.

Skills and Knowledge

Essential

• Knowledge of orthopaedic and surgical conditions in planned and unplanned care.
• Knowledge of frailty, fractures, falls, and appropriate physiotherapy management.
• Knowledge of current developments and best practice in Orthopaedic/Surgical physiotherapy care and management
• Advanced level clinical reasoning and judgement
• Able to prioritise own and other workloads, managing stress and unforeseen circumstances.
• Able to prioritise own and other workloads, managing stress and unforeseen circumstances.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, managing and adapting to barriers to communication.
• Negotiation, persuasion and influencing skills
• Knowledge of relevant legislation, policies and guidelines related to work practice.
• Excellent IT and record keeping skills
• Able to lead training and education sessions with excellent presenting skills.
• Experience of staff development
• Competent and skilled in moving and handling techniques and familiar with a wide range of equipment to support this e.g. hoists, sara steady, slide sheets etc

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Able to do the required hours and shift pattern including on call, late shift and weekend duties
• Able to undertake manual handling tasks and comply with Trust Manual Handling Guidelines
• Personally responsible and accountable as a practitioner and supervisor.
• Able to demonstrate and deliver compassionate care and leadership in line with Trust values
• Enthusiastic, motivated with a can-do attitude and able to act as a role model to developing staff.
• Innovative/Flexible approach to change / adaptable to service / team needs
• Accepting of feedback to improve self, team, and others performance.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

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.
Certificate of Sponsorship

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 .

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. .
UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see

Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check

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.
Certificate of Sponsorship

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 .

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. .
UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see

Employer details

Employer name

Whittington Hospital NHS Trust
Address

Whittington Hospital

Magdala Avenue

London

N19 5NF

United Kingdom

Employer's website