Specialist Paediatric Physiotherapist

We are seeking an experienced, motivated, and enthusiastic Band 6 Paediatric Physiotherapist to join our special schools team at Perseid Upper and Lower Schools.

The post holder will provide a specialist physiotherapy service for children and young people with severe and complex learning difficulties in the special schools, in accordance with the Service Level Agreement for Sutton Health and Care Alliance (SHC).

Main Duties of the Job

The post holder will contribute to the development of the special schools physiotherapy service for children and young people. They will plan and provide highly specialist physiotherapy assessment, advice, and treatment to a defined caseload of children and young people with severe and complex needs.

The post holder will work in partnership with the children and young people, their families, and other professions and agencies, including school staff and the wider health team, to reduce the impact of these difficulties on the children's and young people's social and emotional development, their learning, and their ability to participate in daily life.

The post holder will work autonomously and without direct supervision and be accountable for their own actions.

Job Responsibilities

Clinical Responsibilities

• Provide a specialist level of clinical skill in paediatric physiotherapy
• Be responsible for a clinical caseload of children and young people attending Perseid special schools
• Use clinical assessments, interview, and observational skills to determine physiotherapy needs of children and young people
• Communicate complex assessment findings and treatment plans with clients, family, school staff, and the wider community staff
• Assess and treat individual children and young people with complex needs in school, their homes, or clinical setting
• Provide written, typed, and/or verbal reports and programmes to referrers and other agencies involved in the client's care
• Monitor the effectiveness of intervention through goal setting, outcome measures, and evaluation of practice
• Contribute to the development of information that enables family, school, and the wider community to understand and self-manage the client's condition
• Recommend, provide, and advise on physiotherapy programmes
• Identify, provide, and advise on client hydrotherapy needs as necessary
• Recommend, provide, and advise on equipment related to physiotherapy programmes
• Organise equipment demonstrations and wheelchair clinics within school as necessary
• Identify clients' complex seating needs, attending specialist seating clinics with the clients and their families as necessary
• Have a full understanding of the working of any equipment and ensure regular checks are completed to maintain safety
• Liaise and establish communication networks with the multidisciplinary team, external volunteers, and statutory organisations

Management Responsibilities

• Assist the Team Leader in planning and providing the commissioned physiotherapy input to children and young people attending Perseid special schools
• Keep the Team Leader up to date with service provision issues and report promptly any untoward incidences
• Review efficacy of service delivery and facilitate setting up of new standards or amendment of existing ones
• Contribute to formulating policies for specialist areas and proposals for general service changes
• Support the development of the physiotherapy service in the special schools
• Keep up to date with the Department and Trust standards and policies and facilitate dissemination of this knowledge to colleagues
• Develop good working relationships with multidisciplinary teams, outside agencies, and voluntary agencies
• Provide support and supervision to other physiotherapy staff including assistants, where appropriate

Education, Training, and Personal Development

• Be responsible for training/education for families and school staff
• Be aware of changing trends in treatment, promoting evidence-based practice within own team
• Participate in clinical audit, service development activities, and research programmes as required
• Carry out continual professional development as identified through supervision and PDR
• Participate in own supervision on a regular basis and work towards objectives set in PDR
• Take responsibility for identifying suitable courses and training programmes to enhance own professional development
• Actively participate in delivering in-service training, tutorials, individual training sessions, external training, and peer review
• Participate in the clinical education of students on placement
• Comply with the SHC/ESTH and physiotherapy service mandatory training requirements
• Be actively involved in peer support and relevant specialist section support groups

Clinical Governance

• Ensure that statistics and notes are kept in accordance with local and national policies
• Work in accordance with the standards and policies issued by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, Health and Care Professionals Council, the Trust, and the physiotherapy department
• Keep up to date with clinical requirements and changing trends in practice
• Be responsible for demonstrating safe use of equipment to other staff and outside agencies
• Be involved in monitoring and evaluating physiotherapy intervention as part of a multidisciplinary service
• Undertake specific projects, as necessary, to support clinical governance and quality initiatives

Managing People and Resources

• Ensure that satisfactory systems are in place to maintain effective communication within your area
• Observe and comply with the Trust's policies and procedures for health and safety
• Comply with standard infection prevention and control precautions
• Observe and continually promote equal opportunities in compliance with the Trust's policies on Equality and Diversity and Dignity at Work
• Ensure the benefits to clients are maximised through careful, economical, and appropriate use of NHS resources