Job Description

An exciting opportunity has arisen to strengthen our team of highly skilled Advanced Musculoskeletal Practitioner. You will be joining an experienced team of practitioners within the ED and will be both encouraged and challenged in this role as an independent practitioner.



You will be responsible for assessing, diagnosing and treating patients presenting with a wide range of injuries and being involved in our follow up clinics. With support from your personal ED Consultant mentor and the wider AMP team, you will provide a patient focused, quality, caring service within the framework of an excellent and dynamic AMP service.

Whiston Hospital and Emergency Department:

The hospital is a completely new facility opened in 2010 and serving a local population of approximately 350,000. The large ED includes both adult and paediatric facilities with a combined attendance of approximately 100,000 patients annually. Our well established AMP service has an expanding remit and provides cover within our minor injuries unit, working closely with our clinical team of ENP's and medical staff.



The ED is a busy and dynamic environment committed to the ongoing development and improvement of its service and patient experience. Successful candidates will be enthusiastic, motivated and have evidence of interest and development. Suitable applicants will have the motivation and enthusiasm for working within an Emergency Department.



To work within Trust clinical guidelines, HCPC and Registrant Body guidelines and to have a working knowledge of national and local standards and monitor own and others quality of practise against these



To work in secondary care in a variety of hospital settings.



To demonstrate as appropriate to role highly developed physical skills for assessment and treatment of patients.



The AMP will take high level responsibility for the triage, clinical assessment and diagnosis of complex health and wellbeing needs within a defined sphere of practice.



Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 9000 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.



We strongly believe that the communities we serve should all have access to Five Star Patient Care.

Our services:

Acute Care



Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.



Primary Care



Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.



Community Services



Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation, freeing up space for more unwell patients. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.



Specialist Regional Services



We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.

Achievements:

Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018

Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)

National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme



CLINICAL & PROFFESIONAL RESPONSIBILITES



To be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of your own work including the management of patients in your care. To ensure a high standard of clinical care for patients under your care and support all grades of staff and multi-disciplinary team colleagues to do likewise.



To undertake comprehensive assessment of patients including those with complex presentation, using investigative, diagnostic, analytical skills and clinical reasoning whilst respecting peoples privacy dignity and individuality.



To independently triage musculoskeletal referrals within the service ensuring rapid prioritisation and take responsibility for discharging patients from care.



To attend speciality clinics, assessing, clinically diagnosing and managing patient care. This will include liaising with appropriate medical practitioners on the treatment and care of patients.



To interpret and analyse clinical and non-clinical facts to form accurate diagnosis and prognoses in a wide range of highly complex conditions, to recommend the best course of intervention and to develop comprehensive discharge plans including any follow-up required within primary care setting.



To demonstrate expert skills in the provision of therapy services using extended scope techniques and knowledge (including x-ray, MRI scans, blood requests, joint injections and other diagnostic tests).



To interpret clinical diagnosis and prognosis for patients with complex problems, which may include the appropriate recommendation of intervention outside the scope of physiotherapy.



To co-ordinate and ensure effective delivery of services including those outside the normal working hours.



To demonstrate highly developed dexterity, co-ordination, palpatory and other skills for assessment and specialized manual treatment of neuro-musculoskeletal patients.



To maintain own clinical professional development (CPD) by keeping abreast of any new research and developments and incorporate them as necessary into your work, supporting junior and other grades of staff with their CPD. To co-ordinate and deliver training to all staff ensuring competence in carrying out these duties.



To provide specialist musculoskeletal advice to all physiotherapy staff and Rheumatology Consultants and other healthcare professionals involved in patient care.



To be available to colleagues, managers and other clinical staff in the trust, broader health care setting and service users to provide expert advice on all matters pertaining to the management of patients within own specialty.



To use autonomous decision-making founded on evidence based practice enabling rapid assessment of patients and instigation of management plans which cross professional boundaries, including referral of patients requiring medical and surgical opinion.



To communicate diagnosis, complex information and planned interventions with patients / relatives (including requirements in relation to patient consent) who have complex physical, psychological and emotional conditions, this will include empathy and reassurance where there may be barriers to understanding.



To assist in the development and implementation of innovative practices that are evidence based influencing national and local standards of care.



To ensure a high standard of patient care is provided, ensuring that the principles of evidence based practice and best value are integral to practice and to assist the development, implementation and review of clinical standards, clinical pathways and policies relevant to patient care.



To train, supervise and performance manage qualified and unqualified staff where appropriate and ensure the clinical competence of staff.



To ensure where necessary the provision of cover for the department as a whole in times of annual leave/sickness etc.



To develop and deliver patient focused care incorporating user involvement, in the decision making process, facilitating patient/user involvement in planning, development, delivery and evaluation of the service (development).



To assess cognitive capacity, gain valid informed consent and have the ability to work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment.



To communicate effectively and work collaboratively with medical, nursing, therapy staff and other health and social care professionals to ensure delivery of a co-ordinated multidisciplinary service. This will include MDT meetings, review clinics, discharge and follow-up planning and other forms of verbal/written communication as necessary e.g. report writing.



To communicate highly sensitive and complex information effectively with all patient groups/carers where there may be difficulties in accepting or understanding information.



To maintain tact and diplomacy and use highly developed communication skills when working in situations which may become hostile/antagonistic.



To participate in the staff appraisal scheme and personal development plan (PDP) as both appraiser and appraise.



To participate in the supervision scheme as supervisor and supervisee.



To attend and contribute to national conferences in own filed of expertise.



To participate in the organisation and delivery of internal/external/national courses.



To take an active in local/national specialist groups.



To play an active role in the review of service delivery, disseminating this through publication.



To be responsible for service delivery in own area of work and to plan and organize efficiently and effectively with regard to patient management and use of time for self and more junior members of staff.



To ensure all treatment resources are within national guidelines or evidence based practice where available aiming to improve standards and minimise clinical risk.



To be responsible for equipment used in carrying out physiotherapy duties and to adhere to departmental policies including the competence to use equipment by others through training and supervision of practice.



To participate in working parties developing policy change within speciality which impacts on all service users.



To design policies and procedures to improve and develop the service in conjunction with the Therapy manager, Consultants and Multi-disciplinary teams.



To provide spontaneous and planned advice, teaching and instruction to relative, carers and other professionals to promote understanding of the aims of physiotherapy ensuring a consistent approach to patient care



To act as a catalyst for change, reviewing service and clinical provision through audit/research, identifying areas for development and implementing change.



Administrative Responsibilities



To maintain accurate, comprehensive and up to date documentation, in line with legal and departmental requirements, and communicate assessment and treatment results to the appropriate disciplines in the form of reports and letters.



To co-ordinate the collection of appropriate data and statistics for the use in the review of service delivery.



To use appropriate information technology (IT) skills for communication where required.



TEACHING & TRAINING RESPONSIBILITIES



To maintain own clinical professional development (CPD) by keeping abreast of any new research and developments and incorporate them as necessary into your work, supporting junior and other grades of staff with their CPD. To co-ordinate and deliver training to all staff ensuring competence in carrying out these duties.



To provide expert advice to AHP colleagues working within other areas.



To provide expert advice, teaching and training to other members of the MDT including nurse practitioners regarding the management of patients and service delivery/development.



To train, supervise and performance manage more junior staff, technical instructors, assistants, nursing and medical staff. This will include the use of formal appraisal/supervision documentation.



To co-ordinate and participate in the in-service training programme, delivering presentations and training sessions at staff meetings, tutorials, training sessions in-house and externally at both local and national level.



To organise local conferences/study days promoting speciality and therapy services to a wider audience.



To attend high level courses as directed by an individual personal development plan and the needs of the department and to disseminate this information to colleagues to support best practice.



LINE MANAGERMENT RESPONSIBILITIES



To ensure all staff adhere to Health and Safety guidelines and maintain safe environments and working practices.



To undertake specific liaison/key trainer/link person duties relevant to the team.



To represent the trust externally (locally, regionally, nationally and internationally) regarding physiotherapy services provided to patients within the specialty.



PLEASE REVIEW THE ATTACHED JOB DESCRIPTION TO SEE FULL DUTIES