Job Description

Band 4 Technical Instructor - Healthy Living Service:

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic Technical Instructor to join our outpatient healthy living physiotherapy team at St Thomas' Hospital. You will play a key role in the therapy management and treatment of patients who are living with obesity and are participating in South East London weight management programmes, both face to face and virtual.



This post is a full time permanent role and will require the post holder to deliver high quality exercise and education physiotherapy interventions for patients living with obesity. You will facilitate behaviour change towards living a healthy lifestyle.

You will be expected to:

work independently within the healthy living physiotherapy team- prescribe, progress and develop exercise programmes for patients- assist and support team members

You will have completed NVQ Level 4 or have significant experience of working with patients or clients within a health and exercise setting. You will have excellent communication, motivational and team working skills. This post would suit an applicant who is able to manage their own time effectively and be confident to work unsupervised for part of the day.



The Healthy Living Service is committed to delivering evidence based principals of exercise and nutrition to people living with obesity. We aim to support patients in implementing healthy lifestyle using behaviour change techniques. The team is able to support you through training, teaching and clinical practice development as required.



Job responsibilities

Professional / Clinical responsibilities:

To independently run exercise and education sessions for patients participating in weight management programmes across South East London - you will be expected to travel across various boroughs in South East London.



To be highly skilled and technically specialised within specific clinical area



To provide competent treatment to patients within set clinical protocols



To carry out assessment of patients as an autonomous practitioner, and to use clinical reasoning skills and knowledge of evidence based practice to formulate appropriate care plan utilising a range of treatment skills and options



To continually reassess patients in order to progress treatments and management effectively in order to meet patient goals



To use own clinical judgement and knowledge in regards to progressing and/or modifying treatment programmes within agreed clinical protocols and parameters.



To work unsupervised by a physiotherapist for majority of the time



To participate in a five-day service rota with late finishes



To evaluate patient responses and treatment outcomes to the team, monitoring and recording patients progress



To complete onward referrals to other appropriate services including exercise on referral scheme, talking therapies other physiotherapy centres including but not limited to outpatients and community physiotherapists.



To demonstrate an awareness of clinical risk and ability to manage clinical risk within a remote working setting, including observing patients in all situations applicable to physiotherapy, ensuring safety and security at all times



To comply, at all times, with the requirements of the Health and Safety Regulations and to take responsibility for the health, safety and welfare of others in the working environment



To demonstrate physical ability to carry out physiotherapy interventions including leading exercise classes



To be able to cope with occasional, potentially stressful, upsetting or emotional situations in an empathetic manner



To attend mandatory annual training (e.g. Fire, Manual Handling and Adult Basic Life Support



Communication



To be able to motivate and encourage patients through effective communication skills, utilising key verbal and non-verbal skills



Ability to communicate information where there may be barriers to communication and or understanding i.e. patients with cognitive impairment, non-English speaking patients; use of interpreters; excess noise or lack of privacy



To liaise with the multidisciplinary team as appropriate



To be responsible to and report regularly to the physiotherapists



To liaise with other physiotherapists or health professionals as necessary with regard to patient care



To liaise with managers, other administrative and support staff as necessary to ensure the smooth running of the service



To attend any meetings and seminars/case conferences as deemed appropriate by physiotherapy staff, including staff meetings and assistant meetings



Management and Leadership



Physical Resources



To be responsible for competent use and maintenance of all equipment used, to report defects in equipment in a timely manner



To undertake routine and general light cleaning/tidying tasks within departmental clinical areas



To undertake some administrative tasks particularly related to record keeping and data inputting



To prepare and clean equipment used in treatment



To report all complaints and accidents immediately to a member of physiotherapy staff

Human Resources:

To be responsible for non-clinical induction of assistants and students as required

Planning and Organisation:

To flexibly plan and organise own time, patient caseload, meetings and training and to adjust plans as required according to exercise classes, staffing levels and to meet deadlines



To assist the physiotherapist in the development of the programme



To ensure smooth organisation of patient individual and group work



To liaise with and provide cover for other Technical Instructors in the physiotherapy service during annual, sick and study leave

Service Development:

To follow physiotherapy department and Trust policies



To comment on changes to departmental policies and procedures as required



To support and participate in the in-service teaching programme



Person Specification

Qualifications / Education

Essential



Completed NVQ Level 4 or Part 1 City and Guilds certificate in Physiotherapy (with prior experience in a therapy unit) or assessed satisfactory completion of an equivalent training course in a therapy unit, the course being of no less than 200 hours duration and validated by the Department of Health.

Established experience in the sports and fitness industry.

Individual with significant experience in relevant work environment who can demonstrate competence to a standard that would gain the NVQ Level 4 through the Accreditation of Prior Experience and learning may also be considered.



Desirable



Member of Assistants CIG

Sports and Fitness Diploma/Degree



Experience

Essential



Exercise delivery experience in a group setting using relevant clinical skills.

Experience of education delivery to groups of participants.

Experience of management of exercise equipment including monitoring use and maintenance.

Experience of team working.

Experience of working with patients from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities



Desirable



Previous experience as a physiotherapy assistant.

Experience of treating patients within a weight loss environment.

Previous experience with data inputting.



Skills

Essential



Demonstrate knowledge of clinical protocols for relevant clinical work and for working in a gym/group environment.

Knowledge and experience of a using remote platforms to deliver education or exercise classes.

Knowledge of the health and safety policies.

Demonstrate good interpersonal skills in order to communicate and work effectively with other clinical staff and patients from a diverse range of social and cultural backgrounds range

Demonstrate ability to problem-solve

Knowledge of healthcare delivery and the role of the physiotherapist

Able to maintain own caseload of patients with complex conditions requiring technical proficiency/ knowledge, as delegated by the physiotherapist and prioritise appropriately in order to meet deadlines

Ability to treat patients within prescribed clinical protocols/programmes unsupervised for majority of their time and to progress/make adjustments to the prescribed plan.

Ability to work effectively and contribute as a member of a multi-therapy and multi-disciplinary team.

Able to present information, written and orally, in a clear and logical manner and maintain legible and accurate notes in the POMR system

Demonstrates ability to prioritise own workload in order to meet deadlines

Ability to comprehend and work within the Trust's policies of data protection, equal opportunities and Health and Safety to meet the differing needs of the patients

Ability to communicate clinical, treatment techniques and management or routine information and advice to patients in an understandable and effective manner.

Evidence of being self-motivated

Knowledge and understanding of cultural competence and humility



Desirable



Good awareness of clinical governance issues related to the physiotherapy environment.

Knowledge of diet and nutrition

Advanced computer skills.



Skills

Essential



Able to carry out moderate to vigorous physical effort throughout the working day

Physically fit and able to comply with Trust Manual Handling Guidelines



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.