A fabulous opportunity to work as an assistant practitioner on Critical Care at The Royal Brompton Hospital. The postholder will provide inpatient rehab as a second or third pair of hands to qualified therapists as well as individual exercise sessions with ECMO, Stroke patients, Cardiothoracic surgery and will work closely with other Allied Health Professionals within a multi-disciplinary team model.
The post holder will need excellent communication skills.
As part of Guys and St Thomas Trust, we care about our staff. We offer:
a free shuttle bus between hospital sites
10 days of study leave a year,
excellent opportunities in quality improvement
a comprehensive health and well-being service.
1. The post holder will work as an integral and active part of the Adult Heart Therapy Team. They will be responsible for supporting the therapy team in the provision of a patient-centred service, in an efficient and cost-effective way.
2. The post holder will assist in the provision of care to patients on critical care, supported and supervised by senior therapists
3. The post holder will carry out clinical tasks to support the therapy team. This will predominantly be the physiotherapy and occupational therapy teams and will involve daily individual rehabilitation and developmental sessions, joint sessions for complex patients with qualified therapists. The role may also include speech therapy and dietary reviews, delegated by qualified staff, requiring a wide range of technical ability, as well as an excellent level of interpersonal skills.
4. The post holder will carry out clinical assessments independently, within their Assistant Practitioner competency framework. They will assist in the initial generic therapy assessment of referrals to the adult heart therapy team.
5. To gain the required knowledge and skills in the relevant technical, clinical and organisational procedures, and to maintain those skills working under the Assistant Practitioner Competency programme under the supervision of Specialist therapy teams.
The post is based at The Royal Brompton Hospital but the post holder may need to work between GSTT hospital sites as required.
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust comprises five of the UK’s best known hospitals – Guy’s, St Thomas’, Evelina London Children’s Hospital, Royal Brompton and Harefield – as well as community services in Lambeth and Southwark, all with a long history of high quality care, clinical excellence, research and innovation. We are among the UK’s busiest, most successful foundation trusts. We provide specialist care for patients including heart and lung, cancer and renal services as well as a full range of local hospital and community services for people in Lambeth and Southwark. We have a long tradition of clinical and scientific achievement and – as part of King’s Health Partners – we are one of England’s eight academic health sciences centres, bringing together world-class clinical services, teaching and research. We have one of the National Institute for Health Research’s biomedical research centres, established with King’s College London in 2007, as well as dedicated clinical research facilities.
Patient care objectives
1. To work as a core member of the Heart Therapy Team.
2. To work effectively within the Multidisciplinary Team and commit to providing quality care and service development by participating in, and contributing to, quality improvement initiatives.
3. To perform complex aspects of patient care on critical care, with direct and indirect supervision such as carrying out daily supervised patient rehabilitation/developmental sessions.
4. To use appropriate and safe manual handling techniques with patients requiring neuro rehabilitation and therapeutic facilitation to achieve set goals.
5. To be responsible for performing given tasks and reporting any concerns to the Specialist Therapists or appropriate member of the clinical team through daily feedback.
6. To perform clinical functional assessment procedures with patients, without any direct supervision, and basic triage assessments to facilitate appropriate onward referrals to specialist physiotherapists, occupational therapists and external agencies.
7. To be aware of and adhere to the Trust policies and procedures, including infection control.
8. To treat patients according to relevant allied health professional standards.
9. To be aware of and adhere to local policies and procedures.
10. To provide programmes of rehabilitation that have a therapeutic basis following framework guidelines laid down by the Specialist/Senior Therapists and within this set and work towards SMART rehabilitation goals.
11. To use assessments made during a treatment session, along side patient feedback and liaison with a Specialist/Senior Therapist, to change and progress treatment sessions in the future.
12. To assist qualified therapists with complex rehab sessions where a second or third pair of hands may be needed.
13. Awareness of safe practise, ongoing risk assessment and the need for onward referral, particularly when carrying out assessments and rehabilitation.
14. Maintain accurate, comprehensive and up to date patient records and mandatory statistical information to reflect care provided. To participate in audits as required.
Educational objectives
To gain the required knowledge and skills in the relevant technical and clinical procedures, and to maintain those skills working under the Assistant Practitioner Competency programme under the supervision of Specialist/Senior Therapists.
To develop and maintain knowledge of rehabilitation, cardiology, cardio-thoracics and critical care.
To attend and participate in department in-service training.
To continue to gain practical knowledge that will support the delivery of care to this particular group of patients.
To support the day-to-day running of specialist rehabilitation from the therapy team and occasionally cover tasks outside of normal day to day responsibility at an appropriate level to this banding.
To maintain awareness of safe practise and the need for onward referral and communication with relevant services, particularly when lone working.
Organisational and management objectives
To take responsibility for the organisation and provision of Therapy equipment, ensuring patients have appropriate equipment and up to date guidance regarding cleaning and infection control, as well as stock taking and annual servicing.
To undertake patient related administration tasks for the therapy team
Manage and prioritise own clinical caseload as delegated by the Senior Therapist.
To assist in the development of information for patients and their families, particularly around rehabilitation
To maintain an efficient and accurate record system.
To keep accurate and up to date clinical records in line with Trust and department standards.
To use IT skills, collating input, maintaining patient database and accessing patient data as required.
Adhere to directorate procedures for the use of supplies and equipment in order to promote the effective and efficient use of resources. Assist in the restocking of supplies and maintenance of equipment as directed by a Senior Therapists.
Participate in the Trust’s appraisal and personal development plan schemes by meeting with the manager regularly and continually working towards set objectives.
Communication
1. Demonstrate a courteous and helpful approach to patients and their families, ensuring patients feel reassured and supported.
Carry out assigned administrative tasks as directed by a Senior Therapists.
Take patient phone calls and seek advice from Specialist Therapists when appropriate, and to use reassurance skills that require tact and persuasion on occasions.
Report untoward incidents and any other relevant information to a Specialist Therapist immediately.
5. Inform a Therapist if asked to carry out a task that the individual does not have the training or capacity to do.
Promote the corporate image of the Trust to all individuals, groups and organisations, both within the Trust and externally to the community at large.
Participate fully as a team member, sharing knowledge and information and supporting colleagues, to promote a cohesive team.
Information management
To participate in research, audit, and quality improvement programmes for the Therapy team.
Undertake relevant training for electronic information systems in place and under development.
Use relevant IT systems in the support of patient care.
To maintain strict confidentiality regarding patient information, adhering to trust policies and procedures.
To be responsible for managing and maintaining personal diary and to organise time autonomously and effectively.
Other duties
1. To undertake any other duties commensurate with the grade as requested.
