Job responsibilities Purpose: To work as a member of the multi-disciplinary Rapid Response team. To undertake assessments, clinical diagnosis and treatment of patients including telephone triage, multi-factorial falls assessments, and patients who may require crisis management and/or rehabilitation interventions to prevent acute hospital admissions and to support complex hospital discharges. These patients often have complex presentations. To work as an autonomous practitioner to undertake a significant clinical caseload, working without direct supervision. Access to a Physiotherapy Team Lead or Advanced Physiotherapist is available within the service. To take a role in supervision and teaching of qualified and unqualified clinical staff to include nurses, occupational therapists and rehabilitation assistants. To demonstrate leadership skills and contribute to service development and monitoring of standards of practice, and developing multidisciplinary management of patients. Communication / Relationship skills: · Communicate effectively with all disciplines involved in a patient’s care. · Communicate complex and sensitive information to patients, carer and other staff. · Communicate any changes in care plan or treatment approach to other relevant members of the team. · Ensure timely and effective communication on all professional matters. · Maintain accurate documentation in line with professional and organisational standards and policies. · Attend staff meetings and actively participate · Assess patients understanding of proposed intervention. Gain valid consent and work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to assessment and/or intervention. · Use a range of verbal and non-verbal communication skills to communicate effectively with patients in order to progress rehabilitation and treatment programmes. This may include patients who have difficulties in understanding or communicating, or who are unable to accept their diagnosis or presenting condition. · Appreciate cultural differences and take these into account when agreeing treatment plans with patients. · Manage patients who may be occasionally aggressive or confused. · Manage potentially stressful, upsetting or emotional situations in an empathetic manner. Analytical / assessment skills: · Undertake comprehensive assessments of patients including those with diverse or complex presentations or multipathologies. · Use investigative and analytical skills to assess complex patients and support other staff with their patients as required. · Devise individualised management and/or treatment plans using clinical reasoning skills. Responsibilities for human resources including personal and people development: · Work as part of the Rapid Response team to provide an efficient and effective service over 7 days. · Supervise junior staff where appropriate. · Evaluate own and other’s practice and identify own and other’s development needs. · Participate in the appraisal scheme as an appraisee and as an appraiser for junior staff. · Participate in the supervision of students. · Deputise for the Physiotherapy Team Lead when required. · Take a role in supervision and teaching of qualified and unqualified clinical staff. · Be responsible for and actively record your own personal development. · Ensure professional competence is maintained by participating in all Continuing Professional Development (CPD) opportunities and maintain a portfolio of evidence. · Participate in any training sessions as a recipient and facilitator. · Disseminate any training received to other staff. Planning and organisational tasks / duties: · Effectively manage your time ensuring an appropriate balance of clinical and other responsibilities both on and off site, to prioritise effectively and be flexible in changing tasks when dealing with tasks that require urgent attention. · Have an understanding of clinical governance in order to participate in and promote clinical governance activities. · Respond to urgent referrals and other clinical queries and interruptions throughout the day and occasionally unpredictable work patterns. · Work co-operatively with colleagues regarding resources. · Contribute to and participate in team objectives and service developments. · Participate in service-related and group meetings where appropriate, planning, organising, chairing or taking minutes when required. · Represent and promote the service to others e.g. to visitors. Responsibility for audit/research and development: · Participate in appropriate work related evaluation projects and to be aware of current search. · Undertake and present relevant evidence-based projects with support from the Physiotherapy Team Lead. · Participate in any relevant clinical governance projects and audits. · Evaluate your own clinical effectiveness. Quality: · Maintain the high standards of the service by contributing towards individual, team and service objectives. Maintain a high standard of clinical care using evidence-based practice by keeping up to date with clinical developments, appraising current research, discussing and implementing changes in your clinical practice and encouraging throughout the team.