Highly Specialist Physiotherapist - Hand Therapy

This post provides highly specialised rehabilitation in the clinical specialty of hand therapy, managing a wide variety of clinical presentations (hand trauma and routine conditions).

The post holder is also responsible for the supervision and line management of Band 6 staff in the team and is involved with operational/day to day management within the hand therapy team. This role is also involved in clinical teaching and learning of new and rotational staff also contributes to regular teaching and learning within hand therapy.

This post holder in this role is responsible for their own clinical caseload within an outpatient setting and they are accountable for their own professional actions.

Main duties of the job

Clinical:

This post delivers highly specialised therapy services as a substantive role in hand therapy. This includes the assessment and treatment of patients with traumatic hand condition/injuries and treatment/management for patients with chronic hand and wrist conditions.

The role is highly specialised due to the clinical complexity of patients managed within the service. A level of expertise and knowledge is required with regards to specific hand therapy assessments and interventions including hand, wrist and elbow splinting, exercise prescription, scar and oedema management and functional rehabilitation.

The caseload consists primarily of acute hand trauma, referred via the Plastic Surgery and Trauma and Orthopaedics Departments. The team also accepts referrals for patients from Rheumatology and local GPs. The team is also the specialist therapy team for the management of both trauma and congenital paediatric hand conditions.

This post also provides senior input to consultant and therapy led post operative clinics, providing clinical leadership and support.

The post holder will be involved in clinical audit, quality improvement and service development projects and initiatives. Additionally, the post holder will be responsible for the supervision, teaching and development of Band 6 rotational and static staff within the hand therapy team.

We expect all our staff to share the values that are important to the Trust, being Excellent, Kind, Responsible & Respectful, and behave in a way that reflects these. If you have the motivation, enthusiasm and desire to develop your clinical, leadership and managerial skills plus the ability to work well and flexibly within a team, we welcome your application for this post.

This post is open to either an Occupational Therapist or Physiotherapist who has experience in hand therapy. Please refer to the specific job descriptions for each profession and the person specification for further information.

The hand therapy team is part of a large outpatient therapies department based within a Southwest London Teaching Hospital. St. George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust serves a local, culturally diverse community in South London, and provides specialist services across a large geographical area.

The successful post holder is expected to have a clear understanding of how this post contributes to the achievement of the trust vision of:A thriving Foundation Trust at the heart of an integrated healthcare system. One that delivers improved patient care at a community, hospital and specialist setting, supported by a unique and nationally recognised programme of research, education and employee engagement.