Physiotherapy Assistant | Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

Important Sponsorship Information for this post: Due to service budget restrictions we are currently unable to offer a certificate of sponsorship for this post. The post holder will work as a member of the physiotherapy team within the inpatient mental health services. They will provide specific skilled support to aid the physiotherapy assessment and management of both working age and older adults with mental health difficulties. The post holder will work as part of the multidisciplinary team providing person centred care to service users with complex physical health difficulties and/or challenging behaviour. They will share a caseload with the qualified physiotherapist and will be expected to work unsupervised at times. The Acute & Crisis physio service covers the three boroughs of Bromley, Bexley and Greenwich. This post will work across all our 3 inpatient units in these areas. · Under the guidance and supervision of the physiotherapist, to carry a caseload of clients, taking responsibility for implementing and reinforcing treatment programmes using a range of physiotherapy techniques. · To participate in the assessment of clients' including: - information gathering through liaison with clients, carers and the MDT - observation of functional tasks - assessing change from baseline assessment · To prescribe walking aids and other single use clinical equipment as delegated by qualified clinician. This will include assessment and keeping accurate records of the walking aid prescription. · To implement the treatment of adults with Mental Health difficulties as delegated by the physiotherapist, assessing progress and making minor alterations as required. · To work, at times without direct supervision or presence of a physiotherapist and report back progress or problems to the physiotherapist. · To treat clients individually or in a group, in a variety of settings e.g. Acute Psychiatric inpatient wards, Dementia ward, Rehab wards. · To instruct clients and carers, providing direction and guidance on a range of physiotherapy and mobility activities as part of their own clinical work or as directed by the physiotherapist. · To use empathy, sensitivity and good interpersonal skills, to support clients and carers in implementing physiotherapy advice and management programmes.,

• To defuse potentially difficult situations between clients, i.e. challenging behaviour and to be responsible for clients' and the post holder's own safety.
• To ensure safe practice regarding moving and handling of clients, including the use of hoists, slings and other mobility aids.
• To be responsible for the safe use of physiotherapy equipment and aids. Keeping the department tidy, cleaning the physiotherapy equipment regularly and ensuring no damaged or problem equipment is used.
• To work independently with patients on the ward and also out of the ward in communal/gym areas, requiring the post holder to make a judgement of the situation and act accordingly if a client were to become acutely unwell.
  
  Disability Confident
About Disability Confident A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to .

Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children's centres, schools and people's homes. We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people. Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:
• We're Kind
• We're Fair
• We Listen
• We Care