Job summary
An exciting 12 month opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic and proactive respiratory physiotherapist (Band 7) to join the Cystic Fibrosis physiotherapy service at Alder Hey.

Alder Hey provides shared care together with a network of 11 district general hospitals across the North West, North Wales and the Isle of Man looking after over 300 children and their families.

The successful candidate will work as a physiotherapist within the multidisciplinary team for children and young people with cystic fibrosis. They will support the children and their families when they have admissions to Alder Hey, during the multidisciplinary team clinics, and through attendance at the joint peripheral clinics with the local team.

You will have access to regular clinical and managerial supervision and be supported by our band 8a clinical specialist and management team within the Acute Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy Service at Alder Hey.

Main duties of the job

• Supporting clinical specialist in CF clinics
• Supporting CF team in the treatment and management of inpatients and outpatients
• Home visits to support new diagnosis and community exercise sessions to support engagement
• Support the running of our North West CF network through contact and communications with regional partners and delivery of shared care clinics.
• Organising, and completing exercise testing of the CF cohort. Entering data from these and feeding results back to family as relevant.
• Support with data input for the CF registry and clinical trials ran through and by Alder Hey.
• Participation in clinical audit, service evaluation and research delivery within the CF team and wider respiratory service.

About us
Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust is a provider of specialist health care to over 275,000 children and young people each year. In addition to the hospital site located in the West Derby area of Liverpool, Alder Hey has a presence in community outreach sites and, in collaboration with other providers, our clinicians help deliver care closer to patients' homes by holding local clinics at locations from Cumbria to Shropshire, in Wales and the Isle of Man.

The Trust also provides inpatient care for children with complex mental health needs at our Alder Park building in the nearby borough of Sefton.

We currently have more than 4,000 staff working across our community and hospital sites. We're also a teaching and training hospital providing education and training to around 540 medical and over 500 nursing and allied health professional students each year.

As black and minority ethnic (BME) employees are currently under-represented in this area, we particularly welcome applications from members of our BME communities. All appointments will be made on merit.

You can expect a warm welcome at Alder Hey Childrens NHS Foundation Trust, our staff are friendly and welcoming. We listen to each other and work together to embed our Trusts values and behaviours.

We offer an outstanding service to children and families who live in Sefton offering appointments in a variety of settings including clinics, nurseries, soft play centers, mainstream and special schools and the child's home.

Job responsibilities

• 1. Alder Hey Childrens NHS Trust provides local and network care for Cystic Fibrosis (CF) patients within the North West region. The postholder will take a lead role locally and regionally in the planning, implementation and progression of all aspects of physiotherapy management for CF patients from diagnosis to transition to adult services.
• 2. To take a clinical lead in the provision of a comprehensive respiratory physiotherapy service including the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of children with CF and respiratory conditions in an inpatient, outpatient, home and community setting.
• 3. The post holder will use highly developed assessment skills to provide individualised treatment plans, using a range of modalities including exercise, adjuncts, nebulisation therapy and ventilatory support to promote wellbeing with a holistic approach to clinical management.
• 4. The post holder will contribute to the assessment and monitoring of CF patients at Annual Review, in accordance with national guidelines. They will formulate and evolve realistic and achievable management plans working in conjunction with the patient and their families/carers.
• 5. The Band 7 physiotherapist will take a lead role in providing education and advice to patients, families, carers and MDT colleagues regarding all aspects of CF and respiratory physiotherapy management. This will include teaching and supervision of students, physiotherapy assistants and colleagues.
• 6. The post holder will initiate and actively participate in audit and research projects in respiratory care and CF, supported by the respiratory Clinical Specialists and disseminating results as appropriate
• 7. Support and build on transition pathways between Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust and our adult service colleagues at Liverpool Heart and Chest hospital.

Please refer to Job Description and Person Specification for additional information.

Qualifications
Essential

• Diploma/Degree in Physiotherapy, recognised by Health and Care Professions Council
• Member of HCPC
• Evidence of post graduate further training & development in the field of paediatrics

Desirable

• Member of Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
• Member of Association Paediatric Chartered Physiotherapists

Experience
Essential

• Relevant post registration experience including the treatment of CF patients
• Appropriate experience at Band 6 level including experience of the management of patients within respiratory physiotherapy
• Proven experience of a wide range of approaches relevant to the management of paediatric patients

Desirable

• Paediatric rotational experience as a Band 6
• Experience of working in satellite clinics

Knowledge
Essential

• Evidence of knowledge of a wide range of approaches used within specialist clinical field
• Evidence of knowledge of specialist assessment techniques in a specialist clinical field
• Post Graduate courses relevant to clinical specialty
• Evidence of knowledge of current trends within clinical specialty
• Proven knowledge of Safeguarding procedures

Desirable

• Evidence of knowledge of respiratory equipment

Personal
Essential

• Proven ability to compliment the existing dynamics of the team

Desirable

• Innovative in approach and outlook

Skills
Essential

• Evidence of excellent communication skills, written and verbal, enabling applicant to converse across a range of understanding
• Evidence of experience of supervising and teaching junior/undergraduate physiotherapists
• Proven experience of the delegation of tasks to other staff, with a firm understanding of the process of delegation
• Proven ability to prioritise and organise caseload, underpinned by sound time management skills
• Evidence of experience of positive working as part of a multiagency team

Desirable

• Excellent presentation skills

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.

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).