Job summary
At Bupa, you'll have the freedom to develop new lines of care, with the flexibility and development opportunities to push your career further. As a physiotherapist, you'll be eager to continue learning and building skills while working with talented colleagues.

As a highly skilled physiotherapist you will be responsible for providing an advanced standard of physiotherapy care to oncology and palliative care patients, carrying out your clinical duties as an autonomous practitioner. You will triage and manage patient referrals from both inpatients and outpatients which encompasses an extensive variety of conditions, some of whom may have complex or chronic presentations or multiple comorbidities. Referrals may also include pre-admission and pre-operative assessment, post-operative intervention and appropriate recovery programmes. You will receive referrals from the wards, chemotherapy day unit, outpatient consultants and GP clinics as well as via external routes.

Main duties of the job
Role Overview:

• Be responsible for the operational management of the Oncological Physiotherapy service.
• Practise as an autonomous and accountable professional using reflective practise and clinical reasoning in undertaking specialist assessment in order to provide an individualised treatment programme for each patient.
• To provide appropriate information, education and support for your client group and their carers.
• To obtain informed, valid consent on an ongoing basis which endeavours to keep patients involved in their own health care plan.
• To participate in discharge planning and liaise with external agencies in order to ensure a discharge that is safe and supportive of the patients ongoing care and rehabilitation needs. This could include home assessments within our catchment area.
• To establish and maintain efficient communication within the multi-disciplinary team (both internal and external) to ensure a holistic and complete duty of care. This includes verbal, non-verbal or written communication, both in expression and active listening, to facilitate accurate comprehension of information.
• To act as a resource of specialist advice for patients, clients and colleagues within the scope of your experience and knowledge.
• To participate in the overall day to day management and development of the Therapy Department and your area of speciality to ensure an efficient and safe service for all.

About us
We're a health insurer and provider. With no shareholders, our customers are our focus. Our people are all driven by the same purpose helping people live longer, healthier, happier lives and making a better world. We make health happen by being brave, caring and responsible in everything we do.

Job responsibilities
JOB DESCRIPTION
Job Title: Fixed-term, 6 Months Specialist Oncology Physiotherapist
Reports to: Lead Rehabilitation Physiotherapist
Accountable to: Therapy Manager
Working Hours: 37.5 hours pw

Job Summary
You will be a highly skilled physiotherapist who will be responsible for providing an advanced standard of physiotherapy care to oncology and palliative care patients, carrying out your clinical duties as an autonomous practitioner.

You will triage and manage patient referrals from both inpatients and outpatients which encompasses an extensive variety of conditions, some of whom may have complex or chronic presentations or multiple comorbidities. Referrals may also include pre-admission and pre-operative assessment, post-operative intervention and appropriate recovery programmes. You will receive referrals from the wards, chemotherapy day unit, outpatient consultants and GP clinics as well as via external routes.

You will assist the multi-disciplinary team by contributing to planning, coordinating, delivering and evaluating the physiotherapy input to the oncology service at Cromwell Hospital. You will be a resource for specialist advice to the physiotherapy team and other professionals in this specialist service. You will also participate and lead in quality improvement and service development projects to ensure best practice care, as well as to grow your service and generate revenue.

There is a lymphoedema service at Cromwell Hospital so lymphoedema experience would be beneficial. We are responsible for providing expert clinical assessment, treatment and diagnosis to patients with symptoms of lymphoedema, making timely decisions regarding their management. This can also extend to lipidoema and vascular conditions.

You will establish and maintain efficient communication within the multi-disciplinary team (both internal and external) to ensure a holistic and complete duty of care. This includes verbal, non-verbal or written communication, both in expression and active listening, to facilitate accurate comprehension of information.

You may be required to participate in the respiratory on-call service. You will have the opportunity to cover the weekend service as additional bank shifts.

You will participate in hospital and departmental processes that supports and encourage professional and personal development of yourself and your colleagues. You may be directly responsible for junior staff within your service, supporting their professional development and educational needs.

You will support Bupa's vision, mission statement and values.

Clinical Responsibility
Practise as an autonomous and accountable professional using reflective practise and clinical reasoning in undertaking specialist assessment to provide an individualised patient-centric treatment programme for each patient.

To be an active member of the MDT that provides a high quality; evidence-based physiotherapy service for patients diagnosed with cancer and lymphoedema.

To support the current lymphoedema service if appropriate

To participate in developing specialist Standard Operating Procedures, clinical pathways and information handouts with the wider oncology team

To confidently assist in managing oncology patients requiring spinal manual handling, including application and staff training in the use of spinal orthoses

To be an active member of the Integrated Cancer Campus, assisting in service development of the oncology department

Be actively involved in providing patients with prehabilitation to ensure clear understanding of their condition and the associated benefits to maximise rehabilitation potential.

To support a pathway to provide follow-up care to patients post-cancer treatment to manage side effects following hospital discharge or cancer treatment

To have experience in managing an outpatient caseload. You may be required to support the existing outpatient service, offering prehabilitation, reconditioning therapy, post-breast surgery complications, and possibly scar management and lymphoedema services.

To have experience in managing an inpatient caseload including patients having breast surgery, general oncology and haematology patients. You should be comfortable seeing patients in an ITU setting. You will oversee palliative care and end-of-life patients and work closely with the Specialist Palliative Care Team. Participating in Palliative and End of Life care can be hugely rewarding but equally requires advanced communication skills and emotional resilience

Your role will be supporting our inpatients and outpatients to live well, with and beyond cancer. You will provide appropriate information, education and support for your client group and their carers

To develop advanced listening skills to understand the physical, emotional and psychological needs of patients suffering from cancer and lymphoedema and their carers

To help patients manage side-effects of treatment and the impacts these can have on their physical abilities and function, mobility management, exercise and advice, fatigue management and discharge planning

To obtain informed, valid consent on an ongoing basis which endeavours to keep patients involved in their own health care plan

To participate in discharge planning and liaise with external agencies to ensure a discharge that is safe and supportive of the patients ongoing care and rehabilitation needs. This could include home assessments within our catchment area and close liaison with community agencies to ensure safe discharge and continuity of care

To comply with confidentiality policies as set out by Cromwell Hospital, HCPC and the CSP

To respect a patients right to be chaperoned and appropriately implement the hospital chaperone policy

To maintain accurate, comprehensive, and timely patient treatment records and reports in line with local and national requirements for best management of the patient

To always manage clinical risk within your caseload and ensure potential clinical risk is effectively communicated and managed

To promote dignity, privacy, and safety at all times, with consideration to the patients cultural, spiritual and personal needs and preferences

To be aware of the limitations of your own clinical practice/experience and seek support appropriately

To be responsible for the ethical, safe, and competent recommendation and provision of therapy equipment, splints and braces

To keep abreast of the latest evidence within your specialty to maintain best clinical practise

Qualification & Registration
Degree in Physiotherapy
HCPC Registration
Enhanced DBS Clearance
Member of special interest group
CSP membership
Lymphoedema qualification

Experience, Training & Knowledge
Proven experience and interest as an oncological physiotherapist
Evidence of CPD specific to oncology management
Ability to manage a complex caseload across inpatients, outpatients and the Chemotherapy Day Unit.
Experience in Respiratory and Rehabilitation physiotherapy as cancer diagnoses requires and in the management of common cancer related symptoms such as fatigue and breathlessness
Experience working with patients in the immediate post-operative phase; breast surgery (mastectomies/reconstructions/lumpectomies, DIEP flap reconstruction and lymph node biopsies/clearances
Experience managing complications following routine breast surgery such as cording, capsulectomy, radiation fibrosis and reduced shoulder mobility
Experience of developing and implementing evidence-based Oncology services
Respiratory On-call experience
Knowledge of social services and other community-based support agencies
Commitment to multi-disciplinary teamwork
Sound clinical reasoning skills
Knowledge of health and safety issues in a therapy setting
Record of mandatory training
Basic computer skills
Experience working with lymphoedema management, specifically head and neck, breast and pelvic cancer-related
Experience working with lipidoema and vascular conditions
Experience working with patients in the immediate post-operative phase in Gynaecological surgery
Experience in working with patients with Head and Neck cancers
Experience working with patients along the continuum of oncology care including pre-rehabilitation, maintenance, rehabilitation and palliative care
Understanding of and experience completing CCG Fast-track referrals for patients approaching end-of-life
Have an awareness of oncological emergencies such as metastatic spinal cord compression and how to identify them

Aptitude, Skills and Competencies
Assertive, articulate and polite.
Good written and spoken English.
Good communication and strong interpersonal skills.
Positive and energetic demeanour
Excellent telephone manner.
Excellent organisational skills.
Able to work on own initiative, prioritise work and meet deadlines.
Good timekeeping but prepared to be flexible.
Good health record and ability to perform required activities.
Awareness of limitations of own knowledge, skills and capacity works within own scope of practice, seeking support where appropriate
Awareness of cultural, religious, racial and gender diversity of colleagues and patients
Enthusiastic and proactive with a desire to grow within the role while embodying Bupas values
Interest in personal development & updating skills.
Interest in developing managerial/leadership competencies

Key Attributes
Brave, Caring and Responsible
Able to work under pressure
Highly motivated and able to influence others
Confident and enthusiastic

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Degree/diploma in physiotherapy
• HPC Registration
• CSP Membership
• Proven experience and interest as an oncological physiotherapist
• Evidence of CPD specific to oncology
• Respiratory experience
• On call experience
• Assertive, articulate and polite.
• Good communication and strong interpersonal skills.
• Interest in personal development & updating skills.

Desirable

• It is desirable to have a Lymphoedema qualification and experience of Lymphoedema management

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
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.

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

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.
Applicants must have current UK professional registration.