Job summary
We are looking for an experienced and motivated First Contact Physiotherapist to join our multidisciplinary team at Merchiston Surgery.

This is an autonomous, advanced musculoskeletal (MSK) role working as a first point of contact for patients with undiagnosed and undifferentiated MSK symptoms. You will assess, diagnose and manage clinical complexity and uncertainty, helping patients receive expert care without needing to see a GP first.

Working collaboratively with GPs, practice colleagues and external services, you will use advanced clinical reasoning, shared decision-making and supported self-management to improve outcomes, reduce avoidable referrals and make effective use of investigations and specialist pathways.

Main duties of the job
Key responsibilities

• Assess and manage adults presenting with new or existing MSK symptoms, using advanced history taking, physical assessment and differential diagnosis.
• Recognise serious pathology, red flags and MSK masqueraders, arranging urgent or emergency escalation where required.
• Develop personalised management plans, including evidence-based advice on activity, rehabilitation, pain management, work and prevention.
• Request, interpret and act on investigations within competence and locally agreed clinical governance arrangements.
• Refer directly to community, interface and secondary care services in accordance with local pathways.
• Support patients with persistent pain, frailty, multimorbidity and complex biopsychosocial needs.
• Maintain accurate clinical records, clear safety-netting and appropriate SNOMED coding.
• Contribute to clinical education, audit, service development, quality improvement and equitable access to MSK care.

About us
Merchiston Surgery is the large Practice with a raw patient list of 13,500. We are a teaching practice with 2 Education Supervisors, 2 Clinical Supervisor, supporting 3 Trainee GPs. Rated excellent by the Swindon GP QA Panel for our trainee placement.

It covers a significant catchment area throughout Swindon and towards the Oxfordshire border. This equates to a hugely diverse population group with a wide variety of medical conditions and needs. Meeting those needs requires a robust, dynamic and enthusiastic workforce.

We are friendly, supportive and hardworking; reflected by our shared values of caring for each other and our patients. We are committed to providing the highest quality of care for our patients and ensuring that our staff feel valued and motivated. There is a strong team ethos across the practice and have a friendly and relaxed working environment.

The Practice is supported by several ARRS roles employed by Hawthorn & Merchiston PCN:

• Clinical Pharmacists
• Pharmacy Technicians
• First Contact Physiotherapists
• Repeat Prescription Administrators

Job responsibilities
To work as a highly experienced, autonomous practitioner, to perform an advanced physiotherapeutic assessment of patients with diverse and complex presentations and where appropriate against a competency level to work in an extended role.

To use advanced clinical reasoning to provide a diagnosis and develop, deliver and adapt individualised treatment programmes which may include, for example, requesting, interpreting and acting upon radiology and pathology tests and listing and consenting for surgery and referral on to others.

To be responsible for organising and planning own and other physiotherapy staff caseloads to meet service and patient priorities, readjusting plans as situations or changes arise and to provide specialist physiotherapy reports as requested.

To lead, develop and implement monitoring and evaluation of treatment in order to measure progress and outcomes to ensure effectiveness of interventions and service delivery at a highly specialised level.

To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own work and hold responsibility for own caseload for a highly specialist area of the service.

To develop and lead robust effective communication with all general practice and Joint Therapies staff and other relevant agencies i.e. GPs and other medical staff, nursing staff, social care staff, carers and service users etc. and support other physiotherapy staff to

Communicate effectively and efficiently to ensure optimised patient care.

To ensure that up to date written and electronic records and activity data are maintained in accordance with the Practices Professional Standards and to ensure that all relevant clinical information is communicated securely and efficiently to the relevant GP practice to provide seamless patient care.

To be responsible for and lead others in maintaining stock of equipment and materials and advising on resources to carry out the job and to use correct procedures relating to the safe and competent use, issue and retrieval of equipment, including the prescription of equipment and aids as required.

To critically evaluate current research and apply to practice and demonstrate an understanding and application of national and local guidelines, evidence based practice, and legislation relating to health and social care and their impact on service provision.

To initiate coordinate and undertake physiotherapy audit and disseminate at local/regional/national level and identify and perform clinical governance activities and participate in the quality agenda and continuous service improvement as required. To actively pursue development opportunities for practice and service delivery, policy implementation and lead specific projects within specific area of practice

To maintain a professional portfolio for CPD recording learning outcomes through participation in internal and external development opportunities and to demonstrate acquired highly specialist skills and knowledge of professional practice in order to maintain fitness to practice as an advanced physiotherapist and to work within department and trust policies and relevant professional body codes of conduct and policy.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Degree in Physiotherapy or equivalent
• HCPC Registration
• Post-graduate training to Masters level or equivalent.

Desirable

• Completion of FCP portfolio or taught Road Map programme
• Hold current IRMER training and competency for requesting X-ray investigations.
• Membership of professional body and specialist interest group.

Experience
Essential

• Minimum 5 years post graduate experience with at least 2 years at specialist MSK level.
• Sound evidence of CPD and reflective practice.
• Audit and/or research skills.
• Excellent group working and team working skills.
• Sound knowledge of current best practice in specialist physiotherapy area.
• Knowledge of professional ethics and their application in practice.
• Knowledge and application of the principles of clinical governance.
• Sound knowledge and understanding of health, safety and risk management.
• Ability to reflect and critically appraise own performance and that of others.
• Good interpersonal and organisational skills.
• Developed analytical and problem solving skills.

Desirable

• Supervisory skills and/or first line management experience.

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. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).