Palliative Care Physiotherapist/Occupational Therapist

About this role

To work within the St John's Hospice Therapies team to provide a high quality physiotherapy service to the Inpatient team, day services and community patients. To autonomously manage a complex patient caseload with specialist palliative care needs, demonstrating high level clinical reasoning and communication skills.

‍

St John’s Hospice provides a wide range of specialist palliative care services to patients across Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea, Camden, Islington, Hammersmith & Fulham, Brent and Barnet. Our services are free to all and include inpatient care, day services, Hospice@Home, community specialist palliative care, Lymphoedema treatment, OT and physiotherapy, social work and bereavement support.

‍

‍

What are the key duties?

• To work flexibly and be accountable for effective and efficient time management and prioritisation across the Hospice Inpatient Unit, day services and community teams.
• To hold clinical responsibility for autonomously managing a complex patient caseload, undertaking appropriate and comprehensive specialist physiotherapy assessment and intervention for patients with life limiting conditions.
• To ensure therapy intervention is individualised and patient centered, focused towards what is important to the patient and involving the patient’s significant others throughout.
• To continually monitor and evaluate therapy intervention, modifying as indicated to support patients and their significant others to set realistic goals appropriate to their disease trajectory and to ensure their changing needs are met.
• To have excellent communication skills and to be able to adapt communication style to the situation, with the ability to communicate sensitive and challenging information effectively and with empathy.
• To have a sound understanding of the complexities of working with patients with deteriorating conditions
• To advise on and implement therapeutic interventions aimed at optimising self-management of symptoms, ensuring involvement of the patient, their significant others and the Multi-disciplinary team (MDT).

‍

Am I the right person for this role?

• BSc (hons) degree in Physiotherapy or diploma or equivalent
• Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) registration for physiotherapy
• Evidence of post graduate professional development
• Member of relevant specialist interest group Evidence of additional specialist knowledge acquired through relevant post-graduate physiotherapy training.
• Experience of working across a variety of inpatient and rehab specialties e.g. oncology, respiratory, knowledge and competencies equivalent to demands of the post
• Evidence of robust clinical reasoning in the autonomous management of complex patients
• Specialist skills of assessment and treatment of patients with complex conditions