First Contact Practitioner (Physiotherapist)
| Posting date: | 19 June 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | Not specified |
| Additional salary information: | Negotiable |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 06 July 2025 |
| Location: | Devizes, SN10 3UF |
| Company: | NHS Jobs |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | W0044-25-0002 |
Summary
Core Responsibilities Work as an extended scope practitioner providing a high standard of specialist assessment and treatment of musculoskeletal patients within the Primary Care Network. Work independently, without day to day supervision, to assess, diagnose, triage, and manage patients, taking responsibility for prioritising and managing a caseload of the PCNs Registered Patients. Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team in a patient facing role, using your expert knowledge of movement and function issues, to create stronger links for wider services through clinical leadership, teaching and evaluation. Develop integrated and tailored care programmes in partnership with patients, providing a range of first line treatment options including self- management, referral to rehabilitation focussed services and social prescribing. Make use of your full scope of practice, developing skills relating to independent prescribing, injection therapy and investigation to make professional judgements and decisions in unpredictable situations, including when provided with incomplete or contradictory information. You will take responsibility for making and justifying these decisions. Manage complex interactions, including working with patients with psychosocial and mental health needs, referring onwards as required and including social prescribing when appropriate. Communicate effectively with patients, and their carers where applicable, complex and sensitive information regarding diagnoses, pathology, prognosis and treatment choices supporting personalised care. Implement all aspects of effective clinical governance for own practice, including undertaking regular audit and evaluation, supervision and training. Develop integrated and tailored care programmes in partnership with patients through: o effective shared decision-making with a range of first line management options (appropriate for a patients level of activation). o assessing levels of Patient Activation to support a patients own level of knowledge, skills and confidence to self-manage their conditions, ensuring they are able to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of self-management interventions, particularly for those at low levels of activation. o agreeing with patients appropriate support for self-management through referral to rehabilitation focussed services and wider social prescribing as appropriate; and o designing and implementing plans that facilitate. behavioural change, optimise patients physical activity and mobility, support fulfilment of personal goals and independence, and reduce the need for pharmacological interventions. Request and progress investigations (such as x-rays and blood tests) and referrals to facilitate the diagnosis and choice of treatment regime including, considering the limitations of these investigations, interpret and act on results and feedback to aid patients diagnoses and management plans. Be accountable for decisions and actions via Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) registration, supported by a professional culture of peer networking/review and engagement in evidence-based practice. Communicate effectively and appropriately with patients and carers complex and sensitive information regarding diagnosis, pathology and prognosis. Work across the multi-disciplinary team to create and evaluate effective and streamlined clinical pathways and services. Develop relationships and collaborative working approach across the PCN supporting the integration of pathways in primary care and actively suggesting and engaging with initiatives to help improve patient care. Encourage collaborative working across the wider health economy and be a key contributor to supporting the development of physiotherapy clinical services across the PCN. Liaising with secondary and community care services, and secondary and community MSK services where required, using local social and community interventions as required to support the management of patients within the PCN; and To fully understand the wider MSK service and local MSK pathways: across primary care, secondary care and the voluntary sector, including in depth knowledge of referral criteria and scope of services. Actively pursue development opportunities for practice and service delivery, policy implementation and lead specific projects within specific area of practice. Accountable for decisions and actions supported by a professional culture of peer networking/review and engagement in evidence-based practice. Implement all aspects of effective clinical governance for own practice, including regular audit and evaluation, supervision and training. Maintain professional knowledge and skills through attending relevant courses both internally and externally. Maintain a professional portfolio for CPD in line with CSP and HCPC guidelines, recording learning outcomes through participation in internal and external development opportunities and to demonstrate acquired highly specialist skills and knowledge of professional practice. Support regional and national research and audit programmes to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of the First Contact Practitioner (FCP) programme. This will include communicating outcomes and integrating findings into own and wider service practice and pathway development. Health and Safety To comply with the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. To take responsibility for his/her own health and safety and that of other persons who may be affected by his/her own acts or omissions. Equality and Diversity To comply with the Equality Act 2010. The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues, to include: o Acting in a way that recognises the importance of peoples rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with practice procedures and policies, and current legislation. o Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues. o Behaving in a manner that is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights. Risk Management and Clinical Governance To work within the Clinical Governance Framework of the practice, incorporating Risk Management and all other quality initiatives. Confidentiality To maintain confidentiality of information relating to patients, clients, staff and other users of the services in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and Caldicott Guardian. Any breach of confidentiality may render an individual liable for dismissal and/or prosecution. In the course of seeking treatment, patients entrust us with, or allow us to gather, sensitive information in relation to their health and other matters. They do so in confidence and have the right to expect that staff will respect their privacy and act appropriately. In the performance of the duties outlined in this job description, the post-holder may have access to confidential information relating to patients and their carers, practice staff and other healthcare workers. They may also have access to information relating to the practice as a business organisation. All such information from any source is to be regarded as strictly confidential. Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or the business of the practice may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data. General To undertake any other duties commensurate with the role, within the bounds of his/her own competence. To work across PCN sites. To work flexibly to accommodate meetings as required.