Joining #TeamNELFT means you’ll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We’re CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London, Essex, Kent and Medway. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.

The Trust has award winning equality and diversity initiatives and staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest heavily in your development, because when you are valued and supported, we provide the best care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been featured in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for three consecutive years, and we have achieved a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Along with our staff networks and training opportunities, we work hard to embed a just and compassionate culture here at NELFT.

Find out more about NELFT careers and what makes our Trust a great place to work, in this video

Job overview

The post holder will be expected to support their team, department and organisation to achieve the Trust’s Values in their day to day work. These are the 5P’s:

 · Putting people first

· Prioritising quality

· Being progressive, innovative and continually improving

· Being professional and honest

· Promoting what is possible – independence, opportunity and choice

The post holder will achieve this by:

Working as part of the Long COVID service to provide high quality, timely rehabilitation for patients with persistant Covid symtoms who require therapy as part of a virtual programme, in a clinic setting or in their own homes.

 Working as part of a multi professional service/team including Physiotherapists, Psychologists, Occupational Therapists, Nurses and Respiratory Consultant.

 Working with patient centred goal orientated rehabilitation to promote self-management and independence throughout the continuum of care.

 Providing onward referrals to other community services including health and social care to ensure the safe management of the patient whilst under Long COVID team.

Main duties of the job

The main responsibilities of the post holder are: 

1. To work flexibly and assist in effective and efficient delivery of the Long Covid service.

2. To prioritise workload, delegate and to supervise more junior staff including support staff and students, to aid provision of high standards of patient care.

3. To assess the Physiotherapy needs of a the Long covid patient group and establish and evaluate appropriate treatment plans. To work within own competencies, recognising own limitations and seeking advice when necessary.

4. To monitor, evaluate and modify treatment for patients with Long covid symptoms in order to measure progress and ensure effectiveness of treatment.

5. To provide treatments/education required in a group setting via virtual platform, via and clinic setting or via home visits. 

Working for our organisation

Probationary Period

This post will be subject to a probationary period. Internal applicants are exempt from the probationary period (unless you are an internal applicant currently part way through a probationary period or currently a bank member of staff).

Starting with NELFT

NELFT place a great deal of importance on new starters being properly welcomed and inducted into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and will undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks which will include mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process new starters will have the opportunity to also meet the executive team, senior managers and attend a number of drop in sessions focussing in engagement, health and wellbeing and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Rainham, Essex.

High Cost Area Supplement - Outer London

This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 15% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £4,551 to a maximum of £5,735 pro rata for part time).

Use of AI

Applications for this role should be written by the applicant. If artificial intelligence (AI) programmes are used then the application may be rejected due to this document being an important part of the assessment process. This does not prevent applicants seeking appropriate support with applications should they need to for the purposes of any declared disability.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Key skills for the role:

Leadership

To prioritise workload, delegate and to supervise more junior staff including support staff and students, to aid provision of high standards of patient care.  To work flexibly and assist in effective and efficient delivery of the service. To undertake the collection of data for use in service audit and monitoring performance of the service. To provide planned advice and occasional spontaneous advice to colleagues within the MDT. To organise and plan own caseload to meet patient and service priorities and follow local procedures to implement change should a situation arise.

 Clinical Skills

1. To maintain high professional standards of behaviour and appearance.

 2. To perform a comprehensive assessment of patients including those with multiple pathologies using clinical reasoning skills and assessment techniques to formulate a treatment plan based on clinical findings of their condition, working without direct supervision as an autonomous practitioner.

 3. To implement the treatment plan involving other health professionals and carers as appropriate, monitor progress and modify treatment plans as and when necessary.

 4. To comply with trust and service guidelines, protocols and policies whilst adhering to CSP and HCPC requirements and to support more junior staff to do so.

 5. To promote effective relationships with other members of the MDT, Social Services, Voluntary and Independent sectors.

 6. To develop skills and expertise to treat patients referred to the Intensive Rehabilitation Service and to and be able to handle emotional, motivational, psychological and social issues.

 7. To act as an expert in respect of physical function offering advice and support to relatives and carers, enabling individuals to achieve and maintain the highest levels of physical independence and ensure a consistent approach to the patients overall management.

 8. Assess patient understanding of suggested physiotherapy treatment gain informed consent and to have the capacity to work within a legal framework with patients who are unable to consent to treatment.

Computer/Administration

To be computer literate and encourage implementation of the Trust’s IM&T Strategy, as well as the teams Key Performance Indicators. To be responsible for maintaining accurate and evaluative/comprehensive patient records in accordance with the service/trust standards on record keeping and in line with CSP standards of practice and to support more junior staff and locum staff to do likewise To take part, and assist, in the planning and administration relating to day to day running of the caseload.

 Communication

To have a wide range of knowledge in approaches to communicating and managing patient care. To be able to effectively communicate with colleagues, peers, senior managers and clinical leads within the Trust. To be able to communicate complex patient related information facilitating positive outcomes and ensuring collaborative working. Participate in the review and development of clinical policies and identifies improvements to service provision.

 Training

1. Maintain and develop current knowledge of evidence-based practice for conditions and treatments and inform more junior staff of such developments.

 2. To be an active member of the training programme and clinical supervision by attendance at, participation in and occasional facilitation/leading training sessions to junior, senior and support intermediate care staff.

 3. To undertake external and internal courses identified as part of appraisal by individual line managers leading to a personal development plan (PDP).

4. To undertake, and assist, in the planning of own mandatory training and workshops.

5. To support new staff and their integration within the team.

Please see the attached job description and person specification for more information about this role and working at North East London NHS Foundation Trust. We encourage you to refer closely to this when completing your application.

We welcome your application even if you do not meet all the criteria listed in the person specification. Any development needs to help you succeed in the role, can be discussed at the interview stage.

Person specification

Experience

Essential criteria

Shows previous experience working with Long covid patients and presenting online groups

Desirable criteria

Shows understanding of the NELFT Long covid programme

Experience

Essential criteria

Experience working within long covid clinics

Desirable criteria

Shows experience of managing distressed patients on the telephone

Experience

Essential criteria

Experience and knowledge on BPD and fatigue managemen

Desirable criteria

Experience and knowledge of using a biospsychosocial approach to treatments.

Experience

Essential criteria

Expereince working on virtual platforms MS Teams

Desirable criteria

Knowledge of Long covid discharge pathways

Benefits

We believe in bringing your authentic and best self to work, in order to deliver the best care to our patients. We are committed to supporting our employees holistically. Here is a snapshot of what is on offer at NELFT:

A long-standing and award-winning approach to equality and diversity with supportive networks for ethnic minority staff, staff with disabilities or long term/chronic conditions and LGBT staff. A commitment to supporting colleagues to achieve a work life balance, through flexible working opportunities and our effortsto support our working parents and carers. This has resulted in us being recognised as a ‘Top 10 Family Friendly Employer’ from the Working Families Charity. Proactive health and wellbeing support, including access to our employee assistance programme, staff psychological support, individual wellbeing conversations and a network of health and wellbeing ambassadors. Detailed information about our wellbeing and benefits offer can be found in this link.

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s a job share, part time hours or another flexible pattern.