A day in the life of…Ilona Bojaczuk, Physiotherapist, ECL Clinical Team
Ilona joined ECL in 2020 and works within our Clinical Team as a Physiotherapist within Day Opportunities. Here she tells us a bit more about her role….
Ilona was born in Poland and came to the UK in 2009. Prior to joining ECL as a Physiotherapist, she worked as a Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist in the private sector.
She says: “I joined just as the clinical team was being established so it was really an opportunity to make the role my own. My role is to assess the functional impact of customers’ health conditions and disabilities and work with them to create a person-centred support plan that can be carried out while at our day service. Moving from treating clients with musculoskeletal conditions to treating adults with Learning Disabilities and older people living with Dementia, and other age related conditions, added to my existing clinical learning portfolio. I knew when I made the transition that it would be challenging and demanding work, but in a good way. I always say if you are not growing, you are standing still!”
What does a typical day as a physiotherapist look like?
“The first thing to say is that no two days are same! Each day I meet new customers with all sorts of different conditions and backgrounds so every visit is different. I work Monday to Wednesday from 8 to 2.30 which allows me to balance my career and being a mum of two children.
“My working days often start with a Clinical team meeting, where we discuss what the day ahead will be like. This meeting provides a good overview of what we will be doing and allows us to identify any support we might need. From there on, I spend the majority of my day at the ECL Centres, where I meet customers for initial Physiotherapy assessments or reviews.
“Each physiotherapy assessment usually takes around 90 minutes. However, if a customer’s situation is more complicated, it may take a little longer. I go at a pace that is comfortable for each customer and their family/carers giving them as much time as they need to allow me to fully understand their case. The most important thing for me is that they feel they have fully communicated their situation. After the initial assessment, I complete all documentation for that customer such as the Physiotherapy Assessment Form, Moving and Handling Plan. If needed, I will assist managers to make onward referrals for the customer to have NHS support at home. I attend meetings and consult with other health professionals involved where required to ensure holistic care (e.g. Occupational Therapist, Physiotherapist, Speech and Language Therapist or Positive Behaviour Advisor). Then I create a tailored physiotherapy support plan for customers and offer support and training for staff involved in delivering them.”
What I love about my job
“It is an extremely rewarding job. I love seeing how customers progress. Every customer is different and I learn something new from each and every one of them.
I feel that I can make a real difference to peoples’ lives using my clinical knowledge and expertise. I am happy to be a part of the Clinical Team at ECL – everyone is committed to doing a good job for our customers.
“All staff at ECL work with the same goal, from the teams in our Day Centres to our health professionals and managers. I like that I always feel supported and there are opportunities for career progression. Having worked for both ECL and in the private sector, I can honestly say that the support and training I get here is far superior to where I have worked previously.”
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