Advanced Clinical Paediatric Physiotherapy Practitioner

University Hospitals Dorset; Poole; On-site; GBP 13,000 - 19,000; Part time

Job summary

University Hospitals Dorset is seeking an enthusiastic Advanced Clinical Paediatric Physiotherapy Practitioner (ACP) or Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist in Paediatric Orthopaedics. The role is advanced, autonomous, and focused on assessment and management of children and young people with orthopaedic issues, working within a multidisciplinary team.

The post involves leading advanced practice clinics, triaging referrals, interpreting investigations, and making complex decisions.

Qualifications

• HCPC registration and UK physiotherapy qualification required.
• Experience in paediatric orthopaedics and neurology-related conditions desirable.
• Teaching, mentoring and research involvement preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead advanced practice clinics and triage referrals in paediatric orthopaedics.
• Interpret investigations and make advanced clinical decisions with protocols.
• Provide clinical leadership to ACP/ECP teams and plan care episodes.
• Collaborate with consultants and MDT to optimise patient outcomes.
• Develop and supervise educational programs for staff and trainees.

Skills

B7 clinical experience

Clinical leadership

Paediatric orthopaedics

Teaching staff development

Audit and research

Education

HCPC Registered

Physiotherapy Degree

Post graduate paediatric qualifications

Job description

Advanced Clinical Paediatric Physiotherapy Practitioner

NHS AfC: Band 7

Main area Paediatric Physiotherapy Grade NHS AfC: Band 7 Contract Fixed term: 9 months (Salary is dependent on ACP qualification held) Hours Part time - 11.25 hours per week (Clinics are held on Thursdays for this role) Job ref 153-SP07019

Department name 01. UHD - General Recruitment Site Poole Town Poole Salary per annum Closing 22/11/2026 23:59 Interview date 03/12/2026

As University Hospitals Dorset we are a three site acute trust with ‘university hospital’ status through our partnership with Bournemouth University, working with an annual budget of £730m.

We offer highly regarded health services, employing some 10,000 staff. Our ambitious £500m transformation programme is well on the way to delivering state-of-the-art facilities over the next two years to meet the current and future healthcare needs of the populations we serve.

In an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with over seven miles of sandy beaches you’ll find inspirational opportunities to achieve your perfect work/life balance. With the New Forest and the Purbecks on our doorstep, we’re also less than three hours from London by road or train. The thriving towns of Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch give way to idyllic villages and unspoilt landscapes just minutes from our hospitals.

We believe that having a diverse workforce, and allowing people to be themselves, is essential in ensuring we offer an inclusive, welcoming and productive place to work.

We especially welcome applications from minority groups in the community who may be underrepresented in our workforce.

At UHD our active staff network groups are the Women's Network, Black Asian Minority Ethnic Group (BAME), Pride Network, European (EU), Pro Ability Staff Network, and the Armed Forces Support Group.

As a Trust we are proudly signed up to the Disability Confident and Armed Forces Covenant guaranteed interview schemes.

We are aware that some candidates may choose to use AI tools to support the preparation of their application. While this is not discouraged, we kindly remind applicants that submissions should remain an honest and accurate representation of your own experience and suitability. Personal integrity is an important part of the recruitment process.

Job overview

We are seeking to recruit an enthusiastic and highly motivated Advanced Clinical Physiotherapy Practitioner (ACP) or Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist (banding depending on experience) in Paediatric Orthopaedics to join our established multidisciplinary team.

This is an exciting opportunity for a highly specialist, autonomous practitioner to work at an advanced level of practice, playing a key role in the assessment and management of children and young people with orthopaedic presentations.

Interview: 3rd December

Main duties of the job

The post holder will i ndependently lead advanced practice clinics, triage and manage referrals, request and interpret investigations, and make advanced clinical decisions within agreed protocols. You will work closely with a Consultant Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon from University Hospital Southampton and the wider MDT, contributing to high-quality , patient centred care and service development.

This role is ideal for an experienced clinician with strong clinical reasoning skills, confidence working autonomously, and a commitment to collaborative multidisciplinary working

Working for our organisation

UHD are investing, developing and transforming Trust services in line with the New Hospital Programme. As part of this, some services may move site this year or next, either temporarily or permanently. Recruiting Managers will be happy to answer any service-specific questions at interview.

If a role or service relocates as part of a planned move, excess mileage will not be reimbursed. Travel from home to the new work base will be classed as a normal commute. Any other changes will be managed under Trust or national terms and conditions.

UHD has active networks including Women’s, BAME, Pride, EU, Pro Ability, and Armed Forces. We support Disability Confident and Armed Forces Covenant interview schemes.

AI tools may be used, but applications must honestly reflect your own skills and experience. Integrity is key to our recruitment process.

For UHD employees, this fixed-term post will be offered as a secondment in line with the Trust’s Secondment Policy. Please speak with your line manager before applying.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To be responsible for the rapid assessment, d iagnostics, and treatment of individuals within the elective paediatric orthopaedic service using an advanced level of professional accountability, autonomy, and judgement , underpinned by Masters level theory and experience . This includes highly complex decision-making across a broad range of differentiated and undifferentiated individual presentations and complex situations, synthesising information from multiple sources to make appropriate , evidence-ba sed judgements and/or diagnoses.

To triage and assess babies, children and young people referred for consideration of orthopaedic surgery.

To provide clinical leadership to the ACP & ECP team and work with others within the directorate to determine the priority workload of the team across the directorate.

To plan and manage complete episodes of care, working in collaboration with the consultants and others, delegating, and referring as appropriate , to ensure timely , effective management and optimise health outcomes, in line with the evidence base and nationally recognised best practice.

To play a key operational role and maintain a pro‑active approach to managing and leading clinical pathways and flow.

Working closely with a multi‑professional team, lead the AP paediatric orthopaedic service in delivery of high quality, performance, and financial frameworks.

To promote and implement service and policy development and redesign, impacting beyond own area and other disciplines, informed by current best practice and evidence‑base, in accordance with values‑based care of the trust .

To act as a resource to others and to develop, deliver and evaluate a range of relevant specialist programmes of education and development for individuals and large groups, including the wider multidisciplinary team, both intern ally and external to the trust

Person specification

Qualifications

• HCPC Registered
• Physiotherapy Degree
• Post graduate paediatric qualifications

Experience

• B7 clinical experience within paediatrics
• Significant clinical experience in the management of children with orthopaedic conditions
• Significant clinical experience in the management of children with orthopaedic conditions secondary to neurological diagnoses
• Experience teaching, mentoring and developing staff
• Participation in research and experience of critical appraisal of the evidence base to inform practice
• Participation in Audit
• B6 clinical experience within paediatricsTeaching staff from other professions

Please note:

Staff recruited are expected to be available to work flexibly across all our Trust locations to meet service demands.

This advert may be closed early if sufficient applications are received.

COVID-19 vaccination remains the best way to protect yourself and our patients from the virus when working in our healthcare settings. Whilst this vaccination is not a condition of employment we do encourage our staff to get vaccinated.

Internal Candidates: staff employed prior to merger who voluntarily change jobs will be appointed to UHD terms and conditions.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.