Clinical Lead Physiotherapist - Paediatrics

NHS; Luton; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in Luton seeks a Clinical Lead Physiotherapist specializing in paediatrics to oversee and enhance the Paediatric Therapy Service. The successful candidate will lead a dedicated multidisciplinary team ensuring high-quality care across community and acute settings. Requirements include a Master's level education, HCPC registration, and significant prior experience in NHS management. This role offers a unique opportunity to make meaningful improvements in children's healthcare delivery.

Benefits

Access to high-quality training

Commitment to staff wellbeing

Supportive team environment

Qualifications

• Educated to Masters level or equivalent experience and training.
• Evidence of continuous professional development (CPD).
• Proven experience in working in a management/leadership position within NHS.

Responsibilities

• Provide clinical and operational leadership for the paediatric Therapy service.
• Ensure service delivery aligns with the service specification and national guidelines.
• Act as lead clinician for the paediatric therapy service.

Skills

Leadership

Paediatric experience

Communication

Team management

Clinical expertise

Education

Master's level education or equivalent

Current professional registration with HCPC

Tools

IT systems including Excel

Job description

Go back Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Clinical Lead Physiotherapist - Paediatrics

The closing date is 09 February 2026

Step into a pivotal leadership role at the heart of children's healthcare in Luton. We're seeking an inspiring clinical and operational leader to guide our Paediatric Therapy Service across both community and acute settings. You'll oversee a vibrant, wide-reaching service that supports children in special schools, mainstream schools and nurseries, delivers community paediatric outpatient care, and provides expert therapy input on Acute Paediatric wards and within Paediatric Musculoskeletal clinics. Your leadership will also extend to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, the neonatal follow‑up service, and a dedicated clerical support team.

This is a rare opportunity to shape high‑quality, compassionate care across the entire paediatric pathway while leading a committed, multidisciplinary team who share your passion for making a meaningful difference to children and families.

Main duties of the job

• Ensure service delivery aligns with the service specification, is evidence‑based, provides value for money and is in line with national and local agendas.
• Ensure all patients within the paediatric therapy service are assessed and treated to the highest standards of care following current evidence‑based practice.
• Oversee and review paediatric therapy service, implementing and evaluating change to ensure effective and efficient service for all patients.
• Act as the lead clinician for the paediatric therapy service.
• Deliver advanced physiotherapy assessment, intervention, and consultation for children with complex acquired and developmental disabilities and social needs.
• Act as a clinical source of expertise for the paediatric therapy team, the multi-disciplinary team and other agencies within and external to the Trust.
• Be responsible for the analysis, dissemination, implementation and monitoring of national guidelines and standards applicable to the paediatric therapy service.
• Work collaboratively and in partnership with the Therapies Leads, other Allied Health Professional Team Leads and other stakeholders within and external to the trust.

About us

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics‑led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high‑performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.

Our values

We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience - we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trust’s core values. We achieve this by using values‑based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity and creating a culture that values differences.

Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarise yourself with all requirements of the job.

Job responsibilities

To provide clinical and operational leadership for the paediatric Therapy service covering Community paediatric service and acute paediatric service within Luton. This encompasses community paediatric services to special schools, main stream schools and nurseries, community out patients, Acute Paediatric wards, Paediatric Musculoskeletal outpatients, Neonatal intensive care unit, neonatal follow up service and clerical support.

• Ensure service delivery aligns with the service specification, is evidence‑based, provides value for money and is in line with national and local agendas.
• Ensure all patients within the paediatric Therapy service are assessed and treated to the highest standards of care following current evidence‑based practice.
• Oversee and review paediatric therapy service, implementing and evaluating change to ensure effective and efficient service for all patients.
• Act as the lead clinician for the paediatric therapy service.
• Deliver advanced physiotherapy assessment, intervention and consultation for children with complex acquired and developmental disabilities and social needs.
• Act as a clinical source of expertise for the paediatric therapy team, the multi-disciplinary team and other agencies within and external to the Trust.
• Be responsible for the analysis, dissemination, implementation and monitoring of national guidelines and standards applicable to the paediatric therapy service.
• Work collaboratively and in partnership with Therapies Leads, other Allied Health Professional Team Leads and other stakeholders within and external to the trust.

Clinical duties:

• Be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own work, including the management of patients in your care.
• Undertake a comprehensive, holistic assessment of patients, including those with diverse or highly complex presentations / multi‑pathologies, using highly advanced clinical reasoning, analytical and investigative skills and highly specialist assessment techniques to provide an accurate diagnosis.
• Formulate and deliver an individual evidence‑based physiotherapy treatment programme based on highly specialised knowledge. This necessitates high levels of autonomy and the analysis of information from a wide range of sources, interpreting results to inform assessment and treatment planning and evaluating the effectiveness of treatment interventions.
• Formulate accurate prognoses and recommend best course of intervention, developing comprehensive discharge plans.
• Assess patient understanding of treatment proposals, gain valid informed consent and work within a legal framework with patients who lack the capacity to consent to treatment.
• Have an expert working knowledge of the wider MDT and follow‑up rehabilitation and treatment services. Make appropriate and timely referrals to MDT colleagues.
• Use recognised outcome measures, assessment tools and highly advanced clinical skills to evaluate patient progress, reassess and alter treatment programmes if required.
• Manage clinical risk within own caseload.
• Maintain accurate and comprehensive written patient treatment records, referral letters and reports in line with the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy standards of practice.
• Develop and evaluate written information for patients and carers.
• Demonstrate highly specialist skills within the assessment and treatment of community paediatric patients.
• Act as a source of expertise within the Trust for paediatric Therapy.
• Co‑ordinate and lead multidisciplinary clinics for complex patients with consultants, Orthotics and Therapy Staff.
• Lead and have clinical oversight on projects covering acute and community services, such as provision of community respiratory service and flow of orthopaedic patients pre and post op.
• Deliver effective evidence‑based patient education talks to groups of patients/carers on topics relevant to the community paediatric physiotherapy setting.
• Provide regular effective clinical supervision for named qualified and non‑qualified staff within the community paediatric physiotherapy team.
• Participate in professional networks at regional and national levels for peer support, maintaining and developing clinical skills and knowledge. Engage in continuous professional development and lifelong learning according to Health Care Professions Council guidelines.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Educated to Masters level or equivalent experience and training
• Evidence of continuous professional development (CPD)
• Current professional registration with HCPC

Experience

• Proven experience in working in a management / leadership position within NHS
• Extensive clinical experience within paediatrics
• Significant experience working as part of an MDT
• Track record of delivering services with national and local targets.
• Experience managing a large / complex team or teams
• Business case development and annual planning
• Leading change in practice, process, and services in a complex environment to improve performance and quality
• Leading on quality improvement and projects
• Identifying and interpreting national policy and implementing required changes

Knowledge

• In‑depth understanding of paediatric initiatives, guidelines and policies
• Heightened awareness of national Allied Health Professional initiatives
• In‑depth understanding of change management
• Able to use IT systems including utilisation of virtual systems and office including Excel
• Understanding of the current NHS agenda and health policy including transformation and workforce
• Knowledge of service improvement and project management
• Knowledge of risk management and governance

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust