Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust; London; On-site; GBP 53,000 - 61,000; Part time

Job summary

Join a leading NHS foundation trust as a Paediatric Physiotherapist in a role that promises to be both challenging and rewarding. This position focuses on providing expert physiotherapy services to children with complex musculoskeletal conditions, including congenital foot deformities and hip dysplasia. You will work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team, ensuring the highest quality of care while also having the opportunity to develop and implement innovative service improvements. With a commitment to clinical excellence and a supportive work environment, this role is perfect for those looking to make a meaningful impact in paediatric healthcare.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in paediatric outpatient physiotherapy.
• Expertise in managing complex musculoskeletal conditions.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist physiotherapy advice to patients and therapists.
• Co-ordinate the baby hip clinic and manage DDH cases.

Skills

Paediatric Physiotherapy

Clinical Governance

Ponseti Technique

Advanced IT Skills

Communication Skills

Education

Degree in Physiotherapy

MSc in Clinical Area

Tools

Electronic Health Records

Statistical Programs

Job description

Main area Paediatric Physiotherapist Paediatric Orthopaedics Grade NHS AfC: Band 8a Contract Fixed term: 9 months (Maternity leave cover) Hours Part time - 22.5 hours per week (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday) Job ref 196-LIS9475

Employer Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Evelina London Children's Hospital Town London Salary £53,755 - £60,504 p.a. inc HCA (pro rata) Salary period Yearly Closing 07/05/2025 23:59

Guy’s and St Thomas’ is among the UK’s busiest and most successful NHS foundation trusts. We provide a full range of hospital and community services for people in south London and as well as specialist care for patients from further afield including cancer, renal, orthopaedic, respiratory and cardiovascular services.

Guy’s is home to the largest dental school in Europe and a £160 million Cancer Centre opened in 2016. As part of our commitment to provide care closer to home, in 2017 we also opened a cancer centre and a kidney treatment centre at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup. St Thomas’ has one of the largest critical care units in the UK and one of the busiest emergency departments in London. It is also home to Evelina London Children’s Hospital.

Evelina London cares for local children in Lambeth and Southwark and provides specialist services across south east England including cardiac, renal and critical care services. We lead a number of specialist service networks aiming to ensure children are treated locally where possible, but have access to specialist expertise when they need it. Our community services include health visiting, school nursing and support for families of children with long-term conditions.

Our adult community services teams deliver care at the heart of the local communities we serve, working in partnership with GPs, local authorities and other healthcare and voluntary sector organisations. Working with our partners in Lambeth and Southwark, we are focusing on new ways of working to improve care for local patients.

In February 2021 the Royal Brompton and Harefield joined Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, bringing together world-leading expertise in the care and research of heart and lung disease. Our merger provides a once in a generation opportunity to build a lasting, world-renowned heart and lung centre, providing the highest quality care for patients and conducting world-leading research.

We have a reputation for clinical excellence and high quality teaching and research. We are part of King’s Health Partners, one of eight accredited UK academic health sciences centres. In partnership with King’s College London we have dedicated clinical research facilities including an MHRA accredited Phase I clinical trials unit.

Patients are at the heart of everything we do and we pride ourselves on ensuring the best possible patient experience as well as safe, high quality care. We are proud to have one of the lowest mortality rates in the NHS. Following a comprehensive Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection in 2019 we maintained our overall rating of ‘good’. Our adult community services achieved a rating of ‘outstanding’.

The commitment of our 23,500 staff is key to our success. We are one of the largest local employers and we aim to develop and support all our staff so they are able to deliver high quality, safe and efficient care. The 2019 NHS staff survey results show that we have one of the most engaged and motivated workforces in the NHS. We know this has a positive impact on the care provided to our patients.

We have one of the most ambitious capital investment programmes anywhere in the NHS.

Job overview

Due to maternity leave, there is an exciting opportunity to join the paediatric outpatients orthopaedic service. We are advertising a fixed-term post for a Band 8a physiotherapist with extensive experience in paediatric orthopaedics. This role is predominantly in outpatients and the post holder will work across physiotherapy-led paediatric orthopaedic triage, hip dysplasia clinics and Ponseti clinics and also work as part of the multidisciplinary team in the skeletal dysplasia service.

Applicants will have previous experience in all these areas as well as in supporting and training both postgraduate and undergraduate physiotherapists. They will have excellent communication skills and an ability to be flexible and work as part of an interdisciplinary team. There will also be leadership responsibilities across the outpatient paediatric physiotherapy team alongside other clinical specialists. There will be opportunities to further develop the services, including research and audit strategy for physiotherapy in this clinical area.

For further information please contact Tessa Burnett Clinical Lead Physiotherapist ([e-mail]), Hazel Bartley ([e-mail]) or call 02071884660.

Main duties of the job

1. To work as part of the MDT in the skeletal dysplasia service providing specialist physiotherapy advice to patients, carers and to therapists both inside and outside the organisation

2. To work with an extended scope of practice to provide a specialist assessment and treatment service for patients with paediatric musculoskeletal conditions. The service receives referrals from local GPs and works closely with Trust Orthopaedic and Radiology consultants.

3. To work as part of the team providing treatment to children with congenital foot deformities including Ponseti serial casting.

4. To jointly co-ordinate and be responsible for the baby hip clinic including requesting of investigations and conservative management of DDH.

5. To provide specialist advice and education to the paediatric physiotherapy department at Evelina Children’s Hospital at Guy’s and St Thomas’.

Key Relationships

• Clinical Lead Paediatric Physiotherapist
• Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgeons
• Paediatric consultants in metabolic bone disorders
• Clinical Specialist Physiotherapists in orthopaedic service
• Paedaitricians
• Physiotherapists within the trust
• Nursing Staff in OP and wards
• Admin staff for orthopaedics

Working for our organisation

Evelina Children’s Hospital (ECH)

Evelina London is part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and we are responsible for providing services for women and children. With over 3,000 dedicated staff, and led by an Executive Team and Board, we have significant devolved autonomy to focus operationally and strategically upon the needs of our patients. We also benefit from being part of a large and successful NHS foundation trust, whose values we share. We have an ambitious strategic development programme, with backing from Guy’s and St Thomas’.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities

Professional / Clinical responsibilities

· To be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of the practitioner’s professional activities

· Performs an advanced musculoskeletal assessment of patients including those with highly complex presentations and from this formulates a diagnosis and treatment plan which is carried out as an autonomous practitioner.

· To interpret and analyse clinical and non-clinical facts, which may be conflicting to regularly provide specialist advice and second opinion to peers, medical colleagues and other health professionals. This includes the formulation of accurate prognoses, recommendation of best course of intervention, and development of comprehensive discharge plans.

· To request and use the results of specialist investigations (e,g x-rays, ultra-sound scans) to assist the formulation of diagnoses and plan patient management with support from the clinical lead physiotherapist and Consultants.

· To develop advanced theoretical and practical knowledge to refer on to other departments/medical colleagues within or outside the Trust as necessary based on investigation results and expert clinical assessment

· To demonstrate extended scope of practice (ESP)/ advanced practice and competency in all aspects of the ESP role

· To provide written reports of clinical opinion to medical colleagues as required

· To advise patients, carers and education/schools on the appropriate time to return to sports and other activities

· To co- ordinate patient management which may include advising patients, carers, relatives, other health professionals and medical colleagues

· To provide specialist opinion which contributes to the development of clinical pathways in collaboration with other multidisciplinary team leads

· To manage clinical risk within own caseload at all times and ensure clinical risk is effectively managed across the designated department

· To be aware of the boundaries of own extended practice, and to manage the associated clinical risk effectively at all times

· To demonstrate the highly developed dexterity, co-ordination and palpatory sensory skills necessary for assessment and manual treatment of patients, including complex manual therapy techniques, therapeutic handling and use of specialised physiotherapy equipment

Management and Leadership

• To assist the clinical lead physiotherapist in developing the role of the clinical specialist proposing extension of practice beyond traditional scope as efficiency and effectiveness requires
• To be responsible for the management of clinical risk within the role of extended scope physiotherapy practitioner, implementing national and local guidelines for best practice and proposing changes to these guidelines to the clinical lead physiotherapist to maximise clinical effectiveness and implement any agreed changes
• To provide clinical teaching and staff development of peers, medical colleagues and other health professionals within this clinical area, across the trust and outside the organisation. This may be to large groups and may include GP’s and ESP nurses in wardsand clinic areas
• To assist the management team in the recruitment of staff as a clinical specialist panel member
• To present service development/research regularly at local and occasionally national level
• To provide specialist clinical opinion, as required, in the development of clinical policy and service development within the physiotherapy department and extended scope clinics in paediatric orthopaedics including spines.
• To work with the management team to ensure the service responds locally to national initiatives (eg NICE, NSF)
• To contribute to cross boundary working and promote the role of the ESP across the organisation, district and nationally in line with the national quality agenda
• To provide specialist clinical opinion, as required, in the development of clinical policy and service development within the physiotherapy department and extended scope clinics in paediatric orthopaedics
• To take an active role in special interest groups relevant to area of paediatric metabolic conditions, musculo-skeletal physiotherapy and extended scope of practice. To assist the clinical lead physiotherapist in cascading information from them and incorporating their priorities into local practice as appropriate
• To maintain service links with external NHS, voluntary and speciality related organisations to ensure seamless inpatient, outpatient and community based care
• To assist the management team in the recruitment of staff as a clinical specialist panel member

Physical resources

· To propose the use of novel equipment which will develop practice and to appraise and evaluate its use in the clinical setting and develop competency framework, therefore identifying the need for the purchase of physical assets and supplies for specialist area and request authorisation for this purchase

· To responsible with the senior management team, for income generation, and accounting activity for the specialist area

Planning and organisation

· To flexibly manage responsibility for own complex clinical caseload, departmental and external teaching, service development and quality assurance

• To formulate flexible strategies for clinical education and service development within area of physiotherapy expertise
• To work in collaboration with the clinical lead and management team and external agencies to identify research priorities and develop ongoing quality assurance programme within clinical area
• To use excellent prioritising and time management skills to meet the unpredictable and conflicting needs of the service

Communication

• To demonstrate an ability to communicate complex and sensitive information to patients, carers and other staff, where there may be barriers to communication or may include information about long-term / permanent disabilities or chronic pain. This must be done whilst ensuring confidentiality at all times.
• To clearly convey complex knowledge of techniques, biomechanics, anatomy and physiology to patients, carers and staff, where evidence underpinning practice may be conflicting and ensuring sensitivity to the audience’s level of understanding and prior knowledge
• To be able to motivate and persuade others (including staff and patients ) through advanced communication skills, with the benefit of verbal, non-verbal skills, using written and electronic information
• To facilitate patients’ attitudinal change towards their condition thus encouraging health/function promoting behaviour
• To articulate effectively the specialist physiotherapeutic perspective on a patient’s condition with medical colleagues and members of the multidisciplinary team, and negotiate when various patient management options are available.
• To diffuse potentially hostile and antagonistic situations with staff, patients and relatives, using highly developed negotiation and interpersonal skills
• To use a wide variety of adult learning techniques to optimise clinical development
• To represent the physiotherapy department within the Trust and to external agencies regularly, and on a district and national level occasionally
• To resolve written and verbal complaints and to be well versed with the Trusts’ formal complaints procedure within specialist area, in conjunction with clinical lead and physiotherapy management
• To assist the ESP team in promoting the role of the clinical specialist physiotherapist/ESP within the trust, across district and nationally.

Information management

• To be responsible for maintenance of accurate written records using electronic health records and use of computerised diary and records and supervision of departmental record keeping; to include comprehensive progress and discharge reports to medical referrers and legal and disability reports
• To identify appropriate outcome measures and service impact measures which accurately evaluate patient response and service development needs
• To maintain accurate statistical information on specialist area using databases as necessary to inform management team and drive audit programme

Education & Professional Development .

• To present service development/research regularly at local and occasionally national level
• To maintain a CPD portfolio reflecting personal professional development and ensure members of the paediatric orthopaedic team have a comprehensive performance plan, in conjunction with the management team

Research and audit

· To use specialist knowledge of current evidence to drive the clinical audit and research programme paediatric orthopaedic physiotherapy and identify sources of funding for research where necessary

· To assist the clinical lead physiotherapist in identifying areas of research need and developing clinical guidance within paediatric metabolic and musculo-skeletal services which may have impact on clinical practice across the trust

· To disseminate the results of research/audit/expert practice at local district, national level

· To contribute to the research environment within the department and offer support and guidance to research teams, MSc projects and external agencies using Trust property and patients

· To provide specialist clinical opinion and participate in areas of research as a member of the Therapies research group

· To use a wide range of adult learning techniques to optimise clinical development

The post holder is required to follow Trust policies and procedures. See full Job description

Person specification

Qualifications

• Degree/diploma in physiotherapy
• MSc. in relevant clinical area or equivalent post registration courses in paediatric orthopaedics at masters level
• Able to order and interpret relevant radiology imaging following attendance on a specific Paediatric Imaging Course (e.g. RaPP course or equivalent)
• Able to order and interpret hip ultrasound following attendance on the Graf course or equivalent

Experience

• Significant band 7 level experience working in a paediatric outpatient physiotherapy environment including management of complex paediatric musculo-skeletal conditions.
• Expert specialist knowledge & experience of a wide range of approaches to the management of paediatric musculo-skeletal conditions, demonstrated by advanced clinical reasoning.
• Experience in the management of congenital talipes equinovarus with ponseti technique
• Experience of managing baby with developmental hip dysplasia (DDH)
• Expert specialist knowledge & experience of a wide range of approaches to the management of paediatric musculo-skeletal conditions, demonstrated by advanced clinical reasoning.
• Evidence of continued professional development – reviewing current practice and research developments within paediatric orthopaedics and application to clinical practice
• Experience in the management of children with achrondroplasia and/or skeletal dysplasias as part of an MDT
• Experience of service development as part of an MDT

Skills

• Current knowledge and competence in application of Ponseti serial casting for CTEV
• Current knowledge on the treatment of DDH
• Able to fit Pavlik harness and explain risk vs benefit of this treatment
• Robust understanding of all aspects of clinical governance including previous experience of quality issues, audit and risk management
• Ability to dictate clinic letters/reports
• Advanced IT skills e.g. use of databases, statistics programmes, analysis in excel
• Current knowledge and ability in management of Achrondroplasia/ Skeletal dysplasias

Guy’s and St Thomas’celebrates, respects and values the diversity of its staff and patients. We review our policies, procedures and practices to ensure that all employees, patients and carers are treated equitable according to their needs. We are actively committed to ensuring that no one who applies for a job, works or study’s at the Trust, or accesses our services is discriminated against on the grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality, disability, religion or belief, age, gender identity , gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity/paternity, or marital/civil partnership.

Applications are welcomed from applicants with a disability. We can make reasonable adjustments and offer support and advice in a variety of ways throughout the application process. Equality of opportunity is our policy.

As an organisation we are committed to developing our services in ways that best suit the needs of our patients. This means that some staff groups will increasingly be asked to work a more flexible shift pattern so that we can offer services in the evenings or at weekends.

We are committed to supporting all employees to achieve a healthy work life balance and to work in a way that is best for them and our patients. We will consider all requests to work flexibly, taking in to account the individual’s personalcircumstances as well the needs of the service. We encourage all prospective applicants to discuss their individual circumstances with the recruiting manager as part of the on-boarding process.

Your e-mail address is important to us -We communicate to all job applicants via the e-mail address which has been provided on the application form. Please ensure that you check your e-mail on a regular basis.

Please apply for this post by clicking "Apply Online Now."

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.

Our dedicated and talented staff make it their mission to provide outstanding care for our patients.

Fake job offers for medical professionals living abroad

The Trust has been made aware of a scam targeting medical professionals living abroad who are being sent fake letters offering a job. These letters contain the Trust’s contact details and are often signed by the Chief People Officer.

These letters are fake.

If you receive an offer of employment, please do not reply to the letter, provide any personal details, or send any money to anyone asking for a fee for the placement/job. If you have lost money or sent personal details you should immediately report it to your local law enforcement and contact your bank.

Please note that the Trust will only advertise job opportunities on our website, NHS jobs, LinkedIn, Indeed or Find a job.