Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist –Neonates

NHS; Northampton; On-site; GBP 49,000 - 57,000; Part time

Job summary

Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust is seeking a highly specialist Band 7 Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist for the Neonates unit. The post is 22.5 hours per week (part time) with flexible working, offering a permanent contract and a pro rata salary of £49,387–£56,515.

You will lead specialist assessment and intervention for high-risk infants, contribute to service development and MDT work, and provide education and audit to support neonatal care.

Qualifications

• Registered physiotherapist with HCPC in the UK.
• Experience working with neonates and paediatric care.
• Active involvement in CPD and neonatal-related education.

Responsibilities

• Deliver highly specialist neonatal physiotherapy care.
• Lead assessment and intervention for high-risk infants.
• Participate in audit, outcomes measurement and service development.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary team across neonatal pathway.
• Provide training to carers, staff and educators.

Skills

Paediatric physiotherapy

Neonates

Multidisciplinary teamwork

Audit and quality improvement

Training and education

Education

Recognised Physiotherapy Degree

HCPC Registration

Postgraduate CPD in neonatal care

HEE neonatal/physiotherapy modules

Specialist interest group membership (e.g. APCP)

Job description

Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist –Neonates

Band 7

Main area Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist –Neonates Grade Band 7 Contract Permanent Hours

• Part time
• Flexible working

22.5 hours per week Job ref 265-8128571-FAM

Site University Hospitals of Northamptonshire Town Northampton Salary £49,387 - £56,515 pro rata/per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 23/09/2026 23:59

Job overview

Northampton General Hospital is a busy district general hospital with a level 2 Local Neonatal Unit, Gosset ward (LNU) that typically admits around 450 babies per year. Our neonatal service provides intensive, high-dependency and special care for 20 babies (from 27 weeks gestation) as part of the East Midlands Neonatal Operational Delivery Network (EMNON),

We have an exciting opportunity for a highly specialist Band 7 Physiotherapist to join our expanding Neonatal Allied Health Professional Team. This newly created permanent role offers the chance to play a key part in shaping and developing an innovative service that supports babies and their families during some of the most critical stages of early development.

Working within our neonatal team, you will help deliver specialist assessment, intervention and support for infants and families, while contributing to service development, quality improvement and multidisciplinary working across the neonatal pathway.

As part of a significant investment in the service, you will work alongside other AHP's at Northampton General Hospital, and will be supported by a friendly, knowledgeable and highly collaborative neonatal multidisciplinary team. You will also benefit from strong links with an established regional neonatal network, providing excellent opportunities for professional development, networking and shared learning.

Main duties of the job

To have a high level of understanding of the effect of prematurity, congenital conditions and difficulties at birth on both the individual and family unit.

Using highly specialist knowledge, practical skills, assessment tools and communication skills to assess and determine diagnosis of conditions with which high risk infants may present.

To provide high quality physiotherapy using highly advanced specialist clinical knowledge and skills to carry out effective, safe, and evidence-based treatment.

To demonstrate the ability to assess family understanding of treatment proposals, gain valid information consent and have the capacity to work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment.

To be responsible for maintaining competency to practice through Conti

To participate in audit and the measurement of outcomes, according to Clinical Governance Requirements.

Acts with autonomy in providing highly specialised neonatal physiotherapy care in the management of a varied caseload including those with complex neurological and neurodevelopmental needs.

Working for our organisation

We recognise that AI tools can support application writing; however, candidates are asked to keep their use to a minimum. Responses should reflect your own experience, skills and knowledge, as over-reliance on AI-generated content may result in generic answers that do not accurately represent your abilities.

University Hospitals of Northamptonshire (UHN) brings together Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust. As a group, we are committed to improving services for our communities through collaboration, modernising care delivery and striving for excellence. Working together enables us to share expertise, strengthen services and create greater opportunities, and there may be a requirement to work across sites depending on service needs.

Our Excellence Values are Compassion, Accountability, Respect, Integrity and Courage. UHN welcomes applications from all backgrounds and is committed to an inclusive working environment. We are proud signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant and hold the Gold Award under the Employer Recognition Scheme. Candidates who identify as members of the Armed Forces community and meet the essential criteria will be guaranteed an interview.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For a full list of all roles and responsibilities please see attached job description and person specification

Person specification

Qualifications/ Education/ Registration

• Recognised Physiotherapy Degree or equivalent
• HCPC Registration
• Evidence of Continuing Professional Development including attendance at recent post graduate courses relevant to the clinical field
• Completion of HEE Modules (Introduction to Neonatal Care and Physiotherapy modules)
• Membership of relevant specialist interest groups E.G. APCP or other Paediatric SIG

Experience

• Significant experience in paediatric Physiotherapy post qualification
• Experience working with neonates and infants and/or children with complex needs
• Experience of caseload management and prioritisation
• Experience of working as part of a multi-disciplinary team
• Experience of work at Band 7 level
• Experience working in a neonatal or acute setting
• Experience of using a wide range of standardised tools relevant to Neurological neonatal & Paediatric care (LAPI, Prechtl GM’s, Bayley, NBO, AIMS, GMFCS).
• Experience in collecting and evaluating audits and quality improvement projects
• Experience in the training and education of others (i.e., carers, staff and educators)

Knowledge and Skills

• Knowledge of processes and policies relating to work in a neonatal setting e.g. safeguarding, developmental/educational needs, APCP guidelines etc.
• Extensive theoretical knowledge of anatomy, physiology, pathology and applied treatment techniques in relation to neurological impairment and physiotherapy.
• Basic theoretical knowledge of anatomy, physiology, and pathology for musculoskeletal and respiratory conditions and their management.
• Knowledge of assessment tools and interventions/approaches relevant to neonatal and/or paediatric care.
• Highly specialised handling and observation skills for the assessment of neonatal patients.
• Excellent interpersonal skills – including observation, listening and empathy skills
• Ability to interpret and apply evidence based practice in clinical work. Ability to analyse and apply information from a range of sources e.g. x rays, CT and MRI.
• Excellent presentation skills, both written and verbal
• Understanding of the roles of other professionals working on the neonatal unit

Other

• Adherence HCPC guidelines and codes of ethics and professional conduct.

At Northampton General Hospital we provide general acute services and hyper-acute stroke, vascular and renal services to people living in Northamptonshire. As well as this we are an accredited cancer centre and provide cancer services to a wider population of Northamptonshire and parts of Buckinghamshire.

We are proud to be the first hospital in the UK to have obtained Pathway to Excellence designated accreditation from the American nurses credentialing centre (ANCC).

We celebrate staff achievements and value the importance of working as one big team. That’s why we talk about Team NGH. It’s all about working together to provide the best possible care for our patients and supporting each other to grow and develop our skills. We are driven to helping you to be the best you can be.

We want to recruit the best people to deliver our services across the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire and help to unleash everyone’s full potential. As an organisation, we value how we communicate and promote our vacancies to all communities. The Hospital Group encourages applications from people who identify from all protected groups, especially those from BAME, Disabled and LGBTQ+ backgrounds as these are underrepresented in our hospitals. We understand that we need to work with colleagues from diverse backgrounds and make sure the environment they work in is inclusive and collaborative. We have active Networks that promote and support colleagues from all backgrounds.This ensures everyone feels supported and has a sense of belonging working for Kettering and Northampton General Hospitals.

In submitting an application form, you authorise Northampton General Hospital to confirm any previous NHS service details via the Electronic Staff Record Inter Authority Transfer process should you be appointed to the post.

Due to the high number of applications received we are unable to respond to each application individually. If you have not been contacted within 4 weeks of the closing date you have been unsuccessful in this application.

For further information on nursing, apprenticeships, A&E or any other departments please visit our specific website or pages that are indicated on the right hand side of this advert.

Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust recognises that staff of differing backgrounds and life experiences enrich our workforce and bring different skills and knowledge. We therefore encourage and welcome applications for our vacancies from all candidates regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

PLEASE NOTE THAT WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CLOSE VACANCIES PRIOR TO THE ADVERTISED CLOSING DATE WHEN WE ARE IN RECEIPT OF SUFFICIENT APPLICATIONS

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.

Application numbers

This vacancy may close early if it receives a high number of applications. Please complete and submit your application in good time to avoid disappointment.