Community Physiotherapist

Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust; Shaftesbury; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust in Shaftesbury is seeking a Band 6 Community Physiotherapist to join the Intermediate Care Rehabilitation Therapy Team, delivering assessment and treatment in patients' homes and community settings.

You will work autonomously within a multi-disciplinary team to support rehabilitation goals, with opportunities to develop leadership and supervision skills while ensuring high-quality, person-centred care. A valid UK driving licence is essential.

Qualifications

• Registered practitioner with degree or diploma in Physiotherapy.
• Membership of the relevant professional body.
• Recent professional development in an up-to-date portfolio.
• Current UK Driving Licence.
• Learning and Assessing in Practice qualification or equivalent.
• Non-Medical Prescriber.
• Knowledge of Trust Strategy relevant to role.

Responsibilities

• Provide physiotherapy assessment and treatment in people's homes, care homes or occasional Community Hospital wards.
• Deliver a high-quality person-centred approach to care delivery with emphasis on safety, privacy and dignity.
• Provide specialist care and interventions, assessments, treatments and managing patients on a caseload as part of the multi-disciplinary team.
• Provide specialist advice to others regarding management and care of patients/service users.
• Devise specialist programmes of care for other professionals to deliver and ensure they are delivered appropriately.

Skills

Band 6 Physiotherapist

Clinical assessment

Home visits

Autonomous working

Team leadership

Supervision of juniors

Discharge planning

Driving licence

Education

Bachelor's degree or diploma in Physiotherapy

Job description

Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust

Community Physiotherapist

The closing date is 05 November 2026

Are you an enthusiastic and motivated Physiotherapist looking for a rewarding role where you can make a real difference to patients in their own communities?

We are seeking a Band 6 Physiotherapist to join our dynamic Intermediate Care Rehabilitation Therapy Team, based at Westminster Memorial Hospital, Shaftesbury, serving the wider Shaftesbury community. This is an exciting opportunity to work within a forward-thinking, multidisciplinary team supporting patients to remain independent, avoid unnecessary hospital admissions, and achieve their rehabilitation goals closer to home.

The role offers a diverse caseload across community settings, providing assessment and treatment for patients with acute illness, complex discharge needs, and long- and short-term conditions. You will have the opportunity to develop advanced clinical, leadership, and supervisory skills while supporting the development of junior colleagues and therapy assistants.

We are looking for someone who is passionate about person-centred rehabilitation, enjoys working autonomously and collaboratively, and is committed to delivering high-quality care where and when patients need it most.

If you are looking to broaden your skills, embrace innovative models of care, and join a friendly and supportive team that is breaking down traditional healthcare boundaries, we would love to hear from you.

A valid UK driving licence and access to a vehicle are essential for this role.

Main duties of the job

To provide Physiotherapy assessment and treatment to people in their own homes, care homes or occasionally on Community Hospital wards.

To provide a high-quality person-centred approach to care delivery which always considers people's safety, privacy and dignity.

To provide specialist care and interventions, assessments, treatments and managing patients on a caseload, as part of the wider multi-disciplinary care team.

To provide specialist advice to others regarding the management and care of patients / service users.

To devise specialist programmes of care for other professionals to deliver and ensure they are delivered appropriately.

Employment in this post requires an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, which the Trust will cover the cost of.

Please note visa sponsorship for this role is unfortunately not available. Ensure you hold valid right to work in the UK and will not require sponsorship if successful.

About us

At Dorset HealthCare we're on a mission to empower people to make the most of their lives through our outstanding, joined-up healthcare services. We're a dynamic, forward-looking Trust, running 12 community hospitals, specialist inpatient facilities and a wide range of integrated community and mental health services for a population of almost800,000 people.

We do things differently here - it's one of the reasons the CQC rated us good in 2026. It's also why 95% of patients across our services say they have a good or very good experience of our services and 89% of staff feel they can really make a difference. Whether you're looking to work with us in one of our bustling market towns, vibrant urban locations, thriving seaside spots, or among the rolling hills of Dorset, there are lots of ways you can make a difference in our communities.

Our 7,000-strong workforce is at the heart of what we do and our success is a testament to our brilliant people. We're all about building a workplace for the future, we believe in equal opportunities and we celebrate diversity. We're an inclusive workplace, where everyone is welcome, everyone can be authentic, and we are all encouraged to be the best version of ourselves.

Working with us you'll be part of a strong team, challenge yourself, build a career, and teach us what we don't know. And you'll be working towards our vision to create healthier lives, empowered citizens and thriving communities.

Job responsibilities

For the main duties and responsibilities for this role please read the attached job description and person specification. When completing your application please ensure your supporting statement reflects the criteria set out in these documents by showing how your experience and skills apply to this post.

We understand that AI can be a useful tool when completing your application. However, we are seeing an increasing over-reliance of AI tools, which can negatively affect your application as it reduces a candidates individuality, and makes it difficult for us to gain a clear and authentic understanding of your experience, skills, and in turn your suitability for the role.

All submissions must be truthful and if you do use AI, it should only be used to enhance your application and not create your supporting statement in its entirety. Your supporting statement should be in your own words and must accurately reflect your personal experience and achievements. Where we have concerns that AI has been used to generate content that misrepresents your experience and suitability for the role, we may withdraw your application.

As part of our vision to have a skilled, diverse and caring workforce, Dorset HealthCare offers support for people getting into work. We offer an employability service to support individuals with application writing, interview skills and other employment support. If you would like or know of anyone who would value this support, please do contact [e-mail]

Person Specification

Knowledge, skills and training

• oRegistered practitioner to degree/diploma level supplemented by post registration diploma level specialist training and/or short courses or demonstrable extensive experience in the relevant specialty
• oMembership of the relevant Professional Body
• oEvidence of recent professional development in an up-to-date portfolio
• Holds a current valid UK Driving Licence
• oLearning and Assessing in Practice Qualification or equivalent practice assessors training
• oNon-Medical Prescriber
• oKnowledge and understanding of Trust Strategy relevant to role

Job Specific Experience

• oExperience at Practitioner Band 5 level
• oDemonstrable knowledge of assessment and therapeutic interventions in area of specialism
• oAble to demonstrate specialist clinical reasoning skills to assimilate information in order to make a clinical judgement regarding diagnosis and intervention
• oAbility to prioritise and organise workload effectively
• oRecent previous experience within a comparable role
• oExperience of managing change

Managerial/Supervisory Experience

• oExperience of providing clinical supervision and mentoring to junior staff
• oExperience of devising and delivering training

Personal Qualities / Attributes

• oExperience of planning and organising complex activities, e.g. organise own time and that of junior staff and learners, and undertaking discharge planning involving co-ordination with other agencies.
• oKnowledge and understanding of legislation relevant to practice
• oDemonstrable ability of using tact and diplomacy
• oDemonstrable ability to analyse situations and provide a resolution
• oDemonstrable leadership qualities and the ability to perform as a role model

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.

Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust