DAIRS Lead Nurse / Physiotherapist (Advanced Clinical Practitioner)

University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust; Bournemouth; On-site; GBP 53,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Band 8a DAIRS Lead Nurse/Physiotherapist/ACP to lead a multi-disciplinary respiratory team. The role combines operational management with clinical duties across Respiratory Hospital at Home, outpatient clinics and Home Oxygen services.

Based at Bournemouth/Poole with occasional community visits, the post requires active NMC/HCPC registration, mentoring qualifications and a Masters in Advanced Clinical Practice.

Qualifications

• Professional registration with the NMC or HCPC.
• Recognised teaching of mentoring qualification.
• Masters level Advanced Clinical Practice/Equivalent Masters.
• Non-medical prescriber.

Responsibilities

• Provide operational management for a multi-disciplinary DAIRS team while maintaining a clinical role.
• Drive service development and clinical leadership within the Respiratory service.
• Support DAIRS activity including Respiratory Hospital at Home, nurse/physiotherapist led clinics and Home Oxygen Assessment and Review.
• Be based at Bournemouth and Poole Hospitals with occasional community/home visits.

Skills

Leadership

Clinical leadership

Team management

Education

Masters level Advanced Clinical Practice/Equivalent Masters

NMC/HCPC registration

Non-medical prescriber

Job description

DAIRS Lead Nurse / Physiotherapist (Advanced Clinical Practitioner)

Band 8a

Main area Respiratory Grade Band 8a Contract Fixed term: 9 months (Maternity leave cover) Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Mon-Fri) Job ref 153-ME06729

Department name 01. UHD - General Recruitment Site University Hospitals Dorset - All Sites Town Bournemouth Salary £57,528 - £64,750 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 22/09/2026 23:59 Interview date 30/09/2026

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

Are you an experienced and enthusiastic Nurse or Physiotherapist with significant knowledge and skills in Respiratory Medicine, and looking for a new challenge in a leadership position?

Are you passionate about Respiratory Care, and could you be an ambassador for the Dorset Adult Integrated Respiratory Service (DAIRS) at University Hospitals Dorset?

We are seeking applications for a Band 8a DAIRS Lead Nurse/Physiotherapist/ACP, to work Mon-Fri in this fixed term post.

This role requires an active Professional registration with the NMC or the HCPC.

Base Location: All Sites

Interview Date: 30th September 2026

Main duties of the job

This post offers the opportunity to deliver operational management to a multi-disciplinary team, service development, and clinical leadership whilst maintaining a clinical role.

This is an exciting time within DAIRS and the wider Respiratory service, with opportunities for service development as part of UHD Transformation and the Respiratory Virtual Ward pathway.

You would be responsible for supporting DAIRS activity which includes the Respiratory Hospital at Home service, Nurse and Physiotherapist led outpatient clinics, and the Home Oxygen Assessment and Review Service.

The post holder will:

• Primarily be based at Bournemouth and Poole Hospitals, with occasional visits into community settings and patients own homes.
• Be the operational line manager for members of the DAIRS team including Specialist Nurses, Specialist Physiotherapists and Support Staff.
• Drive service improvement, innovation and staff skill and knowledge acquisition for the benefit of patients within the pathway.
• Seek opportunities to continuously develop the service to always ensure the delivery of patient-centred care.

Working for our organisation

Our values define who we are as #TeamUHD. They underpin everything we do now and in the future. They define how we treat our patients, visitors, and each other, our valued teammates and colleagues.

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.

Please note if the role or service is relocated as part of a planned move, employees will not be eligible for excess mileage reimbursement. Travel from the postholder's home to the new work base will be considered a normal commute. Any other changes not related to this relocation will be managed according to the relevant 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.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For a more detailed job description and person specification, please refer to the documents attached to this advert.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Professional registration with the NMC or HCPC
• Recognised teaching of mentoring qualification
• Masters level Advanced Clinical Practice/Equivalent Masters
• Non-medical prescriber

Experience

• Demonstrable experience of working independently in a Band 7 Clinical role within relevant specialty
• Experience of leading and managing a team and working in partnership with all levels of staff
• Service and practice development and managing change
• Experience of Hospital @ Home
• Experience of cross-site working
• Teaching staff from other professions

Knowledge

• Demonstratable theoretical and practical knowledge of respiratory specialty common presentations
• An understanding of Trust policies / procedures, particularly in relation to managing a team: Managing attendance, HR procedures, appraisals
• An awareness of Transformation processes within the Trust
• An awareness of Hospital @ Home

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.