Enhanced Wheelchair Practitioner

Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust; Ringwood; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an Enhanced Wheelchair Practitioner to deliver high-quality, evidence-based wheelchair assessment and management. You will undertake complex clinical decisions, lead in service improvement, and provide advanced clinical advice within a multidisciplinary setting.

The role demands autonomous practice, advanced history taking, and the ability to adapt to changing clinical needs while ensuring patient safety, dignity and privacy.

Qualifications

• Specialist clinical reasoning to assimilate information and make clinical judgements.
• Evidence-based assessment, treatment and evaluation in CPD.
• Learning and assessing in practice qualification or equivalent.

Responsibilities

• Provide high quality innovative clinical practice for wheelchair service users.
• Work autonomously within MDT using advanced history taking and examination skills.
• Assess and manage highly complex needs and plan care delivery accordingly.
• Formulate prescriptions for wheelchairs, cushions and seating.
• Promote best practice through audit, research and education.
• Provide leadership and specialist advice within the service.

Skills

Clinical decision making

Multidisciplinary working

Risk management

Mentor/coach

Leadership in practice

Advanced clinical reasoning

Education

HCPC registered Physio

Membership of professional body

Practice assessors training

Job description

Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust

Enhanced Wheelchair Practitioner

The closing date is 04 November 2026

To provide high quality person centred care which always considers people's safety, privacy and dignity using advanced clinical knowledge that is evidence based.

To undertake independent assessment and management of wheelchair service users and where appropriate making complex clinical decisions regarding service user management and clinical outcomes.

To provide advanced clinical advice, leadership and support ensuring the needs of the service are met by exercising and demonstrating high levels of clinical judgement, critical analysis and advanced decision making skills.

To manage change within the wheelchair service, to monitor and improve standards through supervision, evidence based practice, clinical audit, research and education. To promote and demonstrate best practice by integrating evidence into practice.

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.

Main duties of the job

A Physiotherapist to provide high quality innovative clinical practice. Be proactive in clinical decision making, underpinned by an advanced level of theoretical and practical knowledge and be able to demonstrate improved patient care outcomes.

To work with clients of all ages and with clinical presentations that affect long term mobility.

Undertake comprehensive specialist holistic assessment of patients and carers where needs are highly complex. This will involve planning, implementing and evaluating the care delivery according to changing healthcare needs.

To work autonomously using advanced levels of history taking and examination skills within multidisciplinary team, guidelines and protocols.

Utilise advanced clinical skills in assessment and/or formulating prescription of wheelchair, pressure relieving cushions and special seating.

Demonstrate a high level of knowledge in relation to pattern of disease or disorder, markers of condition progression and range of options available at each stage of disorder or condition.

Be able to assess critically and re-evaluate the clinical situation as the patient's condition changes.

To inspire and demonstrate leadership qualities through delivery of specialist advice.

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 almost 800,000 people.

We do things differently here - it's one of the reasons the CQC rated us 'outstanding' in 2019. 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 be better every day through excellence, compassion and expertise in all we do.

Job responsibilities

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

Person Specification

Job Specific Experience

• Able to demonstrate specialist clinical reasoning skills to assimilate information in order to make a clinical judgement regarding diagnosis and intervention.
• Able to demonstrate specialist expertise and knowledge underpinned by theory acquired through CPD in relation to clinical assessment, treatment and evaluation
• Demonstrable knowledge of legislation relevant to area of clinical practice
• Evidence of recent professional development in an up to date portfolio

Managerial Responsibilities

• Experience of multi-disciplinary working.
• Able to actively research for the potential to improve quality and customer care, seeking new ideas and methods to improve health care.
• Evidence of skills in diplomacy, negotiation and influencing.
• Recognise and utilise the individual's skills and knowledge, coaching others in their development and acting as a mentor/preceptor across all professional boundaries.

Knowledge Skills and Training

• HCPC registered Physio and Membership of the relevant Professional Body
• Able to demonstrate specialist expertise and knowledge underpinned by theory acquired through CPD in relation to clinical assessment, treatment and evaluation
• Learning and assessing in Practice Qualification or equivalent practice assessors training

Job Specific Experience

• Evidence of risk management skills and experience.
• Able to analyse and assess situations and to interpret potentially conflicting situations and determine appropriate action, where there is a range of options and judgement is required.
• Able to adapt to a changing environment and changing priorities.
• To ensure that good practice is rapidly shared within the service area and wider organisation where appropriate

Managerial Skills

• Evidence of proactive involvement in the supervision and development of members of the multi-disciplinary team.
• Experience of planning and organising complex activities requiring the formulation and adjustment of plans .e.g. organising own time, co-ordination with other agencies and plans for sudden, unforeseen circumstances.
• Experience of using electronic patient / service user record systems
• Recognise and utilise the individual's skills and knowledge, coaching others in their development and acting as a mentor/preceptor across all professional boundaries

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