First Contact Practitioner Physiotherapist

The Methodist Church in Britain; Bradford; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Significant flexibility over hours

Supportive team environment

Job summary

Bradford Physiotherapy Clinic seeks a First Contact Practitioner to assess, diagnose and triage patients, and manage a complex caseload with long-term conditions. Self-employed staff can choose hours, including extended access sessions.

Applicants must have completed the FCP roadmap and be HCPC-registered; CSP membership is required. The role emphasizes early intervention and MDT collaboration within primary care.

Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree in physiotherapy (required).
• Completed FCP roadmap (required).
• Practice portfolio evidencing MSK experience (required).
• Membership of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (required).
• HCPC registration (required).

Responsibilities

• Assess, diagnose and triage patients with high-level clinical reasoning.
• Manage a complex caseload including long-term conditions and multi-factorial needs.
• Lead and contribute to service delivery within the team.
• Streamline pathways with the MDT for timely access to care.
• Promote proactive, population-based care and early intervention.
• Tailor care to individuals and assess impact on health, employment and function.
• Support patients to set goals and self-manage.
• Communicate complex information about diagnosis and prognosis to patients and carers.
• Use capabilities that may include non-medical prescribing and injections, if permitted.
• Make decisions in unpredictable situations under HCPC-registered practice.
• Manage interactions across primary care teams and settings.
• Provide learning opportunities for the multi-professional primary care team.

Skills

Clinical reasoning

Communication skills

Self-management support

Team working

Education

Undergraduate degree in physiotherapy

Membership of CSP

Job description

First contact practitioner post with Bradford Physiotherapy Clinic, which has run the FCP service for over ten years and has a team of 45 physiotherapists. The role centres on assessing, diagnosing and triaging patients, and managing a complex caseload with long-term conditions and multi-factorial needs. Staff are self-employed and can choose their hours, including extended access sessions. Applicants must have completed the FCP roadmap and be accredited, and the clinic asks those without accreditation not to apply.

What the job involves

• Assess, diagnose and triage patients with high-level clinical reasoning, taking professional responsibility for decisions
• Manage a complex caseload, including long-term conditions, comorbidities and multi-factorial needs
• Lead, manage and contribute to service delivery
• Streamline clinical pathways with the MDT so patients get timely access to care
• Deliver proactive, preventive, population-based care with an emphasis on early intervention
• Tailor care to the individual, appraising the impact of clinical status on health, wellbeing, employment, function and mobility
• Support patients to set their own goals and self-manage
• Communicate complex, sensitive information on diagnosis, pathology and prognosis to patients and carers
• Use clinical skills which may include non-medical independent prescribing, joint and soft tissue injections, and joint aspirations
• Make and justify decisions in unpredictable situations with incomplete or contradictory information, under HCPC registration
• Manage complex interactions, including with patients with psychosocial and mental health needs and across the primary care team, sectors and settings
• Provide learning opportunities for the multi-professional primary care team

What’s required

Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree in physiotherapy
• Completed FCP roadmap
• Practice portfolio evidencing experience in core and MSK physiotherapy
• Membership of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy

Registration & licences

• HCPC registration

Experience

• Experience working as an FCP
• Experience working in NHS primary care
• Experience working in a GP practice

Nice to have

• Prescribing qualification, held or in progress
• Postgraduate physiotherapy qualification, held or in progress

What’s offered

• Significant flexibility over the hours worked
• Supportive team environment