Highly Specialist Physiotherapist (CNST)

NHS; Wigan; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare organization in the UK is seeking an experienced Highly Specialist Physiotherapist to join its Community Neuro & Stroke Rehabilitation Team. This role involves delivering evidence-based physiotherapy to adults with complex neurological conditions in a supportive team environment. Candidates must possess substantial NHS experience and a relevant Therapy degree. The position promotes work-life balance with flexible arrangements and opportunities for professional development.

Benefits

Flexible working arrangements

Access to professional development opportunities

Regular clinical supervision

Qualifications

• Significant Band 6 NHS experience is essential.
• Substantial experience at B6 specialist level in neurological condition rehabilitation & management.
• Evidence of CPD in the form of a detailed portfolio.

Responsibilities

• Deliver high-quality rehabilitation service to neuro patients.
• Act as a highly specialist Physiotherapist within a multidisciplinary team.
• Monitor and improve standards of care and practice.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Ability to manage complex caseload

Proven organisational skills

Education

Therapy Degree/Diploma

Current HCPC registration

Relevant post graduate training

Job description

Go back Wrightington Wigan & Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Highly Specialist Physiotherapist (CNST)

The closing date is 23 November 2025

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced and motivated Highly Specialist Physiotherapist to join WWL Community Neuro & Stroke Rehabilitation Team.

You will play a key role in delivering high‑quality, evidence‑based physiotherapy to adults with complex neurological conditions and those recovering from stroke. Working within a multidisciplinary team, that consists of Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language Therapy, Specialist Nursing, Neuro Dietitian, Neuro Psychology, a Consultant in Neuro Rehab, Rehabilitation Practitioners and Assistants, you will support patients to achieve their rehabilitation goals and maximise independence in their own homes and community settings.

We can offer:

• A supportive and friendly multidisciplinary team environment.
• Regular clinical supervision and professional development opportunities.
• Access to in‑service training, CPD funding, and leadership development.
• Flexible working arrangements promoting work‑life balance.
• Opportunities to contribute to service redesign and research initiatives.
• Monday to Friday core service with Saturday remote working on a rota.

Significant Band 6 NHS experience is essential.

Main duties of the job

To act as a highly specialist Physiotherapist for the Community Neuro and Stroke team delivering a high quality and efficient rehabilitation service to neuro patients of all complexity.

To be a source of expertise and undertake a significant clinical caseload to a high professional standard using specialist knowledge from theoretical and practical experience.

To further use this highly specialist skill level to monitor and improve standards of care and practise by efficient use of resources and utilising clinical audit within neurosciences.

Proactively and positively contribute to the achievement of patient care through individual and interdisciplinary team effort. To monitor and improve standards in the delivery of evidence based and client centred care within the community neuro and stroke team.

To provide leadership as a senior therapist in the field of neurology, assessing and treating a caseload of complex neuro and stroke patients in a variety of settings including patients own homes, wide variety of community settings including residential and nursing homes.

To take the lead in teaching, training and supervision of clinicians within their IDT working.

About us

Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are the proud providers of acute hospital and community services to the people of the Wigan Borough and surrounding areas. At WWL, we value our staff believing that 'happy staff, makes for happy patients'. We have a recognised track record in staff engagement, and living our values 'the WWL Way'.

WWL are committed to placing the patient at the heart of everything we do, and in the provision of safe, effective care that acknowledges and ensures dignity. With this in mind we are seeking to recruit people who share our values and beliefs.

At WWL we value the benefits a rich and diverse workforce brings to our community and therefore welcome applications from all sections of society.

Job responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities

To be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of your work including the management of patients in your care, working to agreed national and professional standards.

To be recognised as a highly specialised practitioner in the field of neurology. To undertake the comprehensive specialist assessment of neurological patients using highly advanced analytical skills, clinical reasoning and the use of specialist assessment tools underpinned by theoretical knowledge and relevant practical experience.

Maintain own clinical caseload to ensure continuing professional registration at a specialist level and support the Interdisciplinary team working across the service.

Maintain the profile of the team across Greater Manchester at neurological rehabilitation events/meetings.

• To effectively undertake the assessments of complex and highly complex patients, identify their problems and needs and ensure the patients medical, cognitive, psychological, social, spiritual, cultural and environmental factors are taken into account.

Ensure patient transfer into and out of the service is smooth and effective, with full communication to patients, carers, families, other professionals and services as necessary, across all Health, Social Services and voluntary agencies. This may require providing & receiving highly complex, sensitive or contentious information; agreement & cooperation are required across the wide range of professionals, plus patient & their family.

To utilise examination and assessment findings using highly specialist clinical reasoning skills to develop and implement treatment programs from a wide range of therapeutic options appropriate to each patient, using evidence based practice and highly specialised knowledge.

To set joint interdisciplinary treatment goals in negotiation with the patient, and/or carer wherever possible taking into account risk, safety, patient choice, independence and palliative care choice.

Planning and Organisational Duties

Ensure regular review of the caseload within a patient centred interdisciplinary goal setting model and make decisions regarding team capacity in consideration of patient complexity and identified risk.

To take responsibility for devising highly specialised treatment programs for other interdisciplinary team members to carry out and ensure they are carried out appropriately.

Act as a role model in the promotion of interdisciplinary team working, and challenge non-interdisciplinary team working practice, so that an interdisciplinary team working culture is maintained.

Keep up‑dated with relevant clinical developments within field of neurology in the national and local forum. Ensure clinical developments are implemented and evaluated in line with best practice.

Ensure the team works closely to all local and national guidelines and any relevant new publications. Be a fully active participant in the development, implementation & review of local Guidelines.

To provide highly specialised advice to others regarding the management and care of patients with a neurological condition (others include: relatives/ carers, health care workers in the community, liaison within the Integrated care services, and carers and professionals in the statutory and voluntary sectors)

Practice, role model and promote safe and effective moving, handling and positioning skills specific to neuro care as laid down in training sessions, to ensure the safety of patients and colleagues.

To provide clinical support for peers and junior staff and participate in the competency training and development frameworks.

To promote health and well‑being and raise awareness of physical impairments via health promotion initiatives.

To ensure informed consent can be gained and all opportunities for gaining consent within the interdisciplinary team are explored to ensure patients and relatives are fully aware of the aims and objectives of intervention.

To produce, disseminate and update reports/guidelines/training regarding individual care plans to carers/patients and other professionals.

To contribute to the triage of new patients, prioritisation and overview assessment of new patients referred to the service.

Communications and Key Working Relationships

To demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills, taking an active role in meetings and developments as appropriate across acute and community to support effective in reach pathways.

To employ excellent communication skills to enable patients, some of whom may have highly challenging communication impairments, to engage in the therapeutic process including the use of communication aids.

To work autonomously as part of the interdisciplinary team to organise and attend patient related meetings, Discussing own and others input around patients needs ensuring a well‑coordinated care plan.

To ensure a productive therapeutic relationship is established with patients, carers and families, agreeing decision‑making which is relevant to the patients management, considering any communication impairment, psychological and emotional state and differing cultural attitudes and expectations.

To demonstrate empathy with patients, carers, families and colleagues, ensuring that effective communication is achieved, particularly where barriers to understanding exist.

To work with a link worker, signing interpreter or language interpreter as necessary to aid assessment and treatment of the patient and communication with the carer(s).

To demonstrate skills in motivating patients and/or carers to engage in the therapeutic process.

To continue to develop negotiation skills in the management of conflict across a range of situations.

To deal with initial complaints sensitively, avoiding escalation where possible.

To form productive relationships with relatives/carers and patients who may be under stress and/or may have challenging communication difficulties and/or who have other psychological/social/developmental barriers to developing relationships.

To take an advocacy or facilitators role in helping patients and carers to express their needs, concerns and opinions to other professionals.

Ensure incidents are managed appropriately highlighting any risks to service manager.

To actively promote partnership working with interdisciplinary team and multi‑agency and social services partners.

To generate initiatives to ensure that the community neuro team contributes to the public and patient involvement process.

Work with other stakeholders across GM to improve the delivery of the neurological pathway.

Responsibility for Finance

To be responsible for equipment used in carrying out duties.

To adhere to departmental equipment policy, including competence to use equipment, to ensure safe use of equipment by others through teaching, training and supervision of practice.

To be responsible for the loan and return of departmental equipment.

To identify the need for and recommend the purchase for new items for the team, educational material for therapist and patient use or patient loan and discuss with service manager.

Responsibility for Human Resources

To be responsible for working within locally agreed protocols and guidelines.

To actively participate and comply with the annual PDP and appraisal system.

Participate in the recruitment and retention of staff, in conjunction with service manager as necessary.

Participate in receiving and delivering annual PDP and competency/ supervision frameworks.

To plan and implement the induction of junior staff/students.

To receive, plan and deliver in‑service training for own profession and others.

To undertake the supervision of junior staff as delegated by senior staff.

To regularly supervise, evaluate and assess students to include negotiating learning contracts and setting objectives.

To contribute to development of practice/procedures etc. within the integrated neuro & stroke service.

To ensure annual retention on Health Professions Council/NMC Register to maintain state registration, taking responsibility for own continued professional development and document this evidence in a professional portfolio, showing proof of competence to practise within the NHS.

• To take responsibility for ensuring clinical supervision needs are met and personal development plans are undertaken.

Responsibility for Health & Safety

To comply with the Trust Manual Handling and Health and Safety Policies at all times and within guidelines for therapeutic handling.

To contribute to the Clinical Governance agenda, attending Clinical Forum, Staff meetings, Care Governance etc.

To assess risk to ensure safety of user/carer/self and colleagues and report back to senior member of team where applicable.

Responsibility for Teaching

To promote the service to the wider community delivering awareness training to other health professionals, schools etc. as required.

To take part in training/education of colleagues and staff/students of other disciplines.

Work Circumstances & on-call

Monthly rota for Saturday working.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Current HCPC registration
• Therapy Degree/Diploma.
• Relevant post graduate training/ Qualification in specialist area
• Evidence of CPD in the form of a detailed portfolio.
• Membership of relevant specialist interest groups
• Leadership training.
• Further Health Related Qualification

Experience

• Substantial experience at B6 specialist level in neurological condition rehabilitation & management
• Ability to work autonomously within specialist clinical area.
• Experience of working in a team and independently
• Experience of supervising other therapists/Neuro Rehab assistants/Students
• Experience of liaison with other professionals and partnership working.
• Contribution to service, staff development & leadership.
• Experience in community rehabilitation
• Experience of Inter‑disciplinary work
• Research and Development experience
• Participation in developmental work/projects within a therapy/MDT service.
• Audit experience of own and others practice.
• Participation in departmental activities such as data recording, analysis and reporting and associated service planning

Skills

• Ability to manage highly complex caseload
• Excellent communication skills, verbal and written.
• Ability to communicate effectively with people of all ages and abilities
• The ability to understand and respect different points of view working with people from a variety of cultures
• must demonstrate excellent verbal and non‑verbal communication with the ability to motivate people and empathise with the challenges of long term condition management
• Ability to present information in a clear logical manner.
• Proven organisational skills including time management, effective delegation and prioritisation and task completion
• HR and operational team management
• Experience in providing clinical leadership and problem solving

Knowledge

• Specialist knowledge in anatomy and physiology to underpin relevant clinical skills and approaches to patient management.
• Awareness of challenges of partnership and multi‑agency working
• Ability to demonstrate a sound understanding of clinical governance and risk
• Knowledge of research/audit
• Teaching, supervisory and appraisal skills and experience.
• Awareness of relevant national guidance
• Ability to self‑assess/reflect upon own performance.
• Knowledge of implementing new policies and procedures

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.

Wrightington Wigan & Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust