Paediatric Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist

NHS; Newcastle upon Tyne; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a highly skilled Paediatric Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist to join their paediatric pain team. This role involves evaluating and delivering physiotherapy services to children and young people, requiring strong interdisciplinary collaboration and a commitment to evidence-based practice. Candidates should possess relevant qualifications, including a degree in physiotherapy and ideally an MSc, along with significant experience in paediatric care.

Qualifications

• Required to have considerable paediatric experience at postgraduate level.
• Must have expert knowledge of current evidenced research and quality improvement.
• Demonstrate expert clinical knowledge in paediatric Physiotherapy.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for developing, delivering, and evaluating physiotherapy input for paediatric pain service.
• Collaborate effectively within an interdisciplinary team.
• Lead a systematic clinical physiotherapy service for children referred to the service.

Skills

Communication

Clinical Reasoning

Manual Handling Legislation

Evidence-based Practice

Education

Degree in Physiotherapy

MSc or relevant postgraduate training

State Registered with Health Professions Council

Member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy

Job description

Go back The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Paediatric Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist

The closing date is 19 June 2025

This is an exciting and unique opportunity for a highly motivated and skilled physiotherapist to join the paediatric pain team at the Great North Children's Hospital.

The paediatric pain service was set up in 2014 and manages both acute and chronic pain conditions in children and young people, accepting referrals from across the North of England. This interdisciplinary team comprises pain medical consultants, specialist pain nurses, physiotherapists and a psychologist. The approach to patient care is based upon biopsychosocial principles in line with the best available latest clinical evidence.

The successful applicant will be responsible for developing, delivering, and evaluating physiotherapy input for children and young people in the pain service.

• 22 hours 30 minutes/week
• You will be redirected to Trac to apply for the vacancy. Please expand the job details section and read all of the information before applying for the vacancy.

NO AGENCIES PLEASE

Main duties of the job

The successful applicant will have excellent communication skills and will have evidence of working effectively within an interdisciplinary team.

The post holder will be expected to collaborate with other lead professionals across different disciplines and supervise, train and support relevant staff within the team.

In addition to the essential requirements of the role, the post holder is required to maintain and improve professional and specialist expert knowledge, skills and competence to ensure the delivery of evidence based practice in line with the Chartered Society Physiotherapy Professional Code of Conduct.

About us

Our staff oversee over 6,500 patient contacts every day, delivering high standards of healthcare from the following sites:

o Freeman Hospital

o Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI)

o Health Innovation Neighbourhood (on the former Newcastle General Hospital and Centre for Ageing and Vitality site)

o Newcastle Dental Hospital

o Newcastle Fertility Centre

o Northern Centre for Cancer Care, North Cumbria

o Northern Genetics Service

These include a range of flagship services which deliver cutting-edge care (supported by state-of-the-art diagnostic services in both radiology and pathology) and are a catalyst for innovation to support pioneering clinical practice in the NHS.

We also have offices at Regent Point in Gosforth and community sites.

Please see attached information on what Staff Benefits we have to offer at our Trust under 'Documents to download' or 'Supporting documents'.

For further information on The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust please visit: Careers | Newcastle Hospitals | NHS | Newcastle Hospitals and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Job responsibilities

• To undertake clinical duties as a specialist autonomous practitioner being professionally & legally responsible for all aspects of professional activities.
• To lead a specialist, systematic and autonomous clinical physiotherapy service for children referred to the Paediatric Pain Service.
• To provide clinical specialist level physiotherapy assessment for children with chronic pain, including those with multiple diagnoses & complex presentations.
• To use advanced investigative, analytical skills & clinical reasoning to diagnose & recommend treatment and management plans, drawing on expert knowledge of evidence-based treatment options within the interdisciplinary framework.
• To provide spontaneous & planned advice, teaching & instruction to the family/carers & other professionals to promote understanding of the aims of intervention
• To provide consultation to other specialist clinics within the Trust, in accordance with objectives agreed with clinical and professional managers.
• To contribute to a multidisciplinary assessment of the childs difficulties and decisions regarding likely response to treatment.
• To maintain case notes describing and summarising all aspects of assessment and treatment undertaken.
• To communicate effectively with the patient and their family, as well as others involved in the network of care including health, education and social services.
• To monitor progress during the course of individual and multidisciplinary interventions as required.
• To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account highly complex factors concerning chronic pain and pain related disability that have shaped the individual, family or group.
• To attend case conferences, reviews and other meetings as required.
• To attend pain service MDT meetings to assist in formulation of treatment/management plans and to give advice and recommendations when required.
• To work with the Trust Orthotics Service and review orthoses based on expert clinical knowledge & experience, supported by the current evidence base.
• To ensure that reports and other correspondence are entered into the relevant notes and communicated to other professionals, parents and children, in accordance with Trust policies.
• To be responsible for developing & providing specialised teaching to peers & junior staff including medical staff; this will frequently include work observation by staff both within & outside the trust & may include large multidisciplinary groups.
• To respond to invitations to lecture within the Trust & on a national & international level, to peers & junior staff including medical staff & other professionals.
• To take an active role in special interest groups relevant to area of expertise, to cascade information from them & incorporate priorities into local practice as appropriate.
• To participate as a member of interviewing panels in the appointment of staff, and be aware of legislation and local personnel policies affecting the employment of staff.
• To undertake research and lead clinical audit in own specialist area of practice as opportunities arise.

Job Purpose

• To be an expert practitioner (providing expert assessment, treatment planning and review) for paediatric pain patients developing an advanced level of professional autonomy and accountability in the provision of such care.
• To promote Newcastle upon Tyne NHS Foundation Trust as national leaders in the speciality and as an international centre of excellence.
• To lead in partnership with the specialist MDT on developments and innovations in patient care within the Trust and with relevant external agencies, locally and nationally. In line with the Trusts commitment to clinical governance, develop, lead and implement standards for clinical audit to evaluate clinical effectiveness and promote clinical excellence within paediatric cardiac physiotherapy. To have a role in the development of multi-professional service development within the field. .
• To provide expert clinical leadership through teaching, supervision, advice, guidance and information to the paediatric physiotherapy team, other health care professionals, carers and relatives and other nonprofessional across the Trust and Partnership Organisations.

Please note it is a requirement of The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that all successful candidates who require a DBS for the post they have been offered pay for their DBS certificate. The method of payment is a salary deduction from your first months pay.

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.

Person Specification

Qualifications & Education

• Hold a degree or equivalent diploma in Physiotherapy
• Hold an MSc or have relevant postgraduate training to MSC level and be prepared to study for MSc whilst in post
• Be state registered with the health professions council
• Member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy

Knowledge & Experience

• To be able to demonstrate considerable paediatric experience at post graduate level
• To have expert knowledge of the current evidenced research, quality improvement and experience of involvement national audit.
• Have highly specialist knowledge of manual handling legislation and current best practice including range of appropriate equipment.
• To be responsible for and actively participate in the in-service training programme within the speciality area.
• To be involved in the promotion of physiotherapy outside the service e.g. within the directorate ensuring that physiotherapy is incorporated into any new developments and linking with regional and national services
• Demonstrate expert clinical knowledge in paediatric Physiotherapy and have an expert understanding of paediatric Physiotherapy clinical practices and procedures
• Involvement in the relevant CSP Clinical Special Interest Group e.g. APCP, PICS
• Knowledge of current NHS initiatives e.g. National Policy Drivers
• Formal Quality Improvement Training
• Evidence of understanding research methods, and their applications.
• Previous experience in quality assurance.

Skills & Abilities

• Have the ability to reflect and critically appraise own performance so as to maintain own continued professional development (CPD)
• To be able to work effectively within dynamic MDT forums
• Demonstrate highly developed communication skills
• Able to demonstrate expert clinical reasoning and expert clinical treatment skills in relation to the speciality field

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.

The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust