Paediatric Physiotherapist - Acute Inpatients

Integrated Care System; Oxford; On-site; GBP 46,000 - 53,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare organization is seeking a Paediatric Physiotherapist to join the Children's Hospital team. This full-time position involves providing clinical leadership, delivering specialized treatment, and mentoring junior staff. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in acute paediatrics and demonstrate strong leadership skills.

Qualifications

• Significant postgraduate experience in acute paediatrics.
• Evidence of leadership development and supervision.
• Experience with on-call physiotherapy.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist assessment and treatment for complex paediatric cases.
• Manage clinical risk and patient care plans.
• Teach and supervise junior staff and students.

Skills

Clinical reasoning

Teaching

Leadership

Education

HCPC Registered

Postgraduate experience in acute paediatrics

Job description

Go back Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Paediatric Physiotherapist - Acute Inpatients

The closing date is 21 July 2025

This post holder will support the delivery of care to inpatients across Oxford Children's Hospital, acting as a senior clinician and part of the clinical leadership team with acute paediatric therapies to support the delivery of high-quality patient care.

Main duties of the job

To provide a supportive clinical role within the acute in-patient services within the Children's Hospital Directorate.

To be an expert practitioner in paediatric care, developing an advanced level of professional autonomy and accountability in the provision of such care.

To ensure effective patient flow through delivering targeted care to support bed capacity management on the Children's wards.

Contributes to physiotherapy services including support for the leads in specialist areas.

Contributes to appropriate teaching components of services as agreed with the leads for the specialist areas.

Is an active member of the respiratory out-of-hours (on-call) service.

About us

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest NHS teaching trusts in the country. It provides a wide range of general and specialist clinical services and is a base for medical education, training, and research. The Trust comprises four hospitals - the John Radcliffe Hospital, Churchill Hospital, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Headington, and the Horton General Hospital in Banbury.

Our values, standards, and behaviours define the quality of clinical care we offer and the professional relationships we make with our patients, colleagues, and the wider community.

We call this Delivering Compassionate Excellence and its focus is on our values of compassion, respect, learning, delivery, improvement, and excellence.

These values put patients at the heart of what we do and underpin the quality healthcare we would like for ourselves or a member of our family. Watch how we set out to deliver compassionate excellence via the OUH YouTube channel.

Job responsibilities

Main Tasks and Responsibilities

Clinical

• To be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of own professional activities.
• To undertake the specialist assessment of patients as an autonomous practitioner, including those with highly complex presentations, using clinical reasoning skills, knowledge of evidence-based practice, and advanced expertise. Determines appropriate care plans utilizing specialist treatment skills and options.
• To interpret and analyze clinical and non-clinical facts to form accurate diagnoses in a wide range of highly complex conditions and to formulate accurate prognoses and recommend the best course of intervention, developing and implementing comprehensive treatment and discharge plans.
• To be highly competent in assessing a wide range of conditions based on specialist theoretical knowledge of anatomy, physiology, and pathology, often in situations where conflicting evidence is present.
• To develop and support the leadership skills and knowledge of the paediatric therapy team through teaching and supervision.
• To be responsible for own patient care plans and be frequently consulted for specialist advice and guidance by junior team members and other health care professionals.
• To continually reassess patients to progress treatments effectively and advise patients, carers, and colleagues as required.
• To assess a patient's capacity to understand and to gain valid, informed consent for treatment, working within a legal framework for patients lacking capacity.
• To coordinate interventions, including other disciplines; advise and educate patients, carers, relatives, and other health professionals.
• To communicate complex and sensitive information effectively to patients, carers, and staff, overcoming barriers such as language or communication disorders.
• To provide expert advice on cardiorespiratory care to other clinical areas on the JR site, ensuring specialist physiotherapy is incorporated into patient care.
• To communicate effectively with all disciplines involved in patient care both within the hospital and in the community, ensuring a multidisciplinary approach.
• To manage clinical risk within own caseload and team members at all times.
• To participate in an out-of-hours service as a lone practitioner within the hospital site.
• When working on the out-of-hours rota, to advise medical and nursing staff regarding patients' cardiorespiratory functions.
• To maintain accurate records using the POMR system, including progress and discharge reports.
• To attend relevant meetings and seminars, liaising with other disciplines to ensure effective patient management.
• To use specialist knowledge to refer to other health disciplines as appropriate.
• To demonstrate the physical ability to carry out physiotherapy assessments and interventions, including manual therapy and therapeutic handling.
• To adhere to professional standards, guidelines, and standards for treatment, managing clinical risk appropriately.

Management

• To be responsible for the daily management of own caseload, supporting the physiotherapy leads in providing clinical care as per the job plan.
• To ensure continuous improvement in quality standards and patient care effectiveness, including adherence to national guidance and initiatives.
• To deputise for the Head of Therapies in managing the Children's Therapy Service if required.
• To support the organisation of a cost-effective out-of-hours service in collaboration with the Team Leader in Paediatric Critical Care.
• To ensure proper use, repair, and maintenance reporting of all equipment, ensuring staff attain competency prior to use.
• To comply with all Trust policies, procedures, and health and safety regulations, including infection control and universal precautions.
• To participate in mandatory training and ensure team awareness of responsibilities.
• To participate in the Trust Appraisal Scheme and departmental meetings.
• To maintain accurate records and provide statistical reports as required.
• To plan and organise own time and assist with team rota management.
• To prioritize clinical work responding to urgent referrals and balancing other activities in line with departmental standards.
• To ensure standards based on professional guidelines and work with the Principal Physiotherapist to implement improvements.
• To motivate and communicate effectively with staff and stakeholders, fostering good working relationships.
• To resolve informal complaints and be familiar with the Trust's formal complaints procedure.
• To communicate complex information to training groups and manage emotional or stressful situations empathetically.
• To contribute to staff recruitment and support the Childrens Therapy Lead in maintaining the e-Roster.

Education

• To provide specialized teaching to peers and junior staff, including large groups.
• To deliver expert teaching to undergraduate and postgraduate students external to the Trust, as agreed.
• To keep up-to-date with clinical practices through CPD, external courses, and training, maintaining a professional portfolio.
• To supervise and mentor physiotherapy students and less experienced educators as needed.

Research and audit

• To participate in departmental audits and research projects relevant to clinical practice.
• To supervise evidence-based projects for staff and present findings within the department.
• To stay informed on evidence-based practices through reading, training, and research activities.
• To ensure adherence to standards and participate in clinical trials when required.

Person Specification

Essential and Desirable

• HCPC Registered with significant postgraduate experience in acute paediatrics.
• Evidence of leadership development.
• Experience with supervision and appraisal of students and junior staff.
• Evidence of relevant CPD activities.
• Previous experience with on-call physiotherapy.
• Experience in leading teams and participation in special interest groups.
• Experience in formal presentations.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975, requiring a DBS check for any previous convictions.

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Oxford Children's Hospital - Children's Therapies, LG1

Salary

£46,148 to £52,809 per annum, pro-rata for part-time.

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

321-NOTSS-7053127-B7-B

Job locations

Oxford Children's Hospital - Children's Therapies, LG1