Principal Physiotherapist – Cardio-Respiratory

St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; City Of London; On-site; GBP 64,000 - 72,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in the City of London is seeking a Principal Physiotherapist to lead the Acute Cardio-Respiratory Service. The role requires extensive experience in respiratory physiotherapy and operational management, with a focus on clinical excellence and training. This full-time, permanent position offers a competitive salary ranging from £64,156 to £71,148 annually, alongside a commitment to ongoing professional development.

Qualifications

• Minimum 6 years post-registration respiratory experience.
• Minimum 3 years at Band 7 level experience.
• Expert knowledge in a wide range of respiratory specialties.

Responsibilities

• Operational management of acute respiratory services.
• Lead clinical oversight and strategic input.
• Oversee respiratory outpatient service and rehabilitation.

Skills

Advanced clinical practitioner

Team building

Workforce planning

Multidisciplinary teaching

Time management

Education

Degree/Diploma in Physiotherapy

HPC Registration

Post-registration training in respiratory physiotherapy

Job description

Principal Physiotherapist – Cardio‑Respiratory for the Acute Cardio‑Respiratory Service at St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The closing date is 08 December 2025.

Main duties of the job

The post holder is responsible for the operational management and clinical leadership of the acute respiratory medicine, cardiac surgery, cardiology, CTITU, heart failure, thoracics, general surgery, GITU, head and neck, post‑critical illness rehabilitation, renal, urology and vascular inpatient rehabilitation services. The role includes providing expert clinical oversight, strategic input to managers, and supporting the direction of cardio‑respiratory physiotherapy services across the organisation using principles of clinical governance. The post holder will also oversee the respiratory outpatient service and pulmonary rehabilitation as required, identify clinical research, audit and data‑collection priorities, and lead excellence in training and education across the organisation.

About us

St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, together with St George’s, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Health Group, form a leading regional partnership serving populations across South‑West London, Surrey, and beyond. The trust delivers a comprehensive range of services across tertiary, trauma, specialist and community health offering to nearly 5 million people backed by a 17,000‑strong workforce.

Job responsibilities

Please refer to the supporting document attached, ensuring that any application refers to supporting documents and person specification.

Person Specification

Qualifications and Training

• Degree/Diploma in Physiotherapy
• HPC Registration
• Working at master’s level as demonstrated by ongoing CPD including master’s level accreditation, lecturing on master’s level courses and research/publications.
• Post‑registration training in respiratory physiotherapy and management
• Commitment to advanced clinical professional development
• Membership of a special interest group
• Member of a relevant multi‑professional interest group (e.g. BTS)
• Willingness to train for the ACP pathway in the future

Experience

• Minimum 6 years post‑registration respiratory experience
• Minimum 3 years at Band 7 level experience of working in respiratory physiotherapy, including management of critically ill patients.
• Expert knowledge & experience of a wide range of approaches across several respiratory specialities including critical care settings, demonstrated by advanced clinical reasoning.
• Expert knowledge in the application of all respiratory modalities including invasive and non‑invasive respiratory support.
• Expert knowledge of tracheostomy management including development of weaning strategies.
• Previous experience of student supervision and clinical education.
• Previous experience of formal presentations to multi‑professional groups.
• Evidence of continued professional development, reviewing current practice and research developments within respiratory care and trauma, with application to clinical practice.
• Robust understanding of research methodology.
• Demonstrated understanding of the role of physiotherapy within the evolving health environment.
• Clear understanding of other disciplines' roles and expectations.
• Robust understanding of all aspects of Clinical Governance including previous experience of quality issues, audit and risk management.
• Experience in operational service management.
• Understanding of NHS commissioning, ICB structures, and integrated care models.
• Previous experience as a clinical specialist physiotherapist (or equivalent) in a teaching hospital environment.
• Actively involved in developing research links with other academic institutions.
• Previous experience in operational service management across multiple services.
• Actively involved in teaching specialisms/extended scope to the multi‑disciplinary team.
• Actively involved in audit and service evaluation.
• Evidence of publications in recognised respiratory journals.

Skills

• Expert advanced clinical practitioner.
• Exceptional team building and team working skills.
• Experience in workforce planning, rota management, and service redesign.
• Ability to present information, written or orally, in a clear and logical fashion.
• Ability to keep legible and accurate records in English using the POMR format.
• Ability to comprehend and work within the Trust's policies, including Data Protection, Equal Opportunities and Health and Safety, to meet the differing needs of the patient.
• Proven clinical leadership ability.
• Ability to recognise in yourself and individuals work‑related stress and pressures.
• Confidence in teaching multidisciplinary staff groups.
• Conduct professional affairs in a confident and assertive manner.
• Ability to work independently.
• Excellent presentation skills.
• Ability to carry out concurrent activities (multi‑tasking) and work in an unpredictable working pattern (will be required to carry a bleep).
• Ability to frequently cope with working in a stressful environment and with intense concentration for periods of up to 40 minutes at a time throughout the day.
• Excellent time management and organisational skills.
• Evidence of extended scope (e.g. tracheostomy changes and de‑canulation, ABG sampling, LUS).
• Evidence of service development / scaling up new services.

Other

• Physically fit and able to comply with Trust Manual Handling Guidelines.
• Able to perform emergency duties.
• Able to alter working patterns to include extended hours (8 am‑8 pm Monday to Friday), unsociable hours (8 pm‑8 am Monday to Friday) and weekend working (8 pm Friday‑8 am Monday). This may be via additional on‑call hours, a shift pattern or another system.

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.

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full‑time

Reference number

200‑7579221‑DE‑PT

Job locations

St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London

Salary

£64,156 to £71,148 a year pro‑pro‑rata inclusive of HCAS (inner)