Senior Physiotherapist In Stroke

Bristol Nhs Foundation Trust; West of England; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

Bristol NHS Foundation Trust is seeking two senior physiotherapists to join the Stroke Unit at Southmead Hospital. You will work within a hyper-acute and acute stroke rehabilitation pathway, delivering evidence-based care and advancing leadership and clinical skills within a dynamic multidisciplinary team.

The role involves autonomous practice, complex caseloads, on-call components, and opportunities to contribute to quality improvement and service development.

Qualifications

• HCPC registration as a physiotherapist.
• Postgraduate studies or evidence in neurosciences and stroke physiotherapy.
• Clinical Educator Training or equivalent.

Responsibilities

• Provide autonomous assessment, diagnosis, and rehabilitation for stroke patients across services.
• Manage a complex caseload including neurological and neurosurgical patients in inpatient settings.
• Lead and supervise junior staff and students; participate in audit, service development and quality improvement.

Skills

Autonomous clinical reasoning

Assessment & diagnosis

Rehabilitation planning

Supervision of staff

Audit & quality improvement

IT & digital records

Time management

Education

HCPC registered physiotherapist

Postgraduate learning in neurosciences & stroke physiotherapy

Clinical Educator Training

Job description

Job summary

Following recent investment in our Stroke Services, at Southmead Hospital, we are delighted to be able to advertise for two static full time senior physiotherapists on our Stroke Unit.

Are you an experienced physiotherapist looking for your next challenge in one of the UK's leading stroke services?

We are seeking an ambitious and enthusiastic Senior Physiotherapist to join our dynamic Acute Stroke team. This is an exciting opportunity to work at the forefront of hyper-acute and acute stroke rehabilitation, delivering evidence-based care to patients during a most critical phase of their recovery.

As a static member of the team you will be supported to advance your clinical and leadership skills and take on quality improvement projects.

Main duties of the job

• To work as an autonomous Band 6 Physiotherapist providing comprehensive assessment, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation for patients across Stroke services.
• The postholder will manage a complex caseload including patients with stroke, neurological and neurosurgical conditions across inpatient settings.
• The role requires advanced clinical reasoning, collaborative multidisciplinary working, supervision of junior staff and students, participation in the respiratory on-call service and active involvement in audit, service development and quality improvement activities.

About us

Bristol NHS Foundation Trust brings together more than 28,000 staff to deliver over 160 clinical services across thirteen hospital locations, operating from three main sites at Southmead, Bristol city centre and Weston.

With an annual turnover of £2.3 billion, we are now one of the largest NHS trusts in the United Kingdom. Our hospitals are spread across Bristol and Weston, join us and you can enjoy the very best of both worlds; city living within a stone's throw of the countryside or beside the seaside, both with easy access to all that the South West has to offer.

Bristol NHS Foundation Trust values all people as individuals. As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application in order to ensure we're meeting our pledge.

Person Specification

Essential Education & Qualifications

• HCPC registered physiotherapist
• Portfolio evidence of postgraduate learning in neurosciences and stroke physiotherapy
• Clinical Educator Training

Essential Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Comprehensive clinical reasoning skills for complex neurological cases
• Comprehensive assessment and analytical skills
• Ability to identify and act upon adverse clinical signs
• Ability to deliver rehabilitation programmes across neurosciences and stroke
• Ability to supervise and support staff and students
• Evidence of CPD activities
• Excellent IT skills and use of digital records
• Excellent time management skills
• Knowledge of physiotherapy standards and guidance within this specialty area
• Understanding of clinical governance principles

Essential Experience

• Broad physiotherapy experience including musculoskeletal, respiratory and neurological areas
• Experience of managing complex patients
• Experience using complex communication skills
• Experience of physiotherapy on-call services
• Experience as a key MDT member

Desirable Experience

• Audit, service development and research experience
• Previous Band 6 experience
• NHS experience

Essential Personal Qualities

• Self-motivated
• Demonstrates professional independence
• Available for on‑call, weekend and bank holiday duties, and altered working patterns where clinically appropriate

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name: Bristol NHS Foundation Trust

Address: Southmead Hospital, Southmead Road, Bristol, BS10 5NB, United Kingdom

For questions about the job, contact: Chris Easton, Physiotherapy Pathway Lead for Stroke, [e-mail]

Closing date: 29 October 2026