Specialist Paediatric Physiotherapist

Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust; Whitstable; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an experienced physiotherapist to work with children and young people with developmental and neurological needs. The role offers a hybrid model (clinic/home/school/early years/virtual) and close collaboration with OTs, SLTs and a Care Co-ordination team.

The successful candidate will have HCPC registration, paediatric experience and a post-graduate development plan, with opportunities for supervision and in-house/external training.

Qualifications

• Registered health care professional with HCPC registration.
• Health related degree with evidence of post-graduate development at Level 6.
• Specialist paediatric qualifications or demonstrated experience in paediatrics.

Responsibilities

• Assess, plan, deliver and evaluate intervention for neurodevelopmental and neurological conditions.
• Support parent/carers and other professionals to maximise potential.
• Work as part of a Multi Disciplinary Team (MDT) and in partnership with health, education and social services colleagues.
• Establish and maintain effective communication with wider MDT, e.g. wheelchair and equipment services.
• Support mainstream schools, early years settings and local special schools.
• Support professional development for students and junior staff.

Skills

Effective communication

Team collaboration

Mentoring/educating

Motivation to work with children

Education

Health related degree

Postgraduate development Level 6

Specialist paediatrics qualifications

HCPC registration

Job description

Please note: at this stage, the role is open only to colleagues currently employed within Kent and Medway NHS Trusts, the Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board (ICB) and Medway Community Healthcare or working on the Staff Bank within these organisations. Nursing and AHP vacancies are also open to Student Nurses and Newly Qualified Nurses/AHPs. We are looking for an experienced Physiotherapist, enthusiastic to work with children and young people with a wide range of developmental and neurological needs. We are a dynamic therapies team based in East Kent, who recognise the importance of integrated working with Occupational Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists and a Care Co-ordination team, to meet the needs of the child/young person. We offer a hybrid approach to work offering different evidence-based approaches e.g. clinic/home/school/ early years settings/ virtual; community participation. We are part of Kent's Children's Therapies and pride ourselves on the support and induction for staff, including regular meetings with line manager, clinical supervision, clinical leadership from our ClinicalSpecialists and Children's Leads and regular opportunities for inhouse and accredited external training which cover a wide range of topics.

Main duties of the job

• Assess, plan, deliver and evaluate intervention for neurodevelopmental and neurological conditions.
• Support parent/carers/other professionals to maximise potential.
• Work as part of a Multi Disciplinary Team (MDT) and in partnership with health, education and social services colleagues.
• Establish and maintain effective communication and working relationships with wider MDT, for example, wheelchair and equipment services.
• Support mainstream schools, early years settings and local special schools.
• Support professional development for students and junior staff.

About us

Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust is due to integrate with Medway Community Healthcare on 1 October 2026. Following integration and to align our community services to the new Neighbourhood Model of care delivery, there will be a period of consultation which may result in changes affecting some services, teams or roles. Depending on the area you are applying to work in, this could include potential changes to your role, work base, reporting arrangements, or terms and conditions of employment. Any changes would be subject to consultation and managed sensitively and in line with relevant employment processes. Please do contact the recruiting manager if you have any concerns about this so they can answer any questions you might have.

Rated 'Outstanding' by CQC, we deliver high-quality care that improves the health of our communities. We are looking for people who share our values: Compassionate, Aspirational, Responsive and Excellent. We are proud to be an inclusive, welcoming organisation and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We use protected characteristic information for monitoring only and it is not seen by recruiting managers, except where applicants choose to be considered under our disability guaranteed interview scheme.

We know life outside work matters. As a flexible working-friendly organisation, we welcome conversations about arrangements that help you thrive while supporting excellent care for our patients.

As a community Trust, many of our roles require individuals to be able to drive to perform their duties. Where driving is a requirement of the role, you will be asked to confirm that you hold a full UK driving licence or a full driving licence issued by an EU country (not exchanged from a non-EU country) to proceed with your application. We are committed to supporting candidates with disabilities into employment. If you are unable to drive due to a disability, please contact the Recruitment Team via [e-mail], quoting the vacancy reference number, so we can support you further.

We strongly encourage colleagues in clinical and non-clinical roles who have direct or social contact with patients to be fully vaccinated.

Find out more about the community difference here.

Good luck! We cant wait to meet you and welcome you to #teamKCHFT, #cometocommunity.

Qualifications and experience

• Registered health care professional (HCPC registration)
• Health related degree and evidence of relevant post graduate development at Level 6
• Evidence of Specialist qualifications relevant to area of practice, paediatrics
• Experience in area of practice
• Practical experience in managing health related projects/complex caseloads
• Supporting others (mentor / educator / supervisor) experience
• Understanding of National Service Frameworks and NICE guidance relevant to care setting and its application across health care services
• Evidence of continued relevant professional development and implementation in practice within the last 12 months, understanding of training needs in relation to post
• Ability to manage time effectively, priorities and work under pressure to meet deadlines
• Strong influencing and negotiating skills
• Ability to communicate complex, sensitive information to individuals and groups
• Ability to work effectively with a variety of people at all organisational levels across different sectors including areas of social deprivation, ability to motivate and organise others to ensure best practice.
• Able to support the implementation of local and national agendas for health under the guidance of the senior Practitioner
• Ability to prioritise care delivery in a professional manner, taking into account Trust policies and procedures.