# First Contact Practitioner (Advanced Physiotherapy Practitioner) > NHS job listing from Job Clerk for Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. ## Canonical URLs - **HTML:** https://www.jobclerk.com/job/first-contact-practitioner-advanced-physiotherapy-practitioner/3e527c0b-8c58-4837-ab07-d308d379f5be - **Markdown:** https://www.jobclerk.com/job/first-contact-practitioner-advanced-physiotherapy-practitioner/3e527c0b-8c58-4837-ab07-d308d379f5be.md ## Summary - **Status:** Live - **Employer:** Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust - **Town:** Wigan - **Region:** North West - **Country:** England - **Profession:** Nurse practitioner - **Grade:** Band 8 - **Salary:** £57,528 - £64,750 Per Annum Pro Rata - **Contract type:** Permanent - **Employment type:** Part time, Flexible working, 22.5 hours per week - **Closing date:** 2026-07-22T23:59:00.000Z - **Posted:** 2026-07-10T10:43:48.177Z - **Source information URL:** https://www.healthjobsuk.com/job/UK/Lancashire/Wigan/Wrightington_Wigan_Leigh_Teaching_Hospitals_NHS_Foundation_Trust/Physiotherapy/Physiotherapy-v8124234 - **Application URL:** https://apps.trac.jobs/job-advert/8124234?ShowJobAdvert=&feedid=9002 - **Employer website:** https://www.wwl.nhs.uk ## Job Content ### Job overview We are excited to invite applications from experienced MSK physiotherapists seeking to deliver the highest level of clinical care from a general practice setting. The First Contact Practitioner (FCP) model has been designed to support musculoskeletal clinicians in primary care as well as provide a resilient framework for the future of FCP delivery. The role is 22.50 hours per week, based on a rota pattern Monday - Friday. As a successful candidate, you will need to have excellent communication skills and be able to negotiate and manage conflicting priorities. You will be able to demonstrate inspirational leadership from your previous leadership roles and be able to drive and deliver improved quality and clinical outcomes for patients. The ability to develop, establish and maintain positive relationships with others both internally and externally to the NHS is essential as is the need to be resilient, confident, and committed. Evidence of qualifications will be requested at interview and during compliance checks. ### Main duties of the job The post holder will take a lead role implementing and managing MSK related changes within the PCN and maintaining an effective FCP service. This will include liaising with PCN managers, clinical directors, PCN board and other primary care staff as required. The roles will be based predominantly in Primary Care as part of the established FCP team. You will be the first point of contact for patients with undiagnosed MSK disorders and will need highly developed differential diagnostic skills to ensure patients are managed safely, efficiently, and effectively. You will direct the care pathway for your patients autonomously, including assessment and diagnostics, appropriate self-care advice or onward referral as indicated. You will be familiar with IRMER, which diagnostics are suitable and will be confident in explaining their use and implications to patients. You should have or be currently undertaking Level 7 learning within MSK. This role is designed to further develop MSK expertise in Primary Care, and as such you will work closely in practices to build excellent working relationships, and develop MSK knowledge, across your PCN.   As part of your role, you will be expected to provide supervision and education to the wider clinical team, including primary care staff and other FCPs.  You will need to have clear evidence of team working and the ability to contribute towards effective and efficient services. ### Detailed job description and main responsibilities - Attend and feed back to the PCN at meetings as directed by the PCN board. - Promote the FCP service both locally and nationally - Be a point of contact for PCN staff for MSK related issues and MSK training. - Continually audit their service to ensure best practice - Provide musculoskeletal assessment, diagnosis, treatment and management of patients presenting to the GP practice as a first point of contact. - To act as a source of expertise on the management of complex and general musculoskeletal patients providing an advisory service to patients, relatives, physiotherapists and other healthcare professionals and medical staff. - To take a major role in the advanced assessment and treatment of patients within the speciality who may have complex and or chronic presentation, and to determine clinical diagnosis and physiotherapy treatment indicated. - To maintain records as an autonomous practitioner. - To undertake a  role in the planning, co-ordinating, delivering and evaluation of the FCP service provided to the patients within the PCN on a day-to-day basis. - To educate and train other health professionals, medical staff and students in the management of musculoskeletal conditions. - To determine clinical diagnosis and treatment indicated for patients who would normally be seen by a GP. ## Person Specification ### Skills **Essential** - Evidence of effective people management and leadership skills - Highly developed effective communication and negotiation skills - Excellent clinical reasoning and clinical decision making skills - Able to work collaboratively with a range of colleagues - Able to deal with highly distressing and emotional circumstances (discuss prognosis with patients and relatives/carers) **Desirable** - Evidence of ability to design, develop and deliver programmes of specialised learning in line with evidence-based practice ### Knowledge **Essential** - Evidence of extensive expert professional/clinical knowledge in area - Evidence of specialist clinical training and CPD relevant to area of practice ### Additional **Essential** - May be exposed to unpleasant working conditions/hazards - Speak English to an appropriate standard relevant to their role, i.e. with confidence and accuracy, using correct sentence structures and vocabulary, and without hesitation - Able to travel across trust independently - May be exposed to distressing and occasional highly distressing and emotional circumstances (discusses prognosis with patients and relatives/carers) ### Experience **Essential** - Have extensive experience working within MSK specialty at a senior level. - Evidence of involvement in the development of programmes of care, protocols and clinical audit - Evidence of involvement and leadership in teaching and mentoring learners **Desirable** - Experience of working within the NHS ### Qualifications **Essential** - Degree/Diploma in Physiotherapy - Evidence of successful completion equivalent to Master’s Degree Level - To have or be working towards a post graduate qualification in independent prescribing and/or injection therapy - HCPC professional Council Registration **Desirable** - Member of a relevant special interest group - Completed Stage 2 FCP Roadmap to Practice ## Documents - [fcp band 8a jd (pdf, 456.4kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?vdoc=10420800) - [what wwl can offer you (pdf, 42.7kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?edoc=2701) - [302-26-8124234s-msk ps (pdf, 184.4kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?vdoc=10420802) - [applying for nhs vacancies guidance (pdf, 241.2kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?edoc=2884) ## Agent Notes - This Markdown page is generated from the same Job Clerk job record as the HTML job detail page. - Use the canonical HTML URL for user-facing references. - Use the application URL when the user wants to apply on the source NHS site.