SHSCT Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist Acute Inpatient Team Band 6

Job details

• Branch: Craigavon Area Hospital (SHSCT)
• Location: Craigavon Area Hosp-Main Building
• Directorate: Adult Community and Acute Services
• Salary: Band 6 (£38,682 - £46,580)
• Contract Type: Permanent
• Opening Date: 20/10/26
• Closes: Tue, 03 November 2026 @ 4:00 PM
• Interview Dates: To be confirmed.

Notes

Online and Manual applications accepted. If you are submitting a manual application, please post it to: Recruitment Shared Services, Rosewood Villa, Longstone Hospital Site, 73 Loughgall Road, Armagh, BT61 7PR. Applications received after the advertised closing date/time cannot be considered, so please allow enough time for postage. A waiting list may be created for similar posts that may arise while the waiting list is live, this may include temporary or part-time posts. This will be managed in line with the updated HSC waiting list principles effective from 1 April 2026. Where a part-time waiting list is required, one part-time waiting list will be created- regardless of any specific hours advertised, this waiting list will cover all future vacancies where part-time posts arise. A part-time post is defined as any post that has less than 37.5 hours per week. Please remember to save or print a copy of the job description before submitting your application, as it will not be accessible afterwards. Flexible Working We welcome flexible working requests from day one. All HSC organisations offer a range of flexible working options. The options available for this post will depend on the requirements of the role. Find out more about flexible working options on our website

JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB TITLE

Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist Acute

Inpatient Team (Static)

BAND

Band 6

DIRECTORATE

Surgery and Clinical Services (Formerly Acute)

INITIAL LOCATION

Craigavon Area Hospital

REPORTS TO

Acute Physiotherapy Team Lead CAH

ACCOUNTABLE TO

FLEXIBLE WORKING PROVISIONS AVAILABLE

Head of Physiotherapy Services SHSCT & Head

AHPs Acute Services.

Full-time working

JOB SUMMARY

To provide a high standard of physiotherapy, with treatment programmes designed to meet each individual patient's specific needs.

To perform advanced physiotherapeutic assessments and treatments of patients with diverse presentations and complex physical and psychological conditions and determine accurate clinical diagnosis of patients.

To undertake skilled assessment, with advanced clinical reasoning and diagnosis to assist in the formulation of the physiotherapy aspect of treatment/care plans.

To hold responsibility for own caseload and be responsible for a defined area of the service or a particular patient type, working without direct supervision.

To undertake all aspects of clinical duties as an autonomous practitioner.

To co-operate in the supervision and education of self, other physiotherapists, members of multi-disciplinary teams, students, as well as more junior physiotherapy staff.

Undertake evidence-based audit, service improvement and research projects, to further own and team's clinical practice within each specialist area of work.

Make recommendations to clinical lead/manager of service for changes to practice by the team. May lead the implementation of specific changes to practice or contribute to service protocols.

KEY DUTIES / RESPONSIBILITIES

Clinical

To ensure that own practice and that of staff under your supervision is in keeping with the Physiotherapy Rules of Professional Conduct and meets the required professional, national and local standards of physiotherapy practice.

To be responsible for own practice and accountable for all aspects of physiotherapy treatment and care delivered to the patient.

Assess patient understanding of treatment proposals, gain valid informed consent and work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment.

To be responsible for maintaining accurate, timely and comprehensive patient treatment records in line with the Trust and Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) standards of practice. Supervise junior and student physiotherapists' record keeping system according to professional physiotherapy service standards.

Demonstrate the ability to discuss sensitive information i.e. deal sensitively with families who have a high level of anxiety e.g. accepting rehabilitation versus care needs.

Represent physiotherapy service and/or individual patients at multidisciplinary team meetings, to ensure the delivery of a co-ordinated multidisciplinary service, and integrate physiotherapy treatment into the treatment programme. This will include discussion of patient care, patient progress and involvement in discharge planning.

To assess, diagnose and develop individual care/treatment plans for a range of conditions, some of which will be highly complex or will be for patients with complex clinical, social and mental health needs.

To be able to critically reason, analyse clinical and social information from a range of sources and integrate into physiotherapy assessment and development of treatment plan.

To assist in the delivery and evaluation of classes/group sessions eg education/rehabilitation and in the planning & development of the service to meet the needs of the users.

To carry out risk assessment with patient and carers and to advise / instruct carers appropriately.

To provide other professionals involved in the care of your patients with advice in relation to appropriate handling techniques and rehabilitation procedures. This includes providing advice to medical and nursing staff and other members of the multidisciplinary team regarding patients' mobilisation, manual handling, respiratory function and physiotherapeutic management of the same.

Accept responsibility for ensuring a suitable clean, uncluttered and safe environment for members of the public, staff, patients/clients and their relatives.

To be directly responsible and accountable to the clinical lead/senior physiotherapist in each service area within the acute inpatient team for the provision of an effective, efficient physiotherapy service.

To undertake specialist and comprehensive assessment and treatment as an autonomous practitioner for patients presenting in the acute setting and to manage on a day-to-day basis that service as part of a multidisciplinary team.

To take delegated responsibility from the Band 7 & Band 8a physiotherapist for managing patients with particular conditions.

Use a range of communication tools to communicate complex information effectively with patients re diagnosis and prognosis alongside providing encouragement and motivation. This includes patients who have difficulties in communication and understanding e.g. dysphasia, deafness, cognitive impairment, and where English is not the first language.

To actively participate in the On-Call emergency respiratory rota and 7 day working rota on a regular basis.

Organisational

To deputise for more senior staff in their absence, taking responsibility for allocating and organising the work of junior and assistant staff to meet service and patient priorities, readjusting plans as the situations change/arise.

To ensure there are appropriate arrangements in place for onward referral and/or follow up on discharge from the physiotherapy service.

Ensure safe practice under the Health & Safety at Work order. Ensure that equipment used by the physiotherapy service is safe and maintained at all times.

Take responsibility for assessment and ordering of specialised equipment and updating knowledge of availability of new equipment. Training of patients and carers re safe use of this equipment.

To attend meetings as required by line manager.

To ensure effective communication with all members of the uni-professional and multi-disciplinary teams.

To closely liaise with all Senior Managers in order to effectively discharge the stated duties of the post.

Professional Development

Facilitate CPD, for self and more junior staff and ensure accurate records and reflective learning recorded.

To be responsible for maintaining own competency to practice through CPD and maintain a portfolio which reflects personal development.

Provide clinical supervision, training, mentoring and advice to qualified and non-qualified staff.

Carry out induction of new and rotational staff in the acute ward team and assist in the delivery of the On-Call Competency programme.

Ensure own competence and competence of rotational staff when using specialist equipment, liaising with senior staff if any training needs are identified. Assist in training staff in use of equipment.

To be responsible for maintaining own competency to practice in line with HCPC regulations, KSF profile and Personal Development Plan.

Be an active member of the in-service training programme by attendance at and participation in, in-service training programmes, tutorials, individual training sessions, external courses and peer review.

Supervise, educate and assess the performance of physiotherapy students; this would be to a graduate standard and involve working with universities to ensure the standard of practice and teaching meets the standards set by the degree level qualification.

Maintain and develop current knowledge and implementation of evidence-based practice in each clinical area, developing specialist knowledge of particular conditions and patient types.

To complete mandatory training, designated post-graduate and clinical training to ensure further development of skills.

Be actively involved in professional clinical groups, such as CSP clinical Interest Groups and other professional development activities.

Service Improvement

To participate in or lead on clinical audit and research.

Develop improvements to service delivery and clinical practice. Make recommendations for change to the physiotherapy team manager/lead.

To continually review the therapy techniques/treatments used in light of evidence-based practice and research findings and evaluate their effectiveness.

To be involved in the development of policies for the physiotherapy services. To provide statistical information, as required, helping monitor and develop the service.

To, if required, oversee the upkeep of accurate information in relation to the Trust's Information Systems.

To assist in developing a more flexible workforce better able to respond to the changing needs of the Service.

Ensure the consideration of Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) when evaluating and seeking to improve service delivery.

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES

The Trust supports and promotes a culture of collective leadership where those who have responsibility for managing other staff:

Establish and promote a supportive, fair and open culture that encourages and enables all parts of the team to have clearly aligned goals and objectives, to meet the required performance standards and to achieve continuous improvement in the services they deliver.

Ensure access to skills and personal development through appropriate training and support.

Promote a culture of openness and honesty to enable shared learning.

Encourage and empower others in their team to achieve their goals and reach their full potential through regular supportive conversation and shared decision making.

Adhere to and promote Trust policy and procedure in all staffing matters, participating as appropriate in a way which underpins Trust values.

RAISING CONCERNS - RESPONSIBILITIES

The post holder will promote and support effective team working, fostering a culture of openness and transparency.

The post holder will ensure that they take all concerns raised with them seriously and act in accordance with the Trust's 'Your Right to Raise a Concern (Whistleblowing)' policy and their professional code of conduct, where applicable.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

The post holder will be required to

Assist the organisation in fulfilling its statutory duties under Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 to promote equality of opportunity and good relations and under the Disability Discrimination (Northern Ireland) Order 2006. Staff are also required to support the organisation in complying with its obligations under Human Rights Legislation.

Ensure the Organisation's policy on equality of opportunity is promoted through his/her own actions and those of any staff for whom he/she has responsibility.

Co-operate fully with the implementation of The Organisation's Health and Safety arrangements, reporting any accidents/incidents/equipment defects to his/her manager, and maintaining a clean, uncluttered and safe environment for patients/clients, members of the public and staff.

Adhere at all times to all Trust policies/codes of conduct, including for example

Smoke Free policy

IT Security Policy and Code of Conduct

standards of attendance, appearance and behaviour

Contribute to ensuring the highest standards of environmental cleanliness within your designated area of work.

Co-operate fully with regard to Trust policies and procedures relating to infection prevention and control.

Take responsibility to minimise the Trust's environmental impact wherever possible. This will include recycling, switching off lights, computers, monitors and equipment when not in use. Helping to reduce paper waste by minimising printing/copying and reducing water usage, reporting faults and heating/cooling concerns promptly and minimising travel.

All employees of the Organisation are legally responsible for all records held, created or used as part of their business within the [org name] including patients/clients, corporate and administrative records whether paper-based or electronic and also including emails. All such records are public records and are accessible to the general public, with limited exceptions, under the Freedom of Information act 2000 the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Employees are required to be conversant with the [org name] policy and procedures on records management and to seek advice if in doubt.

Take responsibility for his/her own ongoing learning and development, in order to maximise his/her potential and continue to meet the demands of the post.

Represent The Organisation's commitment to providing the highest possible standard of service to patients/clients and members of the public, by treating all those with whom he/she comes into contact in the course of work, in a pleasant, courteous and respectful manner.

This Job Description will be subject to review in the light of changing circumstances and is not intended to be rigid and inflexible but should be regarded as providing guidelines within which the individual works. Other duties of a similar nature and appropriate to the grade may be assigned from time to time.

It is a standard condition that all Trust staff may be required to serve at any location within The Organisation's area, as needs of the service demand.

March, 2024

PERSONNEL SPECIFICATION

Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist Acute Inpatient Team (Static)

Full Time (37.5 hours per week)Ref No: <to be inserted by HR> October 2024

A minimum of two years post qualification clinical experience. This must include evidence of a minimum of 9 months experience in the clinical area of acute medical/surgical wards within NHS or equivalent.

Hold BSc/BSc Hons or Dip in Physiotherapy

Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) Registration

Willing to participate in 7 day working rota and the emergency out of hours respiratory on-call rota as required.

As part of the Recruitment & Selection process it may be necessary for the Trust to carry out an Enhanced Disclosure Check through Access NI before any appointment to this post can be confirmed.

Successful applicants may be required to attend for a Health Assessment

THE TRUST IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES EMPLOYER

Successful applicants

may be required to attend for a Health Assessment

can expect to be placed at the minimum point of the pay scale, although a higher starting salary, within the range of the pay band may be available if the person appointed has experience relevant & equivalent to the post. If the successful candidate is an existing HSC employee moving to a higher band, AfC Pay on Promotion will apply.

are able to request Flexible Working from the 1st day of their employment. A number of flexible working provisions are offered by all HSC Organisations including Fixed working patterns, Part-time working, Flexi-time, Compressed/elongated hours, Average hours working patterns, Term-time working, Job-share or Homeworking for some or all of the working pattern, depending on the role being undertaken. Successful applicants are encouraged to discuss with their manager what Flexible Working provisions may be available in the role they are taking up, prior to commencing employment, to help them achieve a positive Work/Life Balance.