Job summary
- Main area
- Physiotherapy
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 7
- Contract
- 9 months (Fixed term to cover maternity leave. Post involves travel across UHD sites, community settings and cover of weekend and on call rota.)
- Hours
- Full time
- Part time
- Job ref
- 153-SP05267
- Employer
- University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Poole
- Town
- Poole
- Salary
- £47,810 - £54,710 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 07/12/2025 23:59
- Interview date
- 16/12/2025
Employer heading
Clinical Specialist Paediatric Physiotherapist
NHS AfC: Band 7
As University Hospitals Dorset we are a three site acute trust with ‘university hospital’ status through our partnership with Bournemouth University, working with an annual budget of £730m.
We offer highly regarded health services, employing some 10,000 staff. Our ambitious £500m transformation programme is well on the way to delivering state-of-the-art facilities over the next two years to meet the current and future healthcare needs of the populations we serve.
In an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with over seven miles of sandy beaches you’ll find inspirational opportunities to achieve your perfect work/life balance. With the New Forest and the Purbecks on our doorstep, we’re also less than three hours from London by road or train. The thriving towns of Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch give way to idyllic villages and unspoilt landscapes just minutes from our hospitals.
We believe that having a diverse workforce, and allowing people to be themselves, is essential in ensuring we offer an inclusive, welcoming and productive place to work.
We especially welcome applications from minority groups in the community who may be underrepresented in our workforce.
At UHD our active staff network groups are the Women's Network, Black Asian Minority Ethnic Group (BAME), Pride Network, European (EU), Pro Ability Staff Network, and the Armed Forces Support Group.
As a Trust we are proudly signed up to the Disability Confident and Armed Forces Covenant guaranteed interview schemes.
We are aware that some candidates may choose to use AI tools to support the preparation of their application. While this is not discouraged, we kindly remind applicants that submissions should remain an honest and accurate representation of your own experience and suitability. Personal integrity is an important part of the recruitment process.
Job overview
We are looking for initiative-taking and experienced physiotherapist with a minimum of 4 years senior post holding postgraduate experience to join our team. This is an excellent opportunity to gain experience in working as part of a specialised integrated therapy team.
This is a fixed term post to cover maternity leave.
Main duties of the job
The post includes clinical leadership and service development for the established Children’s Therapy Service, delivering assessment and intervention to children and young people aged 0-19 years living in the Poole, Bournemouth and East Dorset areas that have motor skills difficulties.
Services are delivered predominantly on an outpatient basis with some ward cover and school/nursery/home visits as required. Services are delivered across all University Hospitals Dorset Trust sites, with opportunities to assess and treat children with a range of neurodevelopmental conditions.
We collaborate closely with the multi-disciplinary paediatric team and colleagues working in social care, health, and education services. We are committed to delivering high quality services for the children and families we work with in a child friendly manner.
The post involves travel across UHD sites and community settings and cover of a weekend and on call rota.
Working for our organisation
UHD are investing, developing and transforming Trust services in line with the New Hospital Programme. As part of this, some services may move site this year or next, either temporarily or permanently. Recruiting Managers will be happy to answer any service-specific questions at interview.
If a role or service relocates as part of a planned move, excess mileage will not be reimbursed. Travel from home to the new work base will be classed as a normal commute. Any other changes will be managed under Trust or national terms and conditions.
UHD has active networks including Women’s, BAME, Pride, EU, Pro Ability, and Armed Forces. We support Disability Confident and Armed Forces Covenant interview schemes.
AI tools may be used, but applications must honestly reflect your own skills and experience. Integrity is key to our recruitment process
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
· To be part of a team of therapists providing a highly specialised Physiotherapy (PT) assessment, treatment and advice service to children, 0-19 years and their parents/carers referred to the service, covering Bournemouth, Poole, and East Dorset.
· To support the Team & Service Lead in the daily management and strategic planning of the team’s service delivery within paediatric therapy services and the multidisciplinary team.
· To be responsible for the clinical supervision and development of other members of the Paediatric Therapy Team and to be a clinical educator for undergraduate students.
· To demonstrate an appropriate level of evidence-based expertise in the assessment and treatment of a paediatric caseload, for children of all ages with neuro-developmental, neuro-muscular, musculoskeletal, and respiratory conditions, including Autistic Spectrum Disorders.
· To provide advice and liaise with other professionals (e.g. consultants, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, orthotists) and disciplines (e.g. the community nursing team, Learning Disability Team, Occupational Therapists working in Social Care and Health, Education Staff etc.), as well as networking with therapists in other departments and NHS Trusts.
· To participate in continued professional development to support the operational management and development of the Paediatric Therapy service.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Diploma or Degree in physiotherapy
- HCPC Registered
Desirable criteria
- Post graduate training in paediatrics
Experience
Essential criteria
- 4 years post graduate experience at a senior level in physiotherapy
- NHS experience
- Assessment and treatment of infants and children 0-19 years with complex neurodevelopmental disabilities
- Acting as a clinical service lead for an area of work, project, or audit
Desirable criteria
- Experience of working in other areas of physiotherapy with transferable skills to paediatrics e.g. MSK, respiratory, neurology
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Elsa Smith
- Job title
- Children's Therapy Team Lead
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0300 019 2936
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