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Job summary

Main area
Physiotherapy
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 6
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Part time - 15 hours per week (Weekend service)
Job ref
220-WHT-8357259
Employer
Whittington Health NHS Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Hornsey Rise Health centre
Town
Islington
Salary
£47,951 - £56,863 Per Annum (Pro Rata) Including HCAS
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
09/11/2026 23:59

Employer heading

Whittington Health NHS Trust logo

Weekend Physiotherapist – Islington Urgent Community Response Team

NHS AfC: Band 6

Please note in order to progress your application, your data will be processed by our 3rd party recruitment providers – North London Partners Shared Service, who conduct recruitment activities on behalf of Whittington Health NHS Trust.

For our current apprenticeship vacancies, please go to https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship and use Keyword ‘Whittington’

By applying for this role, you accept in the event you are successful that your personal data may be transferred from the Trust to another NHS organisation where your employment transfers within the NHS. This is in accordance with the streamlining programme which is aimed at saving you time and improving efficiencies within the NHS when your employment transfers.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a set of technology that can perform various tasks that typically required human intelligence. Your application is your opportunity to demonstrate to us how you meet the requirements of the role.

We recognise that AI tools can support accessibility, equity and confidence for applicants. However, it’s important that examples and responses genuinely reflect your own experience and abilities, as these will be explored further during the selection process. AI must not be used to provide misleading or false information during any stage of the application journey.

Further guidance can be found in the NLPSS Applicant Toolkit  https://royalfree.pagetiger.com/cuuomnr/1.

Whittington Health NHS Trust is committed to ensuring that its recruitment processes are carried out with integrity, transparency, and fairness for all applicants. To help maintain these standards, we ask candidates to provide accurate and truthful information throughout the recruitment process.

If incorrect or misleading information is identified, this may affect the progression of an application, any employment offer, or continued employment. As part of our due diligence, the company may verify the information provided by applicants and take appropriate action where necessary.

We do not charge applicants any fees at any stage of the recruitment process, including applications, interviews, sponsorship arrangements, pre-employment checks, or employment offers. All vacancies are advertised through TRAC/NHS Jobs and candidates are assessed solely on their skills, qualifications, experience, and suitability for the role. If you are asked to make a payment in connection with an NHS job opportunity, please treat this as suspicious and contact the organisation directly using the details published on our official career's website.

Applicants can refer to the Fraud Act 2006 for further information: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/35/contents

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Job overview

The post holder will deliver a weekend Physiotherapy service for the Islington Urgent Community response team (UCRT) and will be expected to work autonomously, managing their clinical workload and responding appropriately to urgent referrals and changing clinical priorities.  The post holder will support Islington UCRT in providing rapid community-based assessment and intervention, with the aim of preventing avoidable hospital admission, and facilitating timely discharge from acute services.

 

 

Main duties of the job

This is a 15-hour-per-week Band 6 Physiotherapist post based at Hornsey Rise Health Centre. The post holder will enable continuity of the Urgent response service across the weekend period. During induction, the post holder will be expected to work outside their usual weekend hours for a defined period for training purposes. Following this, the post holder will primarily work independently during their weekend hours, although approximately 2 of the contracted hours will be worked on a Friday or Monday, as required, to facilitate handover, clinical supervision and liaison with the wider team.

This will ensure they are fully integrated into the UCRT service and equipped to work safely and effectively as an autonomous weekend practitioner.

Working for our organisation

Islington Urgent Community Response Team service offers a friendly, supportive and welcoming working environment. The team works closely with nursing colleagues, encouraging collaboration, sharing knowledge and supporting one another to provide the best possible patient care. This is a rewarding role in which you will help patients to maintain their independence, recover safely and remain in the comfort of their own homes. There are  opportunities for regular clinical supervision, learning and professional development. We value a positive attitude, a strong work ethic, flexibility and a compassionate approach to patient care.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

1. Clinical

  • Provide a high-quality, autonomous physiotherapy service within the Islington Urgent Community Response Team (UCRT), delivering timely assessment, intervention and clinical decision-making for adults experiencing acute deterioration, functional decline, falls, mobility problems, frailty and other urgent rehabilitation needs.
  • Independently assess and manage a complex, varied caseload across patients’ homes and community settings, working primarily as a sole practitioner.
  • Develop, deliver and review individualised, evidence-based physiotherapy and rehabilitation programmes to maximise patients’ function, independence and safety.
  • Work collaboratively with patients and carers to promote self-management, rehabilitation and prevention of further deterioration.
  • Identify and manage clinical risks, prioritise competing demands and make appropriate decisions regarding treatment, escalation and onward referral.
  • Recognise when patients’ needs exceed own competence or authority and seek appropriate clinical advice or escalate concerns to the relevant UCRT team member.
  • Work closely with the Urgent Response Nursing Team, Lead Physiotherapist and wider multidisciplinary team to support safe patient management, prevent avoidable hospital admissions, facilitate timely discharge and reduce unnecessary hospital stays.
  • Contribute to multidisciplinary discussions about patient care, progress, rehabilitation, discharge planning and onward referrals, ensuring clear and timely handovers.
  • Maintain accurate, contemporaneous clinical records and provide appropriate progress updates, discharge summaries and onward referral information in accordance with professional, legal, Trust and departmental requirements.
  • Work flexibly and responsively according to weekend service requirements and patients’ changing clinical needs.

2. Communication

  • Communicate effectively with patients, relatives and carers, adapting approaches to individual needs and overcoming barriers such as confusion, anxiety, cognitive impairment or communication difficulties.
  • Communicate complex clinical information clearly with multidisciplinary colleagues and other health and social care professionals.
  • Provide clear verbal and written handovers, communicating relevant clinical information, identified risks, treatment plans and escalation requirements.
  • Establish and maintain effective professional relationships with UCRT colleagues and other community, health and social care services.
  • Communicate sensitively with patients and families about rehabilitation goals, functional outcomes, risks, discharge plans and ongoing care needs.
  • Attend relevant team meetings and contribute to case discussions to support coordinated, person-centred care.

3. Education and Training

  • Maintain and develop professional knowledge and skills relevant to urgent community response, rehabilitation, frailty, falls and complex patient management.
  • Participate in continuing professional development and maintain appropriate records in accordance with HCPC and Trust requirements.
  • Contribute to the education and development of colleagues, students, patients, families and carers, as appropriate.
  • Support clinical supervision, teaching and knowledge sharing within the UCRT team, including physiotherapy assessment, rehabilitation and clinical decision-making.
  • Participate in induction, supervision and training to support safe, autonomous weekend working.

4. Management and Organisation

  • Independently plan, organise and prioritise clinical workloads, responding appropriately to urgent referrals, changing priorities and competing demands.
  • Manage time effectively to ensure timely patient assessment, intervention, documentation, communication and follow-up.
  • Work autonomously while maintaining appropriate communication with the Lead Physiotherapist and wider UCRT team.
  • Follow agreed arrangements for clinical escalation, supervision and handover when working independently at weekends.
  • Contribute ideas to improve the quality, effectiveness and responsiveness of the weekend UCRT physiotherapy service.
  • Work flexibly outside normal weekend hours for a defined induction period and, where required, for handover and clinical supervision. This includes approximately two hours on a Friday or Monday, by agreement with the service.

5. Clinical Governance and Professional Responsibilities

  • Remain professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own practice, adhering to HCPC and CSP standards and relevant Trust policies and procedures.
  • Maintain high standards of evidence-based clinical practice, ensuring assessments and treatments meet patients’ individual needs.
  • Identify, manage and report clinical risks, incidents, near misses and safeguarding concerns in accordance with Trust policies and procedures.
  • Participate in clinical audits, service evaluations and quality improvement activities as appropriate.
  • Ensure patient information is recorded accurately and securely, maintaining confidentiality and complying with information governance requirements.
  • Follow infection prevention and control, health and safety, manual handling and safeguarding policies and procedures.
  • Use patient care equipment safely and appropriately, reporting defects or concerns promptly.
  • Participate in professional supervision and appraisal, and maintain an appropriate personal development plan.
  • Contribute to a safe, effective, responsive and person-centred UCRT service.

Person specification

Education & Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Holds a recognized degree or diploma in Physiotherapy
  • Current HCPC registration
  • IELTS Level 7.00 or above (overseas candidates only)

Skills & Abilities

Essential criteria
  • Demonstrable ability to work autonomously and make appropriate clinical decisions within professional scope of practice
  • Strong clinical reasoning and problem-solving skills in the assessment and management of patients with complex or changing presentations
  • Ability to undertake comprehensive physiotherapy assessment and formulate, implement and review individualised treatment and rehabilitation plans
  • Ability to independently prioritise a clinical workload, respond to changing priorities and manage time effectively
  • Ability to recognise and manage clinical risk and appropriately escalate concerns
  • Ability to communicate complex information clearly to a variety of professionals and to patients and their families, overcoming barriers to communication including language, confusion, and anxiety.
  • Understanding of safeguarding, information governance, confidentiality and clinical risk management within clinical practice
  • Ability to provide clear verbal and written handover to colleagues to ensure safe continuity of care between weekend and weekday service

Knowledge & Experience

Essential criteria
  • Experience working as an autonomous Physiotherapist, managing a clinical caseload and making independent clinical decisions within professional scope of practice
  • Experience of lone working in patients' homes
  • Experience of managing patients with complex and/or changing clinical presentations
Desirable criteria
  • Experience managing an urgent or unpredictable caseload
  • Experience of service improvement, including productivity and patient experience.
  • Previous experience of weekend or extended-hours community services

Personal Qualities

Essential criteria
  • Self-motivated, personally, and professionally responsible.
  • Flexibility and ability to handle change positively

Other

Essential criteria
  • Ability to safely undertake patient assessment, treatment and manual handling in accordance with Trust guidelines, and travel independently to patients' homes and community settings
  • Understanding of working with diversity and how to incorporate this into own practice.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

No smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleDisability confident leaderInvestors in PeopleImproving working livesCare quality commission - GoodDisability confident employerDisability confident committed

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.

Application numbers

This vacancy may close early if it receives a high number of applications. Please complete and submit your application in good time to avoid disappointment.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Tanisha Gilani
Job title
Lead Physiotherapist
Email address
[email protected]

If you have problems applying, contact

Address
WHT
Telephone
If you have any queries, please contact NLPSS Recruitment Helpdesk tel. 020 3758 2060
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