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Job summary

Main area
Physiotherapy
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 7
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Part time - 16 hours per week (0.42 WTE)
Job ref
411-MED-25-7573913
Employer
Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Alder Hey Childrens Hospital
Town
Liverpool
Salary
£47,810 - £54,710 pa
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
19/11/2025 23:59

Employer heading

Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust logo

Highly Specialist Physiotherapist Neonates

NHS AfC: Band 7

Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust is a provider of specialist health care and has a presence in community outreach sites and, in collaboration with other providers, our clinicians help deliver care closer to patients’ homes by holding local clinics at locations from Cumbria to Shropshire, in Wales and the Isle of Man. The Trust also provides inpatient care for children with complex mental health needs at our Sunflower House building newly relocated, and opened on the hospital site.

We currently have more than 4,000 staff working across our community and hospital sites. We’re also a teaching and training hospital providing education and training to around 540 medical and over 500 nursing and allied health professional students each year.

As black and minority ethnic (BME) employees are currently under-represented in this area, we particularly welcome applications from members of our BME communities. All appointments will be made on merit.

You can expect a warm welcome at Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust, our staff are friendly and welcoming. We listen to each other and work together to embed our Trusts values and behaviours. At Alder Hey we appreciate our staff and reward them with an outstanding benefits package including:

  • Great flexible working opportunities
  • Lease car scheme and Home Electronics Scheme
  • Generous annual leave and pension scheme
  • Extensive staff health and well-being programmes

Job overview

We are pleased to offer this opportunity for a Highly Specialist Physiotherapist to join our Neonatal team, working across our Neonatal Units at Liverpool Women's and Alder Hey Children's Hospitals. 

We are a team of Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists, based in Alder Hey Hospital covering a range of Acute and Tertiary services. 

The successful candidate will work as part of the Neonatal AHP-P team, working closely with Occupational Therapists, Dieticians, Speech and Language Therapists and Clinical Psychologists. 

The successful candidate will work within the team to provide a  comprehensive physiotherapy service for patients requiring  specialist assessment and intervention with the Neonatal cohort, formulated around evidence-based practice and recognised national standards.

We are looking to recruit a Highly Specialist Physiotherapist, to work as an autonomous clinician using specialist assessment skills to assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions in patients within this specialty who have acute and long term, serious and terminal conditions. 

We are looking for a Physiotherapist with highly developed analytical & judgment skills to be directly involved in the clinical decision-making process as part of the MDT.

 

Main duties of the job

Please see detailed JD and Person spec.

 

To be a team member of Alder Hey’s Paediatric Physiotherapy team and as such, carry a complex caseload across Neonatal services at Liverpool Women’s Hospital and Alder Hey Childrens Hospital, working in partnership with parents, carers education and other service providers to ensure a child centred approach to therapy.

 

To have responsibility for the delivery and co-ordination of high-quality Physiotherapy to children with a range of conditions and presentations.

 

To work as an autonomous practitioner without direct supervision, being responsible for the assessment, treatment and ongoing management of a highly specialist caseload.

 

Utilise a high level of knowledge developed through experience of neonatal physiotherapy.

 

To provide a range of specialist individualised therapeutic interventions, supporting babies through provision of highly specialist advanced clinical reasoning, to provide formulate and deliver individual treatment plans.

 

To act as a lead therapist to assess, diagnose/interpret and manage own specialist caseload of complex patients as an autonomous practitioner in accordance with the CSP code of conduct and HCPC standards.

The post holder may be required to provide input to other areas of the service as required.

 

 

 

Working for our organisation

As one of Europe’s biggest and busiest children’s hospitals, at Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust, we treat everything from common illnesses to highly complex and specialist conditions. In addition to our main hospital site, we offer paediatric services at a number of community sites and hold local clinics across Merseyside, Cumbria, Shropshire, Wales and the Isle of Man. We also provide specialist inpatient care for children with complex mental health needs in our recently relocated and newly opened state of the art facility.

Alder Hey has a thriving research portfolio and leads research into children’s medicines, infection, inflammation and oncology. We are becoming recognised as one of the world’s leaders in children’s healthcare and research. We contribute to public health, lead cutting-edge research and teach the next generation of children’s specialists. Alongside this is our Innovation Hub, a dedicated space where clinicians and industries can come together to create new products and technologies.

We know that a children’s hospital is different and that our job is more than just treating an illness. To us, every child is an individual. As well as giving them the very best care, we set out to make them feel happy, safe and confident as they play, learn and grow. At Alder Hey we are here to look after a child and their family and that includes mums, dads, brothers and sisters.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see attached job description and person specification for further details. 

·         To be professional and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of own work including the management of caseload.  To ensure a high standard of clinical care (for the patients under your management) to maximise function and independence.  To have responsibility for the delivery and co-ordination of high-quality Physiotherapy to children with a range of conditions and presentations within the clinical speciality.

·         To carry out assessment of patients as an autonomous practitioner, including those with highly complex presentations, where expert opinion may differ, using clinical reasoning skills, knowledge of evidence based practice and expertise to determine appropriate care plans utilising highly specialist treatment skills and a wide range of treatment options.

·         To contribute to accurate prognoses and recommend best course of intervention, developing comprehensive management plans, guided by clearly defined principles or occupational policies.

·         To refer to other healthcare professionals and agencies as appropriate as part of the overall management of the child to ensure holistic care.

·         To hold an independent, complex, and highly specialist caseload, being able to highly demonstrate specialist assessment, diagnostic, treatment, and management plans with goals based on advanced clinical reasoning skills. To provide specialist assessment and intervention across the identified speciality, delivering holistic assessment of the child’s needs and providing treatment programmes to meet the child’s rehabilitation needs.

·         To plan and implement highly individualised therapy programmes to be carried out by the therapist, Assistant, Educational Staff and Carers. To continually monitor, evaluate and modify the programmes to measure progress and ensure effectiveness of intervention for children with changing needs.

·         Manages own caseload and is responsible for the delivery of therapeutic intervention within the defined areas of the service. To organise this caseload effectively and efficiently regarding clinical priorities, time management, and staffing levels.

·         To gain valid informed consent in accordance with trust policy and have the ability to work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment.

·         To provide highly specialist advice to colleagues working within other clinical areas.

·         To manage clinical risk within own caseload and to contribute to that of designated team at all times.

·         To participate in weekend, evening and on call working as required, working as an autonomous practitioner undertaking the assessment and treatment of acutely ill patients,  who may have highly complex presentations. Be expected to participate in on-call update training and clinical competence.

 

Person specification

knowledge

Essential criteria
  • Diploma/Degree in Physiotherapy
  • evidence of relevant post grad training
  • HCPC registration
Desirable criteria
  • member of specilaist interest group

Experience

Essential criteria
  • significant experience in neonates/paediatrics
  • significant experience in management of paediatric patients
  • participation in teaching/ IST
  • experience in supervising staff / studentws
Desirable criteria
  • experience of research / audit

knowledge

Essential criteria
  • In depth knowledge of paediatric conditions including specialised assessment of babies with complex needs
  • knowledge and experience of wide range of approaches used within physiotherapy
  • knowledge of relevant and current NHS developments both locally, regionally and nationally
Desirable criteria
  • proven safeguarding knowledge

skill

Essential criteria
  • excellent communication skills
  • ability to demonstrate highly specialist assessment, treatment and management skills
  • Physical ability to carry out therapeutic handling
  • Ability to prioritise and organise caseload
  • Ability to apply clinical governance principles to practice
Desirable criteria
  • excellent presentation skills
  • ability to facilitate MDT working
  • experience of implementing evidence based practice

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Fair Employment Charter Status - Aspiring LevelVeteran AwareApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleAge positiveDefence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) - SilverArmed Forces Covenant Gold AwardMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Navajo - Merseyside and CheshireDisability confident employerHappy to Talk Flexible Working

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

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Maleka Jariwala or Lisa Woodward
Job title
Clinical Specialist Physiotherapists
Email address
[email protected]
Additional information

Maleka Jariwala - Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist

[email protected]

Katie Dobson

Head of Occupational Therapy & Physiotherapy

0151 252 5102

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