Senior Paediatric Physiotherapist

Main area Paediatric Physiotherapy Grade NHS AfC: Band 6 Contract Fixed term: 9 months (twilight, weekend, bank holiday and on call shifts covered on a rota basis) Hours Part time - 18.75 hours per week (twilight, weekend, bank holiday and on call shifts covered on a rota basis) Job ref 153-SP05125

Employer University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site University Hospitals Dorset (Poole base) Town Poole Salary £38,682 - £46,580 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 02/11/2025 23:59 Interview date 12/11/2025

Senior Paediatric Physiotherapist
NHS AfC: Band 6

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 £250m estates 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 a highly motivated and experienced physiotherapist with a minimum of 2 years postgraduate experience. This post gives an excellent opportunity to gain experience in working as part of a specialised integrated therapy team delivering in-patient and out-patient care.

Main duties of the job

This presents an exciting opening to work with children with medical, musculoskeletal, neuro-developmental, orthopaedic and other conditions. The post includes assessment and intervention to children aged 0-16 years living in the Poole, Bournemouth and East Dorset areas.

Services are delivered in a variety of settings, including; paediatric wards and outpatient clinics across all University Hospitals Dorset Trust sites.

We work 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.

Applicants must be able to travel across sites. Applicants will be required to work weekends and late shifts and be on-call on a rota basis.

This is a fixed term post to cover maternity leave.

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 staff network groups including Women’s, BAME, Pride, EU, Pro Ability, and Armed Forces. We are proud to be part of the Disability Confident and Armed Forces Covenant guaranteed interview schemes.

We understand some candidates may use AI tools to prepare applications. While not discouraged, we ask that applications remain an honest reflection of your own skills and experience. Integrity is an important part of 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, 0-16 years and their parents/carers referred to the service, covering Bournemouth, Poole and East Dorset.

To work as a member of the MDTs providing in-patient and out-patient physiotherapy services to children with orthopaedic, musculoskeletal, respiratory, medical and neuro-developmental conditions or others which affect their physical performance.

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 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 development of the Paediatric Therapy service.

To provide training to colleagues, multi-disciplinary team and staff working in educational settings.

Person specification
Qualifications

• 
  
• Physiotherapy Degree
  
• HCPC registered
  
• Post graduate training in paediatrics
  

Experience

• 
  
• 2 years post graduate
  
• Experience in core elements: musculoskeletal, respiratory, orthopaedics, neurology
  
• Experience working in NHS
  
• Working with children e.g. during a placement, volunteering, or work capacity
  

Skills

• 
  
• Assessment and provision of equipment to promote independence, participation and mobility e.g. walking aids, standing frames and orthotics
  
• Communicating with children of all abilities
  

Please note:

Staff recruited are expected to be available to work flexibly across all our Trust locations to meet service demands.

This advert may be closed early if sufficient applications are received.

COVID-19 vaccination remains the best way to protect yourself and our patients from the virus when working in our healthcare settings. Whilst this vaccination is not a condition of employment we do encourage our staff to get vaccinated.

Internal Candidates: staff employed prior to merger who voluntarily change jobs will be appointed to UHD terms and conditions.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.

Name Tori McGregor Job title Paediatric Physiotherapy Team Lead (Acute) Email address Telephone number