First Contact Physiotherapist
Location: Isle of Wight
Hours: Full Time, 40 Hours per Week
Salary: £42,000 to £49,000 per annum, depending on experience
Travel: Regular travel across the Isle of Wight required. Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle essential.

Pure Physio has been a leading NHS partner since 2016, delivering high quality First Contact Physiotherapists (FCP) and wider clinical services fully integrated within Primary Care. We work collaboratively with Primary Care Networks, Neighbourhood Teams, GP Federations, GP Clusters and ICBs across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to provide community based, preventative healthcare that improves population health and reduces system pressure.

Our multidisciplinary teams, including First Contact Physiotherapists, Health & Wellbeing Coaches and Social Prescribers, focus on early intervention, prevention and long term wellbeing. We support MSK care, long term conditions (including CVD, diabetes and persistent pain), social prescribing, women's health, neurology, rheumatology and geriatric care.

A First Contact Physiotherapist is an MSK specialist based in GP practices who can assess, diagnose and support patients at their very first point of contact without needing to see a GP first.

What FCPs do?

• Assess and diagnose MSK conditions on the patient's first contact.
• Provide expert advice on pain management, mobility and recovery.
• Recommend treatment or onward referral to specialists.
• Order investigations such as X-rays or blood tests when appropriate.
• Reduce GP workload by managing MSK cases directly.

At times an APP may be required to fulfil a requirement to:

• Take on complex MSK presentations that exceed FCP scope.
• Lead persistent pain management pathways.
• Support patients with multi-morbidities (CVD, diabetes, frailty and mental health conditions).
• Provide advanced rehabilitation planning.
• Deliver holistic assessment and management of patients living with frailty.
• Work collaboratively with community teams to support patients within their homes and local services.
• Manage complex community-based caseloads and support patients to maintain independence.
• Reduce unnecessary referrals to secondary care.

Why do these roles matter?
Musculoskeletal problems account for around 30% of all GP appointments. We ensure patients get faster access to the right clinician, improving outcomes while freeing up GP time for other health needs.

Training and Expertise
All FCPs are qualified physiotherapists with:

• A BSc or MSc in Physiotherapy.
• 5 years post qualification experience.
• Advanced MSK training aligned with the national FCP/Advanced Practice Roadmap.
• Full HEE FCP Roadmap sign-off.
• Previous community physiotherapy experience.
• Experience working with frailty, older adults and patients with multiple long term conditions.
• Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle.
• Ability and willingness to travel across the Isle of Wight to deliver services within GP practices, community settings and patient locations as required.

This enables them to work autonomously, request investigations and make complex clinical decisions whilst supporting community-based patients and frailty pathways.

In Summary
A First Contact Physiotherapist from Pure Physio gives patients rapid, expert assessments while supporting PCNs with transparent reporting, preventative care and integrated community-based services. Experience working with frailty and community caseloads is essential for this role. This is a community-facing position requiring regular travel across the Isle of Wight to support patients in a variety of settings.