The closing date is 17 July 2026

Job summary
To apply, you should be a fully HCPC and CSP registered physiotherapist with at least 5 years post-graduate experience, including 3 years of relevant MSK clinical experience in line with HEE's Roadmap to Practice. You should be a confident MSK practitioner and communicator who thrives from engaging with a variety of colleagues internally and within the GP practice multidisciplinary teams you are integrated into. The successful candidate will play a key role in proactively working with people, who would need support around MSK-related conditions and to provide coordination and navigation of care and support across health and care services. They will work closely with GPs and practice teams, making sure that appropriate support is made available to people; supporting them to understand and manage their condition and ensuring their changing needs are addressed. They will enable people to access the services and support they require to meet their health and wellbeing needs, helping to improve peoples quality of life.

Main duties of the job

• Work within primary care, seeing patients directly from reception booking ad triage. Assess, diagnose, triage, and manage patients, taking responsibility for the management of a complex caseload.
• Assess, diagnose, triage, and manage patients, taking responsibility for the management of a complex caseload.
• Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team in a patient facing role, using their expert knowledge of movement and function issues, to create stronger links for wider services through clinical leadership, teaching and evaluation
• Develop integrated and tailored care programmes in partnership with patients, providing a range of first line treatment options including self-management, referral to rehabilitation focussed services and social prescribing
• Make use of their full scope of practice, developing skills relating to independent prescribing, injection therapy and investigation to make professional judgements and decisions in unpredictable situations, including when provided with incomplete or contradictory information.
• Manage complex interactions, including working with patients with psychosocial and mental health needs, referring onwards as required and including social prescribing when appropriate
• Communicate effectively with patients, and their carers where applicable, complex and sensitive information regarding diagnoses, pathology, prognosis and treatment choices supporting personalised care

About us
Islington GP Federation (IGPF) is a growing organisation representing 31 practices; we have established ourselves as a leader in new ways of working, including running Islingtons extended access primary care services (I:HUB) as well as supporting the Islington Primary Care Networks (PCNs). Our current range of services include the Extended Access Service, I:HUB, Community Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT), Integrated Community Gynaecology, practice-based pharmacists and a range of practice support mechanisms. IGPF works very closely with a range of partners including the regional commissioning group, NHS England, Healthy London Partnership, Public Health, local hospitals such as UCLH, the Whittington Health and the London Borough of Islington. IGPF is the host organisation for the Primary Care Network (PCN) workforce and the Islington Training Hub, and has been working for over two years to create training and development programmes that meet the needs of staff working in primary and community care settings. IGPF runs two Islington GP practices on caretaking contracts; a third practice will be taken on within this financial quarter.

Date posted: 06 July 2026
Pay scheme: Other
Salary: Depending on experience
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: E0031-26-0026
Job locations: Unit 16-18, The Studios, Hornsey Street, Holloway, London, N7 8EG, United Kingdom

Job description
Job responsibilities
The First Contact Physiotherapy service is now an established and integral part of primary care across South Islington PCN. The successful candidate will join a well-established multidisciplinary team committed to innovation, education and continuous service improvement. As the guidance around PCNs is constantly changing, there is a need for the post holder to be flexible and adaptable in this evolving environment. As a consequence, the post will be subject to ongoing review and inevitable iteration (the post holder may be required to work at other sites as dictated by the needs of the service), and will help inform how roles like these can be effectively used to support patient care.
Job Purpose:

• Provide clinical expertise, acting as a First-Contact Physiotherapist and making decisions about the best course of action for patients' care (including in relation to undifferentiated conditions). This will involve seeing patients, without prior contact with their GP, in order to establish a rapid and accurate diagnosis and management plan.
• To act as a clinical role model providing leadership and support to a team of clinical staff delivering care at GP surgeries across the South Islington PCN
• Reduce local health inequalities enable patient access to MSK Physiotherapy at the start of the pathway, ensuring timely access to diagnosis, early management and onward referral if necessary
• Support patients to stay well and make informed decisions and choices through shared decision making when their health changes
• Empower patients to build knowledge, skills and confidence to live well with their health conditions

Responsibilities will include, but are not limited to

• Work within primary care, seeing patients directly from reception booking ad triage.
• Assess, diagnose, triage, and manage patients, taking responsibility for the management of a complex caseload
• Where required refer patients to other health professionals within the PCN
• Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team in a patient facing role, using their expert knowledge of movement and function issues, to create stronger links for wider services through clinical leadership, teaching and evaluation.
• Develop integrated and tailored care programmes in partnership with patients, providing a range of first line treatment options including self-management, referral to rehabilitation focussed services and social prescribing
• Make use of their full scope of practice, developing skills relating to independent prescribing, injection therapy and investigation to make professional judgements and decisions in unpredictable situations, including when provided with incomplete or contradictory information.
• Manage complex interactions, including working with patients with psychosocial and mental health needs, referring onwards as required and including social prescribing when appropriate
• Communicate effectively with patients, and their carers where applicable, complex and sensitive information regarding diagnoses, pathology, prognosis and treatment choices supporting personalised care
• Implement all aspects of effective clinical governance for own practice, including undertaking regular audit and evaluation, supervision and training
• Develop integrated and tailored care programmes in partnership with patients through:
  • Effective shared decision-making
  • Assessing levels of Patient Activation to support their own level of knowledge
  • Designing and implementing plans that facilitate behavioural change
• Request and progress investigations (such as x-rays and blood tests) and referrals to facilitate the diagnosis and choice of treatment regime including, considering the limitations of these investigations, interpret and act on results and feedback to aid patients diagnoses and management plans
• Be accountable for decisions and actions via Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) registration, supported by a professional culture of peer networking/review and engagement in evidence-based practice.
• Provide feedback and support to other PCN clinical team members on appropriate referral criteria.

By applying for this role, you are confirming you have-

1. Minimum of 5 years post qualification experience
2. Minimum of 3 years dedicated MSK experience

Person Specification
Experience
Essential

• Knowledge of managing patients with a variety of conditions and complex needs.
• Demonstrates expert clinical reasoning skills in MSK physiotherapy.
• Ability to implement evidence-based practice principles
• Good self-management and ability to prioritise workload and delegate tasks as appropriate.
• Evidence of appropriate post-graduate training in a broad range of appropriate specialist areas.
• Evidence of an active part in learning activities e.g. peer review
• Evidence of providing professional advice /support
• Evidence of collaborative working within a multi-professional team.

Desirable

• Experience of working in Primary Care and First Contact Practitioner roles.
• Evidence of involvement in Service Improvement initiatives and outcomes.
• Experience of initiating change
• Previous experience working in Primary Care
• Ability to cope with unpredictable situations
• Completion of some level 7 MSc learning. Qualified injection therapist and / or independent prescriber.

Qualifications
Essential

• BSc degree in Physiotherapy
• Registration with the HCPC
• Membership of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
• Minimum of 5 years post qualification experience
• Minimum of 3 years MSK experience

Desirable

• MSc degree in Physiotherapy
• Completed or working towards a Supplementary Prescribing qualification or non-medical prescribing qualification training will be supported in post.
• Completed or currently working towards IRMER qualification

Knowledge and Skills
Essential

• Be flexible and adaptable to cope with unpredictable situations.
• Awareness and understanding of the MSK Competency Framework for FCPs.
• Ability to implement evidence-based practice principles
• Ability to manage a case load of patients independently with complex musculoskeletal dysfunction, acute and chronic pain
• Good self-management and ability to prioritise workload and delegate tasks as appropriate.
• Ability to structure and deliver training and education programmes
• Computer literate for record keeping, communication, data collection and research purposes.
• Aware of own limitations and when to ask for advice from the wider MDT

Desirable

• Experience of working and have a good understanding of EMIS clinical platform

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer name: Islington GP Federation
Address: Unit 16-18, The Studios, Hornsey Street, Holloway, London, N7 8EG, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.islingtongpfederation.org/ (Opens in a new tab)

For questions about the job, contact:
HR Team
igpf.hr@nhs.net