University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust

Community Paediatric Physiotherapist

The closing date is 22 November 2026

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Job summary
BAND 6 COMMUNITY PAEDIATRIC PHYSIOTHERAPIST - 37.5 hours per week
Community, Child Development Centre and Special Schools

We have an exciting opportunity for a Band 6 Physiotherapist to join our team where they will be able to gain experience in a wide range of Paediatric settings within Plymouth and the surrounding area.

We are looking for a team orientated physiotherapist with paediatric experience who is ready to expand their clinical and managerial skills. You will be working in Plymouth Child Development Centre, Special Schools, all with their own distinct character, and in the community in East Cornwall and West Devon.

Our children live in a variety of settings, ranging from the busy centre of Plymouth to isolated rural homes in Cornwall, and we have a diverse and growing population.

You will have opportunities to expand skills in CPIP, serial casting, DCD assessment and management, as well as assessing and treating a wide range of neurodevelopmental and neuromuscular conditions.

We have an integrated team in the Child Development Centre, working closely with a range of other professionals within the settings and other agencies in the surrounding community.

Please note that applications from temporary workers who have been engaged with the Trust for a minimum of 3 months are welcome.

Main duties of the job
To provide a high quality physiotherapy service for children referred to the Community Paediatric Service Line. To perform comprehensive therapeutic assessment for children and young adults with diverse presentations and complex needs. To devise and deliver an individualised management plan.

To carry a clinical caseload within own discipline, providing assessment and intervention in line with departmental pathways. To hold responsibility for own case load and be responsible for the delivery of service, working without direct supervision from a more senior therapist.

Supervision takes the form of regular formal training and clinical reasoning sessions, peer review, case conferences. Access to advice and support from senior physiotherapists is available if required, clinical work is not routinely evaluated.

To undertake all aspects of clinical duties as an autonomous practitioner.

Supervise, educate and assess the performance of physiotherapy students and more junior staff; this would be to a graduate standard and involve working with universities to ensure the standard of practice and teaching meets the standards set by the degree level qualification.

About us
We are a people business - where every member of staff matters and can make a difference. Patients are at the heart of everything we do. Joining University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust means becoming part of a team of dedicated staff, who are committed to leading the way through innovation, clinical excellence and great customer care. The Trust has great opportunities for career development in a highly progressive working environment. We offer all of this in a vibrant, modern city with a historic reputation for adventure.

PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL COMMUNICATION WILL BE ELECTRONIC, PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL ACCOUNT REGULARLY. If you have any issues with applying online and need additional support including reasonable adjustments with the application process please contact the recruitment manager for this post who will put you in touch with the recruitment team. We recognise that work life balance is important for our colleagues and so we invite requests from applicants around less than full time/flexible working for our advertised roles. Please contact the recruiting manager to discuss this prior to your application submission. We commit to giving this full consideration in each case. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds to apply for our roles, as diversity strengthens our teams. It is sometimes necessary to close vacancies before the closing date. If you have not heard from us within 4 weeks of the closing date, please assume that you have not been shortlisted.

Details
Date posted: 06 November 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 6
Salary: £39,959 to £48,117 a year
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 216-NB-DA8357240
Job locations: Child Development Centre, Plymouth PL2 2PQ, United Kingdom

Job description
Job responsibilities
Clinical
To set a high personal standard of work, to be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own work, including the management of patients in your care.
To be responsible for maintaining accurate and comprehensive patient treatment records in line with Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) standards and local/Trust policy. To communicate appropriately with other disciplines (this might include meetings, report and letter writing)
To carry out physiotherapy assessment as an autonomous practitioner. This will involve the use of specialised observation and assessment tools.
To develop and deliver effective specialised treatment, and plan and implement appropriate review for children allocated to your caseload. NICE guidance, Standards of Care and best practice guidance should be considered. This will include regular monitoring of the results of any intervention with ongoing evaluation and adaptation.
To provide therapy intervention according to the childs needs, using appropriate treatment techniques in either an individual or group situation; providing activity programmes, advice and equipment as required. This will involve the management of therapy input to children with a range of complex conditions, including those with severe physical and cognitive impairment or disability.
To have a knowledge of specialist resources and equipment relevant to children and to give advice regarding its use.
To assess and treat children in a range of settings. This will include the Child Development Centre, special and mainstream schools, nurseries or home visits when clinically indicated. This will necessitate travel from venue to venue and lone working situations. Lone worker policy must be followed.
To advise and support parents/carers and other professionals in meeting the needs of children on your caseload.
To be responsible for your own practice and accountable for all aspects of therapy treatment and care delivered to the child.
To work closely with partner agencies to ensure Physiotherapy treatment is fully integrated into a childs holistic programme.
To analyse clinical, social, educational and psychological information from a range of sources and understand the impact that this will have on children and their therapy input.
To provide necessary information to other professionals, families and other agencies including written reports and programmes, and to contribute towards statutory assessment processes as required.
To take part in safeguarding procedures and attend multi agency meetings as necessary.
To manage clinical risk within your own caseload, including undertaking appropriate manual handling risk assessment.
To contribute towards the development of clinical practice within the department.
To train and line-manage technical instructors and students, with supervision from more senior members of the team. This will include clinical supervision, performance management and appraisal.
To participate in safeguarding supervision and to be aware of and adhere to child protection procedures. This may include written reports and core group meetings.
To work within teams to ensure waiting lists are managed efficiently and effectively
For further details please see attached JD and PS.

Person Specification
Knowledge & Experience
Essential

• Proven knowledge of paediatric conditions requiring therapy input
• Proven knowledge of therapy input for children with developmental needs
• Awareness of multi-agency approach to children
• Proven knowledge of clinical governance and risk
• Proven evidence of CPD

Desirable

• Proven evidence of further post-graduate training in area of specialist paediatrics
• Previous community therapy role
• Previous demonstrable experience of working as a children's therapist
• Previous demonstrable experience of supervising students.

Qualifications
Essential

• Degree or diploma in Physiotherapy
• HPC Registered Physiotherapist

Aptitude & Abilities
Essential

• Demonstrate good communication skills with the ability to build working relationships with peers and multi-agency professionals
• Ability to problem solve and demonstrate good clinical reasoning
• Ability to move between therapy setting, including rural educational and home environments in a timely manner.
• Basic IT skills.

Desirable

• Skilled use of play/engagement activities

Disposition / Attitude / Motivation
Essential

• Ability to work under pressure
• Accept delegated tasks from Band 7 colleagues and be able to prioritise workload
• Ability to cope with change and unpredictable workload
• Mature and friendly personality with the ability to work as a member of a team
• Self-motivated and enthusiastic

Other Factors
Essential

• Ability to travel from place to place to deliver service needs
• Confidence in Lone working situations

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
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.

Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

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

Employer details
Employer name: University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
Employer's website: https://www.plymouthhospitals.nhs.uk/

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: Community Paediatric Lead Physiotherapist, Laura Scawn, laura.scawn@nhs.net, 01752439410

Supporting documents
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