West London NHS Trust
Senior Physiotherapist in Neurosciences
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About the Trust
North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) have merged as of 1st July 2026 to become Bristol NHS Foundation Trust. This creates an exciting future that brings together the best of both organisations. As a single, strong and sustainable organisation, we will not only be able to deliver better outcomes for our patients and fairer care for our population, but it will also provide greater opportunities for our people.
Bristol NHS Foundation Trust recognise the value of a healthy work-life balance. When applying, speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate flexible working, so your work life fits around your home life.
We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates as they are under-represented within the Trust.
Our job adverts may close as soon as sufficient applications have been received. Considering this, if you are interested in this role, please do apply as soon as you can.
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Job Overview
We are excited to be able to offer an opportunity for a physiotherapist on the current Band 6 Neurosciences & Stroke rotation to specialise within Neurosciences.
This is a rotational post, with main responsibilities across the inpatient areas of Neurosurgery, Neurology, Stroke and Community Stroke. The post holder may also provide input into all other clinical areas covered by the Neurosciences rotations (ITU, Neuropsychiatry and Spasticity clinic) when required.
The Core Hours for the post are 08:00-16:00 Monday-Friday. The Post holder will also contribute to the on call respiratory, bank holiday and weekend rosters.
Main duties of the job
Job Summary:
To be an autonomous physiotherapy practitioner providing a high standard of therapy service to patients across the inpatient Neurosciences specialities including Neurosurgery, Neurology, Stroke, ICU and Neuropsychiatry. These patients may have highly complex needs and problems resulting from a wide range of neurological conditions and neurosurgical Interventions. The primary base is the Southmead Hospital site. The post holder will work very closely with the multi-disciplinary team (MDT) to provide appropriate physiotherapy input. Linking with other Physiotherapists and health professionals within Southmead Hospital and other trusts supporting patients across these regional specialty areas. Access to advice/support from a more senior physiotherapist is available on each rotation. To provide teaching and training to Health Care Professionals, students, patients, and carers
Working for our organisation
We are one of the largest NHS hospital trusts in the UK. More than 28,000 staff care for over 1.1 million people each year. We provide care 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
In addition to local hospital care, we provide a wide range of specialist services for people across the South West and from all over the country.
Our specialist services include major trauma, children’s services, neurosciences, burns and plastics, stroke and thrombectomy, cardiology, cancer care, haematology, ophthalmology, cardiothoracic care, nephrology, immunology, infectious diseases and HIV, sexual health, transplant services, and obstetric medicine.
We are also a research and teaching trust. We work closely with the Universities of Bristol, Bath and the West of England to support research, innovation and education, and to improve care for patients now and in the future.
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We work with patients, carers, communities, staff, voluntary organisations, and health and care partners to understand what matters most. This helps us improve services, reduce health inequalities, and make better decisions about the future of care.
Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities
Knowledge
- Has intermediate/specialised theoretical knowledge in Anatomy and Physiology, Movement, Biomechanics and Pathologies.
- Has theoretical knowledge of a wide range of conditions commonly seen within this specialty
- Has intermediate/above baseline practical skills in the management of conditions commonly seen within this specialty
Training/Qualifications
- Diploma/degree in Physiotherapy
- Current Registration with Health Professions Council (as physiotherapist)
- Portfolio evidence of postgraduate learning experience in range of core physiotherapy fields including neurology / neuroscience
Experience
- Variety of experience as undergraduate physiotherapist i.e. musculoskeletal, respiratory and neurological across acute, community and/or intermediate care settings, dealing with a wide range of patients with differing needs
- Completion of core postgraduate rotations i.e. musculoskeletal, respiratory and neurological
- Experience of working with a wide range of neurology patients
- Experience of working as part of a multidisciplinary team
- Experience in audit, research and understanding quality issues
- Experience of organising and prioritising own workload and delegating responsibilities as appropriate
- Experience of presenting information, written and oral in a clear and logical manner
- Experience of working under indirect supervision and as an autonomous practitioner and acting appropriately on constructive comment
- Experience of carrying out moderate to intense physical efforts throughout the working day and carrying out concurrent activities
- Experience of working in a stressful environment and with emotional or aggressive patients and carers
- Experience of comprehending and working within the Trust’s policies of data protection and health and safety
- Experience in understanding clinical governance and its implications for services
- Experience in understanding the legal responsibilities of the profession
- Experience of participation in a physiotherapy on-call rota
Skills Required
- To undertake all aspects of clinical duties as an autonomous physiotherapy practitioner
- To perform physiotherapeutic examination and assessment of patients with diverse neurological presentations, physical and psychological conditions to provide a clinical diagnosis
- To develop and deliver an individualised treatment programme based on the above
- To constantly re-examine the patient’s response to treatment and modify programme accordingly. Examination/assessment skills to include communication, physical/manual and analytical/evaluative abilities to a high standard
- To hold responsibility for own caseload and delegated areas of the Service working under indirect supervision
Clinical
- To be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of own work, including the management of patients in the caseload
- To undertake a comprehensive examination and assessment of patients including those with diverse presentations/multi pathologies; use specialised clinical reasoning skills and manual examination techniques to provide an accurate diagnosis of their condition
- Based on the examination, assessment, diagnosis, and current best practice to clinically reason and formulate a physiotherapy treatment plan
- To deliver an individual physiotherapy treatment programme, this could include manual physiotherapy techniques, patient education, exercise classes, cognitive behavioural techniques
- To constantly re-examine the patient’s response to treatment and modify programme accordingly
- To formulate accurate prognoses, expected outcome, recommend best course of intervention, and develop comprehensive discharge plans
- To continually evaluate own clinical practice based on valid research evidence and audit including national and local clinical guidelines
- To motivate and encourage patients to actively participate in physiotherapy programmes
- To identify and participate in suitable audit and research topics involving the uni- and multi-professional team to ensure effectiveness
- To organise and prioritise own workload and delegate responsibility as appropriate
- To take responsibility for managing patients with conditions, some of which are complex and be responsible for providing specialised physiotherapy input for patients with these conditions
- To communicate clinical findings to the patient, assess their understanding of treatment proposals, gain valid informed consent, and have the capacity to work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment
- To use a range of verbal and non-verbal tools to communicate effectively with patients and carers to progress rehabilitation and treatment programmes. This will include patients who may have difficulties in understanding or communicating e.g. patients who may be dysphasic, deaf, blind or unable to accept diagnosis
- To communicate effectively verbally and non-verbally with all members of multi-disciplinary team (MDT) e.g. Doctors, nurses, social workers, other AHPs, physiotherapy colleagues and outside agencies. This often involves membership of multiple MDTs
- To manage clinical risk within own patient case load
- To work within Trust and CSP guidelines
- To monitor practice of juniors and assistants undertaking delegated tasks and advise/guide as appropriate
- To be responsible for maintaining accurate and comprehensive patient treatment records in line with Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) standards of practice
- To represent physiotherapy service and/or individual patients at the multi-disciplinary team meetings, to ensure the delivery of a co-ordinated multi-disciplinary service and integrate physiotherapy treatment into the treatment programme. This will include discussion of patient care, patient progress and involvement in discharge planning.
- To be responsible for the safe and competent use of all gym equipment and patient appliances and aids used by patients including manual handling equipment
- To be an active member of the physiotherapy respiratory on call service and maintain the competencies across a range of conditions and techniques to provide safe acute care.
- To undertake the assessment and treatment of acutely ill neurology patients, with respiratory problems, who may have a complex presentation and maintain associated records as an autonomous practitioner
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Professional
- To be responsible for maintaining own competency to practice through CPD activities and maintain a portfolio which reflects professional and personal development
- To maintain and develop current knowledge of evidence-based practice in neurology and neurosurgery developing intermediate/specialised knowledge of particular conditions and patient types
- To participate in the staff appraisal scheme as an
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