Job summary
BAND 6 ORTHOPAEDIC PHYSIOTHERAPIST 37.5 hours per week 12-Month Secondment/Fixed Term Contract
This is an exciting opportunity to join oursupportive, forward-looking Orthopaedic Therapy Team.
We are a positive, forward-looking team always striving to improve our services. We work closely as an integrated Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy Team and have excellent working relationships with our orthopaedic consultants, matrons and ward sisters. This allows us to engage in research, audit and service development to have meaningful impact on our patients' care. We also work closely with our community musculoskeletal team to deliver more joined up services.
We are an innovative team and were early adopters in stopping the use of hip precautions for total hip arthroplasties, with a well-established Enhanced Recovery Programme for our elective patients, to which Therapies are central. We also have plans to offer physiotherapy-led pre-operative clinics for patients undergoing elective day case foot and ankle and knee surgeries. Our team have successfully presented their improvements at BOA and both the CSP and World Physiotherapy Conferences in 2025, and our Out of Bed Project was published internationally which has improved our hip fracture metrics. We are particularly interested in candidates who share our passion for service development and increasing the profile of physiotherapy in the speciality of orthopaedics to improve patient outcomes.
Main duties of the job
The successful candidate will need to be a qualified and HCPC registered physiotherapist and should be able to demonstrate previous experience working within Orthopaedics. We are looking for a positive, proactive clinician to join our team who can work flexibly and help us build a strong future for therapy and help us to further increase the profile of Physiotherapy within the speciality of Orthopaedics.
You will have your own clinical caseload and provide assessment and intervention to a wide range of orthopaedic patients with a range of physical and cognitive impairments across elective and trauma, and patients with spinal cord injury. We are a research active team and are currently involved with the FAME, RaCeR-2 and OPAL trials. If you are passionate about engaging in research, there is a supportive environment for you to develop this, but we expect you to aid the team with clinical audits when required.
In return, we would strive to offer the suitable candidate a supportive, friendly working environment within a team who are open to new ideas. Opportunities for learning within the Trust would be provided, alongside regular supervision and allocated time for Continuous Professional Development. Opportunities for working with the wider multidisciplinary team will be available and strongly encouraged.
Core working hours are 8.00am-4.00pm and you will work as part of our seven-day roster.
About us
The James Paget is a vibrant university hospital providing the best possible care to the people of east Norfolk and north Suffolk. Situated on the coast with beautiful beaches and the Broads National Park on the doorstep we are within commuting distance of Norwich City with many of our staff car-sharing from here. Onsite parking is available.
We know that development and wellbeing are key to the success of your work, and you will receive regular one-to-one supervision to discuss your progress, and any service evaluation and ideas. We are committed to service development, with many projects currently underway. We are forging strong links with the Research and Development Department and the University of East Anglia, and it is a really exciting time to join the Trust as these processes gather momentum. We thoroughly encourage attendance at courses and offer time and funding to engage in research and innovation activity to widen personal knowledge base and bring new skills to the teams to keep our approach fresh and current. Our therapists represent the Trust at CSP, RCOT, BOA and BGS conferences and support future staff to do this. In addition, we have an embedded flexible working policy with flexible hours to enable a better work/life balance but still meet the needs of the service.
The profile of Therapies is growing, and our voice and opinions areheard and valued at both departmental and higher management levels, so this is a brilliant time to join us.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- To provide specialist physiotherapy assessment and treatment for a range of elective, trauma, day case and private patients within a busy acute hospital environment without direct supervision
- To be involved in complex case management including family planning meetings as part of a wider multidisciplinary team
- To provide pre-operative education individual and/or group sessions as part of the Elective Enhanced Recovery Programme
- To supervise rotational Band 5 physiotherapists, therapy assistant practitioners and undergraduate physiotherapy students if required
- To be involved in in-service training rotas, evidence-based practice reviews and audits on a regular basis
- To work a rostered seven-day service/shift pattern within the Orthopaedic speciality
- To work within the James Paget University Hospital or in a community health setting as required
Job description
Job responsibilities
- To provide specialist physiotherapy assessment and treatment for a range of elective, trauma, day case and private patients within a busy acute hospital environment without direct supervision
- To be involved in complex case management including family planning meetings as part of a wider multidisciplinary team
- To provide pre-operative education individual and/or group sessions as part of the Elective Enhanced Recovery Programme
- To supervise rotational Band 5 physiotherapists, therapy assistant practitioners and undergraduate physiotherapy students if required
- To be involved in in-service training rotas, evidence-based practice reviews and audits on a regular basis
- To work a rostered seven-day service/shift pattern within the Orthopaedic speciality
- To work within the James Paget University Hospital or in a community health setting as required
Person Specification
Education and Qualifications
Essential
- Diploma/Degree/MSc in Physiotherapy
- Current Health and Care Professions Council registration
- CPD record should include evidence of up-to-date manual handling, in-service training and reflections of learning
Knowledge and Experience
Essential
- Experience at Band 5 level within a range of areas: patients with multi-pathology, including dementia, falls, palliative care and bariatric patients
- Significant clinical experience within the NHS to include acute hospital setting and discharge planning
- Experience with range of orthopaedic patients including fractured neck of femur, elective and multi-trauma patients
- Experience of working with a range of professionals within multidisciplinary teams
- Evidence of acting in a supervisory manner, providing specialist guidance, training and support to other staff or students
- Evidence of reflective learning, demonstrates self-directed learning
- Awareness of relevant professional practice, new research and guidelines
- Understanding of legal issues, safeguarding and mental capacity
- Working knowledge of clinical governance and implications for own work
Skills, Abilities and Competencies
Essential
- Communication skills including empathy, assertiveness and negotiation skills
- Ability to build good rapport with a wide variety of people
- Ability to prioritise and organise workload and support others with this
- Ability to act as an autonomous practitioner with minimum supervision
- Ability to work proactively under pressure
- Recognise own limitations and know when to ask for help
- Forward thinking, able to problem solve with positive approach
- Ability to travel within the Great Yarmouth and Waveney area. Must hold a full current driving licence or be able to make own travelling arrangements to fulfil the duties of the post, including visits to patients' homes with and without patients
- Competent IT skills, e.g. Microsoft suite, use of online resources
Other
Essential
- Physically fit and able to comply with Trust Manual Handling Guidelines
- Evidence of interest/motivation to work within Orthopaedics
Person Specification
Education and Qualifications
Essential
- Diploma/Degree/MSc in Physiotherapy
- Current Health and Care Professions Council registration
- CPD record should include evidence of up-to-date manual handling, in-service training and reflections of learning
Knowledge and Experience
Essential
- Experience at Band 5 level within a range of areas: patients with multi-pathology, including dementia, falls, palliative care and bariatric patients
- Significant clinical experience within the NHS to include acute hospital setting and discharge planning
- Experience with range of orthopaedic patients including fractured neck of femur, elective and multi-trauma patients
- Experience of working with a range of professionals within multidisciplinary teams
- Evidence of acting in a supervisory manner, providing specialist guidance, training and support to other staff or students
- Evidence of reflective learning, demonstrates self-directed learning
- Awareness of relevant professional practice, new research and guidelines
- Understanding of legal issues, safeguarding and mental capacity
- Working knowledge of clinical governance and implications for own work
Skills, Abilities and Competencies
Essential
- Communication skills including empathy, assertiveness and negotiation skills
- Ability to build good rapport with a wide variety of people
- Ability to prioritise and organise workload and support others with this
- Ability to act as an autonomous practitioner with minimum supervision
- Ability to work proactively under pressure
- Recognise own limitations and know when to ask for help
- Forward thinking, able to problem solve with positive approach
- Ability to travel within the Great Yarmouth and Waveney area. Must hold a full current driving licence or be able to make own travelling arrangements to fulfil the duties of the post, including visits to patients' homes with and without patients
- Competent IT skills, e.g. Microsoft suite, use of online resources
Other
Essential
- Physically fit and able to comply with Trust Manual Handling Guidelines
- Evidence of interest/motivation to work within Orthopaedics
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
