University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust

Specialist Respiratory Physiotherapist

The closing date is 21 July 2025

Job summary

The applicant will be working alongside an established team of Thoracic medicine consultants, specialist practitioners and wider multidisciplinary teams in a continually evolving fast paced respiratory service. The post will involve work alongside front door services, respiratory hot clinics, virtual ward, community stakeholders, in and outreach services and outpatient respiratory services.

We are looking for proactive specialist clinicians who are dedicated to improving patient experience, optimising care to support acute hospital admission avoidance, prevent re-admission and promote effective self-management strategies for patients and their carer's.

There will be ongoing training and development opportunities relating to both specialist and trainee specialist posts supported by the existing multidisciplinary and education teams.

If you are a dynamic progressive physiotherapist with relevant clinical experience, excellent leadership skills, and inspire innovative team working and dedicated to optimising patient care this is the post for you.

For candidates that do not meet the full criteria there will be an opportunity too to start this role as a trainee clinical specialist at band 7 until competencies have been met.

Main duties of the job

o Demonstrate clinical expertise, working autonomously, making highly complex clinical decisions. utilising highly advanced knowledge and experience in dealing with Respiratory patients with highly complex presentations.

o Request, interpret and act upon the results of investigations pertinent to the healthcare of respiratory patient population.

o Practice autonomous expert clinical practice, receiving and making referrals to/from a frame of clinical environments across the health network.

o Help firmly establish values-based professional practice across pathways, services, organisations and systems, working with individuals, families, carers, communities and others.

o Lead health and social care provision with service users and communities, including practice accreditation, change, and continuous improvement across the system.

o Help put in place peer reviews and evaluations of safety, quality and health outcomes, from pathway to systems level.

o High-quality, values-based professional practice that improves people's experience, supporting them to make decisions in complex situations.

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 team on 01752 432100. 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.

Date posted

10 July 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£53,755 to £60,504 a year Per Annum Pro Rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time, Flexible working, Compressed hours

Reference number

216-LD-M7191838-A

Job locations

Derriford Hospital

Plymouth

PL6 8DH

Job description

Job responsibilities

PRIMARY DUTIES & AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

Expert Practice

Demonstrate clinical expertise, working autonomously, making highly complex clinical decisions. utilising highly advanced knowledge and experience in dealing with Respiratory patients with highly complex presentations.

Request, interpret and act upon the results of investigations pertinent to the healthcare of respiratory patient population.

Practice autonomous expert clinical practice, receiving and making referrals to/from a frame of clinical environments across the health network.

Help firmly establish values-based professional practice across pathways, services, organisations and systems, working with individuals, families, carers, communities and others.

Lead health and social care provision with service users and communities, including practice accreditation, change, and continuous improvement across the system.

Help put in place peer reviews and evaluations of safety, quality and health outcomes, from pathway to systems level.

High-quality, values-based professional practice that improves peoples experience, supporting them to make decisions in complex situations.

A positive approach to working with difference and diversity, challenging stigma and using the best possible communication methods.

Use an extensive range of verbal and non-verbal communication tools to communicate effectively with patients/carers. Identifying and accessing where appropriate suitable equipment/persons to aid treatments, motivating, gaining cooperation and progressing rehabilitation and treatment programmes. This will include patients who may have difficulties in understanding or communicating patients may be dysphasic, depressed, deaf, blind, have English as a second language or who may be unable to accept diagnosis or who have unrealistic expectations of therapy interventions.

Sharing decision-making with service users and partners in every situation, so that the effectiveness of physical, psychological and social interventions and services and the transition through each stage of care and services can be assessed.

Lead how risk is managed in unpredictable and complex situations, and where a precedent has not been set.

Lead the ongoing development of evidence-based practice and improvement of quality, safety, and health and service outcomes.

Lead the ongoing development of, and putting in place and reviewing, care and service pathways, standards, policies, guidelines, procedures, service improvement and practice accreditation.

Have formal systems for collecting and reviewing feedback from patients and service users, carers and staff across services, working with service teams to identify and put in place any action needed as a result of that feedback.

Involve local people, carers and service users in developing, evaluating and improving services.

Work with professional bodies, clinical networks, commissioners, regional and national level, third sectors, charities and other partners.

Contribute to a clinical assurance portfolio to evidence clinical practice. If such assurance does not exist, develop and contribute, in collaboration with colleagues across the health network.

To demonstrate advanced knowledge, skills and experience within the field of respiratory medicine.

To liaise with all members of the multidisciplinary team both within University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust and around the peninsula.

To be recognised as an expert within the field of respiratory care and ensure that locally endorsed standards are developed and implemented, reflecting best practice nationally, following clinical governance policies and are evidence based.

To adhere to all Trust and professional bodies policies and code of conduct.

To liaise with rehabilitation facilities within the region to ensure a smooth transition of care between the acute and rehabilitation settings.

Providing expert knowledge of the acute phase of care, in support of the development of service provision with rehabilitation units in the Local Health Community in line with national directives.

Provide advice to medical and nursing staff and other members of the multi-disciplinary team regarding patients respiratory and chest functions/condition, when working on the emergency duty on-call rota.