Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Clinical Lead Physiotherapist - Paediatrics

The closing date is 09 February 2026

Job summary

Step into a pivotal leadership role at the heart of children's healthcare in Luton. We're seeking an inspiring clinical and operational leader to guide our Paediatric Therapy Service across both community and acute settings. You'll oversee a vibrant, wide-reaching service that supports children in special schools, mainstream schools and nurseries, delivers community paediatric outpatient care, and provides expert therapy input on Acute Paediatric wards and within Paediatric Musculoskeletal clinics. Your leadership will also extend to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, the neonatal follow-up service, and a dedicated clerical support team.

This is a rare opportunity to shape high-quality, compassionate care across the entire paediatric pathway while leading a committed, multidisciplinary team who share your passion for making a meaningful difference to children and families.

Main duties of the job

To ensure service delivery aligns with the service specification, is evidence based value for money and in line with the national and local agendas.

To ensure all patients within the paediatric therapy service are assessed and treated to the highest standards of care following current evident based practice.

To overview and review paediatric therapy service, implementing change and evaluating change to ensure effective and efficient service for all patients.

To be the lead clinician for the paediatric therapy service.

To deliver advanced physiotherapy assessment, intervention, and consultation for children with complex acquired and developmental disabilities and social needs

To act as a clinical source of expertise for the paediatric therapy Team, the multi-disciplinary team and other agencies within and external to the Trust.

To be responsible for the analysis, dissemination, implementation and monitoring of national guidelines and standards applicable to the paediatric therapy service.

To work collaboratively and in partnership with the Therapies Leads, other Allied Health Professional Team Leads and other stakeholders within and external to the trust

About us

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.

Our values

We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience - we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. We achieve this by using values based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity and creating a culture that values differences.

Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarize yourself with all requirements of the job.

Date posted

26 January 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£55,690 to £62,682 a year pa pro rata

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

18 months

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

418-DTO2106-KA

Job locations

Luton & Dunstable Hospital

Lewsey Road

Luton

LU4 0DZ

Job description

Job responsibilities

JOB SUMMARY

To provide clinical and operational leadership for the paediatric Therapy service covering Community paediatric service and acute paediatric service within Luton. This encompasses community paediatric services to special schools, main stream schools and nurseries, community out patients, Acute Paediatric wards, Paediatric Musculoskeletal outpatients, Neonatal intensive care unit, neonatal follow up service and clerical support.

To ensure service delivery aligns with the service specification, is evidence based value for money and in line with the national and local agendas.

To ensure all patients within the paediatric Therapy service are assessed and treated to the highest standards of care following current evident based practice.

To overview and review paediatric therapy service, implementing change and evaluating change to ensure effective and efficient service for all patients.

To be the lead clinician for the paediatric therapy service.

To deliver advanced physiotherapy assessment, intervention, and consultation for children with complex acquired and developmental disabilities and social needs

To act as a clinical source of expertise for the paediatric therapy Team, the multi-disciplinary team and other agencies within and external to the Trust

To be responsible for the analysis, dissemination, implementation and monitoring of national guidelines and standards applicable to the paediatric therapy service.

To work collaboratively and in partnership with the Therapies Leads, other Allied Health Professional Team Leads and other stakeholders within and external to the trust

Clinical duties:

To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own work, including the management of patients in your care.

Undertake a comprehensive, holistic assessment of patients, including those with diverse or highly complex presentations / multi pathologies, using highly advanced clinical reasoning, analytical and investigative skills and highly specially assessment techniques to provide an accurate diagnosis.

Formulate and deliver an individual evidence based physiotherapy treatment programme based on highly specialised knowledge. This necessitates high levels of autonomy and the analysis of information from a wide range of sources, interpreting results to inform assessment and treatment planning and evaluating the effectiveness of treatment interventions.

Formulate accurate prognoses and recommend best course of intervention, developing comprehensive discharge plans.

Assess patient understanding of treatment proposals, gain valid informed consent and have the capacity to work within a legal framework with patients who lack the capacity to consent to treatment.

To have an expert working knowledge of the wider MDT and follow-up rehabilitation and treatment services. To work as an effective member of the MDT and make appropriate and timely referrals to MDT colleagues.

Use recognised outcome measures, assessment tools and highly advanced clinical skills to evaluate patient progress, reassess and alter treatment programmes if required.

To manage clinical risk within own caseload.

To be responsible for maintaining accurate and comprehensive written patient treatment records, referral letters and reports in line with the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy standards of practice.

Develop and evaluate written information for patients and carers.

Demonstrate highly specialist skills within the assessment and treatment of community paediatric patients.

Act as a source of expertise within the Trust for paediatric Therapy.

To co-ordinate and lead multidisciplinary clinics for complex patients with consultants, Orthotics and Therapy Staff.

To Lead and have clinical oversight on projects covering acute and community services, such as provision of community respiratory service and flow of orthopaedic patients pre and post op.

To deliver effective evidence based patient education talks to groups of patients/carers on topics relevant to the community paediatric physiotherapy setting.

To provide regular effective clinical supervision for named qualified and non-qualified staff within the community paediatric physiotherapy team.

To participate in professional networks at regional and national levels for peer support, maintaining and developing clinical skills and knowledge. To engage in continuous professional development and lifelong learning according to Health Care Professions Council guidelines.