Advanced Physiotherapy Practitioner

Posting date:	12 March 2026
Salary:	£55,690.00 to £62,682.00 per year
Additional salary information:	£55690.00 - £62682.00 a year
Hours:	Full time
Closing date:	26 March 2026
Location:	Wigan, WN6 7LB
Company:	NHS Jobs
Job type:	Permanent
Job reference:	C9302-26-0117

Summary

Duties and Responsibilities 1. To work as an autonomous practitioner providing an advanced role within the Multidisciplinary (MDT) Musculoskeletal (MSK) Clinical Assessment & Treatment Service (CATS). Managing a defined caseload, using evidence based/client centred principles, specialising in highly complex and challenging patients. 2. To triage referrals at the point of entry into the service using advanced clinical reasoning, knowledge and expertise, directing to appropriate services/clinicians 3. To work in an advanced role in the management of patients with diverse presentations and complex physical, medical and psychological conditions. To make a clinical diagnosis, by using advanced assessment, requesting and interpreting advanced diagnostic tests and investigations, to implement the correct care pathway. Ensuring referral to the appropriate services and / or facilitating Choice to service users for Secondary Care, independently of medical staff. 4. To be responsible for the development, implementation and updating of evidence based treatment protocols for orthopaedic conditions within their speciality 5. As a source of knowledge and expertise within their speciality, act in a consultancy capacity to other professionals and support staff in the wider MDT. Within the MSK setting and as appropriate outside the organisation regarding MSK policies, procedures, diagnosis and care pathways. 6. To provide clinical & professional leadership for their speciality for the MSK service as a whole. Educate, train and mentor other health professionals to promote and ensure an exemplary MSK service. 7. To lead and implement research and audit activities within their speciality. To ensure the continuing development and improvement of the MSK CATS in line with evidence based practice and new initiatives. 8. To ensure equality across all sites for the planning, co-ordinating, delivering and evaluating of the MSK CATS related to their speciality. 9. To contribute and work effectively and efficiently as a member of the MSK CATS team to deliver an holistic quality and safe service being responsible for service achievement of contractual activity and meeting access targets including 18 week pathway. 10. To work as an autonomous practitioner, be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of your own work including the management of patients in your care. To ensure high standards of clinical care for the patients under your management, and support other staff working in the team to do likewise. 11. Post holders are required to work independently, within broad clinical & professional guidelines. 12. To triage referrals at the point of entry into the service and using clinical knowledge and expertise direct them to the appropriate pathway within, or to a different service and / or refer to secondary care e.g. listing for surgery via choice; direct to rheumatology and Downloaded at: 13/06/2023 13:13 Mr Stuart Ivan Barker (Page 58 of 63) pain clinic, urgent admission to hospital wards; and referrals to community/social services e.g. rapid response, duty social worker. 13. To use advanced clinical reasoning skills to request appropriate investigations and interpret eg X-rays, blood tests, ultrasound scans, nerve conduction, MRI, computerised gait analysis, (including identifying patients and recommending referral for nuclear and computerized tomography and DEXA scanning) to assist in the formulation of diagnosis and planned patient management. 14. To undertake the comprehensive advanced assessment, diagnosis and management of patients, including those with diverse and/or highly complex presentation/multi-pathologies. Using investigative and high analytical skills, to formulate specialised individualised plans, using advanced clinical reasoning/problem solving. 15. To provide advanced treatments using specialised techniques for a wide range of highly complex conditions, by utilising evidence based knowledge. Demonstrating highly developed dexterity, co-ordination and palpatory senses. 16. To be responsible for ensuring the effective selection and use of all treatment resources available in the department ensuring competence to use equipment and the safe use of equipment by others through, teaching, training and supervision of practice. 17. To be responsible for the development, implementation and updating of evidence based treatment protocols for orthopaedic conditions within their speciality 18. To accept clinical responsibility for a designated caseload of patients, and to organise this effectively and efficiently with regard to clinical priorities and use of time. 19. To accept partial responsibility for any tasks delegated to less senior qualified or unqualified staff. 20. To provide highly specialist advice to other professionals including GPs and consultants, to promote understanding of the aims of treatment/surgery, and to ensure a consistent approach to patient care, re: musculoskeletal patients, and where appropriate implement patient management plan e.g. for further investigation. 21. To communicate effectively with patients and carers to maximise rehabilitation potential and to ensure understanding of condition. Use communication skills such as persuasion, motivation explanation to encourage patients to undertake their management programme when they may be resistant or in cases with distressful diagnoses. 22. To use communication tools (verbal and non-verbal) to assess capacity, gain valid informed consent and have the ability to work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment. There will often be barriers to effective communication e.g. loss of hearing, altered perception, expressive and receptive dysphasia, pain, fear etc and understanding. 23. To provide detailed patient reports to referrer and for onward treatment including secondary care (e.g. surgery listing via choice) Key results from the job holder 1. To maintain own clinical professional development (CPD) by keeping abreast of any new trends and developments, and incorporate them as necessary into your work, developing and maintaining professional and leadership skills. 2. To interpret clinical national and local agreed standards of practice, implementing policy and service development changes as appropriate, for their speciality within the MSK Service (e.g. NICE) 3. To represent the Trust externally (locally and regionally) regarding MSK CATS for their speciality. 4. To work in partnership with other agencies to ensure the MSK CATS strategy is implemented throughout the Trust. 5. To be active in organising, contributing to and leading case conferences with Consultants and other AHPs. 6. To be responsible for the education, training and mentoring of other health professionals to promote and ensure an exemplary MSK service. Providing an integrated and seamless approach to patient care. 7. To participate in the staff appraisal, and the formulation of Personal Development Plans (PDP) as both appraiser and appraisee. 8. To monitor the quality of service related to their speciality provided by the MSK CATS by undertaking the measurement and evaluation of your work and current practices through the use of Evidence Based Practice projects, audit and outcome measures, either individually, or with the CATS Team. 9. To ensure appropriate research and clinical trials are carried out relevant to your specialist area as appropriate 10. To demonstrate a sound understanding of Clinical Governance and Risk Management and apply to work situation. 11. To be aware of Health and Safety aspects of your work and implement any policies, which may be required to improve the safety of your work area, including your prompt recording and reporting of accidents to senior staff, and ensuring that equipment use if safe. 12. To act as a role model and clinical expert to actively promote your role within the multidisciplinary team, thereby supporting and inspiring colleagues toward achieving excellence in their care. 13. To take an active role in special interest groups relevant to the area of musculoskeletal medicine and clinical practice, to cascade information and incorporate their standards into local practice as appropriate. Planning and Organisational Duties 1. To decide priorities for own work area, balancing other patient related and professional demands, and ensures that they remain in accordance with those of the section as a whole. 2. To co-ordinate the day-to-day organisational responsibilities for the clinical area to ensure appropriate human and clinical resources are available. 3. To liaise with and advise the MSK CATS Team Leaders regarding their speciality in relation to developing the strategic and operational management of the MSK CATS. 4. To be responsible for ordering (including being a budgetary signatory where appropriate), monitoring and maintaining equipment used in carrying out MSK CATS duties. 5. To maintain accurate, comprehensive and up-to-date documentation, in line with legal and departmental requirements and communicate assessment and treatment results to the appropriate disciplines in form of reports and letters. 6. To work in partnership with other agencies to ensure the MSK CATS strategy is implemented throughout the Trust. 7. To comply with the organisational and departmental policies and procedures and to be involved in the reviewing and updating as appropriate. 8. To be actively involved in the recruitment and selection of staff. 9. To undertake any other duties that might be considered appropriate by the manager