Specialist Physiotherapist

Job summary

Please note: at this stage, the role is open only to colleagues currently employed within Kent and Medway NHS Trusts, the Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board (ICB) and Medway Community Healthcare or working on the Staff Bank within these organisations. Nursing and AHP vacancies are also open to Student Nurses and Newly Qualified Nurses/AHPs.

Come and join our children's therapy team in East Sussex . This is an opportunity to work as part of an integrated therapy team, supporting the needs of children and young people aged 0-19.The East Sussex Children's Integrated Therapy and Equipment Service (ESCITES) is provided by Kent Community Health Foundation Trust.

We arerecruiting a Physiotherapist to work in The Southfield Centre which is part of Summerdown School and to support the community Physiotherapyteam.The Southfield Centre is incorporated into Summerdown School, providing bespoke facilities for pupils with complex medical and nursing needs.You will be joining an established team consisting of an Occupational Therapist, a Speech and Language Therapist and Integrated TherapyAssistants.The Children's Integrated Therapy and Equipment Service works with children from 0-19 years within East Sussex.

We have three main bases inCrowborough, Eastbourne and Hastings. You will be based in Summerdown School in Eastbourne and will carry a caseload of children within thisschool. PLEASE NOTE: THIS VACANCY IS BASED IN EAST SUSSEX.

Main duties of the job

The job in the Southfield Centre will involve working with families, the school staff team, the therapy team and the nursing team within theschool to plan therapy and offer advice on the needs of the children and young people in it. You will help to develop the whole school offer as wellas provide specialist support.

You will support the school's hydrotherapy offer.Outside of the school you will support the community Physiotherapy team through running clinics and supporting families who need support intheir homes or their child's nursery environment.We support leadership development at all levels and as a Band 6 Physiotherapist you will have opportunities to provide clinical supervision to lessexperienced therapists and students, and take part in service improvement groups.

Our support and induction offered to new staff includesregular meetings with your line manager, clinical supervision and appraisal, as well as internal and external training opportunities.As a location, East Sussex boasts the beautiful rural countryside alongside vibrant seaside towns with easy access to the continent and Gatwick aswell regular rail services in and out of London and a coastal railway network.You need to have at least2 years relevant clinical experience.

Car owner/driver essential, subject to the provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act (1995).

About us

Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust is due to integrate with Medway Community Healthcare on 1 October 2026. Following integration and to align our community services to the new Neighbourhood Model of care delivery, there will be a period of consultation which may result in changes affecting some services, teams or roles.

Depending on the area you are applying to work in, this could include potential changes to your role, work base, reporting arrangements, or terms and conditions of employment. Any changes would be subject to consultation and managed sensitively and in line with relevant employment processes. Please do contact the recruiting manager if you have any concerns about this so they can answer any questions you might have.

Rated 'Outstanding' by CQC, we deliver high-quality care that improves the health of our communities. We are looking for people who share our values: Compassionate, Aspirational, Responsive and Excellent . We are proud to be an inclusive, welcoming organisation and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds.

We use protected characteristic information for monitoring only and it is not seen by recruiting managers, except where applicants choose to be considered under our disability guaranteed interview scheme. We know life outside work matters. As a flexible working-friendly organisation, we welcome conversations about arrangements that help you thrive while supporting excellent care for our patients. Explore KCHFTcareer pathways

Job responsibilities

As a community Trust, many of our roles require individuals to be able to drive to perform their duties. Where driving is a requirement of the role, you will be asked to confirm that you hold a full UK driving licence or a full driving licence issued by an EU country (not exchanged from a non-EU country) to proceed with your application. We are committed to supporting candidates with disabilities into employment.

If you are unable to drive due to a disability, please contact the Recruitment Team viakentchft.recruitment@nhs.net, quoting the vacancy reference number, so we can support you further. The job description and person specification gives you all the information you need about this role. Please look carefully at the criteria in the person specification and tell us what you have done that shows you meet this in your application.

If you need an application form in an alternative format please let our recruitment team know. All information you supply on your application should, to the best of your knowledge, be true and accurate. Still have questions? The recruiting manager would love to hear from you, their contact details can be found in the job advert.

We can get a lot of applications for some roles so to be in with the best chance of being shortlisted please make sure you apply as soon as possible. A vacancy may close early if there is a lot of interest in the job. At KCHFT we strongly encourage colleagues in clinical and non-clinical roles who have direct or social contact with patients to be fully vaccinated.

In this way we will be doing all we can to ensure your safety and that of your colleagues and the patients we serve. Find out more about the community differencehere. Good luck! We cant wait to meet you and welcome you to #teamKCHFT, #cometocommunity.

Person Specification

Qualifications · Essential

Registered health care professional (HCPC registration; Physiotherapy degree and evidence of relevant post graduate development at Level 6; Evidence of Specialist qualifications relevant to area of practice

Desirable

Management or supervisory qualification or experience of study; Working towards Master level study

Experience · Essential

Demonstratable experience in relevant area of practice; Practical experience in managing health related projects/complex caseloads; Supporting others (mentor / educator / supervisor ) experience.

Desirable

Experience of leading and managing teams; Experience with the use of Microsoft Office and a variety of IT packages (E-Pay / Eroster/ AT-P/ RIO). Specialist Knowledge and Expertise

Essential

Understanding of National Service Frameworks and NICE guidance to relevant to care setting and its application across health care services; Evidence of continued relevant professional development and implementation in practice within the last 12 months.

Skills and Abilities · Essential

Understanding of training needs in relation to post; Ability to manage time effectively, priorities and work under pressure to meet deadlines; Ability to work effectively with a variety of people at all organisational levels across different sectors including areas of social deprivation; Ability to communicate complex, sensitive information to individuals and groups; Strong influencing and negotiating skills.

Personal Attributes · Essential

Ability to motivate and organise others to ensure best practice; Ability to manage and lead change Ability to Manage

Essential

Able to support the implementation of local and national agenda's for health under the guidance of the senior Practitioner; Ability to prioritise care delivery in a professional manner, taking into account Trust policies and Procedures; Ability to manage own time effectively.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab) . From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab) .

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).