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Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

About

We provide NHS care and treatment for people living in south east England. Our mental health services provide care and treatment for people with conditions such as psychosis, depression, anxiety, dementia and personality disorder. Our vision is to provide outstanding care and treatment you can be confident in.

Contact

Address: Swandean; Arundel Road; Worthing; West Sussex; BN13 3EP
Contact Number: 01903 843000

Find out more

Jobs Website

Open

Ref: 354-CO-21971-1 Vacancy ID: 8227892

Principal Physiotherapist - Inpatient Mental Health Service

Accepting applications until: 27-Aug-2026 23:59

Vacancy status: Open

Accepting applications until: 27-Aug-2026 23:59

Location

Gwefan: Portland House
Cyfeiriad: Richmond Road
Tref: Worthing
Cod post: BN11 1FG
Major / Minor Region: West Sussex

Contract type & working pattern

Contract

Permanent

Oriau

Part time
Flexible working

22.5 hours per week

Salary

Cyflog: £57,528 - £64,750 pro rata
Cyfnod cyflog: Yearly
Gradd: (NHS AfC: Band 8a)

Specialty

Prif leoliad: Mental Health

Come and join us

We’re looking for people who share our values of compassion, accountability and optimism to help us provide high quality care for the patients, carers, families and communities we serve. We specialise in NHS mental health and learning disability services and we’re proud to make a difference every day.

At SPFT we put people first. We’ll do everything possible to help you feel respected, valued and included. You’ll have opportunities to learn, grow and gain new experiences to support your career, with access to lifelong learning and professional development.

We actively promote flexible working and understand how important work life balance is, especially in healthcare. Whether it’s part time hours, hybrid working or flexible start and finish times, we’ll explore what works for you and the role.

We recognise that tools like AI are becoming part of everyday life and you may choose to use them when preparing your application. We welcome this, as long as what you submit reflects your own experience, skills and voice. AI can be helpful for structuring or refining your answers, but it should not replace your own examples or create content that isn’t based on your real experience.

Our recruitment process is designed to get to know you, and we’ll explore your examples further at interview, so it’s important your application genuinely represents what you bring. You can read more about using AI in applications and interviews on our recruitment process page.

We’re shaping a workplace where ideas are encouraged, technology supports you and everyone has a voice in how we improve. If that sounds like the kind of organisation you want to be part of, we’d love to hear from you.

Swydd-ddisgrifiad a phrif gyfrifoldebau manwl

1. The post-holder will be responsible for assessing and managing their own specialist caseload of patients/clients across the service.

2. They will act as the Physiotherapy clinical lead providing expert clinical advice and input for clients with highly complex needs, where there may be barriers to understanding.

3. In addition, the post-holder will lead on the development of their specialist service, playing a key role in shaping new service initiatives and strategic plans in conjunction with the Consultant Physiotherapist. They will provide professional leadership, clinical supervision, and mentorship for staff within the service, ensuring that high-quality care is maintained in line with professional, national, and local standards.

4. The post-holder will also take a leading role in clinical audits and may undertake research to support service development and innovation. As well as being responsible for developing and delivering training in their specialist area as required

SPFT is committed to building a workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We particularly welcome applications from people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds and from disabled candidates, as these groups are currently underrepresented.

Successful candidates are normally appointed to the bottom of the pay scale unless previous NHS experience in a similar role can be evidenced.

SPFT takes its responsibilities for safeguarding children, young people and adults at risk very seriously. We expect all staff and bank workers to share this commitment and complete the relevant safeguarding training for their role.

If you have not heard from us within three weeks of the closing date, please assume your application has been unsuccessful. However, we’ll always do our best to keep you informed as we know how much time and care goes into applying for a role.

In the event of a high number of applications, we may close this vacancy early.

Protect Yourself from Recruitment Fraud

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust does not charge any fees for job applications, recruitment processes, sponsorship arrangements or employment offers.

All vacancies, applications and recruitment communications are managed through the Trust's official careers website and published contact details.

These are the only authorised channels for applying for roles, receiving recruitment communications and verifying job offers.

Further information relating to our vacancies and recruitment process can be found at - https://careers.sussexpartnership.nhs.uk/.

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Person specification

Essential

Meini prawf hanfodol

• MSc / Degree / Diploma in Physiotherapy
• Evidence of master level post qualification study
• Evidence of continuing professional development
• Registration with the HCPC as a Physiotherapist
• Practice placement qualification
• Extensive experience as a qualified Physiotherapist, an element of which must have been in a mental health setting
• Extensive experience of working with people with Mental Health problems / Learning Disabilities
• Experience of supervising other staff
• Leadership experience
• Evidence of post-qualification training in a relevant field
• Proven written and general communication skills within a multi-disciplinary setting
• Experience in applying a range of assessment tools and a comprehensive knowledge of Physiotherapy clinical approaches used in Mental health / Learning disabilities
• Experience in using assessments relevant to the field
• Experience of service/ practice innovation
• Experience in Quality Improvement
• Experience in working collaboratively with other agencies
• Expert knowledge of Physiotherapy interventions
• Ability to supervise and develop junior staff
• Lead others in the development of knowledge, ideas and work practices including policies and strategies
• Resolution of professional/ethical issues
• Ability to communicate complex condition related information to service users, carers and colleagues, and resolve any barriers there may be to understanding
• Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with relevant stakeholders
• Ability to reflect on and critically appraise own performance
• Ability to think strategically and across services
• Ability to implement and suggest changes to polices, as well as developing specific polices for the specialist area
• Ability to assess, develop interventions and monitor needs for a range of highly complex conditions within the specialist area, considering clinical governance issues, and the content of expert advice
• Ability to co-ordinate Physiotherapy activity across the area in collaboration with operational managers
• Ability to identify the needs of the service as a whole and to prioritise accordingly
• Ability to work alone where required and as an active member of a team
• Effective time management and allocation of resources
• Ability to work with a range of codes of practice and professional guidelines and ability to interpret these for the specialist service
• Ability to set up and maintain clinical and professional supervision system for junior staff, including appraisal, allocation of work, as well as the recruitment and appointment of new staff
• Management of delegated budget when appropriate
• Ability to use Trust IT systems including e-mail and electronic clinical records
• Ability to design and deliver complex clinical audit activity and to be active in considering research activity in the clinical area
• Ability to participate in training in de-escalation techniques and breakaway Ability to be able to deal with conflicting demands. Requirement to move patients and equipment during functional assessment and treatment
• Highly developed physical skills with a high level of accuracy essential for delivering safe and effective interventions.
• Demonstrated dexterity, co-ordination, and fine motor control to carry out physiotherapy assessments and treatments across a wide range of patient groups.
• Well-developed sensory and perceptual skills to observe, assess, and respond appropriately to subtle changes in patient presentation and function.
• Ability to apply sustained physical effort, including therapeutic handling, manual techniques, and use of equipment, while maintaining patient safety.
• Ability to concentrate on complex client assessment and intervention and deal with interruptions to workflow
• Ability to be able to deal with conflicting demands
• Ability to deal with distressing or emotional circumstances due to complex nature of work with service users
• Ability to carry out investigations into untoward incidents which may have distressing content
• Frequent exposure to unpleasant working conditions - whilst carrying out functional assessment, or home visits to unsanitary environments
• Demonstrate support for the values and beliefs of the Care Group and those of the Trust
• Flexible approach – willing to work as part of a team and assist colleagues
• Demonstrate an understanding of the practices of Human Rights in the delivery of this role
• Commitment to providing a quality service within a team
• Ability to travel across sites
• Punctual and flexible across hours of work when required

Meini prawf dymunol

• Management / Leadership training
• Experience in a range of clinical settings
• Management experience
• Member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists (CSP)
• Lived experience of Mental Health issues
• Research experience
• Experience in clinical audit

Documents

Further details / informal visits contact

Enw: Gemma Dorer
Teitl y swydd: Director of Allied Health Professions
Cyfeiriad ebost: [email protected]
Gwybodaeth i gefnogi eich cais: Please contact Maxine Goodman - Consultant Physiotherapist and Trust-wide Lead for an informal chat about the role - Email: [email protected]