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Physiotherapist

Our physiotherapy team work within a large range of specialities within CUH which include:

  • Medicine
  • Medicine for the elderly
  • Orthopaedics
  • Surgery including intensive care
  • Neurosciences including neurology critical care unit
  • Major trauma
  • Paediatric in-patients
  • Paediatric respiratory and musculoskeletal out-patients
  • Stroke rehabilitation
  • Women’s/men’s health
  • Amputees
  • Out-patients including a pain service
  • REACT (Rehabilitation and Exercise during Addenbrooke’s Cancer Treatment)

The physiotherapy department staffing includes:

  • Physiotherapy managers
  • Extended scope clinical specialists
  • Band 7 senior specialists and team leads
  • Band 6 senior physiotherapists in both specialist and rotational roles
  • Band 5 junior rotational physiotherapists
  • Band 4 physiotherapy technical assistants
  • Band 3 physiotherapy assistants
  • Band 2 administration, reception and portering staff

Physiotherapy assistants

These posts are suitable for existing NHS staff as well as those who are new to the NHS. The role involves supporting and motivating patients to improve their fitness and daily function in both in-patient and out-patient settings.

You will help to prevent deconditioning whilst a patient is in hospital and promote re-ablement of physical function. The role involves assisting the management of patients whilst working alongside the physiotherapist both with individual patients and in group settings. There are also some administrative tasks.

Band 4 physiotherapy Technical Assistants

These posts are suitable for existing NHS/healthcare staff or people who have had previous experience of working within a physiotherapy setting.

In this role band 4 staff work with support and minimal supervision to undertake a variety of clinical tasks to support the delivery of physiotherapy to patients. This post is more autonomous with the ability to assess patients and also to progress and discharge patients in accordance with agreed guidance/care pathways. Competency Package There is a structured competency package in place with regular training and objective setting for all band 3 and 4 posts. These posts are not rotational but we do provide the opportunity to swap specialties as vacancies occur.

FAQs

We offer a wide range of learning and development opportunities to help your professional development.

Rotations

We are able to offer an excellent and varied choice of rotations including some very specialist areas. The rotations are every five months for Band 5’s and seven months for Band 6’s.

Senior physiotherapy team leads

Each team is led by highly skilled and specialist physiotherapists who will support staff during their rotation, helping to develop clinical and research skills.

Band 5 development programme

We are extremely proud of our well evaluated Inter- professional Preceptorship programme which meets the Department of Health (2010) recommendations for all newly registered health care professionals. The flexibility of the programme will allow you to achieve the outcomes required by your service and also your own professional and personal goals

Service improvement

Each team completes an Evidence Based Practice project annually (all team members are encouraged to contribute) and all teams’ present a poster at the end of the year. Some of these posters are later presented at national conferences.

Courses

We offer regular opportunities to attend courses with many held at CUH. We have a generous study leave allowance of 7 days per year for qualified staff and 5 days a year for non-qualified staff, staff members are able to apply for course funding.

Teaching and CPD opportunities

We offer weekly in-service training (IST) as well as regular 1:1 meetings. Band 6, 5, 4 and 3 staff have regular group teaching/meeting sessions.

We offer the opportunity to teach other members of the multidisciplinary team (MDT) e.g. nursing staff.

We run regular respiratory workshops for our staff as well as study days and simulation days to support on call competencies.

All staff members have an annual appraisal with regular reviews to identify learning needs.

We also offer the chance to support and supervise non-qualified team members as well as students.

Research

Research is central to CUH’s identity as a leading NHS hospital and development as an academic research centre. Cambridge is home to one of the richest pools of clinical and scientific knowledge and expertise not only in the country but in the world. The Trust has a vision to “become a world-leading centre for NMAHP research and a nationally recognised leader in developing and supporting clinical academic careers for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals”. As a physiotherapy department we provide opportunities to take part in research projects, with funding available. Our physiotherapists regularly present at conferences and write publications.

Career progression

We offer lots of opportunities for career progression and actively support the transition from band 5 to band 6. At band 6 level there are static and rotational posts available as well as development opportunities into teams outside of those in the rotations.

Social activities

We are a friendly department and regularly organise social events both as a department and as smaller teams. These include team building activities, Christmas party, team socials and’ FLEE Friday’. The Frank Lee Centre (FLEE) is a leisure and fitness facility on site. The club runs as a ‘not for profit’ business and the membership fees are kept as low as possible to benefit any staff that work on the Cambridge University Hospital Campus.

Matt - Physiotherapist

A picture of Matt - One of our physiotherapists
I really like working at Addenbrooke’s due to its wide variety of rotations which include opportunities to work in specialist intensive care, as well as with children. The Department provides excellent training opportunities. I knew this was where I wanted to work as I had a great student placement here.

I chose to train as a physiotherapist because I liked sport as a teenager and thought I would work in a sporting profession in the future.

Now I have completed my training I have realised what a wide range of areas physiotherapists work in and really like working on the wards with a variety of patients. In particular I enjoy the patient rapport and being part of a multi-disciplinary team.

I started at Addenbrooke’s working with stroke patients; helping them regain their function after they have had a stroke. It is so rewarding to see a patient change from being very ill and dependent to then being able to go home and manage for themselves again.

At present I am working on the medical wards and amazed at the varied areas I can treat patients in. For example, I could be seeing a very poorly respiratory patient who needs oxygen and help clearing secretions from their chest, but in the same day could be doing an exercise programme with a long-term oncology patient to make sure they have the best quality of life possible.

This document was correct at the time of printing - 25-04-2024 12:29