Highly Specialist Physiotherapist - Upper Airway & Asthma Outpatients
The closing date is 05 June 2026
An exciting and challenging opportunity has arisen for an experienced Physiotherapist to join our Outpatient Respiratory Therapy Team at LUHFT, based at Broadgreen Hospital.
We are looking for a dynamic B7 Physiotherapist who is keen to work in both Joint Upper Airway Clinic in ENT outpatients and Respiratory Clinic in Severe Asthma outpatients. This is a split practitioner role to provide input into the Joint clinic with ENT and Respiratory consultants and to offer treatment for patients presenting with disorders of the Upper Airway and Severe Asthma in an outpatient setting.
In this role you will provide both senior clinical and operational leadership for the development and running of Upper Airway and Asthma outpatient physiotherapy service.
Therapists should have specialist knowledge of chronic respiratory illnesses, asthma management services, breathing pattern disorder management and ILO management. Physiotherapists have a key role in high level clinical reasoning, risk identification and problem solving to enable patients to rehabilitate, maintain their independence and manage their conditions autonomously.
The role requires excellent communication skills and the ability to work as an effective member of the wider team. The post holder will have significant experience working with adults with complex respiratory presentations and willingness to develop expertise in upper airway presentations and managing patients with multiple co-morbidities.
Main duties of the job
This is a varied and challenging role and strong leadership skills are essential, requiring someone with initiative, a great team ethic, self-awareness and problem‑solving skills.
The successful candidate must be able to work flexibly to meet service demands and will be supported by the Clinical Lead for the Upper Airways service and Severe Asthma.
This post offers an exciting opportunity for a motivated individual to develop clinical and managerial skills within Upper Airway and Respiratory physiotherapy and oversee the development of others. The postholder will be expected to support the therapy, nursing and medical staff with complex patients requiring Respiratory Physiotherapy input in the outpatient clinics.
Your clinical remit within respiratory outpatients will involve the treatment of patients with Severe Asthma, breathing pattern disorder and Upper Airway Disorders referred to the service. This role is an ideal opportunity for an individual who is keen to develop their specialist respiratory skills and therefore experience with respiratory outpatients is desirable. The post holder will be expected to assist the MDT with strategic development of the Therapy service for the Upper Airway and Severe Asthma Services.
The post holder will be expected to engage in research, as well as regular clinical audits, and maintain up to date skills and knowledge to implement evidence‑based practice.
Job responsibilities
1. CLINICAL RESPONSIBILITIES
To have overall accountability for the planning and management of a highly complex and specialist outpatient respiratory clinical caseload.
Using expert specialist knowledge to undertake complex therapy assessments including evaluation of the impact of patients' diagnoses, stage of disease and agreed treatment plans on their ability to function and overall quality of life and make clinical decisions on the most appropriate form of intervention, both short and long term.
To reflect on clinical practice both individually and with peers identifying strengths and needs and providing evidence of sound clinical judgements based on research and evidence‑based practice.
To facilitate the production of clear and evidence-based resources for patients and carers, for use locally, regionally or nationally.
To be competent in the use of relevant equipment. This may include training of other healthcare professionals in its correct use.
To provide expert advice to all members of the multidisciplinary team in a range of forums.
To participate in on‑call duties as an autonomous practitioner within the Trust and actively participate in the weekend service.
2. RESPONSIBILITY FOR PATIENTS
To facilitate patient involvement in decision making ensuring that they have consented to therapy intervention in line with Trust policies and the relevant Code of Professional Conduct.
To provide expert therapeutic advice to patients, carers and clinicians using evidence-based practice or advanced clinical judgement acquired through professional expertise.
To use highly advanced communication, motivational interviewing and behaviour change skills to negotiate therapy interventions in situations where sensitive information needs to be discussed.
To translate highly complex scientific, medical, biochemical and therapeutic information into simple and easily understood practical information and advice for patients, their carers and families.
To monitor and review the progress of clients/ patients against goals and outcomes set and to modify these as appropriate.
3. RESPONSIBILITY FOR POLICY AND SERVICE DEVELOPMENT
To contribute to service planning in liaison with other team leads, clinical lead and/or the therapy service inpatient manager.
To contribute to the production of relevant evidence-based departmental literature in the specialist clinical area.
To participate in uni‑professional or multidisciplinary working groups, questioning and evaluating current clinical practice to provide consistently high standards of patient care.
To support in developing patient‑focused, clinically effective and evidence-based standards, procedures and policies.
To participate in local and national initiatives relating to the specialist clinical area, e.g. National Service Frameworks and NICE guidance.
To work alongside the clinical lead and in their absence be responsible for representing the profession in developing Trust clinical policies and services within the specialist clinical area.
To demonstrate an understanding and assist in implementing appropriate Clinical Governance and Risk Management strategies.
To undertake a training needs analysis for the team, ensuring that training needs are identified and action plans initiated.
To participate in the development of competencies and standard work objectives.
To ensure safe practice through documentation and reporting of critical incidents as outlined in the Trust policy.
To actively participate in local professional specialist groups to promote best practice across the profession.
To comply with the relevant Code of Professional Conduct, professional standards, Trust and departmental policies.
To maintain strict confidentiality in accordance with departmental and Trust policy and Health Professions Council standards.
To participate in the appraisal process and develop own strategy for undertaking continuing professional development.
To maintain a professional portfolio in line with departmental and national guidelines.
4. RESPONSIBILITY FOR FINANCIAL AND PHYSICAL RESOURCES
To assist in the recruitment and selection of permanent Therapy staff within the Therapy team.
5. RESPONSIBILITY FOR LEADING AND MANAGING
To ensure that all Therapy staff within the team plan their leave appropriately and that records are maintained via e‑roster.
To assist in annual staff appraisals and facilitate identification of training and development needs.
Ensure Therapy staff undertake continuing professional development appropriate to their clinical role and personal development in order to maintain professional competence including mandatory training and ensure continued registration with the Health Professions Council.
To be responsible for ensuring that staff comply with HR and other Trust policies and procedures.
To undertake mentoring and clinical supervision of members of staff.
To ensure all relevant operational matters are communicated to clinical leads.
To chair team meetings and facilitate development of team strategies and objectives.
6. RESPONSIBILITY FOR INFORMATION RESOURCES
To use Trust IT resources to maintain accurate statistical information.
To maintain knowledge of policies such as sickness, performance, maternity etc.
7. RESPONSIBILITY FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
To act as a resource to healthcare professionals outside the Trust on the specialist clinical area, where required.
To participate in the training, supervision and assessment of student, junior therapists and other MDT members.
To initiate and participate in audit, research and QI, in line with departmental and Trust research and audit procedures, in order to advance clinical practice and disseminate results appropriately.
To actively participate in relevant Trust/regional/national meetings to increase awareness of new developments in specialist clinical area and feed back information to relevant professionals.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* HCPC registration
Experience
* Demonstrable post‑qualification experience including respiratory care
Knowledge
* Must be able to demonstrate awareness of current NHS issues
* Must demonstrate a knowledge of team/group dynamics and the role of a Senior Physiotherapist within a team.
* To have a clear understanding of the role of a Senior I Physiotherapist in a large acute hospital.
* To have a knowledge of audit tools and awareness of organisational and clinical standards in Physiotherapy.
Skills
* Excellent written and oral communication skills.
* Ability to assess clinical situations and take decisions upon that information.
* Ability to liaise effectively within the multidisciplinary team.
* Ability to motivate patients and other staff.
* Ability to actively promote Physiotherapy within the Trust.
* To be able to demonstrate treatments are clinically effective.
Other
* Must be able to demonstrate the confidence to take independent action.
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.
£49,387 to £56,515 a year per annum, pro rata
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