Physiotherapy Associate Practitioner
The closing date is 04 May 2026
An exciting opportunity has arisen for two enthusiastic individuals to join a new, innovative and dynamic team within our Frailty Virtual Ward which is part of our expanding Urgent Community Response Team. The UCR is comprised of the Frailty Virtual Ward, the Hospital Avoidance Team and the Same Day Response Team. Although this post is to work within the Frailty Virtual Ward, there is an expectation to work across this part of team and the wider Urgent Community Response Team.
The UCR Team supports the adult housebound population of Newcastle to remain at home and avoid hospital wherever possible whilst meeting NHS England's two‑hour UCR response standard.
We are looking for two experienced and motivated Band 4 Associate Therapy Practitioners who are passionate about service development and providing high standard of patient centred care. You will be working closely within a multidisciplinary team of staff including Doctors, Nurse Practitioners, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists and HCAs all of whom are committed to maintaining independence, promoting self‑care and assisting patients in their usual place of residence. Staff will be working under the guidance and support of a registered Therapist/Nurse and regular clinical supervision is part of this role.
Main duties of the job
The successful candidates will provide therapy intervention, moving and handling support to Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists within the team as well as supporting the multidisciplinary team in assessment and development of a holistic management plan. They will be hardworking, reliable, able to use their initiative, and work flexibly to respond to the service needs. As a member of our multi‑disciplinary team, you will work to meet the needs of complex community patients, delivering care supporting early discharge and avoiding admissions to the acute hospital sites.
This includes working evenings, weekends and bank holidays as the Frailty Virtual Ward is operational 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Oftentimes, this post therefore requires you to work autonomously, when working across the city into patients own homes. Therefore having a full, valid UK driving licence and use of a suitable vehicle for work purposes is essential.
About us
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.
Job responsibilities
The Newcastle Frailty Virtual Ward (FVW) plays a vital role in supporting frailty patients at their usual place of residence, both preventing hospital admissions and supporting early discharge. This geriatrician‑led team enables the medical management of acute illness and frailty syndromes with the patient supported in their own environment, supplemented by additional members of the frailty multidisciplinary team.
Patients will be referred to the FVW from Front of House (Emergency Department (ED), Assessment Suite (AS), Back of House (ward step‑down, initially from Older Peoples Medicine (OPM) wards) and Community step‑up locations. Following initial assessment to confirm diagnoses, eligibility and both acute and long‑term care needs, patients will be admitted to the FVW and a multidisciplinary management plan devised and communicated to patient and carers. This may involve interventions from geriatricians, specialist community nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dementia and delirium specialist nurses, pharmacists and health care assistants (HCA).
Working in partnership with the patient to achieve their goals, the team will ensure the patient has the appropriate follow up in place; home visits will be conducted as indicated by patient status, with regular face to face visits likely to be established initially, but later reviews may be conducted by telephone or video. While on the FVW, patients will have access to most of the medical treatments available in hospital.
The successful candidate will have awareness of current evidence based approaches to patient care and be confident in evaluating care plans and assessing ongoing needs within own level of competency, documenting changes accordingly and maintaining accurate electronic records in accordance with Trust Policy. The successful candidate will also have excellent communication skills both with patients and their relatives and/or carers including in advising service users on prevention of illness and accidents, but also with the wider MDT and have good knowledge of frailty and its management.
Lone working is a significant part of the role and the candidate should be familiar with the Trust lone working policy. Lone working safety devices will be available to staff.
* To undertake specific skilled support work to aid the Physiotherapy team in the efficient and effective delivery of Physical Rehabilitation to patients within speciality area within the framework of clinical governance
* To accept a patient caseload referred by a physiotherapist according to specific criteria. To treat patients according to set protocols, monitoring patient progress, modifying and progressing patient treatment programmes as required, with referral back to physiotherapists as/when appropriate
* To carry out basic assessment and treatment of non-complex patients as delegated by the physiotherapist (to include basic chest physiotherapy and mobility protocols)
* To provide and deliver individualised exercise programmes
* To accurately record rehabilitation progress as per Trust documentation / database including physiotherapeutic outcome measures
* To undertake a clinical caseload within speciality area, without supervision for at least 50% of the time within protocols and guidelines set by the designated physiotherapist
* To coordinate, supervise and teach junior therapy assistants
Person Specification
Qualifications & Education
* Foundation Degree or NVQ level 4 or NVQ level 3 with additional training in the speciality field or equivalent evidence of underpinning knowledge
* Sound general education inclusive of literacy and numeracy
* Current valid driving licence for the UK
Knowledge & Experience
* Knowledge and understanding of clinical conditions and application of Physiotherapy Rehabilitation programmes for patients within speciality area
* Knowledge of physiotherapy outcome measures
* Knowledge of Physiotherapy Specialist Treatment adjuncts
* Previous experience as a Physiotherapy assistant/ Technical instructor in acute care/ related speciality
* Effective team working
* Previous experience as a Physiotherapy Associate Practitioner within speciality area
* Clinical governance
* Associate member of Physiotherapy
Skills & Abilities
* Highly developed communication skills
* Ability to work using own initiative and manage own caseload
* Plan and provide clinical programmes of therapeutic activity within framework
* Monitor patient progress and make modifications
* Report risks and progress to the therapist
* Work as a member of a team
* Manage own caseload effectively and prioritise referrals
* Highly developed Moving and handling skills
* Time management skills and prioritisation of workload
* Current valid driving licence for the UK
* Training others
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offences 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.
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