Job Overview
The Frimley Health Advanced Practitioner Team provides both Primary and Secondary Care services across the Frimley ICS, covering Berkshire, Surrey, North East Hampshire, and Farnham.
We are seeking an experienced and motivated
First Contact Practitioner (FCP)
to join our dynamic, forward-thinking team, working in our First Contact Practitioner clinics in North East Hampshire and Farnham.
As an FCP, you will use your clinical expertise to assess and manage musculoskeletal (MSK) patients in Primary Care. You will perform clinical assessments, order and interpret diagnostics, and make decisions to manage MSK patients as the first point of contact—without the need for a prior GP appointment.
If you are a passionate MSK physiotherapist with experience in Primary Care and a keen interest in the First Contact Physiotherapist role, this could be the perfect opportunity for you.
Main duties of the job
* To provide highly specialist clinical expertise, acting as a first-contact practitioner and making independent decisions about the best course of action for patients' care, this may include referring for diagnostics. This will involve seeing patients, without prior contact with their GP, in order to establish a rapid and accurate diagnosis and management plan. This may be face to face or by virtual consultation
* Delivering patient centred care that supports self-management, in ways that facilitate behavioural change, optimise individuals' physical activity, mobility, fulfilment of personal goals and independence, and also minimizes the need for pharmacological interventions and investigations
* To be able to assess and manage acute, chronic and complex patient presentations, refer patients on to Physiotherapy or Secondary Care for further management when appropriate.
Working for our organisation
Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust is committed to being an inclusive and disability confident employer and has been awarded the Gold for the Armed Forces Employment Recognition Scheme. We provide first class development opportunities for all staff and have a wide range of professional, management and leadership, and clinical skills training available.
Here at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, we know how important it is to have a healthy work life balance; this benefits not only individuals but the patients we care for too.
We encourage applications from people who wish to work on a flexible basis, recognising that flexibility may mean a range of different working patterns and hours, we do our utmost to work with our staff to meet their needs and the needs of our service and its users.
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Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities
The APP team work across Primary Care and Secondary Care in GP Practices and Orthopaedic clinics. We are a friendly and experienced team with a broad range of clinical expertise and knowledge.
We have run FCP services for the past 9 years and worked closely with our Primary Care partners to develop these services. We have supported our team through the FCP Roadmap with our own supervisors from within our team and would be keen to support new members of the FCP team to complete their Roadmap.
We currently provide FCP services for: Oakley Health Group in Blackwater and Farnham Integrated Care Services who provide a centre for 4 local GP practices.
Please see attached Job Description for further role information and the full list of responsibilities.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
* HCPC Registered
* Degree or Diploma in Physiotherapy
* Broad experience in MSK outpatients
Desirable criteria
* Injection module
* Independent Prescribing
* Completion of post graduate qualifications eg Masters, SOMM
* Previous experience as an FCP or APP or ACP
Knowledge
Essential criteria
* Knowledge of professional ethics
* Knowledge of Clinical Governance
Desirable criteria
* Awareness of primary care treatment options and challenges
Skills
Essential criteria
* Interpersonal skills, including: Verbal and written communication
* IT skills
* Organisational ability/able to work under pressure
* Sound Clinical reasoning
* Able to work independently as an autonomous practitioner
Desirable criteria
* Presentation/Teaching skills (1:1/group)
* FCP Roadmap completed
Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust (FHFT) is proud of its strong reputation, record of achievement and ambition for the future. We serve a population of over 900,000 people across Berkshire, Hampshire, Surrey and South Buckinghamshire, and remain committed to improving the health and wellbeing of our communities.
Our new organisational strategy – FHFT 2030 – sets out our ambition to be the best place to receive care and the best place to work in the NHS. Underpinned by our Trust values –
Committed to Excellence, Working Together, Facing the Future
, and being a modern, compassionate, Healthcare Organisation – we are creating a culture where our people can thrive and patients always come first.
We continue to invest heavily in our services and facilities. This includes the development of a new hospital at Frimley Park, major expansion of diagnostics and inpatient capacity, and the continued transformation of services across our sites. We have already delivered a brand-new £100m state-of-the-art Heatherwood Hospital, a £49m Emergency Assessment Centre at Wexham Park, and a £10m upgrade to maternity services.
We are also committed to sustainability and the NHS Net Zero ambition. Our new hospital and estate developments are being designed to be environmentally responsible, energy efficient, and future-proofed, featuring on-site renewables energy and intelligent energy systems. Through our green plan, we are embedding sustainable practices across all areas of care and operations, ensuring we reduce our environmental impact while improving population health and wellbeing. Our staff are key to helps us deliver on our ambition and to ensure sustainability is a core component of care delivery and our operations.
Alongside estates' investments, we are embedding a strong focus on digital innovation and quality improvement. Our electronic patient record (Epic), launched in 2024, is already enabling safer, more connected, and more effective care for patients, while giving staff the tools they need to do their best work. Our electronic patient record also supports safe and effective digitised care pathways, savings time and carbon, whilst delivering excellent quality of care.
Everything we do is guided by our values, shaping how we care for patients, support colleagues, and build a sustainable future for healthcare together.
Apply online now