Job overview
Are you an enthusiastic and driven Exercise Physiologist with a deep passion for cardiac rehabilitation? If so, we have a rare and exciting opportunity for you to make a real impact within a nationally recognised, NACR Green Accredited cardiac rehabilitation service.
Join our forward-thinking, multi-disciplinary team where you'll play a pivotal role in delivering high-quality, evidence-based Phase 2 and Phase 3 cardiac rehabilitation programmes. These programmes span a variety of formats — from in-person sessions to telephone-led home programmes and innovative virtual/app-based platforms — ensuring accessibility and excellence for patients with diverse cardiovascular conditions.
In this role, you’ll conduct functional capacity and mobility assessments, lead engaging individual and group exercise and education sessions, tailor exercise prescriptions to accommodate co-morbidities and physical limitations, and provide supportive counselling and lifestyle guidance. This is your chance to contribute to a service that’s not only clinically robust but also at the cutting edge of digital health delivery.
Important: This position is specifically for an Exercise Physiologist, not a Physiotherapist. Previous applicants need not apply.
Main duties of the job
·Deliver, develop and maintain safe and effective group exercise sessions for patients with a wide range of cardiovascular conditions and work within the standards and protocols set by the BACPR & ACPICR.
·Formulate, risk stratify and deliver individual and group exercise plans, programmes and recommendations for patients based on highly developed specialist knowledge, clinical assessments and reasoning skills utilising evidence based practice.
·To undertake autonomous appropriate functional testing assessments both pre and post cardiac rehabilitation and interpret results in order to guide safe individualised exercise prescription.
·Demonstrate the ability to co-ordinate the cardiac rehabilitation service in absence of the Band 6 Senior Cardiac Rehabilitation Exercise Physiologist and Cardiac Rehab Team Leader.
Working for our organisation
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.
Our values
We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience - we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. We achieve this by using values based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and creating a culture that values differences.
Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarize yourself with all requirements of the job
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The Job Description and Person Specification are attached to this job, please review for the full details and responsibilities
·Deliver, develop and maintain safe and effective group exercise sessions for patients with a wide range of cardiovascular conditions and work within the standards and protocols set by the BACPR & ACPICR
·Adopt a flexible and dynamic approach to patient care and service planning and development.
·Formulate, risk stratify and deliver individual and group exercise plans, programmes and recommendations for patients based on highly developed specialist knowledge, clinical assessments and reasoning skills utilising evidence based practice.
·Along with the Band 6 Senior Cardiac Rehabilitation Exercise Physiologist, deliver and develop high quality cardiac rehabilitation exercise programmes. Amongst others, these will include a high intensity circuit based cardio vascular exercise programme and a chair based exercise programme providing low intensity functional exercise.
·As an autonomous practitioner, hold responsibility for a given caseload of patients within a defined area of cardiac rehabilitation.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
1. BSc in Physiology/Sports Science or equivalent
Desirable criteria
2. MSc Clinical Exercise Physiology or related exercise field.
3. BACPR Specialist Exercise Instructor Phase IV Qualification (or working/willing to work towards)
4. Register of Exercise Professionals Level 2 gym instructor
5. Register of Exercise Professionals Level 3 Advanced Qualification
6. Motivational Interviewing and change management
7. Basic Life Support
Experience
Essential criteria
8. Experience of working with patients with cardiac disease
9. Experience of working within a healthcare setting
10. Working in a multi-disciplinary team and an understanding of other roles and responsibilities of the cardiac rehab team.
11. Ability to deliver educational talks and lead both group and individual exercise programmes to patients with cardiac disease.
12. Previous exercise teaching experience
Desirable criteria
13. Experience in health promotion
14. Functional capacity testing
15. Experience of data collection and analysis
16. Participation in research/audit
17. Experience in adapting exercise to those with co-morbidities
18. Evaluating the outcomes of cardiac rehab
Knowledge
Essential criteria
19. Up-to-date knowledge of national and local strategies relating to cardiac rehabilitation
20. Thorough knowledge of BACPR and ACPICR standards
21. Knowledge of existing exercise & functional testing and prescription guidelines
22. Demonstrable and competent knowledge of exercise physiology and impact of varied clinical pathologies.
23. An understanding of the cause, process and associated risk factors of cardiac disease.
24. Recognises boundaries of own responsibilities
Desirable criteria
25. Experience of clinical audit and the principles of clinical governance
Personal skills
Essential criteria
26. Ability to assess clinical information and structure patient care accordingly
27. Ability to manage potentially difficult situations
28. Ability to work as part of a multi-disciplinary team
29. Ability to work autonomously
30. Ability to work on own initiative
31. High level of computer literacy with good use of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Video Conferencing Platforms.
32. Good verbal and written skills
33. Ability to prioritize and organise workload and manage time effectively.
Other
Essential criteria
34. Ability to travel routinely within/around Bedford carrying equipment as required for the role.
35. Physically fit and able to comply with Trust Manual Handling Guidelines.
Applicant requirements
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.