Band 7 Frailty Therapy Practitioner in Kingston upon Thames

Main area Physiotherapy Grade Band 7 Contract Fixed term: 3 months (3-month FTC) Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (7 day working) Job ref 396-8402812-DE-GV

Site Kingston Hospital Town Kingston Upon Thames Salary £55,524 - £62,652 Pro rata, pa, incl. HCAS Salary period Yearly Closing 26/11/2026 23:59

Home, community, hospital

KingstonandRichmond NHS Foundation Trust offers a range offantasticopportunities to grow your career across both hospital and community settings in south London. Whether you're looking to build new skills or take your experience to the next level,weare uniquely placed toprovide therightenvironment to support your professional development.With colleagues working in people’s homes, in community clinics, and in our two hospitals, we have an outstanding breadth of knowledge and experience to draw from.

Our commitment to exceptional care is reflected in being the firsttrustof our kindin London to achieve an ‘Outstanding’ rating from the CQC for bothoverallquality andleadership.We exist to provide the best possible care for our patients and we do that by giving our colleagues what they need to be their best at work. We have won numerous awards from the HSJ and Nursing Times for the way we support our colleagues across all our services.

We are proud to be recognised for our outstanding cancer care, children's services, pioneering surgical teams, and exceptional rehabilitation services. Our maternity services have been rated the "Best in London" by women surveyed by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), with parents travelling to Kingston to take advantage of our considerable experience and expertise.

These words are important reminders, but it’s our behaviours that tell people who we are. We expect all colleagues to bring our values to life in their work.

• Compassionate: We provide care with kindness, understanding, and empathy for all.
• Inclusive: We embrace diversity and respect the unique contributions of every individual.
• Collaborative: We foster teamwork across all levels, working together and with our partners to deliver the best outcomes.
• Inspiring: We are committed to continuous improvement and excellence in patient care, staff development, and innovation.

Job overview

Please note this is a fixed term position - 3-months winter post

The post holder will work between the clinical areas of the Emergency Department (ED), Frailty Same Day Emergency Care (FSDEC), Clinical Decisions Unit (CDU) and Acute Assessment Unit (AAU) as an autonomous practitioner within the standards of professional practice laid down by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and/or Royal College of Occupational Therapy and Health and Care Professions Council. They will have extensive knowledge and experience of working with frail older adults, and be able to undertake comprehensive assessments of patients with a diverse range of complex presentations and multiple pathologies and patients presenting with frailty syndrome.

Main duties of the job

To work between the clinical areas of the Emergency Department (ED), Frailty Same Day Emergency Care (FSDEC), Clinical Decisions Unit (CDU) and Acute Assessment Unit (AAU).

To work as part of the MDT and as a lone clinician with their own caseload

To have extensive knowledge and working relationships with our community partners and make appropriate and timely referrals.

Undertakes a specialised therapy assessment of frail older patients, working in conjunction with other therapists, social services, medical and nursing colleagues, and community partners to treat patients who have complex presentations

From this assessment, formulates a treatment plan and carries out this treatment as an autonomous practitioner

To assess and discharge patients in a timely and appropriate manner with involvement and referrals out to our community services as part of our admission avoidance service.

Working closely with other members of the MDT, taking an active role in identifying, coordinating and organising appropriate care and equipment in the home and hospital set up needed to ensure the safe and timely discharge of patient from the acute Hospital.

To support the expansion of the FSDEC service across 7-days, including weekend working. The post holder will work 37.5 hours per week as part of a seven-day service covering the hours of 8am to 8pm based on a rota system .

Continued on attached JD...

Working for our organisation

Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust cares for more than half a million patients a year, from across Kingston, Richmond, Elmbridge (Surrey), Merton, Wandsworth and Sutton. In 2018, we became the first acute hospital trust in London to be rated “Outstanding” for overall quality and leadership by the national Care Quality Commission regulator.

We have approximately 350 beds and directly employ around 2,900 staff. Our trust provides a full range of diagnostic services and treatment services. Our main site is the Kingston Hospital site but we also run a number of outpatient clinics in the community, including in Raynes Park, Surbiton, Queen Mary's Roehampton and Teddington.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see the attached supporting document/s (JD) which contains more information about the role in the job description and person specification.

Ensure any supporting statements align with the job description and person specification, as your application will be assessed against these criteria.

Qualifications

• Degree in Physiotherapy or Occupational Therapy
• HCPC Registration
• bership of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (MCSP) or Royal College of Occupational Therapy

Experience

• Relevant Experience as a Senior Physiotherapist or OT in Elderly Care
• Working knowledge of a broad range of medical conditions and frailty syndromes
• Recent or therapy assistant supervision and performance management
• Contributing to clinical education of less experienced staff/students or assistants
• Experience in managing complex discharges and taking positive risk (eg. Safeguarding, mental capacity, best interest meetings etc)
• Involvement in audit, research and understanding quality issue
• Experience working in A&E, ED, AAU, CDU.

Skills

• Remain updated with professional practice and new research
• Able to present information, written and orally, in a clear and logical manner
• Ability to organise, prioritise and delegate
• Team Working, leadership skills, MDT working
• Able to carry out assessments of frail elderly people
• Ability to initiate and understand assessment of activities of daily living to identify care and/or equipment needs.

Knowledge

• Working knowledge of a broad range of complex medical and surgical conditions
• Good knowledge of acute discharge planning
• Knowledge of research in elderly care / frailty
• Awareness and understanding of community pathways

We support the NHS Flex for the Future pledge

We welcome conversations about flexible working from day one, including options such as adjusted hours, compressed hours and other arrangements. If flexibility matters to you, please talk to us - we’ll be happy to explore what’s possible for the role and the service.

Safeguarding and DBS Checks

We are committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. For roles with direct access to these groups, an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be required. All staff are expected to understand and uphold their safeguarding responsibilities as part of their role.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

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.