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Job summary

Main area
Therapies
Grade
Band 8a
Contract
Permanent: B8a
Hours
  • Full time
  • Part time
  • Flexible working
37.5 hours per week
Job ref
287-DSS-236-25
Employer
Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
RLB Musculoskeletal
Town
Liverpool
Salary
£55,690 - £62,682 per annum, pro rata
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
11/09/2025 23:59
Interview date
30/09/2025

Employer heading

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust logo

Advanced Practitioner: Musculoskeletal First Contact Practitioner

Band 8a

Job overview

This post offers an exciting opportunity for an experienced motivated Musculoskeletal (MSK) practitioner to work in a combined role within both primary and secondary care settings. The post consists of 30 hours/week as a MSK First Contact Practitioner (FCP) within Childwall and Wavertree Primary Care Network, and 7.5 hours within MSK interface service and outpatient physiotherapy services within Liverpool University Hospital sites.

 

** Interview date: Tuesday 30th September**

 

Main duties of the job

  • Clinical lead for Childwall and Wavertree PCN MSK FCP service 
  • First Contact Musculoskeletal Triage
  • Expert physiotherapy assessment supporting the MDT in both primary and secondary care setting
  • To order and oversee MSK investigations within primary and secondary care clinics
  • Lead MSK FCP service development including audit and research activity
  • MSK clinical education and supervision of Band 7 FCP based within PCN
  • Development of evidence-based pathways

Working for our organisation

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust comprises Aintree University Hospital, Broadgreen Hospital & Royal Liverpool University Hospital.

We are part of NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group, formed on 1 Nov 2024 from the coming together of LUHFT and Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust. The Group was born from a shared aim to improve the care we provide our patients.

UHLG is one of the largest employers in the region, with over 16,800 colleagues dedicated to caring for our communities - from birth and beyond. 

For the 630,000 people across Merseyside, we are their local NHS. We provide general and emergency hospital care, alongside highly specialised regional services for more than two million people in the North West.

Aintree University Hospital is the single receiving site for adult major trauma patients in Cheshire and Merseyside and hosts a number of regional services including an award-winning stroke facility. Broadgreen Hospital is home to elective surgical, diagnostic and treatment services, together with specialist patient rehabilitation. Liverpool Women’s Hospital specialises in the health of women and babies, delivering over 7,200 babies in the UK’s largest single site maternity hospital each year. The Royal Liverpool University Hospital is the largest hospital in the country to provide inpatients with 100% single bedrooms and focuses on complex planned care and specialist services.

 For roles at Liverpool Women’s, visit their careers page.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The successful candidate should possess wide ranging knowledge and skills in the assessment and management of musculoskeletal conditions. They will take a lead role in the triage, clinical assessment and management of patients with commonly undiagnosed musculoskeletal conditions. Applicants must be able to demonstrate autonomous advanced clinical reasoning and ability to manage patients with appropriate investigations and onward referrals.

The role will involve referring patients for a wide range of MSK investigations including imaging and blood tests, evaluating and acting upon the results. Using a shared decision-making approach, they will be required to make onward referrals to relevant services and agencies to optimise patient care.  Training opportunities are available to support this skill development if required.

A flexible and dynamic approach is essential, and the successful candidate must be willing to work across primary care sites and all trust sites. Some working hours will be fixed due to the clinical templates and service requirements, but others could be negotiable.

The post holder will provide clinical expertise and leadership in the ongoing development of the FCP service in collaboration with key stakeholders. They will take an active role in service evaluation, audit and research and contribute to shared learning and evidence-based practice.

Person specification

Other

Essential criteria
  • Demonstrate a good understanding of Risk Assessment and Health & Safety issues
  • Positive attitude to change and flexible work practices to meet the changing demands of the service
  • Be adaptable to changing needs of the service and clinical role giving resource and expertise as required

Skills

Essential criteria
  • Ability to work flexibly across the service to support other Clinical staff and Therapies Management team on other specific initiatives and developments as required
  • Ability to initiate evidence based practice within clinical area
  • Ability to manage own time within clinical and non-clinical activity and to show effective leadership skills empowering others to use problem solving and decision making skills
  • Ability to demonstrate specialist clinical skills accompanied by an extensive and current working knowledge of Therapy practice within the identified specialist field of clinical practice
  • Highly effective communicator at all levels
  • Ability to manage own stress and awareness of stress in others and ability to access support as relevant
  • High level of ability to work in multidisciplinary and collaborative teams
  • Ability to demonstrate tact/diplomacy and empathy within clinical and team settings
  • High level of interpersonal skills
  • High level of organisational and negotiation skills
  • Ability to lead effectively
  • Ability to motivate patients/staff
  • Ability to demonstrate assertiveness within the clinical/team and service settings
  • Ability to delegate appropriately
  • Ability to represent the Therapy service and the organisation at Trust initiatives and with external agencies
  • Ability to demonstrate and promote reflective practice
  • Demonstrate a commitment to personal development and the development of others
  • Demonstrate a commitment to keep up to date with all mandatory training

Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • Extensive working knowledge of Therapy practice within the identified specialist field of clinical practice
  • Ability to demonstrate a comprehensive clinical expertise within the identified specialist field of clinical practice
  • Excellent clinical reasoning skills
  • To act as an expert within specialist clinical field providing strong clinical leadership both within Therapies and the wider multi-disciplinary team
  • Take an active role within multi-agency practice both within the organisation and outside the Trust
  • Good understanding of standardised assessment tools and treatment principles
  • Ability to demonstrate clinical reasoning and an holistic problem solving approach
  • Awareness of and local involvement in current NHS issues and relevant frameworks/quality indicators
  • Demonstrate awareness of Clinical Governance and its application within Therapies

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Effective teaching and presentation skills, experience of formal teaching and presentation
Desirable criteria
  • Experience of Human Resource related issues e.g. recruitment/retention, management of sickness, attendance and special leave
  • Proven experience in the formal management and supervision of staff

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Diploma/Degree in Therapy profession
  • Current registration with the HCPC
  • Masters qualification or equivalent
  • Completion of Educator /Mentorship qualification or equivalent.
Desirable criteria
  • Training qualification in relevant management/leadership development
  • Non-medical prescribing qualification (dependent on role) – Desirable

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Fair Employment Charter Status - Aspiring LevelNHS Pastoral Care Quality AwardTrust IDVeteran AwareApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleInvestors in PeopleArmed Forces Covenant Gold AwardMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Carer confident logo, the employers for carers confident schemeDisability confident committedStep into health

Applicant requirements

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.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Helen Vernon
Job title
MSK First Contact Practitioner
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
0151 282 6686
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