Physiotherapy Lead for Inpatient Health Care of the older person


Company:	NHS Jobs
Salary:	£49,387 - £56,515
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	Torquay, TQ2 7AA
Job type:	Permanent
Posting date:	15 Aug 2026
Closing date:	1 Sept 2026

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Summary

You will act as an autonomous practitioner, delivering advanced physiotherapy assessment and intervention for older adults with complex physical, cognitive, and behavioural needs. You will lead on rehabilitation planning, risk management, and decision-making in complex clinical situations, ensuring care is safe, person-centred, and aligned with patient goals. You will also act as a clinical expert in frailty, supporting colleagues in managing complex patients, contributing to multidisciplinary decision-making, and influencing care across the urgent care pathway. The post holder will provide professional and operational leadership to physiotherapy teams across HOP wards and short-stay areas. This includes day-to-day workforce management, supervision, performance management, and staff development. You will promote a positive, inclusive team culture, supporting learning, reflective practice, and continuous improvement, while ensuring safe staffing, effective skill mix, and high-quality service delivery. You will lead the organisation and prioritisation of service delivery across multiple inpatient wards, ensuring responsive and efficient allocation of physiotherapy resources. This includes rota coordination, managing referrals, and balancing capacity with demand in a dynamic environment. You will support effective discharge planning, contributing to reduced length of stay, avoidance of hospital-acquired deconditioning, and improved patient flow. The role requires highly developed communication skills to manage complex, sensitive discussions with patients, families, and professionals. You will work collaboratively with medical, nursing, therapy, and social care teams to ensure coordinated care and effective transitions between services. You will represent physiotherapy within MDT and multi-agency meetings, providing specialist advice on rehabilitation, discharge planning, and ongoing care needs. You will ensure compliance with professional standards, Trust policies, and clinical governance frameworks, maintaining high standards of documentation and care delivery. The post holder will lead and contribute to audit, research, and quality improvement initiatives, embedding evidence-based practice and driving service innovation. You will manage a complex workload, balancing clinical and leadership duties while responding flexibly to changing service demands. Responsibilities include prioritisation of care, workforce planning, and escalation of risks affecting service delivery. The role involves working across multiple inpatient wards in a busy acute setting, requiring adaptability and resilience. You will manage physically demanding clinical activity, frequent decision-making under pressure, and emotionally challenging situations associated with caring for frail older adults.

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