Exercise Therapist

Go back Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear (CNTW) NHS Foundation Trust

The closing date is 14 July 2026

An exciting opportunity has arisen within our Exercise Therapy Team. Exercise Therapy supports a number of wards across the Trust, providing prescribed exercise interventions to support the physical and mental health of our patients. The role involves working in acute admission wards for patients over the age of 18 with a mental health illness who require assessment and treatment by a multidisciplinary team.

The position is based at St George's Park Hospital, Morpeth; however the successful applicant may be required to provide cover across the exercise therapy departments.

The role involves developing therapeutic relationships with our service users to promote the benefits of physical activity and supporting them to make positive lifestyle changes.

Experience of working with clinical populations within clinical settings would be beneficial, however not essential, as in-house training will be provided and the post holder will be working with an experienced and skilled MDT.

The post holder will be required to conduct pre‑activity health screening and review appointments, including taking various baseline physical health measurements, discussing health and exercise‑related goals, and prescribing and facilitating exercise plans specific to patients’ needs.

We aim to attract and retain a diverse, talented and committed workforce, who are caring and compassionate, and therefore able to meet the demands of the modern NHS now and in the future. In return we can offer a dynamic working environment in which to build a career.

NHS employees identified as at risk of compulsory redundancy and those eligible for the NENC Re-Deployment careers hub will receive prior consideration.

Exercise Therapy works as part of a multidisciplinary team. The post holder will liaise with other professionals within the MDT regarding exercise treatment plans, physical health triggers, patient progress and discharge planning, and will attend ward meetings as required.

The post holder will document detailed care plans and progress notes for service users within the electronic medical record. The post holder will be responsible for the day‑to‑day supervision of the exercise therapy assistants, ensuring the safety of service users while exercising and should be comfortable working in challenging situations.

Advertising date: 30th June 2026

• A degree in sports science or exercise science
• Professional membership of BASES
• Reps Level 2 fitness instructor
• Reps Level 3 Exercise Referral, Reps Level 4 (preferably Exercise and Mental Health, Diabetes and Obesity)
• Registered with BASES as Certified Exercise Practitioner (CEP) (registration could be applied for once a post has been offered, but the offer would be subject to successful application for CEP)

• Significant experience of delivering and developing exercise programmes for clinical populations
• Significant experience of administering health screens, fitness testing and gym inductions
• Experience of developing groups
• Experience of delivering health promotion eg healthy eating, smoking cessation, weight management
• Experience of working with the relevant client group for the post (adults, children, learning disability, older persons)
• Experience of working in a mental health/learning disability setting
• Experience of working in a hospital environment

• Must be able to meet the mobility requirements of the post
• Good organisational and time management skills
• Be able to manage own caseload
• Be able to work individually and as part of a team
• Good IT skills, competent with Word, Excel etc., and able to produce reports as required
• Experience of carrying out audits

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear (CNTW) NHS Foundation Trust