Specialist Physiotherapist - NICU

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced and enthusiastic physiotherapist to join our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit team at Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS foundation trust. You will provide specialist physiotherapy assessment and treatment for neonates within a busy NICU service, supporting respiratory care, developmental care, early intervention, and family‑centred practice. You will work closely within the multidisciplinary neonatal team and contribute to service development, teaching, and clinical supervision.

Responsibilities:

• Deliver specialist neonatal physiotherapy support within the Family Integrated Care model to infants and families on the neonatal units at both Luton and Bedford sites.
• Manage a full caseload within NICU and neonatal follow‑up until 2 years old, ensuring each child receives the highest standard of care possible within resource limitations.
• Provide advanced neonatal physiotherapy assessment, advice and interventions for babies at risk of developmental issues.
• Promote and deliver family‑integrated developmental care and support the neonatal unit in this priority area.
• Work closely with families, neonatal consultants, nursing teams, infant feeding team, AHP and psychology teams to deliver evidence‑based care.
• Undertake comprehensive assessments, including those with complex presentations, and interpret clinical facts to form accurate diagnoses and prognoses.
• Formulate individualized management and treatment plans and specialised programmes of care.
• Coordinate neuro‑developmental follow‑up clinic assessment at 9 months and 2 years and physiotherapy follow‑up outpatient clinics.
• Use video assessments and Microsoft Teams meetings for remote monitoring and discussion.

Qualifications and experience:

• Diploma/Degree in Physiotherapy.
• HCPC registration.
• Evidence of CPD maintained in a portfolio, including recent postgraduate courses and in‑service training relevant to the clinical field.
• Post‑graduate qualifications or evidence of post‑graduate learning relevant to the clinical field.
• APCP membership.
• Expertise in Bayley scales of infant and toddler development assessment.
• Completion of neonatal assessment courses (e.g., Prechtl assessment of general movements, Lacey assessment of preterm infant).
• Evidence of clinical educator training.
• Strong interpersonal, communication and MDT working skills.
• Experience in paediatric and neonatal physiotherapy, especially in acute settings.
• Significant post‑registration experience in paediatric and neonatal settings at Band 6 level within an NHS acute trust.
• Demonstrable ability to manage highly complex patients independently and to perform leadership duties such as staff appraisal, performance management, clinical audit and service evaluation.
• Experience initiating, managing and evaluating change, and applying service improvement techniques such as Lean and change management.
• Ability to disseminate complex information, pass on skills and knowledge within formal and informal environments.
• Self‑directed learning and a commitment to personal and team development.
• Excellent time‑management, delegation and prioritisation skills, with the ability to work to deadlines and under pressure.

Benefits:

• Excellent professional development opportunities with support from a specialist neonatal team.
• Access to training and development programmes to help growth within the trust.