Clinical Lead Physiotherapist special interest in Rheumatology

Go back Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust

The closing date is 18 January 2026

Are you a experienced physiotherapist with a passion for Rheumatology and musculoskeletal care? We are looking for a dynamic, proactive and skilled clinician to join our MSK therapy service as clinical lead in rheumatology.

• Well organised and confident in communication and problem solving.
• Proven Experience in Rheumatology Conditions and Physiotherapy
• Enthusiastic about improving service and supporting the growth of others.

The successful candidate will be expected to work flexibly across all of our sites.

To be eligible to apply for this role candidates must have undergraduate and or post graduate experience in the NHS as a Physiotherapist.

To have a specialist interest in Rheumatology and connective tissue disorders, advancing clinical practice in this area of work and taking a lead in evolving and embedding the evidence base into clinical practice.

To act as the Clinical Lead for the Out Patient Physiotherapy Service, in relation to musculoskeletal care of patients.

The post holder will have the skills and experience to manage patients with a long-term condition, providing therapeutic care as well as education on all musculoskeletal conditions. They will be able to offer self-management strategies appropriate for inflammatory conditions such as Spondyloarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis, bone diseases such as Osteoporosis, connective tissue disorders and long-term musculoskeletal problems such as hypermobility syndrome.

Main Tasks

• To perform highly specialist assessment and treatment of all MSK patients, in particular those with Rheumatology and connective tissue disorders to facilitate a smooth, efficient and effective patient pathway
• To determine a clinical diagnosis, develop, deliver, implement, evaluate and modify individualised treatment programmes and/or provide highly specialist advice, ensuring appropriate pathways of care and communication via liaison and referral to other agencies as required.

To manage own highly specialist caseload in this area.

Establish relationships with other stakeholders and services involved in the care of rheumatology and connective tissue disorder patients.

To support and advise other services, eg Pain Clinic, on the delivery of the service.

• To educate and train Physiotherapists and qualified and non-qualified healthcare / social services / education staff including medical staff.
• To work autonomously within Trust policies and standards of professional practice, maintaining accurate and comprehensive up to date records.
• To assist the Team Leader in the daily operational management of the Out-Patient Physiotherapy Team.

CHFT is an integrated Trust of 6,500+ colleagues providing hospital and community services to patients and communities across Calderdale and Kirklees. We are rated as ‘Good’ by the Care Quality Commission, are a top performing Trust for Elective Recovery, Emergency and Cancer Care and widely acknowledged as a national digital lead when it comes to caring for people across our local and regional systems.

Our people are at the core of everything we do, hence our commitment to One Culture of Care. Our focus is to care for and support each other in order to provide outstanding compassionate care to our patients. That is why we are looking for an inclusive collaborative, creative, innovative and compassionate leader to join us in this role.

Clinical Duties

To work within the Out-Patient Physiotherapy Service leading, co-ordinating and developing effective clinical interventions for all msk patients and those within the speciality of, but not exclusive to, Rheumatology and connective tissue disorders, in order to advance clinical practice across the service in line with the current evidence base.

To manage autonomously a clinical workload of patients/clients at a highly specialist level, assessing and treating patients and maintaining clinical records.

To have highly specialist assessment and treatment skills in the areas…