NHS Grampian’s Physiotherapy service is split across 6 teams: Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Combined Child Health, Acute, Mental Health and Learning Disabilities. These teams work in a range of locations including acute hospital, community hospital, GP surgeries, patients’ homes, education settings and health centres. The client group is similarly diverse and depending on which clinical area you work in you may be working with a chest patient in Intensive Care, an outpatient with a painful back in a GP surgery, a child with Cerebral Palsy, an elderly patient who has fallen in their own home, a stroke patient to regain his mobilisation skills – the clinical diversity spans from birth to end of life.
I would like to become a Physiotherapist
Practising as a Physiotherapist requires a degree from a recognised Higher Education establishment. In Scotland training is available at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh and Glasgow Caledonian University. All training at these Universities leads to a BSc Honours in Physiotherapy.
It is also possible for graduates with a relevant degree (see individual websites) to become physiotherapists by following a Postgraduate course to gain an MSc in Physiotherapy. All the above Universities offer this route. Please visit their websites for more information.
If you are over 16 and in S5/6, or have left school either recently or a number of years ago, and would like to spend some time with the physiotherapy team gaining work experience, please use the NHS Grampian Work Experience website.
I am currently training to be a Physiotherapist
NHS Grampian supports clinical placements from all the above Universities.
NHS Grampian employs new graduate Physiotherapists from both the BSc and MSc courses onto the Band 5 rotation. On the rotation you will gain experience in a wide range of specialty areas while working alongside specialist and consultant Physiotherapists. The Physiotherapy team in NHS Grampian is committed to developing staff through internal and external CPD (Continued Professional Development) events to equip the workforce to meet the needs of our population. There is a yearly NHS Grampian-wide event for networking and CPD. The departments are all actively engaged in local training and national initiatives such as Flying Start and the Effective Practitioner resource.
I am a qualified Physiotherapist and considering a move to Grampian
NHS Grampian offers an opportunity to live and work within a very special part of Scotland.
Within NHS Grampian we can offer a range of exciting opportunities in a variety of specialties including Acute, MSK, Community Rehabilitation, Combined Child Health and Mental Health and Learning Disabilities. NHS Grampian Physiotherapy service can offer the Band 5 rotation scheme – see above – and also Band 6 rotation schemes. Within a Band 6 rotational post you will have the opportunity to work alongside highly specialist and advanced practice Physiotherapists in a variety of specialist areas, which will assist your move to a more specialist role in the future. We also have static Band 6 posts in a variety of clinical areas and also Band 7 Highly Specialised Physiotherapy and Band 8A Advanced Practitioner roles.
I am a qualified Physiotherapist but it’s been some years since I practised. Am I able to return to work?
NHS Grampian welcome enquiries from Physiotherapists who have allowed their registration to lapse or have had a career break. We are happy to support you to regain registration through supervision and an assessment of your clinical competencies. For an informal chat please contact anne.paul2@nhs.net. More information is also available from the Health and Care Professions Council.
Flying Start
Flying Start NHS® is a national development programme for newly qualified nurses, midwives and allied health professionals. It aims to support your learning and build your confidence during your first year of practice in NHS Scotland. It will do this by assisting you to navigate to the Foundation gateway of the NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework 'Agenda for Change'. After completing Flying Start NHS® newly qualified practitioners would be expected to participate in ongoing Continuing Professional Development.
Benefits for newly qualified practitioners include:
- Offers a learner-directed solution to finding information and making sense of a complex environment
- Guides and supports the transition from student to qualified practitioner
- Links to the NHS KSF development review cycle
- Supports the development of skills for lifelong learning and CPD
- Offers practical advice on how to manage portfolios and PDPs within NHS Scotland
- Gives access to up to date material, useful websites and national policy and developments
- Decreases feelings of isolation through the on-line forum, Flying Start Community and Ask a Mentor functions
- Draws and builds on the learning skills developed as pre-registration or undergraduate student
- Increased understanding of the role of other health and social care professionals and partners
Effective Practitioner
Effective Practitioner is a national initiative providing work based learning resources and support for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals in Scotland. It assists Practitioners and Senior Practitioners to deliver the 2020 vision and meet the Quality Ambitions of Person Centred, Safe and Effective Care. The Effective Practitioner website provides the online foundation for wider work-based support.
Senior AHP Framework
The Senior AHP Framework website provides support and guidance on the education and development needs of Senior AHPs who are leading and managing services or teams. It provides information and support for Senior AHPs at level 6 of The Career Framework for Health, and those aspiring to this level, who have leadership components within their role e.g. Team Leaders.
It also allows Knowledge and Skills Framework reviewers and managers to guide and assist the planning and implementation of leadership skills for their staff and help them develop Personal Development Plans (PDPs).
Skills Maximisation Toolkit
The Skills Maximisation Toolkit allows AHP staff to examine their unique contributions to the patient journey, and to ask which aspects could best be managed by others. The exercise has been developed into the skills maximisation process. It can be used by AHPs and other staff to identify adjustments that make optimum use of staff with various levels of qualification.
The toolkit guides you through 3 stages:
- Clarifying the patient journey
- Capturing uniqueness
- Creating improvement