Introduction
Physiotherapy is a science-based profession and takes a ‘whole person’ approach to health and wellbeing, which includes the patient’s general lifestyle.
At the core is the patient’s involvement in their own care, through education, awareness, empowerment and participation in their treatment.
You can benefit from physiotherapy at any time in your life. Physiotherapy helps with back pain or sudden injury, falls management and prevention, mobility, rehabilitation after surgery, managing long-term medical condition such as asthma, cerebral palsy, dementia and more.
Physiotherapists help people of all ages.
These issues can be caused by or related to learning disabilities.
Physiotherapists have a unique role in:
- assessing and identifying the physical health problems and needs of those with down’s syndrome and/or learning disabilities
- do postural assessment and provide 24 hours postural management as per individual’s needs
- provide community level respiratory support for people with learning disabilities
- work in collaboration of mainstream services to provide rehabilitation in acute injuries / conditions
- helps in the multidisciplinary management of dysphagia / swallowing difficulties
- assess for specialist equipment to help with mobility and enhance functional independence
- assess and provide hydrotherapy and rebound therapy as per individual needs
- identifying other conditions that might co-occur or better explain an individual’s profile other than learning disabilities
- providing appropriate evidence-based therapy intervention for people with learning disabilities
- developing the knowledge and skills of others involved in the care and education of those with learning disabilities
- supporting people with learning disabilities, their families and carers, during critical periods in their life, where additional intervention may be needed at the end of life or in providing palliative care
- working collaboratively with interdisciplinary teams, services, and the wider community to support access and reasonable adjustments to get investigations and treatment done by mainstream services
- addressing and challenging health and social inequalities faced by people with learning disabilities
Salary, hours and benefits
| Average salary | £24,907 to £44,503 |
| Typical hours | Standard hours are usually around 37.5 hours a week. Your hours will depend on where you work (e.g. term time only). You may work flexibly across evenings and weekends in a 7-day service as per service requirements. |
| You could work | – |
| Benefits |
|
What you’ll do
Day-to-day tasks
Your day-to-day duties may include:
- getting to know people with learning disabilities and their families and carers across a wide range of settings,
- conducting observations and completing formal assessments of an individual’s abilities, falls assessment, mobility assessment, respiratory assessment, 24 hours postural assessment and pain assessment,
- providing physiotherapy intervention and advice to individuals with mobility, needs, their families, support staff and professionals,
- working with relevant professionals, carers and family to assess and manage behaviour that challenges,
- utilising the evidence base to provide research informed intervention,
- carrying out evaluations of therapy goals and outcomes and writing reports,
- working as an integral part of a multi- disciplinary team across a variety of agencies and locations,
- developing and delivering learning and development opportunities for individuals, teams, schools or services,
- organising and participating in clinical review meetings,
- contributing to development, provision and evaluation of programmes of learning and development to other professionals including providing placements for student Physiotherapists.
Work Environment
You could work in a community learning disability or neurodevelopmental team; in a special or mainstream school; in community, residential or in-patient settings; all within the NHS, education, social care, third sector organisations or independent practice.
Your working environment may be physically, mentally and emotionally demanding.
Characteristics and skills required
You’ll need:
- to be able to work with people of all ages,
- willingness to learn about mobility, posture and respiratory needs,
- to analyse and problem solve complex situations,
- to motivate people,
- to reassure people,
- to enjoy working alone or as a member of a team,
- to feel passionate about the inclusion, participation and value in society of people with learning disabilities and/or autism.
Restrictions and requirements
Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks may be required if working with children or vulnerable adults.
Career path and progression
With experience Physiotherapist can progress to more senior management, clinical or academic roles including advanced practitioner and consultant physiotherapist roles.
| Career Framework level | Role | Degree? |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Physiotherapy Assistant Supports individuals, their families and support workers around falls, rehabilitation and postural management They work under the supervision of a qualified physiotherapist. | No |
| 4 | Senior Physiotherapy Assistant Works more independently, with less direct supervision, under a qualified physiotherapist. | No |
| 5 | Physiotherapist Provide specialist assessment and treatment to learning disability patients. Involved in multidisciplinary meetings, and making significant contributions in the planning and delivering care plans to the patients with complex needs to support individuals, their families, and support workers. | Yes |
| 6 | Specialist Physiotherapist Provide specialist assessment and treatment to learning disability patients. Involved in multidisciplinary meetings and making significant contributions in the planning and delivering care plans to the patients with complex needs to support individuals, their families, and support workers. Demonstrates specialist knowledge within their field of practice and supervises others. | Yes |
| 7 | Advanced/Highly Specialist Physiotherapist Provide specialist assessment and treatment to learning disability patients. Involved in multidisciplinary meetings and making significant contributions in the planning and delivering care plans to the patients with complex needs to support individuals, their families, and support workers. Demonstrates highly developed expert knowledge and skills within their field of practice, leads on projects and supervises others. Works across 4 pillars of advanced practice:
| Master’s degree |
| 8 | Consultant physiotherapist Demonstrates professional and strategic leadership in their organisation and within the field of learning disability or autism. They may have responsibility for clinicians beyond their professional discipline. | Master’s degree |
| 9 | Senior management and leadership Leads physiotherapy within NHS Trusts or at Director/CEO level. Maybe responsible for a wide range of clinical teams and services using physiotherapy and leadership skills to influence policy and practice across a wider system. | Master’s degree |
How to become a Physiotherapist
To become a physiotherapist you need to take an undergraduate degree in physiotherapy, or a degree in another subject of your choice followed by a masters degree in physiotherapy.
You can get into this job through:
- a university 3 years fulltime or 4 year part time undergraduate
- a degree apprenticeship is also under development.
University
If you already hold a relevant first degree, you can apply for an accelerated postgraduate programme in physiotherapist. The courses usually last two years.
Entry requirements
You’ll usually need:
- 3 A levels or equivalent. Preferred subjects include a science such as biology or psychology and also English.
Alternative qualifications, including:
- BTEC, HND or HNC which includes science subjects
- relevant NVQ
- science-based access course
- equivalent level Scottish or Irish qualifications
- five GCSEs (grades A-C), including English and Mathematics.
Apprenticeship
A Physiotherapy degree apprenticeship is under development with the first apprenticeships being available from 2021. This is likely to take around 4 years for an undergraduate apprenticeship or around 3 years for a postgraduate apprenticeship. It will combine study with training on the job.
To do this apprenticeship when available, you will be likely to need similar entry qualifications as for a traditional degree.
From within Health and Social Care
If you are already working in the health and social care sector and looking for a new challenge, then you can change career to become a Physiotherapist within Learning Disability and Autism support and care. You will need a relevant degree and map your skills and experience against the entry criteria for the postgraduate programme as set out by the relevant universities.
From outside Health and Social Care
If you want to work in health and social care and looking for a new challenge, then you can change career to become a Physiotherapist within Learning Disability and Autism support and care. You will need a relevant degree and map your skills and experience against the entry criteria for the postgraduate programme as set out by the relevant universities.
Financial support
The financial support at university in England is in the form of loans for tuition fees and maintenance. You will also be entitled to receive at least a £5000 non-repayable grant a year towards your studies while at university. Your personal circumstances may mean you could receive more. The same financial support package is available to both undergraduates and postgraduates.
Current opportunities
Each of the arts therapies professional bodies share advertised job roles with members.
Many arts therapists use their personal networks to source potential job roles.
Most NHS trusts advertise their vacancies on NHS Jobs. Some advertise on trust websites. You can find a list of trusts on NHS Choices.