About this role
Job summary Assess and manage a specialist caseload of patients with ME/CFS and Long Covid. Deliver person-centred assessment, care planning and self-management support. Support patients with energy management, pacing, fatigue management, relapse planning and activity adaptation. Work as part of the MDT to support triage, pathway allocation, care planning and case review. Deliver care through 1:1, group, virtual, clinic, community and home-based appointments. Identify clinical risk, deterioration or complexity and escalate appropriately. Support patients with personalised care and support plans focused on what matters to them. Work collaboratively with GPs, community services, voluntary sector partners, carers and families. Maintain accurate clinical records and contribute to outcome monitoring, audit and service improvement. Support colleagues through advice, shared learning and contribution to service development.
Main duties of the job The Senior Clinical Specialist will provide specialist physiotherapy assessment, rehabilitation and clinical management for people with suspected or diagnosed ME/CFS and/or Long Covid across Kent and Medway. The role requires confident clinical reasoning with people who may present with complex, fluctuating, multi-system symptoms including fatigue, post-exertional malaise/post-exertional symptom exacerbation, breathlessness, pain, cognitive difficulties, sleep disturbance and autonomic symptoms. Working as part of a multidisciplinary service, the post holder will manage a delegated specialist caseload, contribute to referral triage and pathway allocation, deliver symptom-contingent rehabilitation, education and self-management support, and contribute to personalised care and support planning. They will recognise when a case requires advanced clinical, medical or MDT input and will escalate appropriately while providing day-to-day support to colleagues, students or support staff as agreed. Interventions must be aligned to current NICE guidance, professional standards and the service model, with a clear focus on preventing avoidable symptom exacerbation and improving quality of life, function and participation.
About us Cora is a leading provider of community healthcare services in the UK. We deliver MSK (musculoskeletal) services, diagnostic imaging, day-case surgery, physiotherapy, rehabilitation, podiatry, persistent pain management, mental health, orthopaedic and rheumatology services. We want everyone to have the opportunity to thrive. We help people help themselves, to get back to their best or to simply find a new way forward.
Job description Job responsibilities Senior Clinical Specialist Full Time/Part Time Up to £44,688 depending on experience Kent and Medway
Join our team We are looking for a compassionate and experienced Senior Specialist Practitioner to join our new ME/CFS and Long Covid Service across Kent and Medway.
This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a multidisciplinary service supporting adults with ME/CFS and Long Covid, including people with complex, fluctuating and long-term symptoms. You will work alongside colleagues from nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, medical, mental health and care coordination backgrounds to deliver safe, personalised and evidence-based care.
The role will suit a registered clinician who is confident supporting people with long-term conditions, fatigue, post-exertional malaise/post-exertional symptom exacerbation, breathlessness, deconditioning and functional limitations. You will support patients to understand their condition, manage symptoms, build confidence and access the right care at the right time.
What you'll do
Assess and manage a specialist caseload of patients with ME/CFS and Long Covid. Deliver person-centred assessment, care planning and self-management support. Support patients with energy management, pacing, fatigue management, relapse planning and activity adaptation. Work as part of the MDT to support triage, pathway allocation, care planning and case review. Deliver care through 1:1, group, virtual, clinic, community and home-based appointments. Identify clinical risk, deterioration or complexity and escalate appropriately. Support patients with personalised care and support plans focused on what matters to them. Work collaboratively with GPs, community services, voluntary sector partners, carers and families. Maintain accurate clinical records and contribute to outcome monitoring, audit and service improvement. Support colleagues through advice, shared learning and contribution to service development.
About you You will be a registered nurse or allied health professional with experience supporting people with long-term conditions, complex rehabilitation needs or fluctuating clinical presentations.
You will bring:
Current professional registration with the relevant UK regulatory body. Experience working with patients with long-term, complex or persistent symptoms. Strong assessment, clinical reasoning and communication skills. Understanding of ME/CFS, Long Covid, fatigue, pacing and post-exertional malaise/post-exertional symptom exacerbation. Confidence working as part of a multidisciplinary team. Ability to deliver compassionate, personalised care across face-to-face and digital settings. Sound judgement around clinical escalation, safeguarding and risk. A commitment to safe, evidence-based and patient-centred practice.
Helpful experience Experience in ME/CFS, Long Covid, rehabilitation, respiratory, community services, occupational health, pain, neurology, mental health, social prescribing or personalised care would be helpful, but not essential.
What we can offer you At Cora, we want colleagues to feel supported, trusted and able to do meaningful work. You will be joining a new service where your clinical judgement, ideas and experience will help shape how care is delivered.
We can offer:
The opportunity to help mobilise and develop a new specialist service. A supportive multidisciplinary team environment. A varied role across clinic, community, virtual and home-based care. Opportunities for learning, reflective practice and professional development. A values-led culture focused on better care, better outcomes and better experiences.
We are Cora Health Cora Health is reimagining healthcare for people to thrive.
We believe healthcare can always be better. We deliver care at scale, but we will always care for the individual. Our services support people to get back to better, back to their best, or simply find a path forward.
Our values guide how we work:
We start with a can-do attitude. We act with empathy. We're committed to better.
Equality, diversity and inclusion At Cora Health, we are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels welcome, respected and able to thrive.
We value different perspectives, backgrounds and experiences, and we therefore welcome applications from people from diverse backgrounds. We are also committed to supporting reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.
Apply today If you are a registered nurse or AHP who wants to help shape a compassionate, evidence-based ME/CFS and Long Covid service, we would love to hear from you.
Cora Health reserves the right to close this vacancy earlier than the advertised closing date should a high volume of applications be received. We encourage interested candidates to apply as soon as possible to ensure their application is considered.
Person Specification
Qualifications Desirable
Postgraduate training relevant to ME/CFS, Long Covid, fatigue management, long-term conditions
Experience Desirable
Experience working directly with people with ME/CFS, Long Covid, post-viral illness, persistent fatigue, dysautonomia, respiratory symptoms or chronic pain.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check 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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details Employer name Cora Health Group Limited
Address Woodlands Health Centre
Maidstone
Kent
TN12 6AW
United Kingdom
Employer's website http://www.corahealth.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)