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About the role

Langford Vets have two vacancies for qualified Veterinary Physiotherapists with at least 1 year’s post-graduate experience.

We are looking for an enthusiastic candidate to join the Rehabilitation and Pain Service at Langford Vets, working as part of a team of colleagues with expertise in a range of acute and chronic rehabilitative and palliative care therapies.

The Rehabilitation team work within all areas of the Small Animal Hospital in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. The successful candidate will be required to have a positive work ethic, be flexible, be a team player, have excellent communication skills, and be able to work independently to manage an inpatient caseload.

While full-time hours are preferred, part-time hours will also be considered for the right candidate.

About the company

Langford Vets is located in the beautiful Somerset countryside, whilst being close to the vibrant city of Bristol. As a subsidiary company of the University of Bristol, we are a commercial veterinary business operating across all animal species and disciplines, whilst also teaching the future generations of vets and nurses.

We are a dynamic and innovative veterinary company committed to excellence in every aspect of our business. We pride ourselves on being a positive and inclusive place to work. Our success is driven by our talented and dedicated team of professionals who work together to achieve our goals.

The Team and Culture

This fast-paced and rewarding role provides plenty of opportunities for learning, developing and working with a passionate and driven team of professionals.

As a Physiotherapist at Langford Vets you will work as part of the Small Animal Referral Hospital Rehabilitation team.

The team currently consists of one Hydrotherapist/Rehabilitation Assistant and two physiotherapists and works closely with clinicians, nurses and clinical support staff.

Emily Ni Mhuilleoir is a current member of the team and has shared this with us:

"Our team is extremely caring and considerate. We work closely together to ensure we're doing the best for our patients and that everyone on the team feels supported."

Our culture is to provide a friendly, supportive and collaborative environment within which individuals feel heard and can fulfil their potential through career long learning.

A typical day

Some of your day-to-day tasks could include:

  • Attending clinical rounds with the neurology and orthopaedic teams
  • Devising plans for treating the inpatients including discharge planning
  • Answering the telephone and providing advice
  • Triaging online referral requests
  • Meeting and greeting clients and patients
  • Consulting with the Veterinary Specialist in the pain clinic
  • Consulting with clients and their pets having outpatient physiotherapy

At the end of the day, providing exceptional care for someone’s beloved pet brings with it a huge feeling of job satisfaction and achievement.

About you

The ideal candidate will be able to offer physiotherapy and hydrotherapy services and contribute towards the development of the service and profession, with a keenness to provide training / CPD for visiting physiotherapy students and observational experience of physiotherapy and rehabilitation for veterinary students.

Benefits and wellbeing

Our people are at the heart of what we do and as your employer we want to ensure we offer flexibility, support and staff development, where possible, through:

Time off
- 5 weeks holiday per year (plus bank holidays)
- Additional holiday entitlement for Long Service

Wellbeing
- On site Mental Wellbeing Champions
- EDI committee
- Employee Forum – to ensure all employees voices can be heard
- Menopause Café
- Wellbeing talks and events
- Cycle to work scheme
- Family friendly policies, including enhanced maternity and paternity pay (after 2 years’ service)

Health
- SimplyHealth Cashplan membership
- Free annual flu vaccination
- Free Specsavers eye test voucher

General
- Free onsite parking
- U2 bus service link to Bristol
- Annual CPD allowance
- Employee discount
- Generous pension scheme – we match up to 8% pension contributions
- Reimbursement of one professional membership fee per year

How to apply

If this role sounds like the right fit for you, don’t delay, click ‘Apply’ and begin your career with Langford Vets.

  • Closing date for this role is: 12th June 2025
  • Interviews will be held on: 26th and 27th June. Candidates will be asked to spend some time in our clinical areas as part of the interview process

For informal enquiries about the role, please contact emily.nimhuilleoir@bristol.ac.uk

Job Description

Responsibilities

Job purpose

Job Title: Veterinary Physiotherapist

Reports to: Senior Physiotherapist

Job Purpose:

  • To work as part of a team of colleagues with expertise in a range of rehabilitative therapies.
  • To provide face to face and virtual physiotherapy assessment and treatment to an inpatient and outpatient caseload and through early discharge from the Small Animal Hospital as well as external veterinary practices.
  • To work alongside our Specialist Vet to run the Pain Management Clinic
  • To work alongside our hydrotherapist(s) to facilitate inpatient and outpatient hydrotherapy and carry out hydrotherapy treatment if suitably qualified
  • To communicate and liaise effectively with clinicians and nurses working within other services to ensure cases are managed efficiently and supporting their discharge from hospital
  • To work in the Rehabilitation team to promote and continue to develop the service
  • To support both veterinary, veterinary nursing and veterinary physiotherapy students in their learning objectives

Principal Responsibilities:

  • To be responsible for a caseload of patients including neurological, orthopaedic and medical cases both as inpatients and in an outpatient setting
  • To be competent in the assessment and treatment of the above patient groups including the use of electrotherapy modalities, exercise prescription, hydrotherapy, manual therapy and home management advice
  • To use clinical reasoning skills, knowledge of evidence-based practice and developed expertise to determine individual appropriate physiotherapy treatment plans
  • To be competent in identifying dog and cat behaviour and be competent in adjusting assessment and treatment accordingly
  • To evaluate relevant information regarding all aspects of patient care, including from other veterinary professionals along with the results of own assessment to develop a problem list and expected response to treatment
  • To be competent in identifying signs of deterioration/ red flags and when to liaise with the referring vet
  • To maintain accurate patient records on Rx with regards to all clinical notes, treatment, diagnoses, client communication and client /patient information in accordance with CSP and SAH standards
  • To send discharge and progress reports to referring vets and clients in line with the Rehabilitation department policy
  • To have a knowledge of various assistive aids and rehab equipment including carts, slings, bracing/ splinting and proprioceptive aids
  • To work alongside our Rehabilitation Assistant to manage, coordinate referral requests, telephone queries, appointment booking and financial transactions
  • To provide support to students from varying appropriate professions
  • To provide education and training to colleagues and students as needed
  • To maintain professional standards in line with CSP guidelines and HCPC guidelines if appropriate
  • To have an annual appraisal and be able to identify learning requirements and develop and learning plan
  • To fulfil CPD requirements in line with CSP/ACPAT/RAMP and HCPC as appropriate
  • To actively contribute to service developments within the Rehabilitation and Pain Management Service as discussed with the Rehab Team Lead and in team meetings
  • To keep up to date with manual handling policies and identify any potential risk to self or others
  • To report any incidents or adverse events at work as per SAH policy
  • Be competent in basic IT skills including Word and Excel
  • Responsible for keeping themselves and others safe, reporting accidents, near misses and hazards and adhering to health and safety requirements and policies as required by the business/their line manager.
  • Proactively identify and act upon opportunities for business improvement. Openly identify and discuss problems in order to implement and sustain improvements that increase the value we deliver to our, clients, employees, and students.
  • To undertake any reasonable requests by the Rehabilitation Team Lead

Person Specification

Person Specification

The skills, abilities, experience and knowledge outlined below provide a summary of what is required to carry out this job effectively.

Essential

Desirable

Degree/ post- graduate certificate/ Masters in Veterinary Physiotherapy

Level 3 Certificate in Canine Hydrotherapy

Registered with ACPAT or RAMP

Registered with CHA or NARCH

Experience of working within a hospital setting (either human or veterinary)

At least 1 year experience working as a Veterinary Physiotherapist

Experience of working within a multidisciplinary team (either human or veterinary)

Experience of working within a veterinary referral hospital environment

Documented evidence of CPD in accordance with ACPAT or RAMP standards

Experience in carrying out hydrotherapy treatments and water management

A good degree of knowledge of orthopaedic and neurological conditions

Interest in splinting, bracing and cart fitting

A good degree of prioritisation and time management skills

A high level of effective communication with other professionals and clients

Basic IT skills

Highly competent clinical documentation skills

Willing to work flexible or compressed hours

Eligible to work in the UK

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