This video has been created by NHS East of England.
- Work as part of an MDT in a patient facing role, using their expert knowledge of MSK issues, to create stronger links for wider MSK services through clinical leadership, teaching and evaluation skills
- Assess, diagnose, triage and manage patients, taking responsibility for the management of a complex caseload
- FCPs will progress and request investigations (such as x-rays and blood tests) and referrals to facilitate diagnosis and choice of treatment
- Develop integrated and tailored care programmes in partnership with patients and provide a range of first line treatment options
- Develop relationships and a collaborative working approach across the PCN supporting the integration of pathways in PC
- Develop and make use of their full scope of practice, including skills relating to independent prescribing, injection therapy and investigation
- Manage complex interactions, including working with patients with psychosocial and mental health needs, referring to social prescribing when appropriate
- Support regional and national research and audit programmes to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of the FCP programme
- To complete an undergraduate degree in physiotherapy
- Registered with Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
- A member of the CSP or appropriate professional body
- A Masters Level qualification or equivalent specialist musculoskeletal
- Completed Level 7 Modules in MSK related areas of practice
- Hold credentials in imaging i.e. diagnostic or procedural
e-Learning for Healthcare
The following resources can be accessed via e-Learning for Healthcare (e-LfH). E-LfH provides free e-learning programmes which can support you in your professional development.
If you do not already have an account, click here to register using your NHS email address. If you already have an account, please use the same link to firstly log in to access the following resources.
The below resources are available to support Allied Health Professionals in their understanding and their development:
- Allied Health Professional Careers Resource: The AHP Careers Resource takes eight potential areas for career development, the resource provides a wealth of information to highlight the wide range of available option, all whilst continuing to work clinically if desired. AHP colleagues taking different career journeys from across the 14 disciplines appear on film and share what has helped, what barriers they have overcome, and what they enjoy most about their work.
- The Wow Show: A video resource that introduces you to individuals in AHP roles within the NHS to give an understanding of their roles and their experiences.
- Resources for AHP in a primary or community setting This package provides training materials and resources useful to Allied Health Professionals working in a primary care or community setting during the current COVID-19 pandemic. It covers a comprehensive set of topics including mobility and function, self management strategies and fatigue.
The below resources provide further guidance around a Physiotherapists responsibilities and activities:
- Freda’s fall: Freda’s Fall is the story of an elderly lady who has a fall at home and is admitted to hospital and subsequently released, with support from a variety of health and care professionals. The story is told through four e-learning sessions, each dealing with a different aspect of the circumstances of the fall. Session 4 demonstrates the role of the Physiotherapist.
- MSK Primary Care: - This programme has been developed to support clinicans working as First Contact practitioners. The package provides eight sessions that look to take the learner through a range of particular primary care issues that are commonly seen as part of a MSK FCP assessment.
- E-Pain: This is a multidisciplinary e-learning programme developed jointly by the Faculty of Pain Medicine of the Royal College of Anaesthetists and the British Pain Society. The programme is designed to improve the knowledge, skills and attitudes of all NHS staff dealing with patients who have acute or chronic pain.
- Clinical Imaging: This course will provide a greater insight into x-rays to support FCP in facilitating diagnosis and treatment.
- Research, Audit and Quality Improvement: This programme will support First Contact Physiotherapists in their support of regional and national research and audit programmes to strive for continuous improvement.
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New Fit Note: From 1st July 2022, new legislation came into force which allows nurses, occupational therapists, pharmacists, and physiotherapists to legally certify fit notes, in addition to doctors. To support this, the government has published some guidance. It is recommended that colleagues also complete the Work for Health Programme first which provides a general introduction to this area.
- Work and Health Programme: This programme is intended to improve healthcare practitioner’s confidence to support patients with long term or chronic health conditions, via brief conversations in routine consultations. It does not cover work-based health initiatives, but instead focuses on the relationship between health professionals and patients.
This list is not exhaustive and the programmes available are regularly updated, so we recommend visiting the e-LfH portal and reviewing the available resources via using the “View full catalogue” function, or the “Search the e-learning" function.
There are two types of supervision for the FCP to advanced practice training pathway to primary care.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Supervision
CPD supervision is often described with respect to practitioners working in established roles. It should encompass the supervision requirements of the appropriate professional regulatory body. Regular meetings (such as six-weekly) allow for discussion around ways of working, identifying learning needs/opportunities, opportunities for feedback, peer review maintaining standards/capabilities, and embracing life-long learning. CPD supervision provides an excellent opportunity to develop teams and promote self-care/resilience and wellbeing. Educational opportunities can form part of this and can be inter-professional, uni-professional, or ideally a mix of both.
Clinical supervision
Clinical supervision is often referenced within the context of new/emerging roles or in a new clinical setting, involves regular supervision within practice, and includes a debrief (at least daily) to ensure patient and practitioner safety. It should provide good quality feedback to help with safely managing practitioner and patient uncertainty. Clinical supervision should help to build confident capability, clinical reasoning, and critical thinking. It also includes Workplace-Based Assessment (WPBA) to assess the application of knowledge, skills, and behaviours in Primary Care. The WPBA allows for a portfolio of triangulated evidence against the appropriate framework. Clinical supervision is mainly formative but there may be a summative element. Clinical Supervision of Physiotherapist can be conducted by:
- Experienced Physiotherapist
- GP
- ACP (3+ years)
Educational supervision
Educational supervision is required for those undertaking educational courses/modules and is the responsibility of the educational provider. Some of the evidence can be captured through clinical supervision and work-place based assessments (WPBA) and often includes:
• A number of shadowed hours of placements
• Evidence of competence in specific skills
Please see below supervision resources from NHSEI and HEE:
A physiotherapy degree (BSc) is required to work as a physiotherapist in any setting.
For Band 7 roles, HEE Primary care FCP capability training must be completed as the minimum threshold for entry to primary care and be supported by appropriate governance and indemnity. HEE primary care FCP training can begin 3-5 years postgraduate.
For Band 8a roles, the HEE FC primary care training must be completed, and they must be working at an advanced level of practice i.e. at master’s level (level 7) across all four pillars of advanced practice.
Physiotherapy degrees are available at:
100% of actual salary plus defined on-costs, up to the maximum reimbursable amount of £65,838 over 12 months.
Professional Body Resources
The professional body for Physiotherapists. Useful sections include FAQ's, First Contact Physiotherapy resources, accreditation and this, amongst others, webinar.
This resource from HCPC provides guidance around the expectations, scope of practice and standards of a Physiotherapist.
A new toolkit available via FutureNHS brings together the essential resources to support the development and integration of FCP roles into the wider system. The resource is divided into sections that cover all aspects of FCP roles from planning and implementing through to demonstrating effectiveness and impact. There are also sections looking at broader aspects of the role and wider policy implications, with links to all relevant resources.
Career Pathway Resources
This document provides guidance on the routes to becoming a first contact practitioner.
This document provides a roadmap of education for practice when moving into First Contact Practitioner (FCP) roles, and onward to Advanced Practice (AP) roles in Primary Care.
This guide provides information on Pilot FCP Projects, career frameworks, roadmap to practice, the different stages to FCP recognition, Workforce models and education and training.
Employer Resources
This guide is intended for GPs, Primary Care Networks (PCNs),integrated care system leads, providers of musculoskeletal services, all clinical and non-clinical staff within primary care teams, and those involved in funding and commissioning MSK services. It sets out the key steps to consider when implementing FCP services with links to resources that can act as a starting point for local use.
Skills for Health have here demonstrated the framework created by HEE and NHSEI, which aims to ensure that health professionals supporting with MSK are equipped to provide support at the the first point of contact and help towards achieving better outcomes across the system.
Role Overview
This updated DES 2024/25 outlines the role of the First Contact Physiotherapist and what is expected from PCNs (page 91-94).
Relevant Research
The Kings Fund have conducted research around four ARRS roles including Physiotherapists, to address the experiences of people working in these roles, and the people managing them, to address any lack of understanding and ambiguity. Read the short summary here.
Tools for Practice
HEE have provided this resource to cover the most common areas that Physiotherapists support with in primary care.
This page has been created to help first contact physiotherapy (FCP) members feel confident when developing useful and sustainable peer networks.
A video created by Somerset Foundation Trust which gives an introduction to Musculoskeletal First Contact Physiotherapy in Primary Care.
Jobs
If you are looking for a new position related to this role, we recommend checking both NHS Jobs and HealthjobsUK.
NHS Jobs is the official online recruitment service for the NHS in England and Wales, with over 30,000 jobs posted every month.
Hosted by trac.jobs, HealthJobsUK is among the leading job boards in the health and public sector within the UK.
