Advanced Clinical Specialist MECFS

Manage and provide expert input into the most complex ME/CFS and Long Covid presentations. Provide advanced assessment, clinical reasoning, risk management and pathway planning. Support triage and clinical prioritisation, including complex referral review and pathway allocation. Lead or contribute to MDT discussions, complex case reviews and clinical decision-making. Provide advice and guidance to colleagues on fatigue, pacing, post-exertional malaise/post-exertional symptom exacerbation, symptom fluctuation and severe presentations. Support personalised care and support planning for patients with complex needs. Ensure care is adapted for people with severe symptoms, sensory sensitivity, relapse risk or reduced functional capacity. Act as an escalation point for clinical complexity, risk, deterioration or uncertainty. Contribute to the development of clinical pathways, service standards, patient resources and outcome measures. Support audit, service evaluation, clinical governance and
continuous improvement. Provide supervision, mentoring and support to less experienced colleagues. Work collaboratively with GPs, secondary care, community services, voluntary sector partners, patients, families and carers., The Advanced Clinical Specialist will provide highly specialist physiotherapy assessment, clinical management and pathway leadership for people with suspected or diagnosed ME/CFS and/or Long Covid across Kent and Medway. The role carries responsibility for the most complex, high-risk and clinically uncertain physiotherapy presentations within the service, including people with severe, highly fluctuating or multi-system symptoms such as fatigue, post-exertional malaise/post-exertional symptom exacerbation, breathlessness, pain, cognitive difficulties, sleep disturbance and autonomic symptoms. Working as a senior member of the multidisciplinary service, the post holder will hold a specialist clinical caseload, provide advanced input into triage and pathway allocation, lead physiotherapy formulation for complex cases, support MDT decision-making and provide clinical supervision and guidance to physiotherapy colleagues and wider team members. The post holder will help shape the physiotherapy
model within the service, ensuring interventions are safe, evidence-informed, person-centred and 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.

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.