To examine the effect of an additional 2-week health professional-led functional exercise programme compared to usual care for patients after hip fracture during a short-term nursing home stay directly after hospital discharge. One hundred and forty participants, 65 years or older with hip fracture, admitted to a short-term nursing home stay were randomised to an intervention group or control group. Participants in the intervention group (n=78) received the experimental programme consisted of functional exercises, performed by health care professionals up to four times a day, 7 days a week, in addition to usual care during a 2-week short-term nursing home stay. Participants in the control group (n=62) received usual care alone. Primary outcome was Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). Secondary outcomes were Timed Up & Go, New Mobility Score, The University of California, Los Angeles Activity Scale, Fall Efficacy Scale International, The EuroQol five dimension five-level questionnaire, and Numeric Rating Scale for pain. Outcome measures were assessed after 2 weeks in a short-term nursing home stay and 3 months after hip fracture surgery. The activity monitor ActivPal registered activity during the 2-week short-term nursing home stay. No statistically significant differences between groups was found in any outcomes after 2 weeks or 3 months (p>0.05). There were statistically significant within-group improvements in primary outcome SPPB and in most secondary outcomes at all time points in both groups (p>0.05). A 2-week health professional-led functional exercise programme in addition to usual care demonstrated no difference in clinical outcomes compared to usual care alone up to 3 months after hip fracture. The patients with hip fracture are fragile and vulnerable in this early phase, and usual physiotherapy may be sufficient to improve their physical function. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02780076.