Advanced Therapy Technician - Acute Wards

University Hospital Southampton NHS FT; Southampton; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

University Hospital Southampton NHS FT is seeking Advanced Therapy Technicians for acute wards to assess, treat, and discharge patients. You will work within a large team across a 7-day service, supporting Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists in a fast-paced hospital.

The role requires empathy, strong communication, and flexibility to cover weekends and holidays. Applicants must be able to attend in-person interviews and undergo practical assessments as part of the selection process.

Qualifications

• Level 4 diploma in health or social care or equivalent level of experience.
• Relevant experience in healthcare, education or customer-facing settings.
• Able to work in a busy hospital environment with fast-paced and varied patient presentations.

Responsibilities

• Assess and treat patients, prepare them for home and support timely discharges.
• Work on acute wards alongside therapists and support staff.
• Maintain an independent caseload and support MDTs; participate in training and student education.

Skills

Empathy

Communication

Personal care

Flexibility

Teamwork

IT skills

Boundary awareness

Education

Level 4 diploma in health or social care

Job description

University Hospital Southampton is delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with us

Job Title: Advanced Therapy Technician - acute wards

Contract Type: Permanent

Under current Home Office rules, this role is not eligible for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship.

Please be advised that this vacancy may close earlier than stated if we receive a large number of applications.

Main duties of the job

We have several exciting opportunities for B4 Advanced Therapy Technician posts, to join our large Therapy services department at University Hospital Southampton. Working on the acute wards, alongside Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, and other therapy support staff, the postholder will have their own caseload of patients and support proactive and timely discharges.

The work involves assessing and treating patients, preparing them for home, and includes manual handling, personal care of patients, and fitting of equipment. The hospital is a fast-paced environment requiring rapid assessment, treatment and discharge, where possible, of a variety of patient presentations. We are seeking to appoint dynamic, reliable and flexible Therapy Technicians who can work closely within our integrated therapy team and multidisciplinary teams.

Working as a Therapy Technician in UHS requires a flexible approach, excellent communications skills to work within our energetic and diverse teams. We are looking for a highly motivated, passionate, and organised individual who can help us provide patient centred care that we strive for.

You will work as part of a combined therapy services team delivering patient care across a 7-day service, including weekends and bank holidays, on a roster basis.

Working for our organisation

As one of the largest acute teaching Trusts in England, we offer learning and development opportunities to help you achieve the career you aspire to. UHS is rated ‘Good’ by the CQC and in the latest national NHS Staff Survey, we were in the top 10 acute trusts for staff engagement and for staff recommending the hospital as a place to work or receive care.

We support flexible working and will consider requests taking into account the needs of the service. UHS employees are able to access a range of NHS discounts, are entitled to a minimum of 35 days paid holiday (pro rata), and we offer a generous pension scheme.

Southampton is an attractive place to live and work situated on the south coast, with an international airport and direct trains to London. The New Forest National Park and beaches of the Jurassic coast are also right on our doorstep. The city offers living costs 30% lower than London and 17 schools rated outstanding by Ofsted.

We believe that using technology wisely shows strong time management and commitment to innovation. However, personalising your recruitment application to highlight your unique skills and experiences is crucial. Relying too heavily on generic, AI-generated content instead of drawing from your own strengths and accomplishments may lead to your application being rejected if multiple candidates present identical or similar information.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

If you have ever considered becoming a qualified Occupational Therapist or Physiotherapist, this may be the perfect opportunity for you to gain experience and apply for one of our annual internal therapy apprenticeship opportunities.

As this post is part of the wider Therapy services department, all staff can develop new skills and knowledge through our in-service training. You will be part of a large department of over 300 Therapy staff including Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists and Therapy support staff.

We are looking for enthusiastic and diligent individuals with a desire to work in an acute hospital environment, supporting qualified therapists with the rehabilitation of patients with a wide range of physical health conditions. You will be dealing with patients who are acutely unwell, helping with personal care, including toileting, walking and undertaking everyday tasks.

In More Detail

• Involvement in treating, monitoring and making minor alterations to the treatment of patients. This includes their physical, emotional, developmental, cognitive and social needs
• Joint sessions with the therapy staff, plus managing an independent caseload on the wards
• Building a good rapport with the patients and families to encourage participation
• Working with patients with a wide range of presenting conditions
• Admin tasks, which includes using IT systems for ordering equipment, and data recording
• Wider departmental roles such as assisting with student education, peer supervision, participating in training programmes, and supporting B3 staff
• The interview will be used to decide which area the successful candidate will work in

Please ensure you fulfil all the essential criteria and have read the job description before applying

You also need to be able to attend an interview in person.

Essential

As well as the person specification, for this B4 role we need the following:

• At the START of your statement you must provide write a short and personal account of the following (within 150 words):

“Please describe a specific example of a time you have demonstrated empathy”

• This should be followed by your usual statement, expressing clearly why you want to work as part of the Therapy services team at UHS.

Plus, You Should Have The Following Skills/experience

• Proven experience of working with people who have a variety of physical conditions
• Clear understanding of the role of a Therapy technician in a busy hospital environment
• Knowledge of NHS working
• Basic IT skills for completion of data bases, electronic patient records
• Awareness of professional boundaries and limitations of job role
• Able to manage working with bodily fluids and helping with personal care, including toileting
• Able to communicate effectively
• Able to be flexible and adaptable
• Able to remain calm under pressure
• Experience working in fast paced environments
• Able to work alone as well as in an MDT
• Flexibility is needed to work across weekends and bank holidays on a rota basis. Desirable
• Previous employment in an acute NHS or social care

As you will be part of the wider Therapy services department, you will be supported to develop your skills through in-service training and UHS opportunities. This may be the start of an apprenticeship opportunity for you, becoming a qualified Occupational Therapist or Physiotherapist.

We actively encourage all potential applicants to contact us to ask any questions you may have.

Please Note

• Before applying, please ensure you will be able to attend an interview in person, as we will include practical assessments as part the interview
• If you invited to interview, please dress in smart, comfortable clothing for the practical assessments
• The interviews will take place in person on 10th or 11th December
• No virtual interviews will be offered, due to the practical assessments
• We do not accept CV applications
• If we receive a high volume of applications, this advert will close early
• From this advert we may offer permanent or fixed term opportunities, and will create a reserve list for further similar opportunities
• Please note you will ONLY be contacted and updated on TRAC if you are successfully shortlisted for interview

If you are interested in finding out about other Therapy opportunities, please email [e-mail]

Person specification

Qualifications

• Level 4 diploma in a health or social care subject or equivalent level of experience

Knowledge and Experience

• Relevant experience working in a healthcare, education or customer facing setting
• Demonstrates the ability to acknowledge changes in the patient’s physical/psychological needs and manage as appropriate

Desirable criteria

• Experience working in an acute hospital

Trust Values

• Patients First
• Always Improving
• Working Together