Assistant Hand Therapy Practitioner

University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust; East Midlands; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Hand Therapy Assistant (Band 4) to join the Pulvertaft Hand Unit. You will work under supervision to support Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists in delivering high-quality, patient-centred care.

Educated to NVQ Level 3 or equivalent with Hand Therapy experience; IT knowledge and stock control experience are required. NHS background and supervision experience are valued.

Qualifications

• Educated to NVQ Level 3 or equivalent experience.
• Experience specifically in Hand Therapy or outpatient setting.
• IT knowledge.
• Experience of stock control/stock taking.
• NHS experience or working in an Acute NHS setting.
• Experience in supervision.

Responsibilities

• Manage a defined caseload with minimal support from the delegating therapist.
• Teaching and supervising exercise programmes to support patient recovery.
• Assessing, issuing and teaching the use of walking aids where required.
• Fitting and teaching the use of appliances or splints for agreed conditions.
• Supporting safe moving and handling in line with Trust policies.

Skills

Team player

Reliability

IT knowledge

Hand therapy experience

Education

NVQ Level 3 or equivalent

Tools

Stock control systems

Job description

As a trusted organisation at the heart of our communities, we recognise the important role we can play in supporting the public, patients, our own people and local partners in achieving the best of health for the local population and the communities in which they live by providing Exceptional Care Together.

Our fundamental Values of Compassion, Openness and Excellence underpin how we intend to work as a Trust and the associated behaviours are becoming embedded in all aspects of how we work.

With over 14,000 members of staff you can expect huge variety and new opportunities every day! Our staff go above and beyond and take pride in caring for our patients.

University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust is fully committed to promoting inclusion, equality, diversity and human rights in employment and delivery of its services. The Trust is committed to providing an environment where all employees, patients, carers and visitors experience equality of opportunity by means of understanding and appreciating the value of diversity.

As a Trust we promote an inclusive environment and welcome applications from a diverse pool of talent and backgrounds. All individuals are valued and given every opportunity to succeed based on merit.

The Trust actively encourages applications from members of our Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities. These groups are under-represented in our organisation, and it’s important to us that our workforce reflects the diversity of our communities as much as possible.

Armed Forces and Disability Confident guaranteed interview scheme

To further support the pledges in the Armed Forces Covenant and to make a positive contribution to support ex-armed forces personnel (veterans) make the transition to civilian life, the Trust has introduced a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for veterans who meets the essential criteria set out in the person specification, to help them overcome barriers to find civilian employment. The scheme will operate for all external recruitment.

The Trust is a Disability Confident Employer and committed to both employing and retaining people with disabilities. This commitment is to guarantee an interview for any candidate that has disclosed a disability under the Equality Act 2010 and who meets the essential criteria set out in the person specification. Reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010 will be considered upon request.

if you are blind or visually impaired and require application material in an alternative format- such as Braille, large print, audio or accessible electronic formats oryou require support/adjustments with your application please contact the recruitment team on 01332 788466

The Trust is proud to be a signatory of the Care Leavers Covenant and is committed to supporting care-experienced people into employment.

Applicants who identify as a care leaver and who meet the essential criteria for the role, as detailed in the person specification, will be guaranteed an interview.

If you wish to be considered under this scheme, please indicate this within your application.

Join us and help make a real difference to our Trust.

Here’s more about the role and what we’re looking for;

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Hand Therapy Team as a Band 4 Assistant within the renowned Pulvertaft Hand Unit. We are a busy, friendly clinical service specialising in hand and upper‑limb conditions and injuries. Although the wider Unit includes Doctors, Nurses, Therapists and Extended Scope Practitioners, this role focuses on supporting our Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists in delivering high‑quality, patient‑centred care.

As a Hand Therapy Assistant, you will work under the supervision of qualified therapy staff to support patients throughout their rehabilitation journey. You will also manage an independent caseload of patients with clearly defined treatment plans, helping them progress through their personalised rehabilitation programmes.

This role is ideal for someone who is compassionate, motivated, and eager to develop specialist skills within a supportive multidisciplinary environment.

Working Hours

This post offers a structured weekly timetable:

• Monday: 08:00–17:00
• Tuesday: 09:00–18:30
• Thursday: 08:00–16:30
• Friday: 08:30–13:00

Main duties of the job

Key Responsibilities

• Managing a defined caseload with minimal support from the delegating therapist.
• Teaching and supervising exercise programmes to support patient recovery.
• Assessing, issuing and teaching the use of walking aids where required.
• Fitting and teaching the use of appliances or splints for agreed conditions.
• Supporting safe moving and handling in line with Trust policies.

Training & Development

You will be welcomed into a team that values learning and professional growth. We offer regular, comprehensive training and encourage ongoing development to help you build confidence and specialist skills in hand therapy.

Key Dates

• Closing date for applications: 28 September 2026
• Interview date: 12 October 2026

Working for our organisation

As a trusted organisation at the heart of our communities, we recognise the important role we can play in supporting the public, patients, our own people and local partners in achieving the best of health for the local population and the communities in which they live by providing Exceptional Care Together

Our fundamental Values of Compassion, Openness and Excellence underpin how we intend to work as a Trust and the associated behaviours are becoming embedded in all aspects of how we work.

In return we will offer:

• Development opportunities, both professional and leadership development
• On-going support from recruitment to when you join our team and beyond.
• Staff benefits including employee assistance programme, discounted gym membership, onsite fitness classes, car schemes

Key Facts:

• We see on average 4810 OP appointments a day.
• We are the 4th busiest Trauma & Orthopaedic outpatients department in England – an average of 2077 per week.
• An average of 1115 patients are seen in A&Es across our network every day – 3rd largest in the country.
• Our hospitals admit an average of 195 emergency patients daily.
• Last year we undertook almost 33,700 planned surgical operations in our 57 operating theatres.
• We are one of only 7 Trusts nationally with more than 50 operating theatres.
• We carry out more than 140 elective procedures each working day.
• UHDB is a research active University Hospital with a large and varied portfolio of clinical trials and research opportunities for all staff.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Educated to NVQ Level 3 or equivalent experience or be able to evidence/knowledge within a similar therapy assistant setting
• IT knowledge
• Experience specifically in the area of Hand Therapy or outpatient setting
• Experience of stock control/stock taking
• To understand the roles of other rehabilitation professionals

Experience

• NHS experience or working in an Acute NHS setting
• Experience in supervision

Behaviours

• Demonstrates team player attributes
• Able to demonstrate reliability and responsibility

Our Trust aims to provide the highest quality care to patients within Derbyshire and South East Staffordshire and we want the very best people to work with us.

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IMPORTANT INFORMATION

At UHDB , we offer different ways to work flexibly to each and every one of our colleagues, many of whom already work flexibly at all sites of the Trust.

For our roles we are open to discussing the possibility of part-time/ reduced hours/ compressed hours/ flexible start and finish times/ fixed/flexible shifts/annualised hours/ term time hours/ hybrid working – working partly in the trust/partly at home.

Why don’t you talk to us at interview about the flexibility you would like to explore and what it means to you, and we will discuss what’s possible for the job and team, and the opportunities we might be able to create together.

We can’t promise to give you exactly what you want, but we do promise to work with you to look at all the available options.

Most of our posts are subject to a DBS check, however having a criminal record will not necessarily bar you from obtaining a position. Please be aware that all new employees starting work with us will be charged for the cost of their DBS check, if it is required for their role.

All correspondence relating to your application will be sent to you via our trac.system account. Please ensure that you regularly check your emails; this includes junk/spam, as your security settings may not recognise the sender.

Anyone from outside of the UK (excluding from the Republic of Ireland) will need permission from UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) to work in the UK and may also need entry clearance before travelling here.

UKVI is responsible for managing migration. To obtain a visa or entry clearance, you will need to meet certain requirements and demonstrate you have the right the work in the UK via:

• the points-based immigration system
• the EU settlement scheme
• eVisa

During the course of its employment activities, University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust collects, stores and processes personal information about prospective, current and former staff.

Our Privacy Notice includes applicants, employees (and former employees), workers (including agency, casual, honorary and contracted staff), volunteers, trainees and those carrying out work experience – please refer to our Privacy Notice available on our Trust website: https://www.uhdb.nhs.uk/information-governance

UHDB is committed to fair and transparent recruitment. We welcome authentic applications that reflect your own skills, experience and motivations for the role. While we understand that candidates may use AI tools for grammar, formatting or accessibility purposes, applications that appear to be substantially AI‑generated may be subject to additional review. If this applies to your submission, we will let you know and may ask for clarification. Please ensure your application accurately represents your experience and is written in your own words.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Application numbers