Bank Senior Therapy Assistant

University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust; Bournemouth; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 28,000; Part time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in Bournemouth is seeking a Bank Senior Therapy Assistant to support the Older Persons Therapy Team. The role involves assisting therapists in rehabilitating elderly patients and requires previous experience in a healthcare setting. Candidates must have an NVQ 3/QCF or equivalent, a clean driver's license, and the ability to work independently. The position is crucial for enhancing patient care, ensuring older individuals receive the highest quality support.

Qualifications

• Previous work as a Therapy Assistant or equivalent.
• Experience with the elderly in a hospital setting.
• Ability to work independently and manage own caseload.

Responsibilities

• Support therapists in rehabilitating older patients on wards.
• Assist in assessing individuals' function and mobility.
• Attend in-house training and support clinical staff.

Skills

Verbal and non-verbal communication

Independence

Flexibility

Teamwork

Education

NVQ 3/QCF or equivalent

Tools

Manual handling equipment

Job description

Bank Senior Therapy Assistant

Go back University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust

The closing date is 03 October 2025

We are please to announce we are recruiting for a Bank Band 3 therapy assistant post, supporting the Older Persons Therapy Team.

Within the acute setting the Older Persons Services (OPS) Therapies team assess and manage patients that present in the Emergency Department, the Older Persons Admissions/Short Stay Unit and the Older Persons Medical wards, alongside supporting patients who have been outlaid on other wards within the Hospital. As a team we are passionate in ensuring that any older people presenting to our acute hospital receive the highest quality care from clinicians with a holistic approach and passion in caring for older people.

The post holder must be a car driver and have access to a car for work purposes, please make this clear in the supporting information of your application.

Previous experience of working with older people, in an acute hospital or community setting would be desirable.

The key responsibilities would require you to work alongside the therapists on our Older Persons Medicine wards, supporting the team with rehabilitating the older person and enabling them to return to their pre-admission level of independence and function.

Base Location: Royal Bournemouth Hospital

Interview Date: TBC

Main duties of the job

You will be required to achieve a certain competency level for which the support and training will be provided to help you achieve. We have a structured in-house training programme and a supportive team of clinical staff and as a bank member of staff, attending this will be at the discretion of the Clinical Lead.

The post holder will need to be able to speak English as necessary for the role. Some administrative responsibilities will be required within this role.

About us

Our values define who we are as #TeamUHD. They underpin everything we do now and in the future. They define how we treat our patients, visitors, and each other, our valued team mates and colleagues.

UHD are investing in services across the Trust, with many being transformed and developed following merger and the New Hospital Programme.

In some cases this means that a services may move site this year or next, either temporarily or long term. Recruiting Managers interviewing for this role will be happy to answer any specific questions that you have at interview.

Job responsibilities

To understand the role in more detail please read the full job description and person specification documents which are attached to this advert.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• A qualification at NVQ 3/QCF or equivalent and relevant to working in a care setting. Failing this, those with relevant skills and experience need to demonstrate willingness to undertake equivalent training in the first year in post

Experience

• Previous work as a Therapy Assistant or equivalent (e.g. Physiotherapy or Occupational Therapy Assistant, HCA, or another relevant role where direct patient care is involved).
• Assessing individuals function and mobility
• Previous experience working in a hospital
• Previous experience working with the elderly

Technical skills and competencies

• Ability to work independently, on ward and/or in patient's homes, working on own initiative with guidance/supervision from qualified staff
• Ability to manage own caseload with access to qualified staff.
• Experience with a range of manual handling equipment e.g. hoists, stand hoists, samhall turner
• Methods of gait re-education
• Delivering exercise programs to individuals and groups

Knowledge

• General knowledge of relevant medical conditions, e.g Parkinson's disease, falls, Dementia and infections/conditions affecting the older person
• Desire to work with older adults

Interpersonal skills

• Demonstrates good verbal and non-verbal communication with an ability to establish a good rapport with a range of people. Able to speak English as necessary for the role.
• Ability to write results of interventions clearly and concisely demonstrating a good level of spelling and grammar.
• Basic teaching skills
• Team player

Personal attributes

• Flexible attitude and ability to respond positively to change.
• Well motivated
• Able to take direction from senior staff
• Ability to recognise boundaries of own job role

Other requirements specific to role

• Ability to drive and hold a clean driver's license
• Ability to use a keyboard to access and input information from a computer based system
• Ability to move and handle patients and equipment using approved techniques, ability to cope with exposure to bodily fluids

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer name

University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust