Care of the Elderly Therapy Assistant Practitioner

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust; City Of London; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 31,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare provider in the UK is seeking a Care of the Elderly Therapy Assistant Practitioner to join their team. In this role, you will provide therapy interventions and support discharges for elderly patients, ensuring they receive the best care possible. The position requires NVQ Level III or equivalent, with experience in community and acute settings being beneficial. You'll work under supervision and manage your own caseload while contributing to a supportive therapy team.

Benefits

Weekly training sessions

Strong focus on professional development

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion initiatives

Qualifications

• Previous experience in physiotherapy/occupational therapy services in the NHS is required.
• Experience of working in community settings is advantageous.
• Knowledge of rehabilitation principles is essential.

Responsibilities

• Provide therapy intervention and care in the patients home.
• Carry a full caseload under supervision.
• Assist in administrative duties for the therapy team.

Skills

Experience working directly with patients

Moving and handling skills

Experience with cognitive impairment

Good communication skills

Ability to work under supervision

Education

NVQ Level III or equivalent

Tools

IT skills

Job description

Care of the Elderly Therapy Assistant Practitioner

This is an exciting opportunity for an Occupational Therapy Assistant Practitioner to join our care of the elderly service at Queen Elizabeth Hospital. You will work alongside the qualified therapy team to provide rehabilitation to and support discharges for our elderly patients at Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Please do not apply if you are not a car driver.

Sound experience of working directly with patients, including moving and handling, working with patients with cognitive impairment and dealing with challenging situations is essential.

Experience in dealing with the public and working within an acute therapy team is also essential to the role.

You will be working under the supervision of senior staff but will have responsibility for your own caseload, completing assessment, treatment programmes and planning for discharge.

PLEASE NOTE: We are unable to offer sponsorship for this post

Main duties of the job

This position is accountable to Head of Therapy. It will provide therapy intervention and care in the patient's home, in the hospital setting or in intermediate care beds.

The position contributes to the community therapy pathway to support initiatives to avoid hospital admission, shorten patients' stay in hospital and maximise clinical outcome when discharged from hospital.

The Therapy Assistant Practitioner will work under the supervision of qualified therapy staff, providing assessment and treatment programmes for patients in the community and in intermediate care beds if required.

The Therapy Assistant Practitioner is able to carry out a full episode of care from assessment to discharge, for a specified and designated clinical caseload identified by a qualified clinician.

The postholder will assist in the administration and clerical duties for the team and department.

About us

You will be working a well-established therapy teams, as part of a multi-disciplinary team, in the vibrant and diverse area of Greenwich and Bexley.

We have a strong focus on teaching and development, including weekly in-service training, protected CPD time and a self-directed band 3 and band 4 development group.

Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:

• Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
• Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
• Improving the experience of staff with disability
• Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
• Making equalities mainstream

Job responsibilities

Job Summary:

This position is accountable to Head of Therapy. It will provide therapy intervention and care in the patients home, in the hospital setting or in intermediate care beds. The position contributes to the community therapy pathway to support initiatives to avoid hospital admission, shorten patients stay in hospital and maximise clinical outcome when discharged from hospital.

The Therapy Assistant Practitioner will work under the supervision of qualified therapy staff, providing assessment and treatment programmes for patients in the community and in intermediate care beds if required.

The Therapy Assistant Practitioner is able to carry out a full episode of care fromassessment to discharge, for a specified and designated clinical caseload identified by a qualified clinician.

The postholder will assist in the administration and clerical duties for the team anddepartment.

Key Result Areas & Performance:

To undertake all aspects of clinical and care duties under the supervision, direct and indirect, of a therapist.

To carry a full caseload of patients under the supervision, direct and indirect, of a therapist

Assess and provide for equipment needs

Progress patients in their homes to maximise their function and independence

To provide information, teaching and instruction to relatives, carers, colleagues, other disciplines and agencies. To promote understanding on the aims of Therapy and to ensure continuation of the treatment programme.

Contributes to advice and education sessions for relevant patient groups

To participate in multidisciplinary / multi-agency team meetings and case conferences to ensure the co-ordination of patient care. This may include the review of patient progress, and discharge planning.

To employ appropriate skills such as persuasion, motivation and negotiation to gainco-operation in the continuation of the agreed treatment programme.

Maintain accurate clinical records of all interventions

To produce patient related reports for other disciplines or agencies relating toassessment findings and/or treatment outcomes

Input to databases as required

Referring to the qualified practitioner when necessary, to work independently with a specified client group to manage equipment provision and functional assessmentand rehabilitation, from pre- operative phase to post-op rehabilitation

Deliver and install simple aids and equipment in the patients home and instructpatients and carers in use of this equipment as appropriate

To carry out home visits and access visits, with or without a therapist, as required

To manage own day to day workload and maintain level of service within the pathway at the local site, and assist other members of the team to make appropriate prioritisation choices. To ensure the effective exchange of information across thepathway team and co-ordination of service delivery.

Work force

To provide guidance and teaching to therapy assistants working for Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust

To participate in supervision and appraisal with a designated senior therapist

To attend staff meetings

To contribute to the clinical induction of therapy staff

To be able to independently progress patients exercise programme and mobility,including issuing walking aids, for the specified patient group

Person Specification

Qualifications & Training

• o Evidence of study to or attainment of NVQ Level III, relevant qualification or equivalent knowledge and experience

Experience

• o Experience of working clinically in physiotherapy / occupational therapy service in the NHS
• o Experience of working in community
• o IT experience
• o Community and acute experience
• o Working in a care environment

Knowledge & Skills

• o Knowledge of basic principles of rehabilitation
• o Able to use computer databases and complete patient records electronically
• o Able to supervise staff
• o Understanding of care pathways and key issues for Trust

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.

£27,485 to £30,162 a yearper annum plus HCAS