Healthcare Support Worker

NELFT NHS Foundation Trust; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 21,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

High Cost Area Supplement – Outer 15%

High Cost Area Supplement – Fringe 5%

Job summary

NELFT NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an OT Assistant to support delivery of high-quality care for children. You will work under the supervision of an occupational therapist, helping implement OT programmes in clinics, schools or families’ homes, and demonstrate therapy tasks while setting up sessions.

You will collaborate with colleagues to ensure services run smoothly, maintain records, and contribute to a positive team environment.

Qualifications

• Assisting in OT sessions under supervision.
• Preparing therapy materials and organising equipment.
• Maintaining records and coordinating appointments.

Responsibilities

• Assist OTs in delivering sessions with children, collaboratively and independently as directed.
• Demonstrate therapy tasks and set up sessions in schools or clinics.
• Travel to families' homes or schools to support therapy activities.
• Prepare materials, maintain equipment, and organise records and paperwork.
• Provide peer support and assist in induction and training of new OT Assistants.

Skills

Teamwork

Communication

Initiative

Job description

Provide a brief summary of the role, its purpose within the team or department, and how it contributes to the wider organisation. This should be a high-level overview that gives candidates a clear idea of what the job is about.

This role supports the delivery of high-quality patient care by delivering interventions for individual children, under guidance of occupational therapists. The successful applicant will work using their own initiative with supervision and support available from a designated therapist. He / she will implement Occupational Therapy care packages/programmes with children on the Occupational Therapy caseload of children under the direction of the supervising therapist. Work may be in clinics, schools or families homes and will include demonstrating therapy tasks and setting up therapy sessions in schools and clinic.

They will work closely with colleagues to ensure services run smoothly and efficiently. The post holder will support their peers and team leader and be an effective team member whilst working on their own initiative. They will have a commitment to collaborative working and actively support and liaise with other health and social care professionals and agencies.

Main duties of the job

List the key responsibilities and tasks the post holder will be expected to carry out. Use bullet points for clarity and focus on the core aspects of the role.

• To work with the Occupational therapists in a collaborative way providing joint sessions, or independent sessions planned jointly and to assist in the delivery of OT programmes under the supervision of the therapist as an integral member of the team
• To carry out intervention following aims given by the therapist able to make appropriate modifications based on the response of the child
• To work without direct supervision on a site away from the therapist
• To have contact with families through home visits and school visits
• To work collaboratively with all other Staff in the school to meet the aims and targets of the OT and school teaching team
• To prepare the group/therapy environment, including the making and preparation of therapy materials and activities, ensuring the equipment is available and in good condition; photocopying and distributing therapy programmes
• To carry out administrative tasks including arranging appointments and maintaining organisation of records and making statistical returns
• To provide peer support to other Assistants and Volunteers as appropriate, and to assist in the induction/training of new appointed OT Assistants
• Duties may be clinical, clerical and/or domestic

Duties may be clinical, clerical and/or domestic

Clinical Skills

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see the job description for further details.

Expand on the duties listed above, providing more context and detail. This section should give a comprehensive view of what the role entails, including any specific expectations, standards, or working conditions.

Example

The post holder will be responsible for managing their own workload, prioritising tasks effectively, and ensuring deadlines are met. They will be expected to work independently as well as part of a team, demonstrating flexibility and a commitment to high standards. The role may involve working across multiple sites and requires excellent communication and organisational skills.

Working for Us

Joining #TeamNELFT means you’ll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We’re CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London and Essex. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.

The Trust has award-winning equality and diversity initiatives, along with staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest significantly in your development because when you feel valued and supported, we can deliver the highest quality care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been recognised in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for five consecutive years, and hold a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Through our staff networks and training opportunities, we strive to foster a just and compassionate culture at NELFT.

Our Values 2025 - 2030

• We are kind.
• We are respectful.
• We work together with our communities.

These three values help us to strive to provide the best care by the best people.

Starting with NELFT

NELFT place a great deal of importance on new starters being properly welcomed and inducted into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and will undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks which will include mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process new starters will have the opportunity to also meet the executive team, senior managers, and attend a number of drop-in sessions focusing on engagement, health and wellbeing and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Goodmayes Hospital.

Probationary Period

This post will be subject to a probationary period.

Select One:

High Cost Area Supplement – Outer London (B&D, Goodmayes, Redbridge, Havering and Waltham Forest)

This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 15% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £4,714 to a maximum of £5,941 p.a. pro rata for part time).

High Cost Area Supplement – Fringe (Basildon, Thurrock, Brentwood, Harlow and Dartford only)

This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 5% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £1,303 to a maximum of £2,198 p.a. pro rata for part time)

Certificates of Sponsorship

Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for all job roles. Please check your eligibility under the UKVI points-based system. When calculating the basic salary for sponsorship, HCAS (High-Cost Area Supplement) is not included to ensure fairness and consistency within our Trust.

Use of AI

We value applications that genuinely reflect each candidate’s own skills, experience and motivations. We therefore strongly discourage the use of AI-generated content in applications.

Applications should be written in your own words and accurately represent your knowledge, skills and experience.

We reserve the right to reject an application where we reasonably believe AI has been used to generate or materially contribute to its content.

Please see the attached job description and person specification for more information about this role and working at North East London NHS Foundation Trust. We encourage you to refer to this when completing your application.

For an informal chat or to arrange a visit, please contact:

Name: Julia Kruger

Job title: Clinical Lead OT

Contact Number: 0208 430 7960

Email: [e-mail]