Occupational Therapist/Physiotherapist - Urgent Community Response

Transformation Unit; Norwich; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

East of England Community Health and Care NHS Trust is recruiting an Occupational Therapist or Physiotherapist for Norwich Place UCR Therapy Team. The role includes rapid response triage, admission avoidance and discharge to assessment across a 7-day week. Part-time 28 hours with weekend rota; salary £39,959-£48,117 per annum.

Band 6, HCPC registered, and capable of working across community settings. Applicants should have strong interpersonal skills, be flexible and collaborative, and be

Qualifications

• HCPC registration is required.
• Diploma or degree in Physiotherapy/Occupational Therapy.
• Clinical educators course is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Prevent unnecessary hospital admission via Urgent Community Response (UCR) triage.
• Assess risks and arrange support packages for home care.
• Prescribe care pathways for crisis patients to promote independence and quality of life.
• Act as advocate for patients, facilitating choice and empowerment.
• Provide evidence-based therapeutic interventions and support early discharge where appropriate.

Skills

Communication skills

Teamwork

IT skills

Flexible working

Education

Diploma or degree in Physiotherapy/Occupational Therapy

HCPC registration

Clinical educators course

Job description

Main area Occupational Therapist/Physiotherapist Grade Band 6 Contract Secondment: 12 months (7 day working, weekends, covered on a rota basis) Hours Part time - 28 hours per week (7 day working, weekends covered on a rota basis) Job ref 839-8336630-JH

Employer East of England Community Health and Care NHS Trust Employer type NHS Site Norwich Community Hospital Town Norwich Salary £39,959 - £48,117 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 19/10/2026 23:59 Interview date 05/11/2026

Occupational Therapist/Physiotherapist - Urgent Community Response

Band 6

East of England Community Health and Care NHS Trust delivers expert healthcare in people’s homes, community hospitals and local settings across the East of England.

Our nurses, therapists, clinicians, support teams and partners work together to provide coordinated care that supports independence, recovery and wellbeing. We believe people are best cared for close to home, in the communities where they live and belong.

By combining professional expertise with strong local relationships, we help people stay well, feel supported and access the right care at the right time. Expert healthcare, close to home, trusted by our communities.

Different ideas, experiences and backgrounds make us stronger and more creative and applications from all walks of life are welcomed. Our processes ensure that all applicants are treated fairly at every stage of the recruitment process.

East of England Community Health and Care NHS Trust is committed to creating a modern and inclusive work environment. We actively promote flexible working opportunities where possible to meet the needs and wishes of our workforce and maintain and improve their wellbeing. We also offer flexible working patterns and we would encourage you to discuss this with the recruiting manager before or during the application process if this would interest you.

We welcome applications from people who share our values and can help us deliver outstanding care in our local community.

Please note, the selection processes at East of England Community Health and Care NHS Trust are in place to ensure we recruit candidates with the right values and skills, please be advised that the use of AI in applications are monitored. We remain watchful of candidates who misuse these tools to generate an application that doesn’t accurately reflect their skills.

Before applying for this vacancy, please make sure you’re familiar with ongoing GOV.uk sponsorship eligibility criteria which will impact the organisations ability to provide sponsorship, whether this is currently or in the future.

Job overview

Norwich Urgent Community Response Therapy Team is recruiting.

Do you have excellent interpersonal and clinical skills?Are you flexible, approachable and a team player?

An exciting opportunity has arisen for enthusiastic and motivated individual to join our Norwich Place UCR Therapy Team. We are looking for experienced and reliable Occupational Therapist or Physiotherapist to join us in providing high quality therapy services. The role is to work in the UCR therapy team which covers Rapid Response triage, Admission Avoidance, and Discharge to Assess for Norwich Place, and will involve working across a 7-day week. Currently therapy shifts are 8am to 6pm with weekend working on a rota.

Main duties of the job

• To work within the Urgent Community Response Team, to prevent unnecessary admission to hospital. To work within the Urgent Community Response Team to support discharges from hospital under identified D2A pathways.
• To make risk assessments, establishing the safety or otherwise of a patient’s ability to stay at home, or return safely from another care setting, providing and arranging as necessary supportive packages of care.
• To work within the Urgent Community Response Team to assess andprescribe care pathways for patients in a crisis situation with long termconditions, the frail and elderly, palliative and end of life care and/orrehabilitation needs, to achieve quality of life and independence wherepossible.
• To act as the patients advocate, facilitating choice and patient empowerment.
• To provide evidence based clinical/therapeutic interventions based on ‘best practice’ in order to improve health outcomes and promote choice.
• To provide in-reach to inpatient units and step up beds where required tosupport early discharge from hospital.
• To work with all health care professionals, and statutory/non statutoryagencies to provide a seamless, integrated service to our service users.
• To triage referrals on a rotational basis for the Urgent Community Response Team.

Working for our organisation

The post holder will:

1. 1. Undertake mandatory training as required.
2. 2. Participate in a Personal Development Review process.
3. 3. Undertake Personal Development Plans for more junior staff members.
4. 4. Take part in clinical supervision as per Trust Policy.
5. 5. Follow Trust policies, and local procedures, and use discretion in interpreting them according to the setting and circumstances.
6. 6. Comment on draft policies.
7. 7. Ensure absence reporting is undertaken as determined by Team Leader and Trust Policy.
8. 8. Contribute to clinical audit as required.
9. 9. Complete the staff survey as required.
10. 10. Complete risk assessments and incident forms as required.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The post holder will:

1. 1. Undertake comprehensive therapy assessments of patients including those with a complex presentation, using investigative, analytical and clinical reasoning skills, and inform the development of a differential diagnosis.
2. 2. Formulate and execute individualised therapy management and treatment plans of patients including those with complex presentation, in collaboration with the Urgent Community Response Team, other agencies and the patient, utilising a range of treatment skills.
3. 3. Be aware of Assistive Technology and make referrals for this as required.
4. 4. Assess patients’ holistic needs, communicating complex and sensitive information to patients and carers as to their assessment, diagnosis, prognosis and treatment plan.
5. 5. Where there are barriers to understanding, such as hearing impairment, mental capacity impairment and other difficulties in comprehension, explanations require adjustments in order to gain understanding, consent and concordance.
6. 6. Establish and maintain therapeutic relationships with patients and carers, incorporating motivation, encouragement and confidence building to enable patients to engage in their treatment/care/management plan.
7. 7. Liaise with GPs, Social Services, inpatient teams, other allied health care professionals and the voluntary sector to ensure identified needs are met and care co‑ordinated appropriately.
8. 8. Participate in multi‑disciplinary/multi‑agency meetings as appropriate, e.g. Gold Standard Framework.
9. 9. Ensure activity data and clinical information is recorded on Systm One and is completed on a daily basis.
10. 10. Plan and organise specialist services within the Urgent Community Response Team.
11. 11. Demonstrate dexterity, co‑ordination and palpatory senses for assessment, and manual treatment of patients, including using specialist equipment and fine tools, manual and mobilising skills.
12. 12. Order equipment and contribute to the requisitioning of supplies and equipment through electronic ordering systems.
13. 13. Ensure informed consent is obtained prior to initiating interventions.
14. 14. Be exposed to bodily fluids, infected material, blood products on a daily basis, therefore must utilise universal precautions and adhere to infection control policies.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Diploma or 1st level degree in Physiotherapy/Occupational therapy
• Current HCPC registration
• Clinical educators course

Experience

• Evidence of working at a relevant level
• Good observational and reporting skills
• Good interpersonal skills
• Work flexibly to accommodate patient/service needs
• Demonstrate good IT and standard keyboard skills
• Experience in complex moving and handling

Skills, Abilities and Knowledge

• Knowledge of additional specialist areas through inhouse training & short courses
• Highly motivated
• Flexible & Resilient

Communication

• Tact & diplomacy
• Empathy & sensitivity
• Ability to use own initiative
• Able to communicate effectively in written and verbal English Language

Personal and People Development

• Ability to manage stressful situations
• A team player

Personal Attributes / Behaviours

• Able to identify with the Trust’s commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults

Other

• Be able to: Kneel, bend & stoop, and work in cramped environments.
• Be able to Manoeuvre limbs of around 5-6kg
• Be able to Manoeuvre patients using handling aids
• Must have a full UK driving license and have access to a vehicle

Equal Opportunities - We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome all applications irrespective of age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, race or religion. Additionally, people with disabilities that fall under the Disability Confident Scheme will be offered an interview providing they meet the minimum criteria for the post (outlined in the Person Specification). All sites are Smoke Free.

Immigration Status – East of England Community Health and Care NHS Trust is a diverse employer and welcomes all job applications. However, potential applicants should note that although the Trust is registered with the Home Office as a sponsor organisation for migrant workers, sponsorship can only be offered against Skilled Worker visas. If you are an applicant from outside the UK and do not already hold a self‑gained right to work, we recommend you check the Home Office eligibility requirements before making an application.

Please note: Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for some job roles, and this will be identified through filtering questions at the start of any job application on the Trac recruitment system.

Redeployment - Please note that in the first instance priority for this vacancy will be given to staff who are on the Trusts Redeployment Register.

DBS - this post may be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Closing and Interview Dates -This vacancy may close early if sufficient applicants are received.

Data Protection -A privacy notice detailing how we will handle your data is attached to this advert as a document. Your application will be transferred to our recruitment management system (Trac) once the advert has closed and you will receive notification then detailing how Trac will handle your data.

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Our safe recruitment pre-employment checks are undertaken before an appointment is confirmed and may include a DBS check. Where the role requires you to drive, we'll ask you to validate your driving licence online via the DVLA.

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

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.

Address Room 218, Norwich Community Hospital
Bowthorpe Road
Norwich
NR2 3TU
Telephone [phone]