OPAL Therapy Technician

NHS; Manchester; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in Manchester seeks an OPAL Therapy Technician to support older patients in regaining independence after hospital stays. This role involves working with a multidisciplinary team, conducting assessments, and delivering therapeutic interventions. Ideal for experienced therapy assistants looking to enhance their skills in a dynamic environment.

Qualifications

• Experience in working at the level of a Therapy Technical Instructor or Assistant practitioner.
• Background in health and Social Care.

Responsibilities

• Support the therapy team in undertaking therapeutic activity and treatment.
• Assist with coordinating all aspects of patient care and ensuring safe discharge.

Skills

Teaching Practical Skills

Interpersonal Skills

Organisational Skills

Flexibility

IT Experience

Education

Multi-professional NVQ Level 2 or 3

Care Certificate

Job description

Go back Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust

OPAL Therapy Technician

The closing date is 18 May 2025

Are you ready for the next step in your career? Do you have the passion and desire to support people in regaining and maintaining their own independence? Can you be a spokesperson for your patients and promote their wellbeing? If so, this may be the position for you.

The service has two posts available: One at OPAL House, and one across OPAL House and the acute OPAL therapy service.

The OPAL team are the specialist frailty service based at Wythenshawe hospital. The acute OPAL team cover the ED, Clinical Decisions Unit and the OPAL frailty unit, supporting discharge planning and preventing unnecessary hospital admissions.

OPAL House is a specialist reablement unit based at Wythenshawe Hospital and has the aim to support older people in the transition from the acute hospital site to their own home following a period of acute illness.

Following specialist competency-based training, you will support the therapy team in undertaking therapeutic activity and treatment with the specific aim to instil functional independence and improve quality of life of your patients.

You will also carry out your own assessments for non-complex patients, identify appropriate goals, amend treatment plans and make recommendations which ensure safe discharge planning with the support of a registered clinician.

This role is suitable for experienced therapy assistants seeking to further develop their skills. You will need to be versatile, adaptable and a team player with good organisational skills.

Main duties of the job

The acute OPAL Therapy Technician is a vital team member supporting the Geriatrician, frailty nurses and therapists with all aspects of patient assessment, treatment and discharge. In addition, you will support the assessment and delivery of therapeutic interventions and action plans under the guidance of qualified therapists.

As part of the team dedicated to assessing older people, you will ensure all administrative and therapeutic functions are completed and from the time of referral to the time of discharge, in line with specific care pathways and instructions to facilitate the smooth running of the patients' journey directly out from hospital ensuring supported discharge is achieved.

The OPAL House Therapy Technician will support the Occupational Therapists, geriatricians, frailty nurses and integrated discharge team by assisting with coordinating all aspects of patient care, ensuring safe and supported discharge from hospital. This will be achieved by supporting the qualified clinicians in carrying out assessments and treatment programmes for patients.

You will use technical and creative skills in the provision of therapeutic group and individual activities for patients and will be responsible for evaluating and amending treatment programmes with guidance from a qualified clinician. You will support in arranging all aspects of patient discharge, ensure onward referrals are processed, care is in place and additional community-based services arranged if necessary.

About us

MFT is one of the largest NHS Trusts in England with a turnover of £2.8bn & is on a different scale than most other NHS Trusts. We're creating an exceptional integrated health & social care system for the 1 million patients who rely on our services every year.

Bringing together 10 hospitals & community services from across Manchester, Trafford & beyond, we champion collaborative working & transformation, encouraging our 30,000 workforce to pursue their most ambitious goals. We set standards that other Trusts seek to emulate so you'll benefit from a scale of opportunity that is nothing short of extraordinary.

We've also created a digitally enabled organisation to improve clinical quality, patient & staff experience, operational effectiveness & driving research, and innovation through the introduction of Hive; our Electronic Patient Record system which launched in September 2022.

We're proud to be a major academic Research Centre & Education provider, providing you with a robust infrastructure to encourage and facilitate high-quality research programmes. What's more, we're excited to be embarking on our Green Plan which sets out how MFT continues to play its part in making healthcare more sustainable.

At MFT, we create and foster a culture of inclusion and belonging, provide equal opportunities for career development that are fair, open, and transparent, protecting your health and wellbeing and shaping the future of our organisation together.

Job responsibilities

To find out more about the key responsibilities and the specific skills and experience youll need, take a look at the Job Description & Person Specification attachments under the Supporting Documents heading. So that youre even more equipped to make an informed decision to apply to us, youll need to take time to read the Candidate Essentials Guide that sits with the Job Description and Person Specification. This document provides you with details about the Trust, our benefits and outlines how we care for you as you care for others. Most importantly, it also contains critical information youll need to be aware of before you submit an application form.

Diversity Matters

MFT is committed to promoting equality of opportunity, celebrating, and valuing diversity and eliminating any form of unlawful discrimination across our workforce, ensuring our people are truly representative of the communities we serve. All individuals regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation are encouraged to apply for this post. As an inclusive employer, we are here to support you. If you have any special requirements to help you with your application, email our team at [e-mail].

Person Specification

Education/Qualifications

• Multi-professional NVQ Level 2 or 3, or equivalent
• Care Certificate

Experience

• Experience in working at the level of a Therapy Technical Instructor or Assistant practitioner
• Background in health and Social Care
• Life skills gained through work or personal experience
• Demonstration of being flexible and adaptable.
• Experience of mentoring/ coaching other healthcare professionals
• Experience as a carer/voluntary work

Skills

• Ability to teach practical skills
• Ability to work as part of a multi-agency, multi-professional team
• Ability to work unsupervised
• Good interpersonal and organisational skills
• Ability to move and handle patients and equipment with appropriate training
• Able to work to time pressures and unpredictable work pattern
• IT Experience, word processing, excel, email

Knowledge

• Knowledge of NHS and social care services and local and national guidance and targets
• Knowledge of conditions affecting older people, including Frailty

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.

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust

£26,530 to £29,114 a yearPer annum (pro rata)