Senior Therapist - Urgent Community Response South | Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust

Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust; Wymondham; On-site; GBP 31,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare organization in Wymondham seeks a proactive Band 6 Occupational Therapist or Physiotherapist for a 12-month secondment. Join a multi-disciplinary team in providing urgent community responses to prevent hospital admissions. Key competencies include communication, problem solving, and adaptability to a changing environment. The role requires covering South Norfolk and includes responsibilities such as patient assessment, collaboration with healthcare professionals, and participation in multi-disciplinary meetings. Candidates should possess relevant qualifications and supervisory experience is desirable.

Benefits

Outstanding Care Quality Commission rating

Supportive team environment

Qualifications

• Must be a registered Occupational Therapist or Physiotherapist.
• Experience with supervision of staff and students is desirable.
• Demonstrated ability to work in teams.

Responsibilities

• Prevent unnecessary hospital admissions through assessment and intervention.
• Work with the Urgent Community Response team on patient care.
• Conduct comprehensive therapy assessments and develop treatment plans.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Complex problem solving

Teamwork in multi-disciplinary environments

Adaptability

Leadership

Education

Qualification as Occupational Therapist or Physiotherapist

Job description

We are looking for a proactive and forward thinking Band 6 Occupational Therapist or Physiotherapist to come and join us in an exciting opportunity to work in the South Urgent Community Response (UCR) team on a 12 month secondment.

We are looking for someone who is interested in working in a multi-disciplinary integrated team and working in a team consisting of Registered Nurses, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Community Assistant Practitioners and Health Care Assistants. You will also contribute to the triage and referral management of admission avoidance referrals coming via the Rapid Response referral process.

This post provides an exciting opportunity for an applicant looking to build on a broad clinical skill base and learn shared competencies in an admission avoidance response, who has excellent communication skills, along with complex problem solving skills to provide quality outcomes for patients. You will be expected to work in an integrated way with our partners in health and social care, whilst adhering to the Trust’s Behaviour Framework.

You will be based at Wymondham Health Centre, but you will be required to cover across South Norfolk.

The post is suitable either for an existing band 6 Occupational Therapist / Physiotherapist or experienced band 5 seeking a new secondment role. You should be motivated, adaptable and willing to work within a changing environment. Experience with supervision of staff and students are desirable.

The Urgent Community Response South Service operates 7 days per week, including bank holidays between the hours of 8am and 8pm. There is a requirement to work weekends and bank holidays.

For further information please contact Jacqui Percival (Clinical Lead Occupational Therapist for Urgent Community Response South) via email ([e-mail]).

Apply now to join an organisation that has been awarded an Outstanding rating by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the highest possible rating and the first stand‑alone NHS community trust in the country to be awarded the title.

Main Duties & Responsibilities

• To work within the Urgent Community Response Team, to prevent unnecessary admission to hospital.
• 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 and prescribe care pathways for patients in a crisis situation with long term conditions, the frail and elderly, palliative and end of life care and/or rehabilitation needs, to achieve quality of life and independence where possible.
• 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 to support early discharge from hospital.
• To work with all health care professionals, and statutory/non‑statutory agencies to provide a seamless, integrated service to our service users.
• To triage referrals on a rotational basis for the Urgent Community Response Team.

Clinical

• 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.
• 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.
• Be aware of Assistive Technology and make referrals for this as required.
• Assess patients’ holistic needs, communicating complex and sensitive information to patients and carers as to their assessment, diagnosis, prognosis and treatment plan.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Participate in multi‑disciplinary/multi‑agency meetings as appropriate, e.g. Gold Standard Framework.
• Ensure activity data and clinical information is recorded on SystmOne and is completed on a daily basis.
• Plan and organise specialist services within the Urgent Community Response Team.
• 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.
• Order equipment and contribute to the requisitioning of supplies and equipment through electronic ordering systems.
• Ensure informed consent is obtained prior to initiating interventions.
• Be exposed to bodily fluids, infected material, blood products on a daily basis, therefore must utilise universal precautions and adhere to infection control policies.

Professional

• Be responsible for ensuring workload for self and others is planned and prioritised according to the Urgent Community Response service targets and needs.
• Be accountable for work delegated to others.
• Ensure own records are maintained and those maintained by the Team.
• Contribute to the staff rota on a monthly basis as required.
• Actively contribute to multidisciplinary team meetings and other meetings where appropriate.
• Support all team members within the Urgent Community Response Team, respecting them, their roles and contributions.
• Actively participate in and attend in‑house training as required to develop current job role.
• Maintain own continuous professional development.
• Be able to make own travel arrangements to patients’ homes, clinics, base and meetings etc, as required.
• Be responsible for safe use and maintenance of equipment and supplies.
• Remain accountable for own professional actions as determined by the professional bodies.
• Be required to demonstrate own duties to students, new starters and/or less experienced staff.
• Provide mentorship for students undertaking pre/post registration courses.
• Mentor existing staff and provide training in specialist area as appropriate.
• Provide advice/training to less experienced staff and supervise and support band 3, 4 and 5 staff, and students where appropriate, and contribute to the induction process for new staff/students.
• Demonstrate leadership skills within own competence.
• Be aware of budget and ensure all effort is made to work within this.

Organisational

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

This advert closes on Sunday 4 Jan 2026.