Senior Therapy Assistant

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Sheffield; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 26,000; Full time

Job summary

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a dedicated Senior Therapy Assistant for its Spinal Injury Therapy team. This role involves supporting therapy staff, working directly with spinal injury patients, and performing varied administrative tasks. Ideal candidates will have experience and qualifications in health care. The position promises opportunities for personal and professional development in a supportive NHS environment.

Benefits

Career development opportunities

Flexible working arrangements

Health and wellbeing packages

Pension schemes

Qualifications

• GCSEs in English and Maths required.
• Technical qualifications at level 3 in health sector preferred.
• Experience as an Occupational Therapy or Physiotherapy Assistant needed.

Responsibilities

• Work with spinal cord injury patients and assist therapy staff.
• Handle administrative duties and patient care on wards.
• Participate in therapy sessions and maintain professionalism.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Teamwork

Communication

Ability to motivate patients

Customer care

Education

GCSE Grade C/4 in English

Technical qualifications to level 3

GCSE Grade C/4 in Maths

Job description

Employer Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Northern General Hospital Town Sheffield Salary £24,625 - £25,674 pa/pro rata for part time staff Salary period Yearly Closing 15/06/2025 23:59 Interview date 23/06/2025

Senior Therapy Assistant

NHS AfC: Band 3

We are committed to helping our staff balance their work and home lives and ensure they feel supported, valued and appreciated so whilst you care for our patients and clients, we’ll take care of you. We offer many different ways of helping staff including career development opportunities, flexible working, good annual leave and pension schemes , health and wellbeing packages and financial support systems. Joining the Trust also allows you access to a number of saving options via our salary sacrifice schemes and a wide range of discount opportunities with retailers and service providers.

Job overview

We currently have an exciting opportunity for a Band 3 Technical Instructor to join our established Spinal Injury Therapy team at the Northern General Hospital.

The Princess Royal Spinal Injuries Centre is based in the Osborn Building at the Northern General Hospital. It consists of 60 beds over 3 wards. There are 6 dedicated ventilator dependent patient beds plus 2 additional respiratory beds suitable for patients with tracheostomies.

The job will include working with all levels of spinal cord injury patients and supporting therapy staff in delivering rehabilitation to patients or assisting qualified therapy staff during joint sessions.

Rehabilitation may take place on the wards or within the spinal injury therapy department. The post holder will also carry out general housekeeping and administrative duties. The therapy team have access to a therapy car and a minibus for undertaking trips out with patients so the ability to drive is desirable.

The therapy department facilities include a main Occupational Therapy (OT) department, technology suite, kitchen, bedroom, Physiotherapy gym, weights room and a hydrotherapy pool. This post will mainly be based in OT but cross cover to the physiotherapy team may also be necessary.

The spinal injury therapy team provide a 7-day service. The successful candidate will be expected to work on a weekend/bank holiday roster as part of their regular shift pattern.

Main duties of the job

The post will involve the moving and handling of patients on the wards and within the spinal injury therapy department. The post also entails dealing with the general public and other members of the multidisciplinary team so excellent customer care and team working skills are required.

To be considered for this post the applicant must have a GCSE grade C/4 or equivalent in English and proven continuous development or study at Level 3 in a subject relevant to health/healthcare e.g. NVQ3/QCF3 units/A level or equivalent. They must also have relevant experience as an Occupational Therapy and/or Physiotherapy Assistant and knowledge of this field.

Applicants must also be willing to perform a mix of clerical, domestic and patient related tasks.

You must be able to demonstrate:-
· Current knowledge and skills in therapy practise
· Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
· Ability to motivate and teach patients
· Collaborative team working skills
· Competency in Therapy Assistant therapy practise
· Professional, patient centred care
· Able to maintain confidentiality
· Ability to act on own initiative, organise and manage case load
· Calm and flexible approach to changing work situations
· Ability to maintain accurate written records
· Sound IT skills

Working for our organisation

You will be working for an organisation which values and respects all of its staff and the community it serves. The Trust is a leader in the NHS and research sectors and provides excellent benefits for its staff. This includes commitments to professional development but also many policies to support employees in balancing their personal and professional lives.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please view the attached Job Description and Person Specification documents for full details regarding this post.

When completing your application please ensure that you clearly demonstrate how you meet the role criteria.

Person specification

Qualifications

• GCSE Grade C /4 or equivalent in English or equivalent experience.
• Technical qualifications to level 3 e.g. QCF3, BTEC, A Level in relevant health/healthcare subject OR Evidence of continuous development through formal and/or informal training in health/healthcare equivalent to Level 3
• GCSE Grade C/4 or equivalent in Maths
• Health & Safety
• First Aid
• City & Guilds 7307 (teaching) or equivalent qualification/experience

Further Training

• Relevant experience as an Occupational Therapy and/or Physiotherapy Assistant including successful completion of associated competencies Or Relevant experience as a Clinical Support Worker/Health Care Assistant including successful completion of associated competencies
• Working in elderly/ rehabilitation/ medicine/ surgery/orthopaedic/neurology specialities.

Experience

• Experience as an Occupational Therapy and/or Physiotherapy Assistant including successful completion of associated competencies Or Experience as a Clinical Support Worker/Health Care Assistant including successful completion of associated competencies
• Working in elderly/ rehabilitation/ medicine/ surgery/orthopaedic/ neurology specialities.
• Excellent interpersonal and team working skills
• Able to communicate clearly both verbally and in writing
• Able to maintain confidentiality
• Ability to act on own initiative, organise work and manage multiple tasks
• Calm approach to changing work situations
• Ability to maintain accurate written records & statistics
• Teaching ability
• Able to motivate patients
• Comprehensive understanding of occupational therapy and physiotherapy in line with the role
• IT literate
• Competency in therapy practice

Other Factors

• Flexible and reliable approach to working practices
• Positive attitude to patient care and teamwork
• Ability to demonstrate commitment to the Senior Therapy Assistant role
• Willing to work flexibly as service requires including evening/weekend
• Competent Swimmer
• Full clean UK driving licence

Further Training

• Experience of working with therapists as part of patient centred care
• Current knowledge & skills in therapy practice relevant to speciality

Candidates are advised to read the attached guidance on using AI technology. W hen you complete your application, you are required to declare that the information in your application form is true and complete. The personal statement is exactly that; personal.

When selecting to apply via NHS Jobs, you will be redirected to our preferred recruitment system called Trac. You will be asked to create and submit your application via the Trac recruitment system.

You will not be able to track the progress of your application or receive messages through the NHS Jobs website, and furthermore, as an employer, we will not be able to respond to any e-mails sent to us via the NHS Jobs website. All communications should be sent via your Trac system account.

If you are offered employment at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals your information will be transferred from the Trac recruitment system into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system. In addition, in submitting an application form, you authorise our Trust to confirm any previous NHS service details via the ESR IAT process should you be appointed.

Please note, all communication regarding your application will be made via email sent via the Trac recruitment system, please ensure you check your junk/spam folders as emails are sometimes filtered there.

The Trust is committed to its obligations in accordance with the Equality Act 2010, and we positively encourage applications from all sections of the community. Should you require any assistance in applying for the position please contact the General or Medical Human Resources Departments on the number identified on the NHS Jobs page for the organisation.

Job Share applicants are welcome for all full time posts unless indicated but cannot be guaranteed. In addition for Fixed Term Contracts, internal secondments may be considered, please seek the approval of your current line manager before applying for the position.

All employment with the Trust is subject to a number of NHS Employment Checks being met to a satisfactory standard including verification of identity, eligibility to work in the United Kingdom, references and qualifications in addition to professional registration, a disclosure and barring records check and occupational health check if these are deemed to be a requirement for the position to be undertaken.

For more information about our organisation and the opportunities available, please visit ourwebsite and follow us onTwitter andFacebook .

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.