Senior Therapy Technical Instructor - Therapies Complex Discharge Team

NHS; Northampton; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust is seeking a Senior Therapies Technical Instructor to join the Therapies Complex Discharge Team in Band 4. This fixed-term role runs 4 months (Dec 2026 – Mar 2027) and is full time with weekend working.

You will support assessment, rehabilitation, and discharge planning for patients with complex therapy needs, work under supervision of therapists, manage a caseload, and help coordinate discharge across wards.

Qualifications

• Personal portfolio of evidence of work based learning in healthcare.
• NVQ level 4 in care related topic or good standard of education equivalent to A level or BTec.
• Foundation degree or equivalent in health related subject.
• A combination of short relevant courses.

Responsibilities

• Assess and carry out therapy interventions for complex needs.
• Maintain treatment plans and discharge plans with indirect supervision.
• Support and supervise Band 2/3 staff within the therapy team.
• Manage a caseload and prioritise workload to aid discharge timelines.
• Participate in seven-day working patterns and respond to operational needs.
• Provide safe, effective therapy with documentation and communication.

Skills

Communication

Independence

Time management

Delegation

Initiative

IT literacy

Problem solving

Literacy & numeracy

Observation

Education

Portfolio of evidence in healthcare

NVQ4 / A-level equivalent

Foundation degree or equivalent

Short courses

Job description

Senior Therapy Technical Instructor - Therapies Complex Discharge Team

Band 4

Main area Complex Discharge Grade Band 4 Contract Fixed term: 4 months (Dec 2026 - March 2027; includes weekend working) Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (includes weekend working) Job ref 265-8271140-CSS

Site Northampton General Hospital Town Northampton Salary £27,485 - £30,162 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 27/09/2026 08:00 Interview date 08/10/2026

Job overview

The Senior Therapies Technical Instructor will work as part of a roaming Therapies Complex Discharge Team, supporting the assessment, treatment and discharge planning of patients with complex therapy needs impacting discharge across inpatient wards, escalation areas and medically fit patient cohorts.

Working under the indirect supervision of registered Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists, the post holder will manage a delegated caseload and undertake assessments, rehabilitation interventions and discharge planning activities within agreed competencies and care pathways. They will contribute to timely, safe and effective discharge planning by identifying barriers to discharge, supporting functional assessment, issuing appropriate low-level equipment and progressing treatment plans in collaboration with the multidisciplinary team.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will provide therapy support to complex discharge patients identified through ward teams, discharge hub processes, board rounds and escalation meetings. They will act as a key link between ward teams and registered therapists, gathering and communicating information relevant to patient flow, rehabilitation and discharge planning.

The Senior Therapies Technical Instructor will work closely with patients, carers and colleagues to promote independence, maximise function and support positive discharge outcomes. This may include undertaking access visits, supporting home assessments, participating in board rounds and contributing to discussions regarding discharge pathways and ongoing therapy needs.

The post holder will be expected to manage and prioritise their workload independently within their scope of practice, provide support and guidance to Band 2 and Band 3 therapy staff, contribute to service improvement activities and maintain high standards of clinical documentation, communication and patient care.

The role includes participation in seven-day working patterns and requires flexibility to work across inpatient services in response to patient need and operational priorities. The post holder will act as a role model for person-centred care, professionalism and collaborative working in line with UHN’s Dedicated to Excellence values.

Working for our organisation

Northampton General Hospital is one of the largest employers in the area and we are on an exciting journey. All of our divisions are committed to doing things better, with more efficiency as we update, modernise, and advance. We have also entered into a Group Model with neighbouring Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and become University Hospitals of Northamptonshire.

Our Excellence Values

Compassion

Accountability

Respect

Integrity

Courage

We want to recruit the best people to deliver our services across the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire and help to unleash everyone’s full potential. As an organisation, we value how we communicate and promote our vacancies to all communities.

We are a Defence positive trust, supporting our reservists, veterans, spouses and partners.

The Hospital Group encourages applications from people who identify from all protected groups, especially those from BAME, Disabled and LGBTQ+ backgrounds as these are underrepresented in our hospitals.

We understand that we need to work with colleagues from diverse backgrounds and make sure the environment they work in is inclusive and collaborative.

We have active Networks that promote and support colleagues from all backgrounds.This ensures everyone feels supported and has a sense of belonging working for Kettering and Northampton General Hospitals.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To be an integral member of a therapies team, to assist registered therapy staff in assessing and carrying out specific therapy interventions for clients with more complex needs. This will include clients who have difficulties understanding and communicating

Review and implement treatment programmes making necessary modifications prior to reporting back to a registered therapist in line with the band 4 competency framework.

Provide support and training to other registered and non-registered staff within the therapy team.

Manage and prioritise own case load independently, carry out delegated duties and work flexibly in order to support the smooth running of the therapy department.

To participate in 7 day working patterns, including bank holidays

Provision of clinical services:

Demonstrate a good understanding of medical conditions within the area of speciality / clinical pathway and the impact of these on the patients’ function and rehabilitation.

To have a holistic understanding of the patient and their condition, as well as the impact of psychosocial dynamics on their function.

To enable patients to co-operate in their rehabilitation programme using encouragement, reassurance, tact and sensitivity; overcome barriers to understanding with patients whose understanding is impaired.

To identify and implement correct treatment plans within known patient care pathways under the indirect supervision of a registered therapist.

To assess, formulate and adapt treatment and discharge plans for patients in conjunction with registered therapy staff

Be able to use functional tasks to assess a patients physical and/or cognitive abilities under indirect supervision of the registered therapist

To identify patients that do not fall within care pathway / agreed framework and who need referral to registered staff

Using protocols and set processes to assess patients’ mobility and functional abilities and assess for and issue appropriate low-level equipment.

To provide advice to patients / carers on safe use and care of prescribed equipment.

Within competencies, be able to provide therapy treatments to patients who have a history of falls

To constantly assess patient’s stamina / understanding during treatment sessions and modify treatment as appropriate.

To work in a flexible and responsive way when under pressure

To provide and receive complex patient care information with the multi-professional team, patients and carers in board rounds, ward rounds, family meetings and discharge planning meetings and use this information to modify patient care.

To provide advice to patients / carers on safe use and care of prescribed equipment.

Maintain accurate and up to date records of clinical interventions, consistent with legal and organisational requirements.

Be responsible for maintaining rehabilitation equipment in the department.

Improving patient and visitor experiences:

To be a point of contact for patients and relatives in the clinical area.

To communicate factual and sometimes complex information to patients and relatives with patients’ consent.

To contribute to the development and sharing of patient and carer information.

Support with gathering and using patient feedback to help improve and develop services.

Respect the individuality, values, cultural and religious diversity of patients and contribute to the provision of a service sensitive to these needs.

Be aware of ethical issues which impact on Therapy service provision and work under the guidance of Therapists in relation to this.

Using audit, evaluation and research:

Through guidance from the registered Therapists, be aware of and implement, evidence-based practice and outcome measures as appropriate to the clinical area.

Support therapists to implement agreed action plans from both national and local strategies, benchmarking standards and clinical audits as appropriate.

Participate in audit and research projects as required by service leads and collect data as required.

Support therapists to foster a culture which allows innovation and practice development within the clinical area.

Monitor outcomes of patient intervention using outcome measures under indirect supervision from registered therapist

Collect and record accurate and timely data / information to contribute to department service standards and procedures.

Management and Teamwork:

To provide delegation of work and day to day clinical supervision to band 3 Therapy Technical Instructors and band 2 Therapy Assistants with support from the Therapy Clinical Lead.

To actively participate in the clinical education of therapy students.

To participate actively in sharing and receiving in-service training and development to ensure continuous professional development, as appropriate to grade and experience.

Support the induction of new staff.

To identify training needs and facilitate professional development through active participation in supervision and appraisals.

To recognise limitations of own scope of practice.

To submit claim forms in a timely manner following the departments Health Roster Standard Operating Procedure.

Planning and Organisational Skills

Work with therapists across all of the service as required.

Work flexibly to provide cover to other clinical areas according to the needs of patients and demands of the service

Assist therapists in arranging and providing in-service training, study days etc.

Assist the therapists in ensuring working conditions are kept optimal, or where not, dealt with appropriately.

Trust Wide Responsibilities

Act as a resource for members of the multi-disciplinary teams across the Trust through involvement in multi professional teaching and training in the area of expertise.

Act as a role model in customer service towards patients, visitors and staff in the hospital

Regularly attend and participate in care group and professional meetings.

Person specification

Education Training and Qualifications

• Personal portfolio of evidence of work based learning in healthcare
• Or NVQ level 4 in care related topic or good standard of education equivalent to A level or BTec
• Foundation degree or equivalent in health related subject.
• A combination of short relevant courses

Knowledge and Experience

• Working in an acute NHS healthcare environment.
• Significant Experience of working with a broad range of medical conditions and age groups.
• Knowledge and understanding of roles, responsibilities and working practices of Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists
• Recognise boundaries of own scope of practice and duty of care, seeking assistance as appropriate
• Understanding of basic anatomy and physiology relevant to Therapy care including muscle groups, gait and skeletal anatomy
• Basic IT skills including use of email
• Knowledge of the psychosocial elements of healthcare
• Principles of confidentiality
• Experience of working within a community based setting.

Skills

• Well-developed communication skills, including interpersonal skills, liaison, influencing and negotiation.
• Ability to work on own without immediate support
• Ability to organise and prioritise own workload
• Ability to delegate and organise others
• Ability to use initiative in addressing own learning needs and appraise own performance
• Basic IT literacy, including use of emails in Microsoft or similar
• Ability to problem solve.
• Pass trust standard literacy and numeracy tests
• Good observation skills.

Key competencies/ Personal Qualities and Attributes

• Flexible and confident manner with a positive approach and high levels of motivation
• Ability to manage work pressures to enable management of a caseload alongside involvement in non-clinical and professional activities
• Appreciation of the dynamics of working within a team
• Commitment to own personal and professional development
• Enthusiasm for contributing towards development of the Therapy services
• Physical ability to undertake manual handling of patients and equipment on a daily basis
• Personal resources to cope when dealing with patients with complex conditions, acute or terminal illnesses, traumatic injuries, mental impairment and challenging behaviours on a daily basis
• Professional manner and appearance
• Personal mobility to move across the hospital site between clinic/office/treatment areas
• Cope with exposure to body fluids, distressing situations and infections
• Car driver and ability to travel between hospital sites and patient homes

At Northampton General Hospital we provide general acute services and hyper-acute stroke, vascular and renal services to people living in Northamptonshire. As well as this we are an accredited cancer centre and provide cancer services to a wider population of Northamptonshire and parts of Buckinghamshire.

We are proud to be the first hospital in the UK to have obtained Pathway to Excellence® designated accreditation from the American nurses credentialing centre (ANCC).

We celebrate staff achievements and value the importance of working as one big team. That’s why we talk about Team NGH. It’s all about working together to provide the best possible care for our patients and supporting each other to grow and develop our skills. We are driven to helping you to be the best you can be.

We want to recruit the best people to deliver our services across the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire and help to unleash everyone’s full potential. As an organisation, we value how we communicate and promote our vacancies to all communities. The Hospital Group encourages applications from people who identify from all protected groups, especially those from BAME, Disabled and LGBTQ+ backgrounds as these are underrepresented in our hospitals. We understand that we need to work with colleagues from diverse backgrounds and make sure the environment they work in is inclusive and collaborative. We have active Networks that promote and support colleagues from all backgrounds.This ensures everyone feels supported and has a sense of belonging working for Kettering and Northampton General Hospitals.

Our Excellence Values:

• Compassion
• Respect
• Integrity
• Courageous
• Accountable

Due to the high number of applications received we are unable to respond to each application individually. If you have not been contacted within 4 weeks of the closing date you have been unsuccessful in this application.

For further information on nursing, apprenticeships, A&E or any other departments please visit our specific website or pages that are indicated on the right hand side of this advert.

Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust recognises that staff of differing backgrounds and life experiences enrich our workforce and bring different skills and knowledge. We therefore encourage and welcome applications for our vacancies from all candidates regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

PLEASE NOTE THAT WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CLOSE VACANCIES PRIOR TO THE ADVERTISED CLOSING DATE WHEN WE ARE IN RECEIPT OF SUFFICIENT APPLICATIONS

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.

Application numbers

This vacancy may close early if it receives a high number of applications. Please complete and submit your application in good time to avoid disappointment.