Support Worker - Older People's Unit

Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust; Bath; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

The Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an OPU Rehabilitation Support Worker for the Older People’s Unit in Bath. You will lead rehabilitation for patients with distant supervision, managing your own caseload and progressing recovery through exercise and functional activities.

You will help maximise independence, support timely discharge, and coordinate training for Band 3 therapy support workers to ensure consistent rehabilitation practice across the service.

Qualifications

• GCSE and A level (or equivalent) required.
• Experience of working with the public in a health or care setting as a therapy support worker.
• Competent IT skills.
• Knowledge of anatomy/physiology.

Responsibilities

• Lead rehabilitation of patients within the Older People’s Unit wards with distant supervision.
• Manage your own caseload and progress rehabilitation through exercise and functional activities.
• Maximise independence and support timely discharge, including pathway progression where appropriate.
• Coordinate and support training of Band 3 therapy support workers to ensure consistent practice.

Skills

Public health experience

IT skills

Anatomy/physiology knowledge

Education

GCSE & A level

NVQ / Diploma / Degree in rehab or related subject

Job description

Job Overview

This role is open to current employees of BSW Hospitals Group only.

Are you passionate about rehabilitation and helping people regain their independence?

Main duties of the job

In this role, you will be in charge of leading the rehabilitation of patients within one of the Older People's Unit Wards with distant supervision from senior qualified members of staff.

You will manage your own caseload, progressing patients’ rehabilitation through exercise, functional activities and meaningful task practice.

A key focus of the role will be to maximise patients’ independence, reduce ongoing care needs and support timely discharge, including facilitating pathway progression from Pathway 2 to Pathway 1, and Pathway 1 to Pathway 0, where appropriate.

Working with a high degree of autonomy, you will regularly work independently while maintaining close communication with therapy colleagues and the wider multidisciplinary team within the Older People’s Unit. You will provide clear updates on patients’ rehabilitation progress and contribute to effective discharge planning.

You will support patients to participate in meaningful activities on the ward, helping them to maintain or improve their function and confidence and, wherever possible, support a successful return home.

You will also take responsibility for coordinating and supporting the training and development of our Band 3 therapy support workers, helping to ensure consistent and effective rehabilitation practice across the service.

Please note: We are unable to offer Skilled Worker visa sponsorship for this role. To apply, you must already have an alternative right to work in the UK and will be required to provide accurate information about your current right to work status as part of the recruitment process.

Working for our organisation

We are proud to be part of BSW Hospitals Group - a formal partnership between the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust. With a combined workforce of over 17, 600 colleagues, and budget of 1.6 billion the Group is united by a common purpose to deliver the best possible care to over 1 million people.

We are creating a health and care system that works with the people we care for, reducing the differences people currently face in access, experience and outcomes, improving the experience of our colleagues and tackling shared challenges like sustainability and finances. Every improvement we make across our Group will be guided by what creates the greatest benefit for our colleagues, our patients, our communities and our partners.

By working together, we make a real difference for our patients, each other, and our community. Every role matters in delivering the exceptional, person‑centred care we’re proud of.

We’re committed to a compassionate, inclusive culture where kindness is championed, differences are valued, and diversity makes us stronger.

We want to support you to thrive, taking your career to its full potential. We prioritise staff wellbeing – and yes, we even have a pool!

Discover what it’s like to live and work in Bath, explore our RUH staff benefits, and learn how we’re building healthcare for the future through the Dyson Cancer Centre and our commitment to research.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

Please see the attached file for the Job Description and Person Specification. Both of which are on the attached PDF document in this job advert.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Education to GCSE and A level, or equivalent
• Experience of working with the public in a health or care setting as a therapy support worker
• Competent IT skills
• Knowledge of anatomy/physiology

Desirable criteria

• Diploma/Degree in relevant subject or relevant qualification, e.g. NVQ 3
• NHS experience
• Experience working autonomously or lone working
• Experience of leading exercise classes

Experience

Essential criteria

• Candidate is able to provide concrete examples of clinical experience as a support worker in a previous role

Desirable criteria

• Candidate has taken formal CPD around rehab principles/practices

Please note - Due to recent changes in UK immigration and visa rules applicants who do not currently have the right to work in the UK may not be considered unless an alternative right to work solution can be provided. Candidates requiring sponsorship (or will need sponsorship at the end of a current visa e.g. those with graduate visa's) should review the eligibility criteria on the gov.uk website before applying: Prove your right to work to an employer: Overview - GOV.UK

Applicant requirements

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.

Documents to download

• Band 4 OPU Support Worker (PDF, 285.6KB)
• Join the RUH (PDF, 1.3MB)

Further details / informal visits contact

Name Laura Aro Job title OPU Occupational Therapy Team Lead Email address [e-mail]