Therapy Assistant - Community Rehabilitation

Elht; Blackburn; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 27,000; Part time

Job summary

East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust is seeking a Therapy Assistant - Community Rehabilitation (Band 3) for Blackburn. The role involves delivering therapy in patients' homes and community settings, supporting a mixed team of Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists, and contributing to treatment plans.

The post is part-time (30 hours per week) with training and supervision opportunities across the ELHT community footprint.

Qualifications

• GCSE English/Maths at grade 4 or above or equivalent.
• NVQ Level 3 or equivalent in a relevant area.

Responsibilities

• Assist therapy sessions under supervision and follow treatment plans.
• Record progress and report to therapy staff.
• Manage equipment, stock and basic administrative tasks.
• Support home visits and IT/digital therapy delivery.

Skills

Communication skills

IT skills

Flexibility

Education

GCSE English/Maths (grade 4+)

NVQ Level 3

Tools

Microsoft Office 365

Job description

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Therapy Assistant - Community Rehabilitation

Band 3

Main area DCS Grade Band 3 Contract Permanent Hours Part time - 30 hours per week Job ref 435-D201-26

Site across east lancashire Town Blackburn Salary £25,760 - £27,476 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 30/10/2026 08:00

At East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust our vision is to be widely recognised for providing safe, personal and effective care. We currently provide high quality services and treat over 600,000 people across East Lancashire and the surrounding area. We employ over 9,500 staff, many of whom are internationally renowned and have won awards for their work.

Job overview

ELHT Community Therapy services are looking to recruit an integrated Physiotherapy/Occupational Therapy Assistant to join them working in our Community Rehab teams in the Blackburn locality. This post involves treating patients in their own homes, working as part of the therapy team.

You will be required to work across the locality footprint, to meet the demand, but will have a nominated base of Daisyfield Mill blackburn

This post will also support the digital delivery of therapy treatment sessions, so an interest in IT and ability to support digitally would be beneficial

Please note: this advert may close early if we receive a high volume of applications.

Main duties of the job

This role will entail either working alongside a Therapist to support an individuals treatment session, following a treatment plan set by a therapist, interviewing and undertaking some initial work with the patient independently or assisting the patient at home providing equipment and following treatment plans in the patients’ home.

You will also be expected to report back to the therapy staff and the multidisciplinary teams.

In addition to clinical tasks there will be some elements of administration including ordering of equipment for patients and recording data and patient treatment information.

The successful candidate must have a clear understanding of the roles of the Physiotherapists and the Occupational therapists in the community setting, have previous experience working in a caring environment and be able to communicate effectively and clearly with both patients and all members of the Multidisciplinary team.

In return we will offer the successful candidate training, development and regular supervision.

Therapy services run over 5 days, Monday- Friday 8am - 6pm.

You must also be prepared if required to work across community ELHT locality footprint, as the service needs.

Working for our organisation

The Trust is committed to creating a well managed, flexible working environment that supports staff and promotes their welfare and development.

We are committed to promoting equality and diversity; we value the contribution of individual talent, skills, knowledge and experience and aim for a workforce demography representative of the local community.

We operate Zero Tolerance to aggression, violence, bullying and harassment. We will make reasonable adjustments to ensure our recruitment and selection process is accessible to all. Flexible Working applications will be considered. The Trust operates a No Smoking Policy.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

MAIN DUTIES

• Undertake specific delegated assessment tasks as requested Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists.
• Contribute to the setting of appropriate treatment goals in liaison with the therapist and the patient.
• Deliver part or all of a treatment plan as prescribed by a qualified Occupational Therapist or Physiotherapist.
• Give both verbal and written feedback about the progress of a patient’s treatment programme to the therapist in charge of the case.
• Contribute to the development, modification and evaluation of individual programmes in conjunction with a qualified Occupational Therapist or Physiotherapist
• Undertake risk assessment and report back on, and document risk, seeking advice as required, in accordance with policy and procedures.
• Clearly document each intervention in the patient’s case notes, as outlined in organisational policy and procedures.
• Prescribe equipment/ assistive technology and minor adaptations to facilitate independence within agreed guidelines.
• Assist with the day to day running of the department.
• Is a member of the team and shares information as required.
• Maintain treatment areas and equipment used to an appropriate standard in accordance with health and safety, infection control and other relevant guidance.
• Gain valid informed consent from the patient for any individual intervention that is carried out.
• Carry out general administrative duties as required e.g. filing, etc.
• Responsible for material stock levels, including maintenance and ordering of stock as required.

COMMUNICATION

• Communicate appropriately and professionally with Therapy staff, other professionals, patients and families.
• Liaise with other agencies.
• Be responsible for maintaining written or electronic records in line with relevant policies, legislation and guidance.
• Have basic IT skills including use of Internet and Email and to be able to use any special programmes relevant to the service.
• Advise patients and carers in a variety of ways which may include suggesting techniques/strategies to manage their condition, use of equipment, etc.
• Attend and participate in team meetings.
• Promote and educate others in the role of Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy, and the importance of both physical ability and occupation to health and well being.
• Assist the Integrated Therapy Service in involving service users, their carers and family in service improvements.
• Act as an advocate on behalf of patients.
• Deal with challenging situations including verbal aggression or distress seeking support as necessary.

TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

• Participate in regular monthly supervision, annual development review and undertake other required in-service training as identified in order to develop the skills required for your work area.
• Be willing to undertake relevant further/higher education/training as required.
• Complete all required mandatory training.
• Share knowledge and experience with other staff members and students.
• Develop the skills required for your area of work.
• Maintain your own development portfolio.

ORGANISATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Participate in team and service development and governance activity as required.
• Assist with the induction of new staff.
• Work towards achieving service and organisational objectives.
• Able to deal sensitively with complaints following procedures and directing them to an appropriate person within the team.

PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Comply with the professional bodies’ Codes of Ethics and Professional Conduct as they relate to support worker role, national and local policies, and procedures and guidance.
• Be aware of and fulfil responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work Act, organisational and departmental policies around Health and Safety, and other procedures and guidance in this area.
• Understand the need to act in the best interests of service users at all times.
• Understand the need to respect, and so far as possible uphold the rights, dignity, values and autonomy of every service user.
• Understand your role in the diagnostic and therapeutic process and in maintaining health and well being.
• Practise in a non-discriminatory manner.
• Exercise a professional duty of care.
• Know the limits of your practice and when to seek advice.

Person specification

Qualifications

• GCSE Grade 4 or above in English/ Maths or equivalent
• NVQ level 3 or equivalent in relevant area.

Experience

• Have worked within a professional caring situation.
• Experience of people who have disabilities
• Have had experience of working alone.
• community experience
• experience working with therapists

Personal Attributes

• Enthusiastic and keen to learn and develop
• Flexible to different work demands/environments
• Commitment to life long learning.

Other

• Access to private vehicle/transport to be able to travel across ELHT sites, including to patient’s usual place of residence, where required
• Ability to travel between sites in a timely manner as required in accordance with the agreed job plan2

Knowledge

• IT skills including Microsoft office 365
• Health safety and risk awareness

Disclosure and Barring Scheme (DBS)

If the role you are applying for is identified as either controlled or regulated activity as defined in in the Safeguarding vulnerable Groups Act (2006) any offer of employment is provisional upon a satisfactory DBS check being obtained.

The healthcare sector is exempted from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

In line with other NHS organisations in the North West Region, the Trust is now passing the charge for undertaking a DBS check on to candidates in the event they are successfully appointed into the post for which they have applied. Candidates can choose whether to pay this over 1-3 months as a deduction from the monthly salary. However, if you are applying for a post as a BANK worker, the payment must be made in full at the time of employment checks. By applying for this vacancy you are agreeing to this undertaking in the event you are successfully appointed.

The cost for an Enhanced DBS, is £45.90 and for a Basic & Standard, this is £24.90 this cost includes a £4.90 admin fee.

This cost is not applicable for a Volunteer post

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The Trust is an equal opportunities employer, committed to improving the working lives of our staff and operates a 'Zero Tolerance' policy to aggression, violence, bullying and harassment. In addition, our aim is to help protect children and vulnerable adults by providing a first-class service to the recruitment of people into positions of trust.

We aim to employ a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve.

We welcome applications from everyone irrespective of ethnic origin, gender, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, disability or social background.

We especially welcome applications from members of our black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities, as we have identified that ELHT has an under-representation of BAME employees. Appointments will be made on merit.

Applicants who have a disability and meet the essential criteria for the job will be interviewed if you indicate you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme.

If you require a reasonable adjustment at any stage of the recruitment process please make the recruitment services team aware as soon as possible. By telephone [phone] or email [e-mail] write to Employment Services, Parkview Offices, Haslingden Road, Blackburn, BB2 3HH

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.