Therapy Assistant Practitioner

The Methodist Church in Britain; West Midlands; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 30,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Good work-life balance

Support to achieve full potential and

Develop leadership skills and service

Job summary

Wye Valley NHS Trust is seeking a Band 4 Therapy Assistant Practitioner to cover inpatient wards for a 12-month period. The role combines physiotherapy and occupational therapy assessments, planning safe discharges, arranging equipment, and running exercise programmes to limit deconditioning.

You will work largely unsupervised within a multidisciplinary team and participate in 7-day working and student placement teaching.

Qualifications

• GCSE/Functional Skills level 2 in maths and English
• Foundation degree or degree in health and social care or Level 5 apprenticeship
• Care Certificate
• Experience at Band 3 or equivalent in relevant therapy
• NHS or inpatient/acute/community experience
• Experience using or fitting adaptive equipment

Responsibilities

• Assess patients on wards to determine safe discharge
• Provide physiotherapy and occupational therapy assessments and interventions at home and clinic
• Recommend equipment and refer at discharge
• Set goals and plan discharge with a personalised approach
• Write exercise programmes and support rehabilitation
• Plan and deliver tasks independently within role boundaries
• Use clinical judgement within SOPs and protocols
• Supervise non-registered staff and delegate appropriate tasks
• Complete required competencies for the post
• Participate in 7-day working, service or quality improvement, and student education

Skills

Clinical judgement

Autonomous working

Caseload prioritisation

CPD

Teamwork

Adaptive equipment knowledge

Education

Foundation degree or degree in health and social care

Level 5 apprenticeship

Equivalent AHP clinical experience

Job description

This Band 4 Therapy Assistant Practitioner sits in the acute Therapy team at Wye Valley NHS Trust, covering inpatient wards for a 12-month period. The work combines physiotherapy and occupational therapy assessments, checking whether patients are safe to go home, arranging equipment and referrals, and running exercise programmes to limit deconditioning. The post-holder works largely unsupervised within a multidisciplinary team, and takes part in 7-day working, service improvement and student placement teaching. Adaptive equipment experience and a Care Certificate are required.

What the job involves

• Assess patients on the wards, including whether they are safe to return home
• Provide physiotherapy and occupational therapy assessments and interventions in home and clinic settings
• Recommend equipment to support independence and make onward referrals at discharge
• Set goals and plan discharge with each patient using a personalised approach
• Write exercise programmes and support rehabilitation to improve strength and function
• Plan and deliver individual or team tasks independently, within role boundaries
• Use clinical judgement to plan activities within standard operating procedures and protocols
• Supervise other non-registered staff and delegate appropriate tasks
• Complete the required competencies for the post
• Take part in 7-day working, service or quality improvement, and student placement education

What’s required

Qualifications

• Functional Skills level 2 or GCSE maths and English (grades 9-4 or A*-C)
• Foundation degree or degree in health and social care, a level 5 apprenticeship, or equivalent AHP clinical experience underpinned by theory and practice
• Care Certificate

Experience

• Experience at Band 3 or equivalent in relevant therapy
• NHS or equivalent experience, such as in inpatient, acute or community services
• Experience of using or fitting adaptive equipment

Skills & knowledge

• Knowledge of relevant patient conditions and therapy interventions, and core physiotherapy or occupational therapy skills
• Evidence of ongoing CPD in the relevant area
• Multidisciplinary assessment and record-keeping experience, with basic computer skills including word processing and email
• Clinical judgement, autonomous working and caseload prioritisation without direct supervision

Other

• Maintains confidentiality and professionalism
• Aware of own limits and asks for help when needed
• Communicates well, works in a team and adapts to the needs of the service
• Reliable, and shows the Trust's values of care, accountability, respect and excellence
• Meets the travel requirements of the post
• Meets moving and handling requirements and deals safely with blood and bodily fluids

What’s offered

• Good work-life balance
• Support to achieve full potential and develop a career
• Opportunity to develop leadership skills and get involved in service improvement