Therapy Assistant Practitioner/Trainee - Community

Uhmb; Kendal; Hybrid; GBP 28,000 - 31,000; Full time

Job summary

University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS invites applications for a Therapy Assistant Practitioner/Trainee in Community Services, based in Kendal. The role supports rehabilitation in home settings and intermediate care, with a potential band 3 placement during training.

The post covers community rehab across South Cumbria, requires a driving licence, and offers full-time or part-time hours with a 37.5-hour week and weekend rota as needed.

Qualifications

• Foundation Degree in Health and Social Care/Assistant Practitioner Qualification or equivalent or a willingness to start to work towards this qualification within 12 months of starting in post
• Full UK driving licence/Ability to travel independently to areas not served by public transport
• Computer skills relevant to role (Electronic patient records, EMIS, STRATA)
• Literacy skills at level 2 or above (GCSE, Functional Skills or equivalent)
• Training relevant to Occupational Therapy or Physiotherapy Core Skills such as OTAGO, Trusted Assessor, Therapeutic Moving and Handling

Responsibilities

• Provide assessment and rehabilitation as part of the Community Therapy Team
• Deliver high quality rehabilitation in patients' own homes or intermediate care settings
• Carry a delegated caseload and prioritise tasks
• Offer feedback to qualified therapists and work within supervision structures
• Assist with provision of aids, equipment and exercises for patients

Skills

Teamwork

Observational skills

Physical ability

Problem solving

Patient flow knowledge

Dementia awareness

Education

Foundation Degree / Assistant Practitioner

Driving licence

EMIS / electronic records

Literacy level 2

OT/Physio support training

Tools

Electronic patient records

EMIS

STRATA

Job description

Therapy Assistant Practitioner/Trainee - Community

NHS AfC: Band 4

Main area Community Therapy & Rehabilitation Grade NHS AfC: Band 4 Contract Permanent: If appointed as trainee will be paid as band 3 until completed training Hours

• Full time
• Part time

37.5 hours per week (Would consider 30-37.5 hours) Job ref 331-8230799-UHMB

Site Westmorland General Hospital Town Kendal Salary £28,392 - £31,157 pro rata per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 18/09/2026 23:59

''Creating a great place to be cared for and a great place to work''

University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay has a firm commitment to strengthening the diversity of our workforce, and therefore welcome and encourage applications from likeminded people who can support our ambition to become effortlessly inclusive. We are particularly keen to hear from protected groups – including BAME, LGBT+ and people with a disability.

Job overview

Do you have a passion for rehabilitation and enabling others to regain and maintain their independence and function in their own home or intermediate care setting?

We are looking for a qualified or trainee Assistant Practitioner to work within our friendly therapy team alongside registered therapy colleagues delivering high quality rehabilitation to people in our intermediate care beds and in their own homes.

The therapy team consists of Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Assistant Practitioners and Therapy Assistants.

You will carry a caseload delegated by the nominated clinician, and be responsible for interventions with patients. You will carry out the assessment of an individual’s level of function and consider the persons activities of daily living.

Applicants must have a genuine interest in people and be enthusiastic and motivated in enabling people to regain and retain their independence.

The Community Therapy team covers Furness and South Lakes, with bases in Furness and Kendal this post will be mainly to support the delivery of Occupational Therapy in Kendal

Service hours Monday - Friday 8am -60pm and Saturday and Sunday 8;30am -4;30pm on a rota basis.

If the successful candidate is required to undertake Assistant Practitioner foundation degree they will be initially employed at band 3 until they have successfully completed the training

Please note this post does not offer sponsorship.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will work as a member of the Community Therapy Team to provide assessment and rehabilitation as a part of the wider multi-disciplinary service.

The post holder will provide assessment and treatment to patients with diverse health needs, mainly in peoples own homes, but with flexibility to work in other areas as required.

To provide feedback to the qualified therapists and recognise own limitations

The post holder will engage in regular informal and formal supervision.

To assess, provide and check the provision of aids, equipment and exercises to patients on your your defined case load.

Be responsible for managing a delegated caseload on a day to day basis including prioritisation of tasks.

Work in the community as a lone worker in line with Trust and departmental Lone Working Policy.

Adhere to the code of ethics and conduct for Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy and Allied Health Professional standards of practice, as required by the team.

Working for our organisation

We operatefrom three main hospitals-Furness General Hospital (FGH) in Barrow, the Royal Lancaster Infirmary (RLI), and Westmorland General Hospital (WGH) in Kendal, as well as a number of community healthcare premises including Millom Hospital and GP Practice, Queen Victoria Hospital in Morecambe, andUlverstonCommunity Health Centre.

FGH and the RLI have a range of General Hospital services, with full Emergency Departments, Critical/Coronary Care units and various Consultant-led services.

WGH provides a range of General Hospital services, together with an Urgent Treatment Centre, that can help with a range of non-life threatening conditions such as broken bones and minor illnesses.

Our community services for adults are provided in people's homes, community centres, clinics, GP Practices, community hospitals and our main hospitals. Our aim is to work with people to help them remain independent, improve their health and manage their conditions through high quality care, advice and support.

The Community Therapy team covers South Cumbria with bases in Kendal and Barrow. The post holder will be based at Kendal and provide community rehab to those living in the South Lakes area.

The post holder would need their own transport to enable them to visit people in their own homes.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To read more information about the advertised role, and the main job duties/responsibilities please open the Job Description and Person Specification located under the supporting documents heading. You can also read more information about University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay visiting our website https://www.uhmb.nhs.uk/

Person specification

Educations & Qualifications

• Foundation Degree in Health and Social Care/Assistant Practitioner Qualification or equivalent or a willingness to start to work towards this qualification within 12 months of starting in post
• Full UK driving licence/Ability to travel independently to areas not served by public transport
• Computer skills relevant to roll (Electronic patient records, EMIS, STRATA)
• Literacy skills at level 2 or above (GCSE, Functional Skills or equivalent )
• Training relevant to Occupational Therapy or Physiotherapy Core Skills for example OTAGO, Trusted Assessor, Therapeutic Moving and Handling

Experience

• Experience or working in healthcare settings eg NHS
• Experience making independent clinical and professional decisions taking into consideration Trust/Departmental Policies/Procedures
• Experience of managing own case load, seeking support when required.
• Experience of manual handling including legislation and techniques
• Knowledge and ability to follow trust policies and procedures
• Proven ability to effectively communicate with people.
• Experience of working in a community health setting
• Able to demonstrate commitment to continued Professional Development.
• Experience in delivering information in a group setting
• Experience prescribing small aids and adaptations
• Experience working in a Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy or other related Allied Health Professional service.

Skills, ability and knowledge

• Able to work well as part of a team
• Good observational skills.
• Physical ability to complete the role with reasonable adjustments if required
• Demonstrates the ability to problem solve and think creatively
• Awareness of Service Development Strategies
• Understanding of Patient flow systems
• Dementia Awareness experience or training

Personal Qualities

• Evidence of having an approachable, flexible and enthusiastic personality
Ability to travel as required for the post
• Evidence of supporting service developments and being open to developments
• Ability to manage some change and unpredictability in the working day.
• Availability to cover core service hours and work flexibly across locality

PLEASE NOTE THAT SHORTLISTED APPLICANTS WILL BE CONTACTED BY EMAIL.

The Trust promotes flexible working opportunities where ever possible to enable staff to balance their work and home life. We are committed to Equal Opportunities and aim to be EffortlesslyInclusive .

The trust operates a No Smoking Policy.

Only those applicants who demonstrate clearly how they meet our Person Specification will be shortlisted for Interview.

We reserve the right to close a job advert early where sufficient applications have been received.

The Trust does not offer interview expenses to shortlisted candidates unless indicated in the advert

If the post is subject to Disclosure & Barring Service checking, (formally CRB) a charge of £49.50 for Enhanced and £21.50 for Standard clearance and additional to this a £4.90 administration fee will be made to the successful candidate(s). This currently only applies to roles Band 6 and above and Medical & Dental posts.

Anyone newly appointed to the trust under the Agenda For Change contract, will be subject to the completion of a satisfactory 6 month probationary period. This will give the new staff member an opportunity to become familiar with the role and working environment.

We have introduced a new system called Pre-Onboarding, specifically to support you right the way through to your first few months in your new role with us atUHMB. This bespoke site has lots of useful information to help you settle into your new roleincluding: what to expect from the recruitment clearances process, where to get a uniform, when you'll get paid etc. As well as information on a number of our services i.e. Infection Prevention, Anti-fraud, Inclusion and Diversity, Care Certificates and much more.

To access click on this linkhttps://www.uhmb.nhs.uk/uhmbt-pre-onboarding .

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.

Name Lorna Brown Job title Team Lead Community Therapy Email address [e-mail] Telephone number 07816250989

If you have problems applying, contact

Address Level 1

Fusion House

Evolution Park

Blackburn

Lancashire

BB1 2FD

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