Assistant Therapy Practitioner in Longton

We are seeking a passionate and dedicated Assistant Therapy Practitioner to join the Home First in the North of Staffordshire. You will be responsible for delivering high quality rehabilitation to patients with a range of physical health conditions including MSK, Stroke, Parkinson's disease, Neurological conditions, Spinal Injuries, Cancer, Post Surgery, General Frailty, Amputees, plus a wide range of other conditions which provides you with a varied and exciting experience within our service. You will work jointly alongside qualified therapists with complex patients and will work autonomously within your scope of practice. This is a dynamic post which will be evaluated and adjusted to reflect the needs of the service, local population and feedback from users and staff. Your feedback and input will be essential to the development and shaping of the role. You will be required to travel independently and efficiently over a large geographical area and will attend planned loan visits to individuals' homes.

Main duties of the job:

• The role involves managing a caseload of adults in close liaison with the Home First Team. Many of these patients will have multiple complex health needs.
• Within scope of practice, this role provides the opportunity for you to undertake independent, holistic assessments with service users in their normal place of residence using manual assessment techniques, analytical and clinical reasoning skills.
• The Assistant Practitioner role supports the work of a range of different professions ensuring that the individuals' physical, psychological, and emotional needs and preferences are met.
• To carry out and progress rehabilitation programmes set by qualified therapists.
• To complete secondary assessments following hospital discharge, including triage, subjective and objective assessments for appropriate patients.
• Within the scope of practice and competency for the role, responsible for identifying clinical need for input from MDT.
• To set and review SMART goals for individual patients.
• To discharge appropriate patients from the service, following appropriate pathways, completing appropriate onward referrals, completing timely discharge summaries and to signpost to community and voluntary groups.

About us:

Come and work with us at our award-winning NHS Trust, leading the way for trying new and better ways of working to help improve life for our local communities. We have around 9,000 staff who provide physical and mental healthcare, support for people with learning disabilities, and adult social care across Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Shropshire, and Telford & Wrekin. We also run regional and national services, including help for new parents (perinatal care), eating disorders, forensic services, sexual health, and support for people in prison with mental health, drug, or alcohol problems. We offer great career development for both clinical and non-clinical roles, with ongoing training and support to help you learn and grow. We are 'United in our Uniqueness' and committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels welcome and can be themselves, no matter their background or identity. We want our staff to feel supported and valued, and we aim to build a team that reflects the communities we serve. Together, we can make sure every voice is heard, and every difference is respected.

Please note, we may be required to close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications. Please be aware that the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in completing application forms will be monitored to ensure fairness and transparency. If you have used AI you must state this in your application.

Person Specification:

• Qualification and Training: NVQ Level III in Health and Social Care or a Foundation Degree in Health and Social Care or the equivalent level of knowledge and skills acquired through experience. GCSE Grade C or above in English and Maths. Good written and spoken English. Further courses appropriate to rehabilitation i.e. Upper Limb course, Bobath bases courses. Attended previous in-service training events related to rehabilitation/neurology.
• Experience: Considerable recent practice as a Therapy Assistant working in the NHS/Private sector. Working with patients with nursing, therapy or social care needs. Working in a multi-disciplinary team. Working with care/treatment plans. Working in a changing environment. Experience in community rehabilitation. Experience in neurological rehabilitation. Experience working in a group setting. Experience in working with individuals with complex communication, cognitive and mental health needs.
• Skills and Knowledge: Working in a team environment. Ability to work independently but report back to a team. Safeguarding others. Assessment and provision of equipment. Demonstrate written skills that are accurate and legible. Health and Safety and risk awareness. Basic knowledge of normal movement, spasticity and rehabilitation approaches e.g. facilitation and normal movement and balance re-education. Use of assistive technology. Demonstrate observational skills and ability to report back to team members. Experience of specific assessment techniques, such as assessing range of movement, muscle power, goniometry and previous experience of using outcome measures.
• Personal Attributes: Access to a car for work purposes. Flexibility and ability to work 37.5 hours over 7 days including Bank Holidays, weekend working and working until 20:00PM. Able to demonstrate empathy to others. Demonstrate that they meet the Trust values and behaviours.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.