Therapy Assistant Practitioner - Inpatient Acute Therapy in Hereford

We are looking for an enthusiastic Band 4 Therapy Assistant Practitioner to join our acute Therapy team based at Hereford County Hospital. We have 2 roles available in Frailty & Medical-surgical. Working as part of an experienced team alongside Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, and other Therapy Assistant Practitioners, you will be providing a combination of physiotherapy and occupational therapy assessments and interventions on the ward.

You will be assessing patients independently and as part of a team across the wards. The role will involve assessing whether patients are safe to return home, providing equipment to enable independence, and onward referrals to assist patients when discharged. You will also provide exercise programmes and assist with patient rehab to improve patient strength and function. As an integral part of the team, the post holder will assess, plan, set goals and plan discharge with a personalised approach with the patient.

We have a holistic approach and are very focused on preventing de-conditioning of our patients while they are in hospital. As a service, we are innovative, forward thinking and encourage staff engagement. You will have the opportunity to be involved in service/quality improvement and develop leadership skills, as well as engaging in student placement education.

Main duties of the job

Working as part of the therapy and wider multidisciplinary team, Therapy assistant practitioners use enhanced skills in a specialised area to provide direct high quality and effective therapeutic care and support to patients including those with more complex needs. Within the scope of the role, the post holder will independently (unsupervised) plan and deliver individual or team tasks where the understanding of role boundaries and the importance of supervision and carrying out appropriately delegated tasks and plans is essential.

This role requires understanding, and factual and theoretical knowledge of principles, policies, protocols, procedures, processes, plans and concepts in broad contexts within the area of work or defined group of patients. Although work is guided by standard operating procedures, protocols or systems of work, the post holder must be able to make judgments, plan activities, contribute to service development and demonstrate self-development. The post holder may be responsible for supervision of others and delegate appropriate tasks to other non-registered staff. The post holder will be required to complete the relevant competencies required for the post and participate in 7 day working.

About Us

Wye Valley NHS Trust is a member of an NHS Foundation Group with South Warwickshire NHS FT, the George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust and Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. Located on the border with Wales in the shadow of the Black Mountains, we provide acute and community services across Herefordshire and into parts of Powys and run Hereford County Hospital and the community hospitals in Bromyard, Leominster and Ross-on-Wye. We are a progressive and forward looking trust with ambitious plans to improve quality and integrate patient pathways through close collaborative working with our partners to deliver the quality of care we'd want for our family and friends.

More than 3,500 people work for the Trust – they tell us it's a great place to work, blending the busyness of a DGH with the benefits of working in a beautiful rural and unspoilt county like Herefordshire. We can offer a great work-life balance and have a fine tradition of working with staff to help them achieve their full potential. Our values - Care, Accountability, Respect and Excellence - are at the heart of all we do. We believe in providing the right care in the right place at the right time...all the time.

Person Specification

Essential Education & Qualifications

• Appropriate foundation degree / degree in Health and Social care or equivalent level 5 qualification and A-Levels and GCSE's or equivalent(s)
• Level 2 English & Maths
• Care Certificate OR as a level 5 apprenticeship (e.g. Assistant Practitioner Apprenticeship) OR equivalent clinical experience / expertise within AHP profession underpinned by theoretical and practical experience

Skills, Knowledge & Abilities

• Knowledge of specific relevant patient conditions and therapy interventions acquired through training or experience
• Demonstration of knowledge of core Physiotherapy and or Occupational Therapy skills
• Evidence of ongoing CPD in relevant area
• Experience of multi-disciplinary assessments and record keeping
• Basic Computer Skills including word processing and e-mail
• Able to make clinical judgements without direct supervision
• Able to manage busy case load and prioritise
• Ability to work autonomously using own knowledge skills and initiative in sometimes complex situations acknowledging role boundaries

Experience

• Experience at Band 3 or equivalent within relevant therapy.
• NHS or equivalent experience e.g. in inpatient areas, acute or community or community services
• Experience of using/fitting adaptive equipment

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.