Job summary
We are pleased to announce an exciting opportunity for a Band 4 Therapy Assistant to work within the Older Person's Services (OPS) Therapy Team. The OPS Therapy Team strives to ensure older people presenting to our acute hospital receive the highest quality care in a timely manner fromclinicians with a holistic approach and passion in caring for older people.
The therapy team are responsible for the assessment and management of patients in the Emergency Department, the Older Person's Assessment Unit (OPAU), short stay and complex older person's medical wards. This is a rotational post across the inpatient older adult's therapy services.
The key responsibilities would require you to work alongside the therapists to support the team with assessing and rehabilitating the older person. The post holder would work alongside other qualified therapists and rehab assistants to provide a Therapy service to patients, managing your owncaseload of patients under the guidance of a qualified clinician.
The OPS Therapy Team are extremely dynamic, looking to improve and integrate health and social care for older people in Dorset and Hampshire. Our approach is to ensure that the assessment andintervention process for the older person is as seamless and effective as possible whilst on their journey from hospital to home.
Administrative responsibilities will be required within this role to support the qualified therapists.
Main duties of the job
Previous experience of working with older people, in an acute hospital or community setting is essential. The post holder must have a Foundation Degree in health or assistant practitioner qualification equivalent.
The post will include 7 day working and therefore the post holder will be expected to participate in weekend rotas. You will be required to achieve a certain competency level which we will give you support and training to help you achieve. We have a structured in- house training programme and asupportive team of clinical staff.
Ideally you should be a car driver with a full driving licence and have access to your own car. The role may include assessing patients in their home environment, with support as required from the qualified clinicians.
We welcome full time or part time applicants.
Base Location: Royal Bournemouth Hospital
Interview Date: TBC
About us
Our values define who we are as #TeamUHD. They underpin everything we do now and in the future. They define how we treat our patients, visitors, and each other, our valued team mates and colleagues.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To understand the role in more detail please read the full job description and person specification documents which are attached to this advert
This post requires a foundation degree in health care, or equivalent.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To understand the role in more detail please read the full job description and person specification documents which are attached to this advert
This post requires a foundation degree in health care, or equivalent.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Foundation Degree in health or assistant practitioner qualification or L5 equivalent.
Desirable
- Attainment of competencies gained from multi-professional team working
Experience
Essential
- Previous work as a Therapy Assistant or equivalent (e.g. Exercise Physiologist, Occupational Therapy Assistant, Physiotherapy Assistant) where direct patient care is involved over a significant period of time in a healthcare environment.
- Working with adult patients with chronic disease or multiple pathologies
Desirable
- Previous experience working in an acute setting
- Working within a multi-disciplinary team.
- Experience of evaluation, standard setting and evidence based practice within a healthcare/ rehabilitation setting
Technical Skills Competencies
Essential
- Ability to assess a patient with specific objective assessment tools, sometimes without supervision, and identify appropriate therapy intervention
- Ability to work independently on own initiative with guidance/supervision from qualified staff, mainly at a distance.
- Effective time management and organisational skills.
- Ability to manage own caseload when necessary
- Basic computer literacy.
- Ability to act on own initiative, eg responding to an emergency situation
Knowledge
Essential
- General knowledge of pathologies related to the older person
- The effects of physical and cognitive impairment, on patients' skills, abilities and lifestyle
- Basic rehabilitation techniques and therapy intervention
- Exercise prescription and monitoring eg of physiological signs during exercise
Desirable
- Knowledge of risk assessment, audit and service development
Interpersonal skills
Essential
- Good verbal communication skills both face to face and over the telephone
- Basic teaching skills
- Ability to engage, motivate and inspire patients
- Confident in dealing with difficult situations e.g. aggressive behaviour, conflict
- Ability to document results of interventions clearly and concisely
- Empathy with older people.
- Ability to work as part of a team
Other requirements specific to
Essential
- Hold a clean driving license
- Ability to move and handle patients and equipment using approved techniques
Personal Attributes
Essential
- Flexible attitude
- Well motivated
- Able to work independently when required with rational, safe clinical reasoning skills
- Able to take direction from senior staff and work well within a team
- Ability to recognize boundaries of own job role and seek advice from qualified therapist as necessary
Language Requirement
Essential
- Be able to speak English as necessary to undertake the role
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Foundation Degree in health or assistant practitioner qualification or L5 equivalent.
Desirable
- Attainment of competencies gained from multi-professional team working
Experience
Essential
- Previous work as a Therapy Assistant or equivalent (e.g. Exercise Physiologist, Occupational Therapy Assistant, Physiotherapy Assistant) where direct patient care is involved over a significant period of time in a healthcare environment.
- Working with adult patients with chronic disease or multiple pathologies
Desirable
- Previous experience working in an acute setting
- Working within a multi-disciplinary team.
- Experience of evaluation, standard setting and evidence based practice within a healthcare/ rehabilitation setting
Technical Skills Competencies
Essential
- Ability to assess a patient with specific objective assessment tools, sometimes without supervision, and identify appropriate therapy intervention
- Ability to work independently on own initiative with guidance/supervision from qualified staff, mainly at a distance.
- Effective time management and organisational skills.
- Ability to manage own caseload when necessary
- Basic computer literacy.
- Ability to act on own initiative, eg responding to an emergency situation
Knowledge
Essential
- General knowledge of pathologies related to the older person
- The effects of physical and cognitive impairment, on patients' skills, abilities and lifestyle
- Basic rehabilitation techniques and therapy intervention
- Exercise prescription and monitoring eg of physiological signs during exercise
Desirable
- Knowledge of risk assessment, audit and service development
Interpersonal skills
Essential
- Good verbal communication skills both face to face and over the telephone
- Basic teaching skills
- Ability to engage, motivate and inspire patients
- Confident in dealing with difficult situations e.g. aggressive behaviour, conflict
- Ability to document results of interventions clearly and concisely
- Empathy with older people.
- Ability to work as part of a team
Other requirements specific to
Essential
- Hold a clean driving license
- Ability to move and handle patients and equipment using approved techniques
Personal Attributes
Essential
- Flexible attitude
- Well motivated
- Able to work independently when required with rational, safe clinical reasoning skills
- Able to take direction from senior staff and work well within a team
- Ability to recognize boundaries of own job role and seek advice from qualified therapist as necessary
Language Requirement
Essential
- Be able to speak English as necessary to undertake the role
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
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.
