Therapy Assistant Practitioner

Job description

Job responsibilities

This position is accountable to Team Lead of CORS team. The position will provide therapy intervention and care in the patients home, clinic, hospital or community site including leisure centres. The position supports the elective orthopaedic pathway for patients having knee and hip replacements. The input starts prior to surgery with assessments in the patients home and provision of exercises and equipment to improve a patients fitness prior to surgery. This is then continued post operatively when the patient returns home.

The Therapy Assistant Practitioner will work under the supervision of qualified therapy staff, providing assessment and treatment programmes for patients in the community and other community sites if required.

The Therapy Assistant Practitioner is able to carry out a full episode of care from assessment to discharge, for a specified and designated clinical caseload identified by a qualified clinician.

The post holder will assist in the administration and clerical duties for the team and department.

Key Result Areas & Performance:

To undertake all aspects of clinical and care duties under the supervision, direct and indirect, of a therapist.

To carry a full caseload of patients under the supervision, direct and indirect, of a therapist

Assess and provide for equipment needs

Progress patients in their homes to maximise their function and independence

To provide information, teaching and instruction to relatives, carers, colleagues, other disciplines and agencies. To promote understanding on the aims of Therapy and to ensure continuation of the treatment programme.

Contributes to advice and education sessions for relevant patient groups

To participate in multidisciplinary / multi-agency team meetings and case conferences to ensure the co-ordination of patient care. This may include the review of patient progress, and discharge planning.

To employ appropriate skills such as persuasion, motivation and negotiation to gain co-operation in the continuation of the agreed treatment programme.

Maintain accurate clinical records of all interventions

To produce patient related reports for other disciplines or agencies relating to assessment findings and/or treatment outcomes

Input to databases as required

Referring to the qualified practitioner when necessary, to work independently withspecified client group to manage equipment provision and functional assessment and rehabilitation, from pre- operative phase to post-op rehabilitation

Deliver and install simple aids and equipment in the patients home and instruct patients and carers in use of this equipment as appropriate

To carry out home visits and access visits, with or without a therapist, as required

To manage own day to day workload and maintain level of service within the pathway at the local site, and assist other members of the team to make appropriate prioritisation choices. To ensure the effective exchange of information across the pathway team and co-ordination of service delivery.

Work force

To provide guidance and teaching to therapy assistants working for Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust

To be proactive in the community with therapy and nursing staff within the Lewisham Enablement Team to feedback on patients progress, immediately highlighting any clinical concerns

To participate in supervision and appraisal with a designated senior therapist

To attend staff meetings

To contribute to the clinical induction of therapy staff

To be able to independently progress patients exercise programme and mobility, including issuing walking aids, for the specified patient group

Person Specification

Qualification & Training

Essential

• BTEC or HND or NVQ level 3 or equivalent experience in relevant subject

Desirable

• CSP
• Undertaken relevant healthcare courses

Experience

Essential

• Significant experience in health or social care setting
• Experience and ability to work collaboratively within MPT

Desirable

• Previous experience of working within a therapy rehabilitation area either therapy assistant or equivalent
• Experience of an NHS environment
• Supervision of staff

Knowledge

Essential

• Able to demonstrate an intermediate level knowledge of conditions, clinical pathways and therapeutic interventions
• Awareness of clinical governance and its implication for Therapy

Desirable

• Awareness and understanding of NHS structure
• Knowledge of local services

Skills

Essential

• Willingness and ability to undertake competency based skills programme
• The ability to identify and act upon potential clinical risks
• Able to communicate complex information to patients, carers other health professionals and team.
• Ability to work effectively in a team environment

Desirable

• IT skills - Ability to create and/or format data and/or spreadsheets using computerised systems
• Demonstrates good motivational skills

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Employer details

Employer name

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust

Address

University Hospital Lewisham

Honor Oak Health Centre, 20 Turnham Road, SE4 2LA

London

SE13 6LH

Employer's website

https://www.lewishamandgreenwich.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)