University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust

Occupational Therapy Assistant Practitioner

The closing date is 19 April 2026

Job summary

The Occupational Therapy team at Queens Hospital, Burton - are looking to appoint a motivated Occupational Therapy Assistant Practitioner with a passion for acute orthopaedic and general surgical care. Applications are invited from those with excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

As an Assistant Practitioner you will hold a varied clinical caseload in an acute multidisciplinary setting and lead on discharge planning of elective hip and knee joint replacement patients, you will also work with those on the trauma ward or admitted undergoing orthopaedic care.

You will have the opportunity to undertake preoperative assessment, lead group education classes as well as hold a ward-based caseload.

You will also be expected to provide intervention to those on General Surgery wards working alongside members of the MDT.

You will be joining the team at an exciting time as we look to develop our ambulatory care pathway for Elective patients

The role requires flexibility to contribute to a seven-day service and late working and a commitment to delivering high-quality, patient-centred care in line with Trust values.

Main duties of the job

You will assess and treat patients with a wide variety of conditions, delivering non-complex therapeutic interventions to support functional ability, rehabilitation and safe discharge from hospital.

You will undertake and contribute to patient assessments, implement agreed treatment programmes and support patients to practise activities of daily living. This will include the use, fitting and instruction of assistive equipment, the application of safe moving and handling techniques and contributing to discharge planning within a busy, high-pressured acute environment. Close multi-disciplinary team working is essential to ensure coordinated, timely and safe discharges.

The role includes leading elements of discharge planning within agreed protocols, supporting therapy input into equipment provision, onward referrals and environmental considerations. You may also contribute to community or environmental visits as required.

You will be expected to communicate effectively with patients, carers and members of the multi-disciplinary team, including individuals who may have physical, cognitive or emotional difficulties. Accurate and timely documentation of assessments, interventions and outcomes is required in line with Trust standards.

Closing date of applications: 19 April 2026

Interview date: 5 May 2026

About us

As a trusted organisation at the heart of our communities, we recognise the important role we can play in supporting the public, patients, our own people and local partners in achieving the best of health for the local population and the communities in which they live by providing Exceptional Care Together

Our fundamental Values of Compassion, Openness and Excellence underpin how we intend to work as a Trust and the associated behaviours are becoming embedded in all aspects of how we work.

In return we will offer:

  • Development opportunities, including both professional and leadership development
  • On-going support through every step of the way from recruitment to when you join our team and beyond.
  • A variety of other staff benefits including employee assistance programme, discounted gym membership, onsite fitness classes, car schemes

Key Facts about our Trust:

  • We see on average 4810 OP appointments per day.
  • We are the 4th busiest Trauma & Orthopaedic outpatients department in England - an average of 2077 per week.
  • An average of 1115 patients are seen in A&Es across our network every day - 3rd largest in the country.
  • Our hospitals admit an average of 195 emergency patients daily.
  • Last year we undertook almost 33,700 planned surgical operations in our 57 operating theatres.
  • We are one of only 7 Trusts nationally with more than 50 operating theatres.
  • We carry out more than 140 elective procedures each working day.

Details

Date posted

13 April 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 4

Salary

£28,392 to £31,157 a year pa

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

320-CDCS-BUR-4034-A

Job locations

Queens Hospital

Belvedere Road

Burton on Trent

DE13 0RB


Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see attached Job description and Person Specification. To apply please click APPLY FOR THIS JOB this link will take you to the TRAC Recruitment Site. You will need to register if you do not already have an account.

UHDB is committed to fair and transparent recruitment. We welcome authentic applications that reflect your own skills, experience and motivations for the role. While we understand that candidates may use AI tools for grammar, formatting or accessibility purposes, applications that appear to be substantially AIgenerated may be subject to additional review. If this applies to your submission, we will let you know and may ask for clarification. Please ensure your application accurately represents your experience and is written in your own words.

Following the recent update on UK immigration policy for those on a Health and Care Visa or Skilled Worker Visa, please click on the link to check your eligibility before applying for this post as we may be unable to provide sponsorshipImpacts of the changes to the UK immigration policy | NHS Employers

Your application (for shortlisting purposes) is assessed based on the Person Specification in the job advert (below).

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see attached Job description and Person Specification. To apply please click APPLY FOR THIS JOB this link will take you to the TRAC Recruitment Site. You will need to register if you do not already have an account.

UHDB is committed to fair and transparent recruitment. We welcome authentic applications that reflect your own skills, experience and motivations for the role. While we understand that candidates may use AI tools for grammar, formatting or accessibility purposes, applications that appear to be substantially AIgenerated may be subject to additional review. If this applies to your submission, we will let you know and may ask for clarification. Please ensure your application accurately represents your experience and is written in your own words.

Following the recent update on UK immigration policy for those on a Health and Care Visa or Skilled Worker Visa, please click on the link to check your eligibility before applying for this post as we may be unable to provide sponsorshipImpacts of the changes to the UK immigration policy | NHS Employers

Your application (for shortlisting purposes) is assessed based on the Person Specification in the job advert (below).

Person Specification

Education

Essential

  • NVQ Level 3 or equivalent qualification in Health & Social Care

Experience

Essential

  • Previous hospital-based experience as a health care assistant
  • Previous experience of working as an Occupational Therapy or Physiotherapy assistant
  • Experience of Non-complex assessment / therapeutic activities

Desirable

  • Evidence of working with Surgical patients

Communication

Essential

  • Evidence of good detailed supporting information highlighting key skills, knowledge and experience

Desirable

  • Communication skills training

Knowledge

Essential

  • Knowledge and skills in fitting of assistive equipment
  • Demonstrate increased knowledge through additional relevant courses
Person Specification

Education

Essential

  • NVQ Level 3 or equivalent qualification in Health & Social Care

Experience

Essential

  • Previous hospital-based experience as a health care assistant
  • Previous experience of working as an Occupational Therapy or Physiotherapy assistant
  • Experience of Non-complex assessment / therapeutic activities

Desirable

  • Evidence of working with Surgical patients

Communication

Essential

  • Evidence of good detailed supporting information highlighting key skills, knowledge and experience

Desirable

  • Communication skills training

Knowledge

Essential

  • Knowledge and skills in fitting of assistive equipment
  • Demonstrate increased knowledge through additional relevant courses

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.

Employer details

Employer name

University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Queens Hospital

Belvedere Road

Burton on Trent

DE13 0RB


Employer's website

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


Employer details

Employer name

University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Queens Hospital

Belvedere Road

Burton on Trent

DE13 0RB


Employer's website

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


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Occupational Therapist

Joanne Weaver

joanne.weaver3@nhs.net

012835115115143

Details

Date posted

13 April 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 4

Salary

£28,392 to £31,157 a year pa

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

320-CDCS-BUR-4034-A

Job locations

Queens Hospital

Belvedere Road

Burton on Trent

DE13 0RB


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)