Airedale NHS Foundation Trust

Assistant Practitioner/Trainee Assistant Practitioner (Band 4/3)

The closing date is 23 January 2026

Job summary

A very exciting opportunity has arisen within the Urgent Care therapy team at Airedale NHS foundation trust. We are looking for motivated, enthusiastic and skilled Assistant Practitioner to join our acute service.

Therapy assistants in the Urgent Care therapy team work predominantly in the Emergency Department (ED), Acute Assessment Unit (AAU) and Ambulatory Care Unit (ACU). Hours of work vary across the teams; however, hourswill include evenings and weekends. There will also be some community outreach work from acute therapy services within this role as part of our new H-Fast service.

The post holder will be required to have completed a foundation degree or equivalent and developed therapy competencies to progress to a Band 4. Support to apply for the relevant course may be provided to the successful candidate to obtain these qualifications. The post holder will be expected to have completed a level 3 NVQ or equivalent qualification in health and social care, understand the requirements of rehabilitation and have experience of working with people with a range of health needs.

Main duties of the job

The Post Holder will:

- Undertake specific skilled support work to aid the assessment and discharge planning of patients within Urgent Care.

- Using "Home first" principles to prevent an in-patient stay where a person's urgent care needs can be safely met at home.

- Manage and prioritise own caseload delegated by therapists

- Identifying older people with frailty at the earliest possible point in their urgent care journey.

- Work unsupervised reporting back on patient progress and evaluating interventions with the therapist

- Support the therapists with complex cases as required

- Contribute to team and service development and take responsibility for delegated tasks

- Supervise junior assistants and provide support to other team members and students

- Work flexibly according to patient and service needs.

About us

We are always looking for enterprising and innovative approaches to the way we provide our services. We are a national centre for telemedicine and introduced telehealth to the UK offender healthcare sector and also provide the service to patients in their care homes. Community matters to us and we are supported by 400 dedicated volunteers and have strong links with Bradford University, Craven College and Leeds City College to ensure we inspire the workforce of the future.

We want to attract staff who embrace our Right Care behaviours of compassion, a commitment to quality of care and working together for patients we want to make these part of our DNA.

Details

Date posted

09 January 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 3

Salary

£24,937 to £30,162 a year (Band 3 £24,937 - £26,598) (Band 4 £27,485 - £30,162)

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

423-7707468

Job locations

Airedale General Hospital

Skipton Road

Steeton

BD20 6TD


Job description

Job responsibilities

For further information and full details of the job role please see the attached job description and person specification.

Job description

Job responsibilities

For further information and full details of the job role please see the attached job description and person specification.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • English and Maths at grade C/4 or above.
  • Relevant Foundation degree, or BTEC higher or QCF level V qualification in health and social care

Desirable

  • 4 GCSEs Grade A - D
  • Courses with Relevance to the job e.g. equipment, dementia

Experience

Essential

  • Recent, relevant experience of working in acute, mental health or other clinical support worker roles.
  • Experience of working with people with complex health needs
  • Experience of carrying out therapeutic interventions
  • Experience of multidisciplinary team working
  • Experience of working independently
  • Experience in use of IT applications

Desirable

  • Experience of working in therapy services.
  • Experience of project work
  • Experience of working shifts/ weekends
  • Experience of supervising and supporting others
  • Evidence of therapy competencies

Skills

Essential

  • Communication skills including observation, listening and empathy
  • Ability to work well within a team
  • Planning and organisational skills
  • Negotiation and problem-solving skills
  • Ability to cope with working in a stressful environment, including emotional or aggressive patients and carers

Desirable

  • Supervisory skills
  • Leadership skills

Knowledge

Essential

  • Knowledge of the impact illness and disability have on function
  • Knowledge of Discharge planning
  • Knowledge of the roles of other professionals and the principles of partnership working

Desirable

  • Knowledge of relevant clinical assessments and treatments

Other

Essential

  • Current UK Driving Licence

Desirable

  • Access to own transport
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • English and Maths at grade C/4 or above.
  • Relevant Foundation degree, or BTEC higher or QCF level V qualification in health and social care

Desirable

  • 4 GCSEs Grade A - D
  • Courses with Relevance to the job e.g. equipment, dementia

Experience

Essential

  • Recent, relevant experience of working in acute, mental health or other clinical support worker roles.
  • Experience of working with people with complex health needs
  • Experience of carrying out therapeutic interventions
  • Experience of multidisciplinary team working
  • Experience of working independently
  • Experience in use of IT applications

Desirable

  • Experience of working in therapy services.
  • Experience of project work
  • Experience of working shifts/ weekends
  • Experience of supervising and supporting others
  • Evidence of therapy competencies

Skills

Essential

  • Communication skills including observation, listening and empathy
  • Ability to work well within a team
  • Planning and organisational skills
  • Negotiation and problem-solving skills
  • Ability to cope with working in a stressful environment, including emotional or aggressive patients and carers

Desirable

  • Supervisory skills
  • Leadership skills

Knowledge

Essential

  • Knowledge of the impact illness and disability have on function
  • Knowledge of Discharge planning
  • Knowledge of the roles of other professionals and the principles of partnership working

Desirable

  • Knowledge of relevant clinical assessments and treatments

Other

Essential

  • Current UK Driving Licence

Desirable

  • Access to own transport

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).

Additional information

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

Airedale NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Airedale General Hospital

Skipton Road

Steeton

BD20 6TD


Employer's website

https://www.airedale-trust.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

Airedale NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Airedale General Hospital

Skipton Road

Steeton

BD20 6TD


Employer's website

https://www.airedale-trust.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Urgent Care Team Leader

Sarah Irving

Sarah.irving7@nhs.net

01535295085

Details

Date posted

09 January 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 3

Salary

£24,937 to £30,162 a year (Band 3 £24,937 - £26,598) (Band 4 £27,485 - £30,162)

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

423-7707468

Job locations

Airedale General Hospital

Skipton Road

Steeton

BD20 6TD


Supporting documents

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