East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust

Therapy Assistant Practitioner - MSK Outpatients

The closing date is 26 November 2025

Job summary

We are looking for an enthusiastic, motivated Band 4 Physiotherapy Technician to join our friendly MSK Outpatients service.

This is a great development post for someone who enjoys working in a fast-paced clinical environment and wants to develop further in MSK rehabilitation, exercise prescription and active therapy.

We are interested in people who:

have experience working in a therapy / health / exercise setting
have good communication skills and can build rapport with patients
are proactive, caring and organised
Can work well within in a team and can adapt to changing circumstances

Previous MSK experience is desirable but not essential.

What we offer

structured Band 4 induction
CPD support and regular supervision
opportunities to observe specialist MSK clinics and class-based rehab
a supportive, experienced team who value development

Main duties of the job

You will work closely with our MSK Physiotherapists to:

support delivery of individual and group exercise rehab
Pool side support for Physiotherapy led Hydro sessions
supervise patients completing exercise programmes
progress exercises in line with clinical goals
Discharge reviews within competency
provide education, encouragement and behaviour-change support
maintain accurate documentation in line with CSP standards

You will be expected to manage a delegated caseload; however senior physios will be available for guidance and clinical support.

About us

We are ESNEFT and we provide hospital and community health services to almost one million people across east Suffolk and north Essex. Our dedicated staff deliver care from acute hospitals in Colchester and Ipswich, community hospitals, surgeries, community clinics and in patients' own homes.

We are one of the largest NHS organisations in England, employing more than 12,000 staff.

We pride ourselves on supporting our staff. We offer a wide range of training and development opportunities, as well as flexible working options.

Along with supporting you to achieve your career goals we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata) and access to a range of NHS discounts. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offer a variety of services.

Our philosophy is that Time Matters to everyone. Across the Trust, we concentrate on improving the things we do and removing those which cause time delays for our staff and patients.

We are investing in our commitment to Time Matters with a partnership with leading electronic patient record (EPR) supplier Epic. This digital transformation will bring what's widely regarded as the world's best EPR system to ESNEFT, transforming life in hospital for staff and patients.

If you are passionate about patient care and want to develop your skills and knowledge, then we want to hear from you.

Find out about living and working here - www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkPu7HphU8A

Date posted

13 November 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 4

Salary

£27,485 to £30,162 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

432-HR889-25

Job locations

Ipswich Hospital

Ipswich

IP4 5PD

Job description

Job responsibilities

For full details of the responsibilities and duties of this role please see the attached job description.

Job description

Job responsibilities

For full details of the responsibilities and duties of this role please see the attached job description.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

oExperience as a Therapy Assistant or experience at a similar level in a related field of health care / health and fitness sector.
oDemonstrable experience of delivering tailored patient specific treatment with an associated level of senior responsibility.

Desirable

oKnowledge of community resources and whole systems/ pathways approach to care
oExperience of working across and liaising with variety of teams Completion of Integrated Therapies assistant core and/or specific competencies.
oIT literate
oExperience of working with patients who have had elective or trauma orthopaedic surgery and managing recovery.

Qualifications

Desirable

oCan demonstrate intermediate level of theoretical knowledge and clinical reasoning skills acquired through coursework, inhouse training and experience to NVQ/Diploma Level 3 or equivalent

Knowledge

Essential

oAbility to exchange condition related information with MDT, patients and carers
oAble to maintain clinical records and complete basic reports.
oAble to demonstrate role and duties to MDT and community colleagues.
oAble to support the provision of student placements and other experiential learning.
oKnowledge of common orthopaedic procedures and the potential complications following these

Desirable

oUnderstanding of the role and application of occupational therapy and physiotherapy.
oKnowledge of occupational therapy and physiotherapy within the MSK Outpatient setting.
oExperience of group work with patients.
oAbility to plan and deliver range of prescribed interventions.

Skills

Essential

oGood communication skills to overcome barriers of understanding particularly with adults with disabilities
oTeam worker
oAble to use computer systems and virtual consultation platforms

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

oExperience as a Therapy Assistant or experience at a similar level in a related field of health care / health and fitness sector.
oDemonstrable experience of delivering tailored patient specific treatment with an associated level of senior responsibility.

Desirable

oKnowledge of community resources and whole systems/ pathways approach to care
oExperience of working across and liaising with variety of teams Completion of Integrated Therapies assistant core and/or specific competencies.
oIT literate
oExperience of working with patients who have had elective or trauma orthopaedic surgery and managing recovery.

Qualifications

Desirable

oCan demonstrate intermediate level of theoretical knowledge and clinical reasoning skills acquired through coursework, inhouse training and experience to NVQ/Diploma Level 3 or equivalent

Knowledge

Essential

oAbility to exchange condition related information with MDT, patients and carers
oAble to maintain clinical records and complete basic reports.
oAble to demonstrate role and duties to MDT and community colleagues.
oAble to support the provision of student placements and other experiential learning.
oKnowledge of common orthopaedic procedures and the potential complications following these

Desirable

oUnderstanding of the role and application of occupational therapy and physiotherapy.
oKnowledge of occupational therapy and physiotherapy within the MSK Outpatient setting.
oExperience of group work with patients.
oAbility to plan and deliver range of prescribed interventions.

Skills

Essential

oGood communication skills to overcome barriers of understanding particularly with adults with disabilities
oTeam worker
oAble to use computer systems and virtual consultation platforms

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

East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Ipswich Hospital

Ipswich

IP4 5PD

Employer's website

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

Employer details

Employer name

East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Ipswich Hospital

Ipswich

IP4 5PD

Employer's website

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