Therapy Assistant Practitioner

Job responsibilities

Clinical

• Assess patients following stroke with straightforward requirements based on predetermined department protocols.
• Prepare for, carry out and monitor assessment, treatments and discharge within therapy/nursing for stroke rehabilitation in line with predetermined department protocols. Tasks may include manual handling, personal care, toileting, mobility exercises, communication and cognitive rehabilitation.
• To carry out and contribute to planned programmes of rehabilitation to meet individual patient and family circumstances related to communication, cognition, emotional and physical impairments resulting from a stroke.
• Apply competency based treatment techniques/care to patients with stroke under the supervision of a qualified practitioner, following a prescribed treatment/care plan.
• To promote and encourage independence and restoration of function post stroke including information, education on secondary prevention and self-management.
• To ensure that patients, families and carers are involved in the planning and implementation of their stroke rehabilitation care plans.
• Modify and progress intervention / treatment using own clinical reasoning, notifying a qualified practitioner accordingly.
• Prepare for and develop individual/group activities to meet defined intervention needs.
• Work predominantly independently on specified tasks, with regular clinical support and supervision by a qualified practitioner.
• Demonstrate problem solving, and contribute to the solution, working with colleagues.
• Make basic judgements on patients response to prescribed treatment and report findings to a qualified practitioner.
• Liaise with GPs, Social Services, inpatient teams, other allied health care professionals and the voluntary sector to ensure identified needs are met and care co-ordinated appropriately.
• To participate in multi-disciplinary/multi-agency meetings as appropriate.
• Establish and maintain appropriate working relationships with colleagues, patients, carers and other health care professionals.
• Demonstrate dexterity and coordination when undertaking treatment of patients where accuracy is important, e.g. taking blood pressures, urinalysis supervising transfers, and passive exercises.
• Provide basic equipment and be responsible for ensuring that it is used safely, following appropriate training, and that it is maintained.
• Contribute to the requisitioning of supplies and equipment through electronic ordering systems.

Non-Clinical

• Share responsibility for maintaining store cupboards, cleaning specialist equipment and general housekeeping and administration tasks.
• Share responsibility for indirect patient contact tasks, such as, answering telephones, arranging appointments, processing referrals and inputting activity data.
• Demonstrate basic IT and standard keyboard skills.
• To support senior staff across the integrated stroke pathway with service improvement ideas.
• Have commitment to work within a changing environment; responding positively to new demands and service changes.

Professional

• Attend in-house training as required to develop current job role.
• Actively contribute to a positive learning environment to students, new starters and/or less experienced staff; and be involved in induction programmes for new staff/students as required.
• Be aware of limitations of own scope of practice, and when to involve the supervisor/manager, both in daily practice and in emergency situations.
• Acknowledge and recognise peoples expressed beliefs, preferences and choices.
• Identify and explore own contribution to team working through supervision and reflect on own practice.
• To continue to develop extended competencies through reflective practices, clinical supervision and performance reviews.
• To attend relevant training and development in order to maintain and develop skills and knowledge required for the role within the team and disseminate this knowledge through the stroke service.

Communication

• To use appropriate methods of communication with patients, families and carers in order to maximise rehabilitation and understand their conditions. Barriers to effective communication will regularly be evident (e.g. expressive and receptive dysphasia, cognitive impairment, loss of hearing, pain and depression) and a variety of communication methods may be required.
• To communicate effectively and collaboratively with colleagues across health/voluntary and social sectors to ensure the delivery of a co-ordinated multi-disciplinary integrated stroke service. This will include case conferences, handovers, patient held documentation and documentation in service records.
• To maintain sensitivity at all times to the emotional needs of patients and their families/carers.
• To have an understanding of the issues that could affect patient capacity in order to gain valid, informed consent.

Qualifications

Essential

• Foundation degree Health and Social Care or equivalent
• A-levels and GCSEs or equivalent(s), including Functional Skills (level 2)

Desirable

• Demonstrable knowledge and skills acquired through training and experience

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working within a care/rehabilitation setting
• Evidence of recent mandatory training
• Involvement in care planning

Desirable

• NHS experience
• Previous experience of being a generic worker within a multi-disciplinary team.
• Experience of working within a stroke rehabilitation environment

Skills, Abilities and Knowledge

Essential

• Ability to use own initiative
• Good observational and organisational skills
• Evidence of own development through PDP
• Understanding of the needs of patients undergoing rehabilitation
• Able to manoeuvre patients using handling aids
• Knowledge of the role of other members of the multidisciplinary team
• IT knowledge
• Observation and reporting skills
• Recognise own limitation and reports as appropriate
• Leadership skills
• Able to provide high standards of care

Desirable

• Willingness to develop new skills relevant to role
• 2 Years' experience
• Undertaken audits

Communication

Essential

• Good communication skills
• Able to communicate effectively using the English Language in both verbal and written form

Personal and People Development

Essential

• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Ability to manage stressful, distressing and emotionally difficult situations
• Demonstrates sensitivity and patience
• Conducts self and behaves in a professional manner at all times
• Work flexibly to accommodate patient/service needs

Personal Attributes / Behaviours (linked to the Trust's Behaviour Framework)

Essential

• Able to identify with the Trust's commitment to safeguarding
• Possess drive and enthusiasm
• Tact, diplomacy, empathy and sensitivity

Other

Essential

• Able to make own travelling arrangements to meet the needs the service
• Flexible and adaptable
• Able to work over a 7 day rota

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).