Therapy Assistant

This is an exciting opportunity for a Therapy Assistant who is looking for new challenges and opportunities to enhance their skills. The Therapy Assistants work as part of the multidisciplinary team to assist in the provision of support and rehabilitation of patients on an inpatient rehabilitation ward,

Therapy Assistants work under the supervision and guidance of qualified Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists to provide rehabilitation in an inpatient setting, relieving pressure from the acute hospital. The Therapy Assistants follow agreed protocols and evidence-based guidelines to deliver care which is safe and effective for the patients.

The service operates 7 days per week with core hours Monday to Friday between 9.00am- 5pm, in addition to weekend working on a rota basis.

The post holder will need to be flexible to meet the needs of the Service and it is an advantage if they have a current driving license and access to a vehicle as extensive travel across the Borough is required.

• To work as Therapy Technical Instructor within the Community Rehabilitation Team delivering care to people in their own home or place of residence and/or designated buildings.
• To assist the Physiotherapists and Occupational therapists by carrying out delegated aspects of patient care without direct supervision and reporting back patient’s progress or issues to the therapist.
• To manage own caseload of patients assessing, implementing and progressing treatment programmes and discharge planning.
• To be responsible for ordering equipment and department supplies
• To undertake specific skilled support work to aid the rehabilitation of patients.
• To assist with home/ access visits for patients
• To participate in 7 day working

CNWL NHS Foundation Trust has a strong commitment to the personal and professional development of staff. In addition to mandatory training and regular supervision, annual appraisal and opportunities to access external training and consideration to study for a professional qualification through the Apprenticeship Degree route.

The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.

To provide physiotherapy and occupational therapy intervention as part of a specific treatment plan agreed and documented by physiotherapist/occupational therapist.

To undertake tasks in delivering patient care and rehabilitation as directed by the service professionals in a range of settings.

To work independently in the designated clinical area/patients home following an agreed treatment plan.

To instruct patients and carers, providing direction and guidance on a range of physiotherapy or occupational therapy and mobility/functional activities, as directed by the physiotherapist or occupational therapist

To undertake skilled support work with patients individually or in a group with or without supervision of a physiotherapist or occupational therapist

To follow departmental and Trust guidelines for obtaining consent and use diplomacy and gentle persuasion to enhance patient’s compliance in treatment programmes.

To work with family members, carers and support workers to enable them to carry out treatment programmes planned by the physiotherapist or occupational therapist

Manage own workload allocated by the physiotherapist or occupational therapist

To work as a member of the multidisciplinary team and liaise with the team effectively to ensure co-ordinated approach to patient care and attend meetings as delegated by senior clinicians/manager.

Maintain comprehensive and accurate records of work undertaken, including documenting in line with Trust and service standards.

To attend in-service training, clinical supervision and team meetings as required

Have the ability to handle patients with mobility problems, in an enabling way. This may include the use of hoists, sliding sheets, wheelchairs, mobility aids etc.

• To participate in a rota to work over a 7-day week (i.e. including weekends)

Organisational

Maintain equipment; identifying defects, hazards and equipment failure and notifying the relevant manager

Manage own caseload and work only within own scope of practice.

To maintain up to date electronic diary and outcomes of all appointments as required by the service

Be responsible for the patient’s safe use of mobility aids by training them and identifying the risks.

To maintain the safety of designated clinical environment according to local policy and regulations and aware about the emergency procedures.

To assist in risk assessments and comply with Trust policies on incident reporting

To adhere to Trust appraisal and performance review programme to identify personal development plans and training needs.

To participate in data collection and statistics as directed by the lead physiotherapist or occupational therapist

To attend mandatory and relevant training as and when required

General

To assist in simple administrative procedures as required by the Clinical Service Lead as part of everyday activity

Administration responsibilities include all general office tasks, such as photocopying, computer data input, filing and answering the telephone in a polite and courteous manner.

To maintain accurate and comprehensive clinical records and all documentation processes (e.g. reporting incidents and near misses and clinical notes).

Organising, maintaining and delivering of equipment required by the service.