Therapy Assistant

We are looking for a Band 4 Therapy Assistant to join our ‘Medical Therapies’ Team at Ashford and St Peter’s NHS Foundation Trust. This is a full time post, but flexible working requests will be considered.
The Medical Team covers several areas including Senior Adults Medical Services (SAMS), Gastro speciality and General Medicine. Conditions treated include Parkinson’s, frailty syndrome, dementia and liver failure You will have an opportunity to work alongside multidisciplinary team members from Nursing, Therapies, Adult Social Care, and other teams.
Applications are welcome from enthusiastic, motivated people with physiotherapy or occupational therapy assistant experience, good communication skills and the ability to work as part of a multidisciplinary team.
The role comprises of both patient facing and administrative activities. You will have your own patient caseload, delegated by qualified clinicians, with whom you will be able to assess, treat and discharge within your scope of practice. You will also assist clinicians with joint assessment and rehabilitation sessions. Non-clinical duties will include cleaning and maintenance of therapy equipment and treatment areas, and stock maintenance. There will also be general administration jobs.
Delivering excellence in patient care and patient experience is our driving force and in return we offer commitment to your personal development through supervision, appraisal and a competencies framework.

To carry own caseload, set by and under the direction of a qualified therapist

To work jointly with occupational and/or physiotherapists to assess patient’s ability to carry out functional tasks such as bed mobility, walking and toileting

To provide advice on the use and provision of equipment to aid activities of daily living.

To assist with personal care needs, including washing and dressing of patients if required

To undertake basic observational skills known as vital observations, to include the knowledge and ability to monitor Blood Pressure, Pulse and Respiratory Rate, as well as Oxygen Saturation levels and report back to qualified staff if there are any concerns

To attend boardround/other meetings where appropriate and within scope of practice to feedback patient progress and receive further updates

To undertake non-clinical duties related to the treatment and management of patients, photocopying, filing, ordering/delivering equipment, recording patient contacts, arranging referrals to other agencies and note writing.

To demonstrate physical ability to carry out treatments and interventions. This involves frequent light to moderate physical effort

Attend regular supervision and training as required

For further information, please contact ,

Ashford and St. Peters Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust serves a population of more than 410,000 people living in North-West Surrey, parts of Hounslow and beyond.

Over 3,700 highly trained doctors, nurses, midwives, therapists, healthcare scientists and other support staff make up our workforce, providing a wide range of services across our two hospital sites, Ashford, Ashford, Surrey and St Peter's, Chertsey, Surrey.

We also run many specialist clinics in the community and local community hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

Our vision is to be one of the best healthcare Trusts in the country. There has never been a better time to join us in the NHS at Ashford & St Peters Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust with our strong commitment to staff health and wellbeing. We are committed to providing continuous professional development, staff benefits and flexibility to shape our workforce around our patient care.

The duties and responsibilities below are a summary of the post. For the full detailed list, please refer to the attached job description.

Clinical

To work in collaboration with other team members to provide therapy input for patients within the speciality.

To provide therapeutic assessment and intervention for individual patients according to their diagnosis, prognosis and needs.

To work with a varied caseload of patients

To advise on the use and provision of mobility and functional equipment.

To work in conjunction with patients and carers on specific issues, as directed by the therapy staff, and to deal with their concerns as they arise.

To be aware of problems that could affect the patient’s progress and report back any changes to the therapist.

Managerial

Manage and prioritise own patient caseload as delegated by the therapists.

To ensure supplies of equipment are maintained and prepare orders when appropriate.

Communication

To develop rapport with patients, encourage their interest and participation, in a manner, which promotes dignity, self-esteem and choice. This requires empathy, sensitivity and good interpersonal skills.

To use effective communication tools, verbal and non-verbal to communicate treatment programmes and plans to patients who may have barriers to understand