Stroke Therapy Assistant Practitioner

This is a fantastic opportunity to join our friendly therapy team at university hospital Lewisham. You will be working within our Stroke Occupational Therapy team supported by a team of qualified OTs but also physiotherapy colleagues.

Alongside your team, you will be working on the Stroke ward; managing your own caseload and working autonomously.

You will be working directly with patients assessing, providing rehabilitation, running groups and supporting discharge processes. Due to the nature of the caseload work will include patient moving and handling.

You will be working alongside the multi-disciplinary team to support discharges in a patient focused manner, problem solving and overcoming issues as they arise.

You will be facilitating rehabilitation through a variety of methods and formats.

As discharge planning is a key component of the role, there may be a requirement to assesses a patients home environment. The role will involve assessment of the patients home for any environmental risks; to review space for functional equipment or to support decision making for home discharge.

The successful applicant will hold a full valid UK drivers licence and have an ability to work independently in the community if required.

This position is accountable to Team lead Occupational Therapists and Lead OT on UHL site.. It will provide therapy in hospital setting or in the patient’s home. The position contributes to the discharge pathway and will support initiatives to shorten patients’ stay in hospital and maximise clinical outcome.

The Therapy Assistant Practitioner will work under the supervision of qualified therapy staff, providing assessment and treatment programmes for patients in the hospital and community setting.

The Therapy Assistant Practitioner is able to carry out a full episode of care from assessment to discharge, for a specified and designated clinical caseload identified by a qualified clinician.

The post holder will assist in the administration and clerical duties for the team and department.

Your personal and professional development will be supported and encouraged.

Learning and personal development is encouraged and we have a well-established appraisal system with funding for relevant courses.

Learning and personal development is actively encourage, L&G trust actively support access to and funding for external courses as part of development.

UHL, which is located in the heart of Lewisham, is a teaching hospital that gained university status in 1997, due to the role it plays in undergraduate education and research. QEH is based on Woolwich serving the local community.

Our vision is to work together to provide high quality care for every patient, every day. Our staff put patients at the heart of everything they do - there is a genuine commitment to providing the best services we can for the local population. This is reflected in the positive feedback we receive from patients, and by the number of Trust staff who have won national awards for best practice. By joining us now, you can play a role in making this vision a reality.

You’ll find a real sense of togetherness and positivity across our workforce, a spirit that we harness to improve services and make our Trust a great place to work.

**Post Title**: Therapy Assistant Practitioner

**Department**: Physiotherapy/Occupational Therapy

**Responsible to**: Designated Senior Therapist

**Grade**: Band 4

**Hours**: 37.5

**Job Summary**:
This position is accountable to Head of Therapy. It will provide therapy in hospital setting or in the patient’s home. The position contributes to the discharge pathway and will support initiatives to shorten patients’ stay in hospital and maximise clinical outcome.

The Therapy Assistant Practitioner will work under the supervision of qualified therapy staff, providing assessment and treatment programmes for patients in the hospital and community setting

The Therapy Assistant Practitioner is able to carry out a full episode of care from assessment to discharge, for a specified and designated clinical caseload identified by a qualified clinician.

The post holder will assist in the administration and clerical duties for the team and department.

**Key Result Areas & Performance**:

- To undertake all aspects of clinical duties and to carry a full caseload of patients under the supervision, direct and indirect, of a therapist
- Assess and provide for equipment needs
- Review patients to assess function
- Progress patients to maximise their function and independence as designated from qualified therapist
- To provide information, teaching and instruction to relatives, carers, other disciplines and agencies.
- To promote understanding on the aims of Therapy and to ensure continuation of the treatment programme.
- Contributes to advice and education sessions for relevant patient groups
- To participate in multidisciplinary / multi-agency team meetings and case conferences to ensure the co-ord