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Therapy Assistant Practitioner
Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust View all jobs
Posted 15 day(s) ago
Reference: 264-8270585-CSS
Job summary
The Therapy Assistant Practitioner will work as part of a roaming Therapies Complex Discharge Team, supporting the assessment,treatmentand discharge planning of patients with complex therapy needs impacting discharge across inpatient wards, escalationareasand medically fit patient cohorts.
Working under the indirect supervision of registered Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists, the post holder will manage a delegated caseload and undertake assessments, rehabilitation interventions and discharge planning activities within agreed competencies and care pathways. They will contribute totimely,safeand effective discharge planning byidentifyingbarriers to discharge, supporting functional assessment, issuingappropriate low-levelequipmentand progressing treatment plans in collaboration with the multidisciplinary team.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will provide therapy support to complex discharge patientsidentifiedthrough ward teams, discharge hub processes, boardroundsand escalation meetings. They will act as a key link between ward teams and registered therapists, gathering and communicating information relevant to patient flow,rehabilitationand discharge planning.
The Therapy Assistant Practitioner will work closely with patients, carers and colleagues to promote independence, maximise function and support positive discharge outcomes. This may include undertaking access visits, supporting home assessments,participatingin boardroundsand contributing to discussionsregardingdischarge pathways and ongoing therapy needs.
The post holder will be expected to manage and prioritise their workload independently within their scope of practice, provide support and guidance to Band 2 and Band 3 therapy staff, contribute to service improvement activities and maintain high standards of clinical documentation, communication and patient care.
The role includes participation in seven-day working patterns and requires flexibility to work across inpatient services in response to patient need and operational priorities. The post holder will act as a role model for person-centred care,professionalismand collaborative working in line with UHN's Dedicated to Excellence values.
About us
Please submit your application as soon as possible, as we reserve the right to close adverts once sufficient applications have been received.
We recognise that AI tools can support application writing; however, candidates are asked to keep their use to a minimum. Responses should reflect your own experience, skills and knowledge, as over-reliance on AI-generated content may result in generic answers that do not accurately represent your abilities.
University Hospitals of Northamptonshire (UHN) brings together Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust. As a group, we are committed to improving services for our communities through collaboration, modernising care delivery and striving for excellence. Working together enables us to share expertise, strengthen services and create greater opportunities, and there may be a requirement to work across sites depending on service needs.
Our Excellence Values are Compassion, Accountability, Respect, Integrity and Courage. UHN welcomes applications from all backgrounds and is committed to an inclusive working environment. We are proud signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant and hold the Gold Award under the Employer Recognition Scheme. Candidates who identify as members of the Armed Forces community and meet the essential criteria will be guaranteed an interview.
Details
Date posted
18 September 2026
Pay scheme
Agenda for change
Band
Band 4
Salary
£28,392 to £31,157 a year Per Annum pro rata
Contract
Fixed term
Duration
4 months
Working pattern
Full-time, Part-time, Flexible working
Reference number
264-8270585-CSS
Job locations
University Hospitals of Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Kettering
NN16 8UZ
United Kingdom
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please see attached job description and personal specification for full details of the role and responsibilities.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please see attached job description and personal specification for full details of the role and responsibilities.
Person Specification
Knowledge/Experience
Essential
- Good working experience within ward-based healthcare gathered over a reasonable period of time.
- Experience of working with a broad range of ages
- Evidence of appropriate competencies at Assistant or Assistant Practitioner level within Therapy or healthcare.
- Working knowledge of Excel & Word Computer programmes
- Ability to work across a 7-day service
- In-Depth knowledge and understanding of the Therapy role within the In-Patient Team
Desirable
- Previous NHS experience
- Work within a community based setting
- Previous manual handling experience
- Past responsibility for training/supervising other support staff.
- Evidence of responsibility for work processes e.g. Health & Safety checks.
- Recent working experience, preferably as a Therapy Assistant level within an in-patient setting.
- Knowledge of local discharge pathways.
Qualifications
Essential
- Minimum NVQ level III or equivalent relevant to Physiotherapy/Occupational Therapy
Desirable
- Associate member of the CSP or RCOT
- Foundation level degree or equivalent - subject must be relevant to physiotherapy/occupational therapy
- Qualification in Anatomy & Physiology
Skills
Essential
- Demonstrate established motivational skills.
- Able to produce a Therapeutic treatment plan for a limited field of conditions.
- Well-developed communication skills, including interpersonal skills, liaison, influencing and negotiation.
- Ability to problem solve.
- Ability to work on own without immediate support.
- Ability to organise own workload.
- Good observation skills.
- Good understanding of confidentiality
- Ability to present a professional image
- Ability to carry out moderate physical effort throughout the day
- Responsible for data entry, text processing or storage of data utilising paper or computer based data entry systems.
Desirable
- Role of Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy
- Importance of continuous education
- IT Literacy
Person Specification
Knowledge/Experience
Essential
- Good working experience within ward-based healthcare gathered over a reasonable period of time.
- Experience of working with a broad range of ages
- Evidence of appropriate competencies at Assistant or Assistant Practitioner level within Therapy or healthcare.
- Working knowledge of Excel & Word Computer programmes
- Ability to work across a 7-day service
- In-Depth knowledge and understanding of the Therapy role within the In-Patient Team
Desirable
- Previous NHS experience
- Work within a community based setting
- Previous manual handling experience
- Past responsibility for training/supervising other support staff.
- Evidence of responsibility for work processes e.g. Health & Safety checks.
- Recent working experience, preferably as a Therapy Assistant level within an in-patient setting.
- Knowledge of local discharge pathways.
Qualifications
Essential
- Minimum NVQ level III or equivalent relevant to Physiotherapy/Occupational Therapy
Desirable
- Associate member of the CSP or RCOT
- Foundation level degree or equivalent - subject must be relevant to physiotherapy/occupational therapy
- Qualification in Anatomy & Physiology
Skills
Essential
- Demonstrate established motivational skills.
- Able to produce a Therapeutic treatment plan for a limited field of conditions.
- Well-developed communication skills, including interpersonal skills, liaison, influencing and negotiation.
- Ability to problem solve.
- Ability to work on own without immediate support.
- Ability to organise own workload.
- Good observation skills.
- Good understanding of confidentiality
- Ability to present a professional image
- Ability to carry out moderate physical effort throughout the day
- Responsible for data entry, text processing or storage of data utilising paper or computer based data entry systems.
Desirable
- Role of Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy
- Importance of continuous education
- IT Literacy
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).
Additional information
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).
Employer details
Employer name
Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Address
University Hospitals of Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Kettering
NN16 8UZ
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://www.kgh.nhs.uk/working-for-us (Opens in a new tab)
Employer details
Employer name
Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Address
University Hospitals of Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Kettering
NN16 8UZ
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://www.kgh.nhs.uk/working-for-us (Opens in a new tab)