Therapy Assistant Practitioner

at  Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

Therapy Assistant Practitioner, Band 4
Permanent - Full Time - 37.5 hours per week
This is an exciting opportunity to work within a specialist multi-disciplinary Neuro Rehabilitation Team in the community. If you have experience working in rehabilitation, or as a therapy assistant in a health setting, hold a full UK driving licence, and have excellent communication and observation skills, then we have the perfect job for you.
We are looking for a highly motivated, enthusiastic and flexible Band 4 Therapy Assistant Practitioner (TAP) to join our community Neuro Rehabilitation Team. The TAP will work, under the direction of allied health professional (AHP) colleagues, including Occupational Therapists, Speech & Language therapists and Physiotherapists, as part of a busy community neuro rehabilitation multidisciplinary team.
You need to be a highly motivated, enthusiastic and autonomous practitioner with flexible problem solving skills, a holistic approach to care and be efficient in your time and people management. The team provides a service in clients’ own homes, care homes and the local community and provides a great opportunity for joint working, goal setting and regular in-service training. Experience of working with neurological patients would be an advantage but is not essential.
Maintain own patient caseload, as designated by Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists and Speech & Language Therapists (AHPs).
To work autonomously and treat own caseload of patients in their own home and other community settings, undertaking client assessment using a local assessment template and delivering. intervention programmes with minimal or no immediate supervision from AHP colleagues, often working as a lone practitioner.
To work with AHPs in the running of groups for patients with neurological conditions, often taking a lead in organising and facilitating the group.
Undertake a proactive role in the on-going in-service training programme for Rehabilitation Assistants.
To maintain associated patient records utilising knowledge and skills gained through experience and/ or relevant qualifications.
To ensure a safe and therapeutic environment for patients to carry out rehabilitation programmes.
To assist in maintaining services and contribute to the development of services.
To undertake any clerical duties as necessary.
You will have support from senior staff in all therapies, plus community nurses. There is a well-developed supervision structure in place, CPD time, peer supervision and a variety of training opportunities, including an annual personal development review.
Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children’s centres, schools and people’s homes.
We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.
Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:
We’re Kind
We’re Fair
We Listen
We Care
Maintain own patient caseload, as designated by qualified staff, and be responsible for planning and prioritising own patient workload.
Undertake patient assessment using local assessment templates.
Deliver intervention programmes with minimal or no immediate supervision from AHP colleagues often working as a lone practitioner.
Recommend appropriate interventions to promote independence and safety following local protocols.
To complete outcome measures chosen for patients rehabilitation programme.
Monitor patients’ status, using own judgment and knowledge and seek support as required.
Progress and/or make minor modifications to treatment programmes within agreed clinical protocols and parameters, reporting any significant changes to the MDT.
Implement treatment within therapy care program demonstrating an understanding of a range of routine as well as some non-routine therapy processes.
Undertake follow-up visits to monitor discharge outcomes and encourage continuation of rehabilitation programme.
Undertake multidisciplinary social/physical/cognitive/communication/swallowing/rehabilitation programs with patients as directed by AHP colleagues, reporting back on progress and outcomes, working with the MDT to ensure programs are current and appropriate.
Develop therapeutic skills necessary for effective rehabilitation of patients including but not limited to: dexterity, co-ordination, palpation, mobility, memory, attention, communication and maintain effective multidisciplinary communications in order to ensure that treatment goals are met and a high quality service is provided to patients.
To identify/manage and take action to minimise or eradicate risk to patients.
Ensure safe, appropriate and effective provision, installation and demonstration of stock equipment and develop knowledge of minor adaptation provision and non-stock equipment availability and use to manage patients with multiple pathologies, using specific knowledge of conditions such as stroke, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis.
To work with AHPs in the running of groups for patients with neurological conditions, liaising with AHP’s regarding clients’ well-being and progress whilst in group therapy sessions.
To assess patients for safety in basic kitchen assessments, bathing assessments, and stair/bed/chair raisers, and liaise with appropriate agency for equipment provision/installation.
To be responsible for assessing and ordering appropriate equipment, aids and adaptations relating to individual patient as requested by therapists. To maintain and record details of equipment on loan to patients and to ensure the equipment is clean and safe on return.
To assist therapists in joint therapy input.
To complete record of work using current IT system in lines with Trust and team standards.
To be responsible for arranging repair of faulty equipment as appropriate.
To liaise effectively with other professional groups and other agencies.
To undertake any clerical duties as necessary. This includes, but is not limited to, maintaining stock levels, registering of patients, typing, photocopying and maintaining the therapy environment.
To adhere to all relevant Trust and Departmental Policies and Procedures and to ensure that accommodation, equipment and practices conform with the Health and Safety at Work Act

Please refer the Job description for details