Therapy Support Worker COTE, Band 3

at  Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

We are looking for an enthusiastic individual to fill our Therapy Support Worker vacancy joining our Care of the Elderly therapy team at Cheltenham General and Gloucestershire Royal Hospitals.
The successful applicant will join our experienced integrated therapy team, working alongside occupational therapists, physiotherapists, therapy support workers and the wider multidisciplinary team.
We are looking for an individual who is motivated, enthusiastic and flexible in all areas of care and their approach to work, have a positive & compassionate attitude and be able to motivate and encourage patients in an active way to regain and maintain their independence.
As part of the role, you will assess and manage delegated patients with non-complex mobility and occupational difficulties. The post holder will work with patients to improve mobility and functional abilities. The role also involves supporting the teams with administration, clerical and housekeeping duties
To use the principles of Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy in an integrated and client-centred way, to promote independence and facilitate safe discharge. This will be achieved by implementing delegated treatment plans and facilitating rehabilitation within agreed limitations through exercise, physical modalities and the use of occupation.
To asses, implement and progress treatment plans for delegated patients with non-complex problems and occupational difficulties, reporting back to the registered practitioner as necessary.
To support the teams with administration, clerical, and housekeeping duties.
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is the largest employer in the county and with over 8,000 staff, we are one of the largest NHS trusts in the UK. We offer a generous annual leave allowance, excellent bank rates and access to the excellent NHS Pension Scheme.
The Therapy service provides Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy to inpatients and outpatients at Gloucestershire Royal and Cheltenham General Hospitals.
We are an integrated therapy service providing patient centred care. Working closely with other allied health and nursing professionals our mission is to ‘enable people to maximise their potential to live well’.
The Therapy service also has a dedicated R&D team who strive to encourage staff to build upon their research, leadership and career development skills, embracing the four pillars of practice. They offer support with research projects, participating in research trials and offer opportunities to become principal investigators. They facilitate a therapy preceptorship program for new therapy graduates to support the transition from student to qualified professional and are principally involved in facilitating peer supervision sessions for other staff groups and action learning sessions for students. They are available to provide advice and support to all therapy staff throughout their career journey.
To work as an integral member of the therapy team using the principles of Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy in an integrated and client-centred way. The post holder will implement assessments and treatment plans to promote independence through the use of occupation, exercise and physical modalities, taking into consideration a person’s affect and cognition.
To implement and progress delegated treatment programmes using clinical reasoning skills to include the teaching of patients on functional exercise, the issuing and fitting of equipment and the practice of activities of daily living. It will also include assessing patients in the safe use of mobility aids, such as safety on the stairs and personal care.
To assess patients with non-complex mobility and occupational difficulties. To instruct and motivate patients in accordance with the therapy plan, in order to achieve goals set by the registered practitioner, monitoring the patient’s condition at all times.
To undertake specific unaccompanied work and organise own caseload comprising of patients with predictable and unpredictable conditions. To monitor and report back to the registered practitioner and/or other members of the multi-disciplinary team (MDT), regarding progress and changes in the patient’s condition or deviation in the expected care pathway, to ensure safety, the achievement of agreed goals and planning safe discharge.
To use verbal and non-verbal communication tools to communicate effectively with patients/carers. This may include motivation, empowerment and education and will include patients/carers who may or may not have barriers to communication through cognitive or physical impairment e.g. dysphasia, deafness, blindness and depression.
To prepare the clinical area and the patient, for delivery of safe and effective treatments in a clean environment e.g. securing drips, drains, wounds and catheters. To maintain treatment and storage areas to ensure compliance with Health and Safety and Infection Control standards. To monitor and maintain stock levels of equipment and consumables to ensure smooth service delivery.
To participate in the weekend working rota at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and/or Cheltenham General Hospital following appropriate induction, training and assessment.
To participate in own continuing professional development (CPD), including supervision, appraisal, and training to ensure competency, service quality and meet the clinical governance agenda and organisational goals.
To undertake administrative tasks to support the therapy team and ensure the ongoing care and rehabilitation of the patient. To include making accurate and legible entries in the therapy and multidisciplinary patient records. To contribute to measuring the treatment outcomes and audit activity related to the service
To comply with Trust and Departmental policies and procedures e.g. Health and Safety at Work Act (1974), Manual Handling, clinical equipment competency, risk management, Data Protection Acts and patient confidentiality at all times, ensuring the safe use of equipment and storage of materials. This will include demonstrating compliance with the terms of all safeguarding policies and processes relevant to the safeguarding of adults and children in the care of GHNHSFT and to undergo regular mandatory training concerned with safeguarding matters

Please refer the Job description for details