Band 4 Senior Therapy Assistant

The post will combine competencies from predominately physiotherapy and occupational therapy disciplines, to support the delivery of the therapy services to patients within the acute trauma and orthopaedics/ healthcare of older people clinical setting.

The role includes working as part of a multi-disciplinary team to educate and assess patients pre- and post-operatively, progress their treatment programmes, supervise relevant exercises and assess for, order and fit equipment both on the ward and in the patient's own home. This will involve building on existing Band 3 skills to take on an increased level of responsibility. The Band 4 will work autonomously under the supervision of registered therapists for an agreed specific caseload.

You should be able to work well as part of a team and demonstrate good communication and prioritisation skills. You must be organised, flexible and adaptable and able to problem solve effectively. You must have good IT skills and be able to manage and prioritise your case load as delegated by the registered therapists. You will need to supervise other Therapy assistant staff as required.

Previous experience working as a Band 3 within therapies and relevant clinical areas is essential.

This is your opportunity to join a dynamic and evolving therapy team at Solihull Hospital, part of UHB Trust.

You must be willing to participate in seven day and evening working.

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust strives to have an inclusive culture where everyone feels like they belong, can thrive, knows that they add value and feels valued. We do this by developing compassionate and culturally competent leaders, being values driven in all that we do and by creating a welcoming and inclusive workplace that thrives on the diversity of our people. As such we want to attract and recruit talented individuals from all backgrounds, and for each of you to feel supported for the diversity you bring, to achieve your full potential. For those staff with a disability, including physical disability, long term health condition, mental health or neurodiverse condition, this also means being committed to making reasonable adjustments needed for you to carry out your role.

Essential: - *Education to GCSE level or equivalent including English and maths at grade C or above; - *Able to demonstrate competence in maths and written and spoken English; - *Educated to A Level / NVQ 4/ BTEC or equivalent (e.g. NVQ 3 or similar vocational qualification PLUS substantive experience working in a care setting); - *Care certificate or be willing to work towards this

Desirable: - *Evidence of recent education / personal development related to Healthcare.; - *Demonstrated has been proactive with continuing professional development

Essential: - *Comprehensive experience supporting therapists in a relevant clinical setting; - *Comprehensive experience of delivering acute inpatient rehabilitation programmes across a variety of clinical settings with evidence of MDT collaboration and hospital discharge planning; - *Can demonstrate an in depth understanding of relevant areas of therapy, the effect of illness/clinical conditions / disability on function and health and basic aims of rehabilitation; - *Comprehensive experience as a therapy assistant; - *Understanding of confidentiality and data protection in healthcare

Desirable: - *Experience of communicating with and motivating patients who may have communication difficulties; - *Experience of working in Acute Hospital Setting; - *Good understanding of working environment --healthcare/NHS/UHB trust/acute care/community as applicable

Essential: - *Able to work as part of an interdisciplinary team; - *Enthusiasm to work as a therapy assistant within team; - *Ability to take responsibility under guidance; - *Know own limitations and role boundaries; - *Able to seek support from others when required; - *Able to deal with potentially upsetting clinical settings/situations; - *Demonstrates empathy to a wide range of patients, carers, staff; - *Demonstrates commitment to patient centred care; - *Reliable and trustworthy; - *Able to work under pressure Demonstrates commitment to work flexibly to meet the challenging demands of the service; - *Ability to contribute to weekend working and evening ward cover, as required.

Desirable: - *Willingness to participate and at times lead in departmental activities i.e. group supervision, course development, delivery of training; - *Demonstrates a commitment to CPD