Therapy Assistant Practitioner MSK and Orthopaedics, Kidderminster DY11 6RJ

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic and motivated Therapy Assistant Practitioner to join our MSK and Orthopaedic Therapy Service within Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. The post is a permanent part-time position (18.75 hours per week) and will be worked Wednesday - Friday, with a half day on the Wednesday. This is a job share with the other individual currently working the first half of the week.

The post holder will be working within the MSK and Orthopaedic Physiotherapy teams, delivering exercise based classes, treating a caseload of non-complex outpatients, supporting the pre and post-op management of orthopaedic patients on the ward, and also contributing to administrative duties.

The post-holder may also assist with data collection to measure the effectiveness of our interventions and assist in service improvement. They will also be asked to assist with tasks related to the housekeeping and day to day running of the outpatient department where required.

The MSK and Orthopaedic Service covers 3 sites (Worcester, Redditch, Kidderminster). This role will be based at Kidderminster, however there may be a requirement to travel across all sites as the service requires.

For more information, please contact Judith Jehring via email at

Main duties of the job

Working as part of the Therapy team to provide direct high quality therapeutic care and supportto a defined group of patients. Within the scope of the role, the post holderwill independently (unsupervised) plan and deliver individual or group taskswhere the understanding of role boundaries and the importance of supervisionand carrying out delegated tasks and plans is essential.

This role requires understanding of principles, policies, protocols,procedures, processes within a defined group of patients. Although work isguided by standard operating procedures and protocols, the post holder must beable to make judgements to plan activities assess, treat and progress/grade andadapt treatment of patients in line with competencies set and assessed by theRegistered Therapist. This knowledge should be utilised to contribute toeffective discharge planning.

The post holder will also co-ordinateand assist with the training and management of other Therapy Support Workers,thus providing an effective support service to the Therapy Team.They will contribute to service development and demonstrate personaldevelopment as well as being responsible for supervision of others anddelegation of tasks to other non-registered staff.

Working hours will be dependent upon theservice provided within each speciality, this may include 7-day working, working contracted hours within anextended daily pattern or participation in a relevant weekend /bankholiday rota.

About us

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is a largeacute and specialised hospital trust that provides a range of local acuteservices to the residents of Worcestershire and more specialised services to alarger population in Herefordshire and beyond.

The Trust operates hospital-based services fromthree sites in Kidderminster, Redditch and Worcester

Our workforce is more than 7,000 strong, and ourcaring staff are recognised as providing good and outstanding patient-centredcare. You could be one of them.

We are committed to recruiting the best people towork with us. Our values, which we ask all staff to demonstrate, underpin oureveryday work and remain firmly at the heart of all we do.

Being open and honest

Ensuring people feel cared for

Showing respect to everyone

We are committed to developing a culture of continuous improvement by embedding the principles of our Improvement System.

We are proud to have achieved Timewiseaccreditation - this means we are committed to embedding flexible workingwithin our organisation as a flex positive employer.

DBS Checks and Costs

Any applicants who are offered posts requiring aDBS check as part of their employment check will have the cost of this check(at the current rate) deducted from their salary. Please see link in SupportingInformation section for more details on DBS checks and costs.

Job description

Job responsibilities

See Job Description Document for full list

Key Duties:

Domain 1: FormalKnowledge and Experience

Entry requirements as personal specification.

Able to demonstrate substantial experience in health and care settings, including in the relevant field of work.

Demonstrates the values of the NHS and commitment to personal and professional development.

Domain 2:Supporting service users.

Develops, manages, and maintains positive, appropriate relationships with service users, families and carers, demonstrating respect, kindness, compassion, and empathy at all times.

Consistently deploys care, treatment, and support strategies to promote and provide person-centred care, including providing information, advice, and guidance to service users, carers, families, health professionals, and others.

Understands the social, cultural, and economic influences, individual circumstances, behaviours, and lifestyle choices that impact on health outcomes for service users and their families, including health inequalities.

Understands the aims and principles of health promotion, protection and improvement and importance of relevant interventions for individual service users and their families, including making every contact count.

Understands a range of organisations in the health and social care system and services provided, referring service users to services appropriately.

Understands and can explain the main legislation, legal and ethical responsibilities that shape health and social care and the role of agencies such as the Care Quality Commission.

Able to work collaboratively with a variety of health staff, social care staff, professional staff, and others. Understands and demonstrates the principles of team and partnership working.

Recognises the importance of support workers in service delivery, including the diverse roles undertaken by AHP support workers. Is able to define own role, for example by describing their duties and the roles of others.

Has a thorough understanding of the function and role of their service and can actively advocate for this to other teams and services.

Domain 3:Clinical, Technical and Scientific Roles and Responsibilities, Knowledge andPractice, Support, and Interventions.

Developed knowledge of clinical, technical, and/or scientific theory and practice, within their immediate field of practice. Understands the importance of evidence-based practice.

Demonstrates an understanding of role boundaries, the importance of supervision and carrying out appropriately delegated tasks. Able to understand and follow procedures, protocols, and plans.

Following appropriate training and demonstration of competency, works unsupervised with service users within the scope of the role and operational policies, protocols, and procedures, adhering to evidence base practice.

Understands and gains valid consent prior to action or providing care, and records this appropriately.

Assesses a defined group of patients with mobility, functional/cognitive impairments, and impairments of activities of daily living, including assessment of a patients fitness to treat, recognising at deteriorating patient and escalating accordingly any concerns to a registered therapist/ward staff.

Gathers and interprets relevant information including social history, and through working under protocols facilitates early discharge planning, liaising with family/care agencies as needed.

Works unsupervised to assess, plan, implement, progress/grade and monitor own treatment and care plan interventions, including adapting to circumstances/patients needs.

Actively participates in the planning and development of personalised care plans by offering objective clinical and evidence-based information to inform planned activities.

Monitors theeffectiveness of treatments through evaluation of outcome and use of clinicalknowledge and evidence base to progress the patient within defined protocolsand recognises the reason for any unmet goals.

Understands the impact of complex or urgent care needs and other factors encountered when prioritising care activities within their own or the teams defined workload.

Identifies the needfor ongoing rehabilitation/support and liaises with the MDT to recommend theappropriate level of care on discharge. This could involve referral to otheragencies.

Assesses for,recommends, orders, issues, and fits equipment as per scope of practice, asrequired by the service user, including demonstration of safe use of equipmentto service users, carers, and other staff.

Recognisesan emergency, summons assistance, and acts as a member of the MDT withinparameters of own competence and defined role. In settings where a registeredpractitioner is not present, initiates immediate first aid whilst awaiting thearrival of appropriately qualified practitioners.

Domain 4:Communication and Information Management.

Communicateseffectively, through a variety of methods with patients, carers, and relativesto maximise rehabilitation potential through interpersonal, verbal, andnonverbal skills. This may require explanation, …