Therapy Assistant PractitionerNHS

Job summary

At Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS trust our Therapy service is recognised for its high quality patient care.We are excited to announce that we have the opportunity for a Band 4 Therapy Assistant Practitioner (12 MONTH FIXED TERM PART TIME 24.75 hours)to support the Elective Orthopaedic team at Alexandra Hospital,Redditch.

This post supports our vision of a dynamic and flexible workforce that has knowledge and skills in delivering modernised Therapy, focusing on providing treatment to elective surgery patients including hip/knee replacements and day case. The assessments facilitate compliance of post-surgery guidelines to maximise mobility and functional independence on the ward or on home assessment visits.

Full training is provided through our Therapy support worker skills programme.

We are looking for highly motivated individuals that will be able to demonstrate safe and effective patient centred approach to care. You need to be professional, self-motivated with excellent communication skills and the ability to work autonomously.

You will be working with and supported by a very skilled work force and expected to work within a multi professional environment.

The post holder will be expected to contribute to Bank holiday and 7 day working to ensure effective clinical delivery.

The post may close early should sufficient applications be received.

Please contact Beverley Phillips Therapy Lead Elective OrthopaedicsTel 01527 512146 or email [email protected]

Main duties of the job

• Maintain positive,appropriate relationships with patients,families and carers demonstrating respect,kindness ,compassion and empathy at all times.
• Works unsupervised to implement treatment plans.
• Liaise with MDT to facilitate discharges home.
• Assess recommend,order and issue Therapy equipment to enable discharge
• Communicate effectively to the patients and MDT
• Assess patients following elective surgery with mobility,functional/cognitive impairments and impairments of Activities of daily living.
• 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.
• Gather and interpret relevant information including social history, and through working under protocols facilitates early discharge planning, liaising with family/care agencies as needed.
• Complete assessment visits alone or with another member of staff in the community setting to support safe discharges.
• Demonstrates the ability to provide complex and sensitive information.
• Understands the importance of accessing,maintaining,and storing documentation relating to care,in accordance with local guidance andlegal requirements for maintaining confidentiality and data protection.
• Maintain complete accurate treatment records in line with local and HCPC standards.
• Participate in and contribute to any service improvements/audits
• Provide administrative support to therapy team

Job description

Job Purpose:

Working as part of the Therapy and wider MDT, Therapy Assistant Practitioners (TAP) use enhanced skills in a specialist area to provide direct high quality and effective therapeutic care and support to a defined group of patients.Within the scope of the role, the post holder will independently (unsupervised) plan and deliver individual or group tasks where the understanding of role boundaries and the importance of supervision and carrying out delegated tasks and plans is essential.

This role requires understanding of factual and theoretical knowledge of principles, policies, protocols, procedures, processes within a defined group of patients. Although work is guided by standard operating procedures and protocols, the post holder must be able to make judgements to plan activities assess, treat and progress/grade and adapt treatment of patients in line with competencies set and assessed by the Registered Therapist. This knowledge should be utilised to contribute to effective discharge planning as part of the MDT.

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

The post holder will participate in the weekend service. The speciality being dependant on experience. This service may include the treatment of children.Working hours will be dependent upon the service provided within each speciality, this may include 7-day working, working contracted hours within an extended daily pattern or participation in a relevant weekend /bank holiday rota.

Key Duties:

Domain 1: Formal Knowledge and Experience-

• 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.

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• 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.
• Domain 3: Clinical, Technical and Scientific Roles and Responsibilities, Knowledge and Practice, 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 the effectiveness of treatments through evaluation of outcome and use of clinical knowledge and evidence base to progress the patient within defined protocols and 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 need for ongoing rehabilitation/support and liaises with the MDT to recommend the appropriate level of care on discharge. This could involve referral to other agencies.

Completes visits in the community setting to provide necessary assessments or interventions to support safe discharge. This may be completed alone or with another therapist/member of staff. Assesses for, recommends, orders, issues, and fits equipment as per scope of practice, as required by the service user, including demonstration of safe use of equipment to service users, carers, and other staff.

Recognises an emergency, summons assistance, and acts as a member of the MDT within parameters of own competence and defined role. In settings where a registered practitioner is not present, initiates immediate first aid whilst awaiting the arrival of appropriately qualified practitioners.

• Domain 4: Communication and Information Management.

Communicates effectively, through a variety of methods with patients, carers, and relatives to maximise rehabilitation potential through interpersonal, verbal, and nonverbal skills. This may require explanation, instruction, persuasion, motivation, negotiation, and reassurance.

• Exchanges information with service user and families using active listening, compassion, empathy, and coproduction techniques with the service user.
• Demonstrates the ability to provide and receive complex and sensitive information, including relating to service users. Judges the appropriate method of communication, ensuring information is provided in an accessible way.
• Actively listens and receives information, gives and acts on feedback. Understands the communication needs of others and adapts communication style accordingly.

Manages barriers to effective communication and adapts own communication style as appropriate.

Liaises and communicates effectively with registered therapists, acute ward and community teams and other members of the MDT, regarding referrals, ongoing care, rehabilitation needs, and discharge requirements of individual patients.

• Domain 5: Safe and Inclusive Environments.

Contributes to the maintenance of healthy and safe working environments through appropriate practice, use of resources, techniques and behaviours and understanding of relevant legislation. Contributes to the application and evaluation of organisational procedures and protocols.

Identifies and acts immediately to manage risks/unsafe practice or environments, including assessment of moving and handling, using local policies and procedures.

Acts with integrity and honesty, ensuring individuals do not experience harm by reporting situations, behaviours or errors that might lead to adverse outcomes for service users.

Is aware of the environment in which they work and how to maintain health and safety for themselves and others.

Reports any adverse incidents, accidents, near misses or complaints in a timely manner, taking appropriate action where necessary, according to Trust policy.

Ensures safe use of all mechanical and electrical equipment or medical devices used in the care of patients.

• Domain 6: Research and Service Improvement.

Participates in, contributes to, and may lead, audits, service evaluation, and quality improvement projects relevant to own work. Applies research governance, ethics, protocols, and guidelines and may undertake more complex research activities including data collection and analysis. Disseminates research findings.

• Domain 7: Leadership and Management.

Acts in a professional manner, demonstrating NHS Constitution values.

Demonstrates role modelling,Takes responsibility for management, prioritisation, and leadership of own workload within the defined area of work, and within scope of practice. At times working without direct supervision.

Identifies and develops own leadership skills

Is aware of limitations of own knowledge and skills and actively seeks feedback.

Completes all required mandatory and compulsory training

Works with registered therapists to supervise, mentor and manage Therapy Support Workers /less experienced staff and apprentices, including induction of new staff and students.

Contributes to the learning of the organisation, colleagues, and team

Provides administrative support to the therapy team

• Domain 8: Personal and Professional Values and Behaviours.

Demonstrates, through interactions with others, the core values of the NHS, Our NHS People Promise and WAHT Values and Behaviours.

Understands and acts on own safety, health and wellbeing needs and supports the health and wellbeing of wider team.

About us

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

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

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

We are committed to recruiting the best people to work with us. Our values, which we ask all staff to demonstrate, underpin our everyday 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 Timewise accreditation - this means we are committed to embedding flexible working within our organisation as a flex positive employer.

DBS Checks and Costs

Any applicants who are offered posts requiring a DBS 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 Supporting Information section for more details on DBS checks and costs.