Therapy Assistant Practitioner

Job summary Main area Integrated Community Rehabilitation Grade Band 4 Contract Permanent Hours Part time - 30 hours per week (Working as part of a rota to cover a 7 day service) Job ref 152-C045.26 Employer Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Dorchester Local Office Town Dorchester Salary £22,713 - £24,925 p.a. Salary period Yearly Closing 31/05/2026 23:59 Employer heading Therapy Assistant Practitioner Band 4 Job overview We are looking for a Therapy Assistant Practitioner to join our Community rehabilitation team in Dorchester. Our multi-disciplinary team works with adult patients in the community to promote independence and improve quality of life by supporting them to remain at home. You will be joining a motivated, caring, inclusive and compassionate workforce. You will work with team of Nurses and Therapists to set goals and assist patients to regain their independence. Being a car driver is essential for this role The Therapy Assistant Practitioner role will be required to carry out holistic assessments, formulate treatment plans and monitor progress against set goals, under the indirect supervision of a registered therapist. Please note visa sponsorship for this role is unfortunately not available. Ensure you hold valid right to work in the UK and will not require sponsorship if successful. Main duties of the job Providing rehab-based care to people in their own home. Completing autonomous assessments of mobility, equipment and function of patients following triage from a registered clinician. Providing monitoring and follow-up through clinical assessment and interventions, seeking supervision from the registered clinician. Providing advice and programs of rehabilitation for other support staff to carry out. Supporting the team to respond to patients needs to support hospital discharge. Working alongside other support staff to ensure the patients care needs are met in order to remain at home. Employment in this post requires an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, which the Trust will cover the cost of. Applicants who subscribe to the DBS update service are able to present a valid DBS certificate instead of requiring a new check. Working for our organisation At Dorset HealthCare we're on a mission to empower people to make the most of their lives through our outstanding, joined-up healthcare services. We're a dynamic, forward-looking Trust, running 12 community hospitals, specialist inpatient facilities and a wide range of integrated community and mental health services for a population of almost 800,000 people. We do things differently here - it's one of the reasons the CQC rated us 'outstanding' in 2019. It's also why 95% of patients across our services say they have a good or very good experience of our services and 89% of staff feel they can really make a difference. Whether you're looking to work with us in one of our bustling market towns, vibrant urban locations, thriving seaside spots, or among the rolling hills of Dorset, there are lots of ways you can make a difference in our communities. Our 7,000-strong workforce is at the heart of what we do and our success is a testament to our brilliant people. We're all about building a workplace for the future, we believe in equal opportunities and we celebrate diversity. We're an inclusive workplace, where everyone is welcome, everyone can be authentic, and we are all encouraged to be the best version of ourselves. Working with us you'll be part of a strong team, challenge yourself, build a career, and teach us what we don't know. And you'll be working towards our vision to be better every day through excellence, compassion and expertise in all we do. Detailed job description and main responsibilities For the main duties and responsibilities for this role please read the attached job description and person specification. When completing your application please ensure your supporting statement reflects the criteria set out in these documents by showing how your experience and skills apply to this post. We understand that using AI can be a useful and supportive tool when completing your application. However, we have also seen an increase in the over-reliance of AI tools which is negatively impacting applications as they remove candidate's individuality, and it becomes much harder to get a sense of who you are and your authentic experience. If you do use AI, it should be used to enhance your application and not to create your supporting statement in its entirety. If we suspect you have used AI to create your supporting statement and this does not match your experience, we may withdraw your application. As part of our vision to have a skilled, diverse and caring workforce, Dorset HealthCare offers support for people getting into work. We offer an employability service to support individuals with application writing, interview skills and other employment support. If you would like or know of anyone who would value this support, please do contact dhc.wideningparticipation@nhs.net Person specification

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND TRAINING

Essential criteria Completion of or working towards the Therapy Assistant Practitioner apprenticeship (NVQ 3) OR demonstrable equivalent knowledge, skills and experience Completion of or willingness to complete the Care Certificate Experience of working as an Assistant at an advancing level Knowledge of the physiology and function of the human body and how this informs clinical reasoning

JOB SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE

Essential criteria Recent previous experience within a comparable role Experience of providing holistic assessment and implementing programmes of care Evidence of promoting and understanding the impact of effective health promotion Experience of undertaking physiological measurements as part of an assessment and making appropriate changes to the care plan Experience of undertaking defined clinical or therapeutic interventions appropriately delegated by a Registered Practitioner Desirable criteria Experience and knowledge of running groups and classes

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Essential criteria Subject to the provisions of the Equality Act, able to travel using own vehicle on Trust business. Demonstrable skills in written and spoken English to a standard which enables the post holder to carry out the full range of duties and responsibilities of the role effectively.

PERSONAL QUALITIES AND ATTRIBUTES

Essential criteria Experience of communicating effectively at different levels of the organisation and with staff, patient/service users, visitors or external organisations both verbally and in writing in the exchange of complex, sensitive or contentious information which may require the use of negotiating and/or persuasive skills. Experience of analysing and assessing situations and to interpret potentially conflicting situations and determine appropriate action, where there is a range of options and judgement is required. Experience of overcoming barriers to understanding where there are physical or mental disabilities. Desirable criteria Experience of using electronic patient / service user record systems Experience of allocating work to and supporting the development of others At Dorset HealthCare we want to offer all our staff the opportunity to work flexibly, putting health and wellbeing first, whilst continuing the delivery of excellent patient care. Flexible working looks different for everyone and we welcome applicants to discuss flexible working opportunities with the recruiting manager. What working for us will provide: 27 days of annual leave, rising to 33 over ten years (for staff on Agenda for Change terms and conditions) Excellent NHS pension scheme Health and wellbeing services Flexible working options, including family-friendly hours Free training and one-to-one career coaching to reach your career goals Preceptorship programme for newly qualified nurses and AHPs Access to nine staff networks - have a voice and transform our Trust Relocation costs where applicable Salary sacrifice scheme opportunities - including childcare vouchers, car lease and cycle scheme, home technology equipment, and buying annual leave NHS discounts to save on your shopping, gym membership and more Visit our careers website to learn more about our culture, staff stories, benefits, development programmes and opportunities.

What you need to do:

Before applying for this post, please do ensure that you have read the job description and person specification requirements. If you think you have everything we're looking for, then we'd love to hear from you, alternatively if you would like more information about the role please do not hesitate to contact us. Regrettably, we are not able to offer sponsorship for all our job roles. If you attempt to apply for a role that we do not offer sponsorship for, you will receive notification of this at the time of starting your application and you will not be able to proceed. At this point, we wish to thank you for your interest in working for us and apologise we cannot take your application any further. Please note that from January 2021, to work in the UK candidates who are not UK or Republic of Ireland (RoI) nationals require sponsorship unless you have permission to work via another route. Further guidance can be found on the gov.uk website. It is vital that you provide full and accurate details of your current immigration status on the application form. Overseas applicants applying for entry clearance into the UK must present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided in continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Employer certification / accreditation badges Applicant requirements This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service. Documents to download JD&PS ( PDF , 720.2 KB ) Staff Benefits Leaflet ( PDF , 316.1 KB ) Applications Recruitment Flowchart ( PDF , 434.1 KB ) Pay scales from 1 April 2025 ( PDF , 44.6 KB ) Apply online now Further details / informal visits contact Name Suzanne Kennedy Job title ICRT Lead for Dorchester Email address suzanne.kennedy1@nhs.net Telephone number 01305 216699 List jobs with Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust in Allied Health Professions or all sectors