Therapy Assistant Practitioner | Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
| Posting date: | 18 September 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | Not specified |
| Additional salary information: | £32,199 - £34,876 per annum inc. HCAS |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 18 October 2025 |
| Location: | Iselworth, TW7 6AF |
| Company: | Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 7464393/289-CS-167 |
Summary
Therapy Assistant - (Medical Rehabilitation)
West Middlesex University Hospital
There is an exciting opportunity for an experienced Health or Social Care support worker to join our acute therapy service as a Band 4 Therapy Assistant at West Middlesex University Hospital. This is an ideal next step for someone considering a career in Allied Health Professions.
You will be working in the Medical Rehabilitation Therapies Team which consists of Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists and Therapy Assistants. We provide therapy to adults who are in hospital as a result of an acute illness, assisting them to regain mobility and independence with day to day tasks.
You will require some background and experience in a health care setting or working alongside Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists, as this post requires you to work in a busy hospital environment with patients, families and other professionals.
We are looking for someone who can work full time hours (37.5 hours a week Monday to Friday, working 8.30am to 4.30pm).
The role will involve working as an independent practitioner providing therapy assessment and treatment to a small caseload of clients admitted to West Middlesex University Hospital.
The role will also involve supporting the wider therapy team and multi-disciplinary team to maintain the high standard of care and support with client assessment, intervention and discharge planning.
To use evidence based principled/current best practices to assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions.
To consolidate and develop knowledge and skills through participation in CPD and in service training and development projects.
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of England's top-performing and safest trusts. We operate two main acute hospital sites—Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and West Middlesex University Hospital—along with award-winning clinics across North West London.
Our nearly 7,500 staff care for a diverse population of 1.5 million, providing full clinical services, including maternity, A&E, and children’s services, plus specialist HIV and sexual health clinics. The Care Quality Commission rates us 'Good' in safety, effectiveness, care, and responsiveness, and 'Outstanding' in leadership and resource use.
We continually invest in our facilities, including a £30m expansion of critical care at Chelsea and Westminster and an £80m Ambulatory Diagnostic Centre at West Middlesex.
We welcome applications for flexible working arrangements, accommodating requests where possible to support our staff and patient needs.
The Trust is committed to equality and welcomes applications from all, regardless of background. Adjustments can be made for disabled candidates. Early application is advised as vacancies may close once sufficient applications are received. If you haven’t heard from us within three weeks of the closing date, your application was likely unsuccessful. Employment is subject to a six-month probationary period.
Some roles may require weekend shifts at multiple sites.
• To carry out client assessment as agreed with senior Therapist and provide feedback on clients’ performance and skills deficits
• To work with designated clients on caseload to identify and agree treatment goals based on assessment outcomes, discussing the complex interaction of risk, safety, client choice, independence, areas of conflict and eligibility for services with the referring therapist prior to goal setting
• To provide client instruction, adjusting own clinical interventions based on clients needs during the intervention and evaluating effectiveness, discussing programme modification with the involved therapists.
• To carry out client treatment and ongoing rehabilitation as agreed with the referring therapist and as per service protocol and feedback on clients’ functional performance.
• To plan and implement individual/group interventions using graded activities to address therapeutic goals and optimise clients’ functional independence.
• To undertake environmental risk assessments of clients’ homes and identify strategies to minimising these risks with the Therapist.
• To work with other members of the Therapy team and MDT toprogress the client intervention to a satisfactory closure, evaluating outcomes, setting up reviews and/or arranging appropriate transfer of care as appropriate.
• Toprovide and advise on the use of equipment to improve function independence or to facilitate safe manual handling for the service user/carers.
• To take stock of therapy equipment, and to be responsible for the ordering of essential items such as walking frames, wheelchairs, splints, arm slings and therapy putty etc.
• Toprovide the above client interventions in the patients home or in a community setting as appropriate.
• Todemonstrate an understanding of the effects of disability during client intervention.
• Touse communication, reasoning and negotiation skills to establish a therapeutic relationship with clients and identify barriers and possible solutions to communication difficulties.
• To feedback effectively to the multi-disciplinary team and external agencies on clients’ performance and progress towards identified goals.
• To be the main contact with internal/external voluntary agencies regarding patient services e.g. stroke association, internal volunteer system, CW+
• To ensure that all documentation and activity recording is maintained according to Trust Guidelines.
• To respect the individuality, values, cultural and religious diversity of clients and contribute to provision of a service sensitive to these needs.
• To demonstrate current safe and effective moving and handling practice.
• To carry out administrative tasks (e.g. filing, photocopying and recording equipment on loan) and domestic tasks (e.g. cleaning wheelchairs and other treatment media) relating to stroke rehab and maintain cleanliness and organization of treatment areas.
• To provide expert knowledge on wheelchair/maintenance
• To develop a specialty within the area of work (e.g. wheelchair assessments)
• To be aware of own limitations and request support from referring professionals where needed.
• Professional Responsibilities
• To review and reflect on practice and identify areas for self-development through participation in the annual appraisal system and regular clinical and professional supervision.
• To attend and participate in the in-service education programme.
• To attend courses to enable achievement of appraisal objectives and to share this knowledge with peers on return.
• To assist in the induction and education of new staff, students and work experience students.
• To attend and actively participate in the Support Staff Development group and other relevant meetings.
• To incorporate up-to-date techniques and positive practice during client interventions.
• Ensure all communication, which may be complex, contentious or sensitive, is undertaken in a responsive and inclusive manner, focusing on improvement and ways to move forward.
• Ensure all communication is presented appropriately to the different recipients, according to levels of understanding, type of communication being imparted and possible barriers such as language, culture, understanding or physical or mental health conditions.
• To carry out assessment and treatment using therapeutic handling techniques which require moderate to high physical effort and concentration frequently on a daily basis
• To comply with the trust manual handling policy at all times.
• To work in an environment where the work patterns may be disrupted by frequent demands from patients, medical and clinical staff, students, administrative support staff and any emergency situations arising.
• To be able to respond promptly to queries/demands from patients, carers, therapists and other clinicians or administrative staff and managers.
• To support staff when indicated in the management of challenging patients, families or situations.
• To deal effectively with patients suffering from pain states, altered mental state or learning difficulties and to assist less experienced staff with the management of these patients.
• To undertake a variety of complex tasks involving patients that requires specialist manual techniques, therapeutic handling and use of specialist equipment. This includes supporting patients limbs in asymmetrical postures and supporting patients while walking
• To be able to convey sympathetically unwelcome news regarding functional progress to diagnosis to patients and carers.
• To work at intense levels of concentration during most of the working day.
• To impart news to staff which may be unwelcome in nature and deal with the consequences of this news.
• This job may involve frequent exposure to unpleasant working conditions e.g. bodily fluids including; faeces, urine and vomit, unpleasant smells and occasional exposure to verbal and physical aggression.
• All duties must be carried out under supervision or within Trust policy and procedure. You must never undertake any duties that are outside your area of skill or knowledge level. If you are unsure you must seek clarification from a more senior member of staff.
• To be able to work within the roster pattern of the service and to be flexible when necessary to ensure the service is covered effectively.
• These duties are not exhaustive and will be reviewed with the postholder, allowing for amendments within the broad scope and band level of the role
• All duties must be carried out under supervision or within Trust policy and procedure. You must never undertake any duties that are outside your area of skill or knowledge level. If you are unsure you must seek clarification from a more senior member of staff.
• Appointment to this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and the post holder is required to undertake aDisclosure & Barring Service Check (DBS).
This advert closes on Thursday 2 Oct 2025