An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic band 3 therapy assistant to join the Trauma & Orthopaedics Physiotherapy Team at University College London Hospitals (UCLH) NHS Foundation Trust.The Trauma & Orthopaedic service at UCLH is a busy department, working over different sites; Trauma Orthopaedics in the UCLH main building and Elective Orthopaedics in the elective centre at Grafton Way Building.
The team is led by over 20 consultants who specialise in a range of elective and trauma work. Currently UCLH provides first-class acute and specialist services across 8 sites.
You will be part of the Orthopaedic therapy team, which provides services across a number of specialist areas. These include: inpatient Trauma & Elective Orthopaedics, Day Surgery and Joint School. You role will be rotational, rotating between physiotherapy and occupational therapy services across inpatient elective and trauma orthopaedics. This role involves weekend working.
Main duties of the job
As part of the treatment and rehabilitation programme, the post holder works under the supervision of the qualified therapist, to perform specific tasks for an individual or group/class.
Duties may include:
- Assisting the patients with functional activities of daily living (e.g. personal care)
- Working directly with the therapists to deliver rehabilitation, including use of patient handling equipment.
- Assist in providing group/individual sessions as required.
- Providing non-complex interventions for complex patients.
- Working alone on the ward as instructed by the therapists
- Pre assessing elective total knee replacement patients
- Assist qualified staff in the provision of adaptive equipment
- Cleaning of re-usable equipment as required per trust policies.
- Reinforces the qualified therapist’s advice and patient education.
- Administrative tasks including sending referrals, contacting community providers, ordering of equipment.
- Visits patients’ homes on home assessments and measures for and fits aids under the direction of the Occupational Therapist
Respects the individuality, values, cultural and religious diversity of each patient and contributes to the provision of a therapy service sensitive to the patient’s needs.
Person Specification
Knowledge and Qualifications
Essential
- Broad general education
- Knowledge of Physiotherapy and/ or Occupational Therapy
Desirable
- NVQ or equivalent in Health and/or Social Care
- Associate member of Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) or British Association of Occupational Therapy
Experience
Essential
- Has worked within an NHS/Social Care/caring setting
- Has worked within a team
- Has worked with older people or in an inpatient rehabilitation setting
Desirable
- Has worked as a therapy assistant
- Has worked with patients who have long term conditions
- Has worked in community care
- Has experience in use of equipment to aid mobility and/or activities of daily living
Skills and Abilities
Essential
- Ability to prioritise and organise own work
- Ability to work as a member of a team
- Good numeracy skills
- Competent IT skills, including use of keyboard and basic computer systems.
- Ability to work flexibly
Communication
Essential
- Ability to follow oral and written instructions
- A good command of both written and spoken English
Desirable
- Evidence of an understanding of the skills required to ensure effective communication
Personal and People Development
Essential
- Demonstrates interest in developing new knowledge and skills
Desirable
- Evidence of maintaining own professional development
- Able to motivate self, colleagues and patients
Personal Qualities
Essential
- Conducts self in a professional, confident and approachable manner
- Demonstrates a flexible approach to service delivery needs
Work Pattern
Essential
- Able to participate in service delivery on a rota basis, including weekend and public holiday working, as required.
Physical Effort
Essential
- Post holder will need to be passed as fit to perform full duties of the post through occupational health, with any reasonable aids and adaptations necessary, and should be able to comply with Trust Manual Handling Guidelines
- Able to exert moderate to intense physical effort throughout the working day.
- Able to frequently cope with working in a stressful environment and with intense concentration for frequent periods throughout the day.
- Able to cope with exposure to highly unpleasant work conditions (i.e.body fluids, sputum)
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Closing Date: 07 July 2025
