Senior Therapy Assistant

University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust

Senior Therapy Assistant

The closing date is 02 November 2025

Are you passionate about caring for others?

We are looking for a Therapy Assistant to join our Interim Team.

The Interim service was set up in 2013 and over the years has grown from a tiny team based at one desk, to a large and highly effective service supporting hundreds of patients home every year.

We support patients home under a pathway known as "ICAT", which stands for Interim Care Assessment Team. This means that we complete our own assessment of the patient's care needs using a rehab approach. Once a patient is assessed as either needing further rehab (with reablement and Intermediate Care), long term POC or will achieve independence in a week. If a long term POC is required this information is gathered through assessment & fed back to the Social Workers by the senior members of staff, to put a future plan in place for on‑going support, or to continue to support the patient back to independence.

As part of our assessment we often deliver and fit equipment, assess mobility and transfers and observe patient safety and abilities in their activities of daily living.

The Interim Team play an important role in aiding flow through the hospital and limiting harm to patients that is caused by prolonged hospital stays. We are in a good position to provide short term assessment and to be able to signpost to other services if needed.

Interview Date - 11th November 2025

Main duties of the job

• To provide care and rehabilitation and fitting of equipment to patients discharged from UHD to enable patients to leave the acute hospital as soon as they are suitable to.
• To work in the community under the clinical supervision of the team Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists.
• To ensure each patient contact is therapeutic and as per the care plan to ensure patients are supported through their recovery and enabled to regain their independence.
• To have a knowledge and understanding of assistive equipment, techniques and supportive services available to support our patients and their families.
• To support the Interim team with administration tasks, service improvement projects and our education and training programme
• To work over a 7 Day rota period in order to meet the demands of the service
• To support end of life patients when required

About us

Our values define who we are as #TeamUHD. They underpin everything we do now and in the future. They define how we treat our patients, visitors, and each other, our valued teammates and colleagues.

UHD are investing in services across the Trust, with many being transformed and developed following merger and the New Hospital Programme.

This means that some services may move site this year or next, either temporarily or long term. Recruiting Managers interviewing for this role will be happy to answer any specific questions that you have about this at interview.

Job responsibilities

The Senior Therapy Assistants (STA) provide a 7 day service 7am-10pm to enable patients from the acute hospital to return home through a discharge to assess approach.

The STA can visit each patient from OD to QDS depending on their care needs. They assess, support and rehab patients in activities of daily living which include; personal care, meal preparation, transfers, toileting and medication.

The first visit, meet & greet, is usually completed by a STA where they check they are presenting as referred, settling at home and checking medication.

They are supervised and supported by a MDT which includes Occupational Therapists, nurses, Therapy Assistant Practitioners and coordinators.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Experience

Technical skills competences

Knowledge

Other requirements specific to the role

Personal Attributes

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.

Employer name

University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust

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