Rotational Therapy Assistant

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Therapy Assistant to join our therapy team at University Hospital Lewisham. The job offers the opportunity to rotate into different clinical areas, including general medicine, orthopaedics and surgery, care of the elderly and stroke rehabilitation, working to assist with Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy. You will work primarily with therapy staff on the wards and in the gym areas, with some supportive administrative duties also.
Experience of dealing with the public is essential, preferably in a care environment. Good communication skills, common sense and a friendly disposition are important. You must be able to assist in the moving and handling of patients. Car driver essential.
Applicants are encouraged to apply early as, if there is a large amount of interest in this post, the Trust may bring forward the closing date.Previous applicants need not apply if you have applied recently for Band 3 Therapy post within the Trust., Experience of dealing with the public is essential, preferably in a care environment. Good communication skills, common sense and a friendly disposition are important. You must be able to assist in the moving and handling of patients. Car driver essential.
PLEASE NOTE: We are unable to offer sponsorship for this post

Working for our organisation
Here at Lewisham, we have a strong focus on our trust values, which we embed in our daily practice.
We deliver care to a diverse community and place huge importance on the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion in all that we do.
You will be working alongside our physiotherapy and occupational therapy team to support in the delivery of treatment plans, some admin tasks for the team.
There will be the opportunity for you to carry your own rehab assistant caseload of patients under the guidance of the qualified therapists.
There is a strong focus on teamwork and ongoing development, with regular opportunities to progress upward., This position is accountable to the Head of Therapies. The purpose of the position is to assist Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists provide therapy assessment, rehabilitation and management of patients. Also to assist in the administration and clerical duties of the department, according to the specific rotational area of work.
Key Result Areas & Performance:
+ To assist the therapists in moving and handling patients before, during and after treatments, using appropriate manual handling equipment, eg. hoists, standing frames.
+ To assist the therapist with individual and group assessments / treatments / activities, including hydrotherapy, or to treat patients on a 1:1 basis or in a group situation, as directed by the therapists.
+ To report back to the delegating therapist relevant information regarding patient management.
+ To escort patients to and from wards / departments.
+ To escort and assist patients with toilet and dressing requirements as necessary.
+ To assist with the patients on home visits as directed by the therapists, giving support and advice as appropriate. Includes collection and return of house keys from/to inpatients.
+ To deliver and install simple aids and equipment in the patient's home as agreed by therapy staff and to instruct patients and carers in the use of this equipment, as appropriate.
+ To supply patients with appropriate, safe, walking aids and to instruct patients in the use of this equipment.
+ To transfer information from patient records to therapy records, including operation notes/details.
+ To maintain accurate computer and written records that meet professional and Trust standards
+ To write any therapy assessments/reports in consultation with Occupational
Therapists/Physiotherapists, and according to local standards. To ensure any written reports are filed promptly in the appropriate place.
+ To use the relevant therapy/hospital computer information system to check and record patient data and attendance details.
+ To arrange/change outpatient appointments in the electronic diary, and inform patients and therapists accordingly.
+ To undertake general administrative tasks within the department particularly related to record keeping, filing, supplies, errands and message taking, photocopying, and absence cover rota for support staff.
+ To organise appropriate transport and interpreting services.
Work force
+ To attend relevant therapy assistant training sessions.
+ To participate in the individual performance review (appraisal) scheme, and to be responsible for complying with your agreed personal development plan to meet set goals.
+ To participate in mandatory and statutory training as required, eg. basic life support, manual handling etc.
+ To attend Trust in-house training sessions / programmes and external courses as appropriate.
+ To contribute to the training of new / volunteer staff as requested by therapist.
+ To attend and participate in staff meetings, case conferences, multidisciplinary team meetings and other meetings as required.

Financial
+ To maintain and help administer stock and condition of therapy equipment on the wards and in the departments, reporting any defects or problems with equipment immediately to the senior therapist.
+ To assist with the annual Occupational Therapy department stocktaking process
Partnerships Communications and Relationships
+ To report back to the delegating therapist relevant information regarding patient management.
+ To assist in dealing with distressed or verbally aggressive relatives and carers on the wards, in the therapy department and on home visits.
+ To take and make telephone calls with patients, colleagues and other medical staff.
+ To communicate appropriately at all times with all individuals in a respectful manner.
+ To liaise with the other members of the multidisciplinary team, outside agencies, including out of borough equipment facilities, and patients' families as directed by therapists.
We reserve the right to close the post before the stated closing date, please apply early. We do not contact applicants with the outcome of the shortlisting. If you have been shortlisted, you will receive an invite to an assessment day or interview.
As a local employer and anchor institution we work closely with our community to recruit locally and we welcome applications from the widest variety of people to ensure our workforce are reflective of the local communities which we serve. We encourage all suitable candidates to apply including if you are Black, Asian or other ethnic minorities, live with a disability (visible or not) or are LGBT+. We have a number of active staff networks including Disability, LGBT+, Multicultural Inclusion and Women's staff networks to bring staff together and celebrate diversity across our whole workforce.
Please note, not all roles will meet the criteria for a skilled worker visa.

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, (LGT), is a community-focused provider of local and acute care, delivering high-quality services to over one million people living across the London boroughs of Lewisham, Greenwich, and Bexley. We provide whole-life care and are here to support our communities to live healthier lives as well as taking care of them when they need us the most.
Employing almost 7,500 colleagues, affectionately known as Team LGT, we provide services at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, University Hospital Lewisham, and at over a dozen community settings in Lewisham. We also provide some services at Queen Mary's Hospital in Sidcup.
We have recently launched our new vision and values to mark the LGT10 - the tenth anniversary of our Trust forming in 2013. Our trust vision is to be exceptional. In the quality of our patient care; our support for colleagues; and in the difference we make through our partnerships and in our communities.
To achieve this we value Respect, Compassion, and Inclusion; Being accountable over staying comfortable; Listening over always knowing best; and Succeeding together over achieving alone. You can read more about our visions and values here
Our hospitals and community sites provide a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services, as well as emergency and planned care. The Trust is rated as "good" or "outstanding" in over three-quarters of the services inspected by the Care Quality Commission.
Every year our work includes performing 10,000 procedures in our theatres; bringing seven and a half thousand new lives into the world; carrying out 570,000 visits to patients in their homes or communities and providing emergency care for more than 300,000 patients arriving in our busy Urgent and Emergency Departments.
LGT is a centre for the education and training of medical students enrolled with King's College London's GKT School of Medical Education. We are a training centre for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals. We are pioneering new roles that will support the changing needs of our patients and are one of the largest employers of physician associates in the country.
We are committed to working with our partners to deliver the best outcomes for our local communities. This means playing an active role in the South East London Integrated Care System (ICS), and in formal partnerships including the South East London Acute Provider Collaborative, provider partnerships with our local mental health trusts and borough-based boards of the ICS in Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham.