Detailed job description and main responsibilities

This position is accountable to Team Lead of CORS team. The position will provide therapy intervention and care in the patient’s home, clinic, hospital or community site including leisure centres.  The position supports the elective orthopaedic pathway for patients having knee and hip replacements. The input starts prior to surgery with assessments in the patients home and provision of exercises and equipment to improve a patients fitness prior to surgery.  This is then continued post operatively when the patient returns home.  

The Therapy Assistant Practitioner will work under the supervision of qualified therapy staff, providing assessment and treatment programmes for patients in the community and other community sites if required.

The Therapy Assistant Practitioner is able to carry out a full episode of care from assessment to discharge, for a specified and designated clinical caseload identified by a qualified clinician.

The post holder will assist in the administration and clerical duties for the team and department.

Key Result Areas & Performance: 

To undertake all aspects of clinical and care duties under the supervision, direct and indirect, of a therapist.

To carry a full caseload of patients under the supervision, direct and indirect, of a therapist

Assess and provide for equipment needs

Progress patients in their homes to maximise their function and independence

To provide information, teaching and instruction to relatives, carers, colleagues, other disciplines and agencies. To promote understanding on the aims of Therapy and to ensure continuation of the treatment programme.

Contributes to advice and education sessions for relevant patient groups

To participate in multidisciplinary / multi-agency team meetings and case conferences to ensure the co-ordination of patient care.  This may include the review of patient progress, and discharge planning.

To employ appropriate skills such as persuasion, motivation and negotiation to gain co-operation in the continuation of the agreed treatment programme.

Maintain accurate clinical records of all interventions

To produce patient related reports for other disciplines or agencies relating to assessment findings and/or treatment outcomes

Input to databases as required

Referring to the qualified practitioner when necessary, to work independently with specified client group to manage equipment provision and functional assessment and rehabilitation, from pre- operative phase to post-op rehabilitation

Deliver and install simple aids and equipment in the patient’s home and instruct patients and carers in use of this equipment as appropriate

To carry out home visits and access visits, with or without a therapist, as required

To manage own day to day workload and maintain level of service within the pathway at the local site, and assist other members of the team to make appropriate prioritisation choices.  To ensure the effective exchange of information across the pathway team and co-ordination of service delivery.

Work force

To provide guidance and teaching to therapy assistants working for Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust

To be proactive in the community with therapy and nursing staff within the Lewisham Enablement Team to feedback on patients’ progress, immediately highlighting any clinical concerns

To participate in supervision and appraisal with a designated senior therapist

To attend staff meetings

To contribute to the clinical induction of therapy staff

To be able to independently progress patients’ exercise programme and mobility, including issuing walking aids, for the specified patient group