Band 4 Therapy Assistant Practitioner - Trauma and Orthopaedics

Job summary

BAND 4 THERAPY ASSISTANT PRACTITIONER - TRAUMA AND ORTHOPAEDICS (Up to 37.5 hours per week)

An exciting opportunity has become available for a therapy assistant practitioner to join our supportive, forward-looking Orthopaedic Therapy Team.

We are seeking an individual to provide delegated treatment and rehabilitation to patients with both elective and traumatic orthopaedic injuries. You will have your own clinical caseload and undertake assessments under direction of both physiotherapists and occupational therapists. You will rotate between our trauma and elective wards and our outpatient therapy clinic, completing assessments for patients awaiting elective surgery.

We are an innovative team and early adopters in stopping the use of hip precautions for total hip arthroplasties, with a well-established Enhanced Recovery Programme for our elective patients, to which our therapy assistant practitioners are vital. We are also piloting a day case arthroplasty service elective orthopaedic surgery. Our team have presented their improvements internationally and our Out of Bed Project was published which has improved our hip fracture metrics. We are particularly interested in candidates who share our passion for service development and increasing the profile of therapy assistant practitioners in the speciality of orthopaedics to improve patient outcomes.

Main duties of the job

We are looking for positive, proactive candidates who can work flexibly and help us build a strong future for therapy. You would play a key role in gathering information from patients and their relatives/carers to understand their social, environmental and living circumstances, and the impact of their injury or surgery on daily activities. You will be responsible for managing a caseload of patients, providing therapy and rehabilitation following orthopaedic elective and traumatic injury which may impact patients physically and psychologically. You will plan and implement functional and cognitive interventions to support patients in achieving their goals, providing adaptive equipment and aids and evaluating outcomes of treatments.

You will also support flow throughout the hospital with timely assessments and planning discharges as part of each individual patient's recovery journey to prevent delay. This will include liaison with and referring onto appropriate agencies as needed. You will also undertake administrative duties to support the functioning of the department.

In return, we would strive to offer suitable candidates a supportive, friendly working environment within a team who are open to new ideas. Opportunities for learning and working with the wider multidisciplinary team will be available and strongly encouraged.

Core working hours are 08:00-16:00 but flexibility can be discussed, and you will work as part of our seven-day roster.

About us

James Paget is a vibrant university hospital providing the best possible care to the people of east Norfolk and north Suffolk. Situated on the coast with beautiful beaches and the Broads National Park on the doorstep, we are within commuting distance of Norwich City. Onsite parking is also available

We know thatdevelopment and wellbeing are key to the success of your work, and you will receive regular one-to-one supervision to discuss your progress, and any service evaluation and ideas. We are committed to service development, with many projects currently underway. We are forging strong links with the Research and Development Department and the University of East Anglia, and it is a really exciting time to join the Trust as these processes gain momentum. We thoroughly encourage attendance at courses and offer time and support for innovation activity to widen personal knowledge base and bring new skills to the teams to keep our approach fresh and current. Our team have represented the Trust at CSP, RCOT and BOA conferences and support future staff to do this. In addition, we have an embedded flexible working policy with flexible hours to enable a better work/life balance but still meet the needs of the service.

We are an Integrated Therapies Department and also have close working relationships with the community teams. The profile of Therapies is growing, and our voice and opinions are heard and valued at all levels, so this is a brilliant time to join us.