Therapy Support Worker

NHS; Plymouth; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job description

Are you passionate about Urgent Care and helping people receive the support they need at home, avoiding unnecessary hospital admissions?

We're looking for dedicated Therapy Support Workers with a proactive, can-do attitude to join our dynamic team. With up to 37.5 hours per week available, this is your opportunity to make a real difference in people's lives.

The Community Crisis Response Team (CCRT) is an interdisciplinary team committed to client-centered care, supporting individuals through acute physical illness in the comfort of their own homes. We foster a culture of shared learning, integrated working, and positive risk-taking to deliver the best possible care. Operating seven days a week, we ensure timely and effective intervention when it's needed most.

As part of our team, you'll work closely with physiotherapists and occupational therapists to deliver tailored treatment plans in the community, helping patients achieve the best possible outcomes while preventing unnecessary hospital stays.

Main duties of the job

The Therapy Support Worker will play a vital role in delivering high-quality care within the Community Crisis Response Team (CCRT), working under the guidance of registered physiotherapists and occupational therapists.

This role involves supporting the rehabilitation of patients with a wide range of acute, chronic, and complex conditions. You will implement treatment programs and provide essential support within the community setting, often working independently with patients without direct supervision.

You will manage a defined caseload, contributing to the overall therapy and treatment plans, monitoring patient progress, and making informed decisions within your scope of practice. Regular assessment and reassessment of patients will be key to ensuring the best possible outcomes.

As a competent and proactive team member, you will be expected to continually monitor and evaluate patients' responses, following service protocols and providing timely feedback to the registered practitioner. Your skills and confidence will be developed through completion of competency training, in-service education, and regular supervision, ensuring you can provide the highest standard of care.

This role may not be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route.

Please note that we may close the job advertisement earlier than the specified deadline.

All staff are expected to be able and willing to work across a 7-day service.

About us

Livewell Southwest is an independent, award-winning social enterprise delivering integrated health and social care services across Plymouth, South Hams, and West Devon, with specialist services in parts of Devon and Cornwall. Our teams work in community hospitals, GP practices, sports centres, and health hubs.

As an organisation with a strong social conscience we are guided by our values, kindness, respect, inclusivity, ambition, responsibility, and collaboration. We focus on transforming services to ensure sustainability, while empowering staff and those we serve.

We involve the people we care for, along with their families and carers, in shaping the care they receive, striving to deliver the right care at the right time and place. Centering our work on individual needs helps people lead healthy, independent lives.

We prioritise employees' development, offering protected CPD time, training pathways, leadership programs, and funding for qualifications like the Care Certificate and Nurse Training Scholarships. Our induction and preceptorship programs ensure a smooth transition into our organisation.

Livewell Southwest values diversity and encourages applications from all sections of the community, including those with armed forces experience, lived experience of mental health, neuro-diverse conditions and learning disabilities. If you need assistance or reasonable adjustments during the application process, contact the Recruiting Manager listed in the job advert.

Job responsibilities

Clinical

• To ensure that individual patients are fully informed and consent to treatment.
• Manages delegated caseload with support from the registered practitioner.
• To implement treatment programmes for those patients triaged direct to the support worker while following the service protocols.
• To meet regularly with the relevant therapist to discuss treatment goals, progress and potential discharge.
• Communicate outcomes of treatment intervention to the referrer and GP via a discharge report following consultation with the registered practitioner.
• To assist therapists in setting up/arranging assessments and treatment sessions, this may include both standardised and non-standardised assessments, treatment in the department or at home visit.
• As part of treatment intervention you are required to liaise with family/carers, departments and organisations following consultation with the registered practitioner.
• Carry out observations and treatments, following the guidance given by the therapists, whilst maintaining the person's privacy and dignity. This may include teaching new techniques and/or teaching the use of equipment.
• Use own judgement to vary and adapt choice of activity to fit patient needs and capabilities to achieve treatment goals. Feeding back any changes to the identified registered practitioner.
• To assess for, demonstrate and instruct in the safe use and maintenance of rehabilitative equipment as prescribed by the therapist or yourself. Order the equipment in line with the CES policy and service guidelines.
• Maintain high standards of care at all times in a manner sensitive to the individual patient needs acknowledging and respecting their rights, individual values, cultural and religious diversity at all times.
• Contribute to the evaluation process through knowledge of simple evaluation measures and tools in clinical area.
• Participate in the management of a waiting list of referrals.
• Manage your own diary of appointments.
• To work jointly with other health and social care colleagues.

Communication

• To record and report regularly on patient progress and treatment methods to the MDT or registered practitioner in accordance with the policies and procedures of the team.
• To use a range of verbal and non-verbal communication methods with patients who may have difficulty understanding or communicating and who may be low in mood and lack of insight.
• To receive sensitive patient/carer information and communicate this information to supervising therapist and relevant members of the MDT.
• Maintain confidentiality and security of patient records in line with the Trust policy and procedure.
• To communicate effectively by phone, fax and electronically with a wide variety of departments/organisations both internally and externally to the Trust.
• To be responsible for record keeping in line with the Trust, Professional policies and procedures.

Departmental and Administrative

• To carry out/assist with team and department administrative duties.
• To undertake as directed collection of statistical data as required.
• To undertake other duties that might be considered appropriate by the supervising therapist/unit manager in consultation with the post holder.

Professional

• To attend and take part in regular in-service and mandatory training in order to maintain and develop current knowledge and skills through ongoing CPD.
• To undertake clinical supervision and appraisal in line with Trusts Clinical Supervision policy.
• Undertaker regular line management supervision with your line manager as per Trust policy.
• To be aware of and follow the health and safety work act, adhering to Trust Policies and Procedures, national and local guidelines and legislation.
• To contribute in the Trust Directorates and professional Clinical Governance arrangements and quality agenda.
• To regularly attend professional and team meetings as required and on occasions represent the service at other meetings.
• Assist in the induction of new assistant staff and volunteers.
• To work within professional guidelines applicable to the clinical role being undertaken.
• To exercise good personal time management, punctuality and consistent reliable attendance.
• To work within the limits of own competency and responsibility and refer issues beyond these to the relevant people.
• Clinical contact with patients both on the ward and in their own homes.
• Manual handling of patients.
• Contact with bodily fluids/blood.
• Use of VDU.
• Driving of Trust vehicles.

Person Specification

Knowledge

• Understanding of mental health, physical health, learning disability conditions.
• Understanding of the role of Occupational therapist, Physiotherapist, wider members of the multi-disciplinary team.
• Understanding of own role boundaries.
• Understanding of Livewell Southwest as an organisation, its service provision and what it means to be a community interest company.

Experience

• Experience of formulating therapeutic relationships.
• Previous experience of working within a healthcare setting or similar role (employment, work experience, volunteering).

Skills

• Time management.
• Ability to travel around Plymouth and surrounding areas.
• Understanding of Policies and Procedures relevant to role.
• Understanding of local and national guidelines relating to the role.
• Full valid UK Driving Licence.

Qualifications

• Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) level 3 qualifications (e.g. A levels or T-Levels) or demonstrated ability and commitment to achieve a relevant level 3 qualification.
• Level 2 functional skills, or as a level 3 apprenticeship such as the Senior Healthcare Support Worker apprenticeship (or other level 3 qualification pathway).

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.

Full-time, Part-time, Job share, Flexible working.