Hand Therapist
The closing date is 11 June 2026.
Are you interested in an opportunity to work within our Hand therapy department? Dorset County Hospital Hand Therapy Service wishes to offer the right person an exciting opportunity to join the dynamic Hand Therapy team. As a successful NHS in-house service, we provide high quality services in West Dorset.
The post will be based at Dorset County Hospital, with a focus on covering adult and paediatric orthopaedic elective and trauma clinics, as well as rheumatology patients. Our dedicated MDT means we work closely with orthopaedic consultants in hand surgery, nursing staff, plaster technicians and orthotists.
We are truly an integrated team who are Hand Therapists first and foremost and therefore welcome applications from both Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists. We have a wide scope of practice within our specialty providing patient centred care. Prior experience working within the hand therapy department and making thermoplastic splints is essential.
The successful candidate will be part of the Hand Therapy team and receive structured supervision and training to carry out their role effectively. You will also be required to be on the wider therapies weekend working rota.
Please do not hesitate to contact Nicola Green at Nicola.Green@dchft.nhs.uk should you require additional information.
Main duties of the job
As a Band 5 we can offer you:
* Profession specific training
* Continuing Professional Development and Training opportunities
* The opportunity to learn from highly skilled therapists within collaborative therapy teams
* Supportive, friendly team
* Peer support from existing Band 5s
* Clinical supervision
* Values based Appraisal
* An opportunity to help shape services
* Manage your own clinical case load of hand therapy patients
About us
At DCHFT, we pride ourselves on the care we provide for our patients, and on the culture, we are creating for our staff. We work hard to create a fair, inclusive environment for our staff.
Our Mission is to work in partnership to provide high quality, compassionate services and to nurture an environment where people can be at their best. Our vision is healthier lives, empowered citizens, thriving communities.
We are a Trust that celebrates diversity, and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We welcome applications from people in all under-represented groups.
We understand that some applicants may choose to use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist in preparing their application materials. While this is not discouraged, we kindly remind candidates that all submissions must be truthful and accurately reflect your own experiences and suitability for this role.
Right to Work in the UK: This role is not available for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship. Applicants must already have the legal right to work in the UK at the time of application. Unfortunately, we are unable to support visa applications for this post in line with UKVI regulations.
Personal integrity and authenticity are central to our recruitment process. We value honesty and appreciate applications that are genuine and representative of the individual behind them.
Job responsibilities
Our DCHFT Job Description and Person Specification (attached) tells you all about this role, what to expect and what is needed to succeed. When completing your application please make sure to tell us how your experience and skills fit the person specification.
Please contact us at Recruitment@dchft.nhs.uk if you are unable to view or download the attachment.
For all our roles, we are looking for staff who hold our Trust Values of Integrity, Respect Teamwork and Excellence, and who are passionate about providing the best patient care. To read more about our Trust and our Values search Dorset County Hospital online.
Person Specification
EDUCATION, QUALIFICATIONS & TR
* Diploma or Degree in physiotherapy
* Registered as a Physiotherapist with The Health Professions Council
* Evidence of other relevant and recent CPD/ training pertinent to specialty (Hand therapy). I.E BAHT level I
Knowledge & Experience
* Understanding of clinical governance and its implication for hand therapy
* Knowledge of evidenced based practice pertaining to the specialist area of hand therapy
* Knowledge of national guidelines and standards relevant to the specialist area of hand therapy
* Understanding of the legal responsibilities of the profession
* Minimum 1 year NHS experience with rotational experience at band 5 level including experience in the specialist area
* Experience of participating in audit and evidence based projects.
* Evidence of actively participating in in-service training and MDT groups, and evaluating effectiveness of training
* Awareness and understanding of NHS structure, current issues and developments
* Previous experience at band 5 level
* Experience of clinical practice in an NHS environment
* Experience of participating in audit and evidence based projects
* Evidence of actively participating in in-service training and MDT groups, and evaluating effectiveness of training
* Research experience
* Experience in managing limited resources and high workloads.
* Ability to present information, written and orally, in a clear and logical manner.
* Ability to keep accurate and legible clinical notes.
* Ability to demonstrate clear depth of clinical reasoning and knowledge of assessment and interventions with those with neurological conditions, commensurate with Band 6 level.
* Ability to work autonomously, prioritising case load effectively
* To show an understanding of clinical governance and its implication for the Hand Therapy service.
* Experience in completing local projects
* Evidence of supporting team members
* Ability to work effectively in a team environment
* Experience of working with patients following hand surgery, hand injury and/or rheumatology
* Demonstrate the ability to assess and diagnose hand conditions Ability to fabricate thermoplastic splints and good knowledge of off shelf splints
* Excellent time management skills with ability to organise, prioritise and delegate.
* Ability to self direct learning, be critical and evaluate own learning needs, demonstrated in a CPD portfolio.
* IT skills, including using hospital data bases, word processing, excel, email and power point
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.
Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
£32,073 to £39,043 a year Pro Rata Per Annum
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