Therapy Assistant
The closing date is 04 January 2026.
Join Our Community Learning Disabilities Team as a Therapy Assistant!
Are you driven by a passion to make a positive, lasting impact on the lives of individuals with learning disabilities? This is a unique opportunity to join our dedicated Community Learning Disabilities Team as a Therapy Assistant, where you will play a pivotal, hands‑on role in supporting crucial therapy plans across physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, and dietetics. Come and be a part of a team where your work truly matters!
Key Responsibilities
* Collaboration: Engage closely with therapists to effectively implement and support individual therapy plans.
* Therapeutic Interventions: Facilitate activities tailored to each client’s unique needs, including mobility and exercise plans, guiding activities of daily living in the community, and creating accessible resources.
* Team Cohesion: Work seamlessly with healthcare professionals, service providers, and family members to establish a cohesive and integrated approach to individualised care.
The successful applicant will possess
* Excellent Communication Skills: Demonstrate effective communication skills adaptable to the diverse needs of our service users.
* Team Collaboration: Ability to work as part of a team and independently when necessary.
* Computer Proficiency: High-level competence in using computers and technology to facilitate efficient documentation and the creation of therapy resources.
Main duties of the job
What You Will Do: Key Responsibilities.
As a valued member of the Community Learning Disabilities Team, your role will be dynamic and essential in supporting the delivery of high‑quality, person‑centred care. You will be responsible for a balance of clinical support, administration, and resource creation:
Therapeutic Support and Intervention
* Clinical Delivery: Directly assist and support qualified therapists in delivering therapeutic assessments and interventions, ensuring plans are implemented effectively.
* Welfare Calls: Proactively conduct welfare checks and calls for service users currently on the waiting list, providing updates and ensuring their immediate needs are addressed.
Administrative and Operational Tasks
* Appointments and Queries: Manage essential administrative tasks, including efficient booking and scheduling of appointments, and acting as a primary point of contact for therapy‑related queries.
* Record Keeping: Maintain a high standard of clinical records, accurately documenting all relevant information using System One, our electronic record system.
* Financial Management: Handle minor financial duties, including maintaining and reconciling petty cash accurately.
About us
We are a specialist NHS Foundation Trust that provides community, mental health and learning disability services for the people of Barnsley, Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield. We also provide low and medium secure services and are the lead for the west Yorkshire secure provider collaborative.
Our mission is to help people reach their potential and live well in their communities, we do this by providing high‑quality care in the right place at the right time. We employ staff in both clinical and non‑clinical services who work hard to make a difference to the lives of service users, families, and carers.
We encourage and welcome applications from all protected characteristic groups, we value diversity and want our workforce to be reflective of our communities.
Being a foundation Trust means we are accountable to our members, who can have a say in how we are run. Around 14,300 local people (including staff) are members of our Trust.
Join us and you will be one of over 4,500 staff committed to supporting and improving the mental, physical and social needs of the thousands of people we meet and help each year.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expect all colleagues and volunteers to share this commitment.
We reserve the right to close vacancy before the advertised closing date if necessary, so please apply as soon as possible.
Job responsibilities
* Under the supervision/direction of registered health care professionals / associate practitioner, perform delegated interventions and care tasks for which they have received training, seeking support as needed.
* As part of a healthcare team, provide the highest standards of safe and compassionate planned care to people that maximises their recovery and rehabilitation potential.
* Demonstrate sensitivity, empathy and active listening skills, maintain positive and appropriate relationships with people at all times.
* Demonstrate an understanding of the care and treatment programmes required for a designated group of service users.
* Follow a care plan, advise and guide service users, family and carers in following prescribed interventions and make the appropriate adjustments within own competence and skill set and be able to communicate any changes to service users and registered health care professionals.
* Be required to concentrate for periods of time, depending upon the care intervention/care plan. This may include areas of work requiring physical effort, with regard to risk, following the risk assessment and health & safety.
* Exercise a degree of independence, initiative and judgement and consider different approaches when delivering tasks. Assess situations, e.g., following falls prevention guidance identify and resolve potential problems within own competence.
* Ensure the care experience is positive and service user safety is maintained. Treat everyone, e.g., service users, their relatives, visitors, colleagues, etc., with respect, dignity, courtesy and in accordance with the Trust’s Values.
* Feed observations to the registered professional / clinical team to contribute to the care / treatment planning process. Understand the principles underlying care planning e.g., enabling the service user to reach an optimum level of functioning / independence / recovery.
* Implement treatment/care within well‑established policies, procedures, protocols, guidelines and established clinical care plans within own competence and skill set.
* Assist in the organising and participating in a range of therapeutic groups and activities as delegated by the registered practitioner working within own competence and skill set.
* Apply basic knowledge of longer‑term health conditions within the remit of care planning, providing advice, support and feedback to a registered professional.
* Undertake the physical aspects of care e.g., moving and handling of service users. Use items of equipment in delivering care e.g., hoists, wheelchairs etc. (as appropriate to the role), ensuring appropriate instruction on their use has been received.
* Assist in dealing with verbal / physical aggression using de‑escalation techniques, this may include the need for RRPI techniques (as appropriate to the ward or community based role and in line with Trust policy and training).
* Attend to the service users personal care needs as and when required.
* Participate in a flexible rostering arrangement providing /7 day care (as appropriate to the role / service).
Person Specification
Experience
* In providing personal care and related procedures for those with health/social needs.
* In working in a caring environment at a band 2 or equivalent level of competence.
* In dealing with the public.
* In working as an effective team member.
* Of demonstrating own duties.
* Ability to work effectively, professionally and under own initiative or as part of a multidisciplinary team.
* In demonstrating initiative, decision-making and prioritisation skills.
* Evidence of a commitment to user/carer involvement.
Special Knowledge/Skills
* As appropriate to the role:
* Demonstrates excellent customer care skills.
* Enthusiastic, able to work flexibly on a 24hr shift pattern to meet the needs of service users.
* Demonstrates safe decision‑making skills commensurate with role.
* Knows responsibilities regarding confidentiality and trust.
* Resilience to pressure and exposure to emotional, distressing or hazardous situations e.g., verbal aggression, body fluids, etc.
* Non‑judgemental, empathetic manner.
* Demonstrates Trust Values.
* Excellent interpersonal skills.
* Good administration and organisational skills.
* Able to use observation skills to identify potential service user, environmental risks etc. and act appropriately.
* Able to fulfil the requirements of the value‑based induction.
* Language skills other than English.
* Experience of supervising/inducting others.
Personal Attributes
* Responsive attitude and approach.
* Dress appropriately for the environment.
* A current driving licence and access to a car during the working day is essential (reasonable adjustments will be considered for any applicants who are unable to drive due to a disability).
Qualifications
* GCSE A‑D or grade 3‑9 in English and Maths or equivalent.
* Level 2 qualification/or working through, with the ability to demonstrate competencies at level 3.
* Care Certificate or required to achieve within 12 weeks of commencement.
* Apprenticeship level 3 or equivalent e.g., RQF (Regulated Qualification Framework) NVQ level 3 in Health & Social Care or equivalent.
* Experience of the speciality area.
* Willingness to undertake further study.
Training
* Must be willing/able to undertake all appropriate Trust mandatory training requirements, and subsequent refresher training relevant to the area.
* Must be willing/able to undergo job development and training.
* Demonstrate excellent knowledge of service user safety, e.g., Prevention & management of violence & aggression, moving and handling, etc.
Physical Attributes
* A satisfactory sickness record over previous 2 years (subject to the need to act with fairness and equality of opportunity, particularly where sickness is related to a disability and/or pregnancy).
* Able to fulfil Occupational Health requirements for the post (with reasonable adjustments if necessary).
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.
Employer name
South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust
Legal notice
We are aware that an increasing number of applicants are using AI technology to generate responses on NHS Job application forms. We strongly discourage this and will conduct a thorough screening process before selecting candidates to progress to the next stage. If you are using AI to enhance your application, please disclose this in your NHS Jobs application form.
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