Job summary
- Main area
- Rehabilitation
- Grade
- Band 3
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Weekend working every 8 weeks)
- Job ref
- 153-SP04839
- Employer
- University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Poole Hospital
- Town
- Poole
- Salary
- £24,937 - £26,598 pa/pro rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 10/08/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Senior Therapy Assistant - Older Person's Therapy Team
Band 3
As University Hospitals Dorset we are a three site acute trust with ‘university hospital’ status through our partnership with Bournemouth University, working with an annual budget of £730m.
We offer highly regarded health services, employing some 10,000 staff. Our ambitious £250m estates programme is well on the way to delivering state-of-the-art facilities over the next two years to meet the current and future healthcare needs of the populations we serve.
In an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with over seven miles of sandy beaches you’ll find inspirational opportunities to achieve your perfect work/life balance. With the New Forest and the Purbecks on our doorstep, we’re also less than three hours from London by road or train. The thriving towns of Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch give way to idyllic villages and unspoilt landscapes just minutes from our hospitals.
We believe that having a diverse workforce, and allowing people to be themselves, is essential in ensuring we offer an inclusive, welcoming and productive place to work.
We especially welcome applications from minority groups in the community who may be underrepresented in our workforce.
At UHD our active staff network groups are the Women's Network, Black Asian Minority Ethnic Group (BAME), Pride Network, European (EU), Pro Ability Staff Network, and the Armed Forces Support Group.
As a Trust we are proudly signed up to the Disability Confident and Armed Forces Covenant guaranteed interview schemes.
We are aware that some candidates may choose to use AI tools to support the preparation of their application. While this is not discouraged, we kindly remind applicants that submissions should remain an honest and accurate representation of your own experience and suitability. Personal integrity is an important part of the recruitment process.
Job overview
We are pleased to announce we are recruiting for a Band 3 Senior Therapy Assistant post, supporting the Older Persons Therapy Team.
Within the hospital setting the Older Persons Therapy team assess and treat patients that present in the Emergency Department, the Older Persons Admissions Unit and the Older Persons Medical and Continuing Care wards. As a team we are passionate in ensuring that any older people presenting to our hospital receive the highest quality care from clinicians with a holistic approach and passion in caring for older people.
The post holder must be a car driver and have access to a car for work purposes, please make this clear in the supporting information of your application.
The key responsibilities would require you to work alongside the therapists on our Older Person's wards, supporting the team with acute rehabilitation of the older person and optimising their functional level with a home first approach.
Base Location: Poole Hospital - relocating to Royal Bournemouth Hospital as part of transformation (2026)
Interview Date: TBC
Main duties of the job
You will be required to achieve a certain competency level for which the support and training will be provided to help you achieve. We have a structured in-house training programme and a supportive team of clinical staff.
The post will include 7 day working and therefore the post holder will be expected to participate in weekend working. The post holder will need to be able to speak English as necessary for the role.
Working for our organisation
Our values define who we are as #TeamUHD. They underpin everything we do now and in the future. They define how
we treat our patients, visitors, and each other, our valued teammates and colleagues. UHD are investing in services across the Trust, with many being transformed and developed following merger and the New Hospital Programme. This means that some services may move site this year or next, either temporarily or long term. Recruiting Managers interviewing for this role will be happy to answer any specific questions that you have about this at interview.
This service has a planned move from Poole Hospital site to Royal Bournemouth Hospital site in 2026.
Please note if the role or service is relocated as part of a planned move, employees will not be eligible for excess
mileage reimbursement. Travel from the post holder's home to the new work base will be considered a normal commute. Any other changes not related to this relocation will be managed according to the relevant Trust or National terms and conditions.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
To understand the role in more detail please read the full job description and person specification documents which are attached to this advert.
For further information please liaise with Ruth Martin or Bethan Shelper on x 2108.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- A qualification at NVQ 3/QCF or equivalent and relevant to working in a care setting. Failing this, those with relevant skills and experience need to demonstrate willingness to undertake equivalent training in the first year in post
Experience
Essential criteria
- Previous work as a Therapy Assistant or equivalent (e.g. Physiotherapy or Occupational Therapy Assistant, HCA, or another relevant role where direct patient care is involved).
- Assessing individuals function and mobility
Desirable criteria
- Previous experience working in a hospital
- Previous experience working with the elderly
Technical skills and competencies
Essential criteria
- Ability to work independently, on ward and/or in patient’s homes, working on own initiative with guidance/supervision from qualified staff
- Effective time management skills
- Ability to manage own caseload with access to qualified staff.
Desirable criteria
- Experience with a range of manual handling equipment e.g. hoists, stand hoists, samhall turner
- Methods of gait re-education
- Delivering exercise programs to individuals and groups
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- General knowledge of relevant medical conditions, e.g Parkinson’s disease, falls, Dementia and infections/conditions affecting the older person
- Desire to work with older adults
Interpersonal skills
Essential criteria
- Demonstrates good verbal and non-verbal communication with an ability to establish a good rapport with a range of people. Able to speak English as necessary for the role.
- Ability to write results of interventions clearly and concisely demonstrating a good level of spelling and grammar.
- Basic teaching skills
- Team player
Personal attributes
Essential criteria
- Flexible attitude and ability to respond positively to change.
- Well motivated
- Able to take direction from senior staff
- Ability to recognise boundaries of own job role
Other requirements specific to role
Essential criteria
- Ability to drive and hold a clean driver’s license
- Ability to use a keyboard to access and input information from a computer based system
- Ability to move and handle patients and equipment using approved techniques, ability to cope with exposure to bodily fluids
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Ruth Martin
- Job title
- Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0300 019 2108
- Additional information
Bethan Shelper
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