Senior Therapy Assistant - Older Person's Therapy Team
At a glance
- Band
- Band 3
- Contract
- Permanent
- Pattern
- Full-time
- Posted
- 14/08/2026
- Closes
- 30/08/2026
Sponsorship verdict
This advert explicitly states that sponsorship is not offered.
The source advert contains explicit wording ruling out sponsorship for this specific role. Consider other live roles at the same band from sponsorship-friendly trusts.
Role summary
This role is for a Band 3 Senior Therapy Assistant within the Older Persons Therapy Team at University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust. The team assesses and treats older patients in various hospital settings, focusing on acute rehabilitation and optimising functional levels with a home-first approach. The post holder will work alongside therapists, participate in a structured in-house training program, and be expected to participate in weekend working.
Key responsibilities
- Work alongside therapists on Older Person's wards.
- Support the team with acute rehabilitation of older persons.
- Optimise patients' functional level with a home first approach.
- Achieve a certain competency level with provided support and training.
- Participate in weekend working as part of 7-day working.
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
- 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
- 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.
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
Desirable criteria
- Previous experience working in a hospital
- Previous experience working with the elderly
- 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
Useful to know
Agenda for Change 2024/25 pays Band 3 at £24,625 – £25,674 a year, across England.
This advert: £25,760 – £27,476 — outside the standard scale; check for HCAS/London weighting.
Posted 16d ago · Closes in 1d
Applications close soon — apply now if this is a fit.
Full advert · preview
University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust
Senior Therapy Assistant - Older Person's Therapy Team
The closing date is 30 August 2026
Job summary
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: Royal Bournemouth Hospital ****
Please note, we are unable to offer sponsorship for this position.
Interview: 10th September
Main duties of the job
You will be required to achieve a certain competency level for which the support and training will be pr
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