Band 4 Therapy Support Worker - OPALNHS

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Band 4 Therapy Support Worker to join the Older Persons Assessment and Liaison (OPAL) Team at Good Hope Hospital. We are seeking an enthusiastic and motivated individual with a passion for working with older people.

The OPAL team provides timely, patient-centred assessments and interventions for older adults presenting with acute needs at the front door, supporting admission avoidance, preventing deconditioning, and maximising independence across the Emergency Department, Acute Medical Unit, and Medical Assessment Unit.

This is an exciting time to join the service as we continue to develop our frailty pathway, with the introduction of a Frailty Same Day Emergency Care (FSDEC) unit. You will support the multidisciplinary team with the early identification and assessment of frailty, contribute to interventions for common frailty-related conditions and assist with same-day discharge planning and community support.

Operating seven days a week, the team works collaboratively delivering responsive, high-quality care when patients need it most. Guided by a Home First ethos, OPAL focuses on enabling people to return to their usual place of residence by proactively addressing functional, mobility, and social care needs, while working closely with community services to ensure ongoing support. This holistic approach ensures patients receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time, maintaining independence and improving outcomes.

Main duties of the job

The postholder is required to develop professional relationships with patients and their relatives or carers, communicating in a manner that respects individual views, autonomy and cultural needs. They will observe and report on patients' general behaviour, functional abilities, and physical or emotional needs to the registered therapist and wider multidisciplinary team (MDT) as appropriate, escalating any concerns when necessary. The role involves providing clear demonstrations and instructions to individuals or groups of patients undertaking therapeutic activities and using effective verbal and non-verbal communication methods to support patients who may have barriers to communication or understanding, including those who are blind, deaf, dysphasic, or whose first language is not English. The postholder will liaise with external agencies to support therapeutic outcomes and discharge planning, contribute to therapy team meetings, huddles, and MDT discussions by communicating relevant information regarding patients' performance and progress on behalf of the registered therapist, and maintain accurate electronic records on PICS and the therapy electronic record system in accordance with Trust and Therapies Directorate standards

Job description

*Please Note : For a detailed job description for this vacancy, please see attached Job Description*

About us

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust strives to have an inclusive culture where everyone feels like they belong, can thrive, knows that they add value and feels valued. We do this by developing compassionate and culturally competent leaders, being values driven in all that we do and by creating a welcoming and inclusive workplace that thrives on the diversity of our people. As such we want to attract and recruit talented individuals from all backgrounds, and for each of you to feel supported for the diversity you bring, to achieve your full potential. For those staff with a disability, including physical disability, long term health condition, mental health or neurodiverse condition, this also means being committed to making reasonable adjustments needed for you to carry out your role.