Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an Occupational Therapist or Physiotherapist to join a team of dedicated and experienced Hand Therapists within Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust.

We are looking for a flexible, dynamic and effective clinician to assist with coordinating and managing a varied Hand Therapy case load in an MSK setting. A passion and dedication to Hand Therapy is required, along with evidenced experience of managing a hand caseload. This may include student placements or experience in a static role. Newly qualified clinicians who meet the essential criteria will be supported to meet competencies with the support of senior Hand Therapists.

Good knowledge of hand and upper limb anatomy, physiology and basic hand conditions is essential, along with experience of applying occupational therapy assessments in a clinical setting. Knowledge and skills in hand assessment and treatment techniques is also required. For the right candidate, it may be possible to develop a split hand therapy and MSK caseload. The post will be based in Stroud.

We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications. 

Face to face interviews will be held on 14th August. 

Main duties of the job

There will be an induction period, regular supervision and relevant training offered to assist in development. It is a fast-paced environment and so it will be necessary to have good prioritisation, delegation and time management skills. It will also be necessary to work flexibly whilst maintaining responsibility for your own clinical case load.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to participate in departmental and county wide Hand Therapy training and will be supported to develop as a Hand Therapist. Travel to other localities with the Trust is expected for training, supervision and support. Mentorship, supervision, training and Continuing Professional Development is actively encouraged and supported with opportunity to widen knowledge and enhance skills.

The Trust offers a full preceptorship programme for newly qualified candidates. More information can be found on the Trust’s website: https://www.ghc.nhs.uk/get-involved/jobs/

If you are a passionate, enthusiastic and committed therapist wishing to progress in the field of Hand Therapy and work in an MSK environment, this may be the post for you.

The qualification, training & experience requirements for the role are underlined in the Job Description/Person Specification.

Working for our organisation

We have a skilled and dedicated workforce of over 5000 colleagues working in a diverse range of services over 55 sites and within people’s homes. We strive to enable a welcoming workplace culture that builds and celebrates civility, inclusivity and diversity, while providing a sense of belonging and trust.

Annual staff surveys, regular Pulse surveys and other engagement opportunities provide our people with lots of opportunity to tell us about their experiences of working with us. In the latest staff survey, 61% of colleagues gave us their views. It was great to hear that: 

• 72% of colleagues would recommend the Trust as a place to work, ranking us 1st for Provider Trusts in the South West region on this question. 
• 76% would recommend the standard of care provided in our services if a friend or relative needed treatment, also ranking us 1st in the South West region.
• 81% said that care of patients and service users is the Trust’s priority, compared with an average in comparable NHS Trusts in England of 64%

 This high-level overview shows we are in a healthy position, with higher scores than average for comparable organisations, alongside a great response rate, indicating good staff engagement. However, we also know we have plenty of room for improvement in many areas. To that end, we continue to prioritise and invest in our commitment to genuinely becoming a Great Place to Work with consistent top-quartile performance in the annual staff survey and Pulse surveys.