Job summary
- Main area
- Therapies
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 7
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Part time
- Flexible working
- Job ref
- 423-7375600
- Employer
- Airedale NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Airedale NHS Foundation Trust including satellite sites
- Town
- Keighley
- Salary
- £47,810 - £54,710 Pro Rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 10/10/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Specialist Hand Therapist Team Leader /Clinical Specialist
NHS AfC: Band 7
Be part of our future landscape
At Airedale, we are committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion. We actively encourage applications irrespective of people’s age, lived experience of living with a disability or long-term conditions, gender, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or other personal circumstances.
Increasing our diversity and supporting our organisation to be more inclusive is a key priority here at Airedale and our teams are at the centre of how we work towards this.
We appreciate all people may have diverse and individual needs and we pride ourselves on supporting all people to thrive and flourish at work. We have frameworks in place that support reasonable adjustments and flexible working for colleagues throughout their working lives which starts at recruitment.
These are exciting times for Airedale. We have the once-in-a-career opportunity to be involved in the planning and building of a completely new hospital here on our Steeton site by 2030. By joining us now you’ll be a key part of our journey over the next few years, with the chance to input into a state-of-the-art, modern healthcare facility that will deliver care to our communities for decades to come. We are also on the journey to a new electronic patient record, part of our wider ambition for our digital future – a future that builds on our significant telemedicine and digital care success. Ultimately, what makes Airedale special is our people. Not just our staff, but our volunteers, patients, visitors, and wider population who make up the Airedale family. This is a Trust that sits at the heart of our community, and our communities are very proud of their Trust.
Please read the attached AI statement prior to submitting any application
Job overview
Are you a dynamic and motivated highly skilled Physiotherapist or Occupational Therapist looking to take the next step in your career? An exciting opportunity has arisen within our Trust to recruit a 30-hour Specialist Hand Therapist.
As a clinical expert Hand Therapist, you will deliver patient-centred care across the full spectrum of wrist and hand conditions, including trauma, elective surgical recovery, and non-surgical referrals.
This is an exciting opportunity to play a leading role in shaping the specialist hand therapy service, ensuring high standards of care and fostering a collaborative environment for ongoing professional growth. You’ll be joining a supportive and expert team that includes: 2 x Band 7 Hand Therapists / 1 x Band 6 Hand Therapist/ Rotational Band 5/6 Physiotherapists & 2 Wrist and Hand Consultants
To find out more or arrange an informal chat, contact:
Kieran Duxbury - MSK & Pelvic Health Physiotherapy Operational Manager - Email: [email protected]
Main duties of the job
The post holder will:
- Lead role in the specialist rehabilitation and management of complex wrist and hand problems.
- Coordinate and manage all patients with wrist and hand problems.
- Be responsible for planning, coordinating, delivering, and evaluating clinical case work within the Orthopaedic & MSK Physiotherapy Hand Therapy Service.
- Provide evidence based, highly specialist knowledge and skills to the specialist MSK & hand therapy service.
- Provide a key role in partnership collaborating with patients, carers, the MDT, and wider statutory, private, and voluntary sector services.
- Be accountable for the quality and safety of advanced and highly skilled assessment and management of patients with a variety of complex, acute & chronic wrist, and hand presentations
- Work closely with orthopaedics, medical, AHP and nursing colleagues to ensure high quality patient care.
- Lead quality improvements and continually develop and modernise the physiotherapy provision to patients with complex wrist and hand problems
- Be prepared to work flexibly in terms of time and workload to meet service needs.
- Be professionally accountable
- To continually develop and modernise the physiotherapy provision to patients with complex wrist and hand problems
- To take responsibility for staff and student training/development.
- Provide support to operational and service managers deputizing for them as required
Working for our organisation
We are delighted to offer a wide range of benefits to employees including:
- Cycle to Work
- Travel Scheme
- Childcare Vouchers with Salary Sacrifice
- Onsite Nursery
- Buying and Selling Annual Leave
- Car Leasing
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Employee Health and Wellbeing
- Extensive Reward Scheme
- Counselling Service
- Financial packages including Vivup and Wagestream
- Staff Networks, Enable, Rainbow, Gender, Race Equality Ecoaware & Admin Network.
Our values:
We understand that it’s down to the hard work, effort and dedication of our staff that makes a difference for our patients. Our people really do make our Airedale experience – we take pride in fostering a friendly, effective and caring work environment. Our values are part of our DNA, which are:
- Committed to Quality of Care
- Compassion
- Working together for patients
- Improving Lives
- Everyone Counts
- Respect and Dignity
Got questions before you apply, please contact the recruiting manager to find out more.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Key responsibilities include:
- Managing a complex clinical caseload using expert assessment and treatment strategies
- Collaborating closely with orthopaedic Hand and Wrist Surgeons on integrated pathways for splinting, wound care, and rehabilitation
- Providing timely triage and early intervention for post operative, emergency department referrals & urgent conditions to prevent complications
- Managing chronic hand/wrist conditions referred by primary care and supporting MSK/FCP colleagues
- Leading on service outcomes, staff development, student training, and coordination of rotations
- Working in partnership with Therapy Managers, Clinical Leads, and MDT teams to promote streamlined, flexible care pathways
This is an exciting opportunity to play a leading role in shaping the specialist hand therapy service, ensuring high standards of care and fostering a collaborative environment for ongoing professional growth.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Degree or equivalent pre-registration award in Therapy Profession (Physiotherapy/ Occupational Therapy or professional qualification/ registration e.g. CSP/ COT/ BSc)
- UK Registrations with the Health Care Professions Council
- BAHT Level 1 course
- Relevant postgraduate education/ courses in musculoskeletal/ orthopaedic therapy/ upper limb/ hand therapy.
- Relevant postgraduate courses in Leadership/ Management.
Desirable criteria
- MSc modules or PhD /training in a relevant subject E.g. The British Association of Hand Therapists (BAHT) training.
- BAHT level 2 courses
- Member of professional special interest group e.g. BAHT
- Certificate in Managing Health Services or equivalent
- Completion of a course in professional practice education
Experience
Essential criteria
- Recent, comprehensive and relevant band 6/7 experience working in Hand Therapy and or clinical specialist assessment of wrist and hand conditions.
- Knowledge/ Experience thermoplastic and off the shelf splinting.
- Experience of multidisciplinary team working
- Experience of multidisciplinary guideline development, implementation and audit
- Experience of managing other people including conducting annual reviews, supervision
Desirable criteria
- Recent experience of leadership /management role/ Band 7 Hand Therapy Experience
- Wound Management Experience
- Experience of taking part in or leading on Projects/ Service Improvements
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Specialist level of knowledge and clinical reasoning skills to support expert clinical practice in Hand Therapy for both acute and chronic conditions.
- Knowledge of the roles of other professionals and the principles of partnership working with key stakeholders in the Hand Therapy Service.
Desirable criteria
- Knowledge of the principles of clinical governance, audit and research
Skills
Essential criteria
- The ability to select and apply a wide variety of assessment tools and treatment modalities to the wrist and hand including thermoplastic splinting.
- Excellent planning, time management and organisational skills. and being able to work under pressure and meet deadlines
- Excellent communication and counselling skills including observation, listening and empathy
- Skilled in clinical teaching and supervision.
Desirable criteria
- Ability to adjust management style to suit the situation
- Audit and critical appraisal skills.
Personal Attributes and values
Essential criteria
- Highly flexible to meet own and service needs and be open to new ideas.
- Supportive, approachable, tactful and diplomatic
Desirable criteria
- Actively contributes to the improvement of services by engaging service users.
- Ability to be self-motivated and to motivate a team
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
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
- Kieran Duxbury
- Job title
- MSK & Pelvic Health Operational Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01535 293663
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