Technical Instructor

Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the busiest and largest NHS hospital trusts in the country, with around 16,000 staff and an annual budget of £1.7 billion. We deliver high-quality care, clinical excellence, research, and innovation regionally, nationally, and internationally, ranking in the top five providers of specialised health services in the UK. Our services include hospital and community care for rare and complex medical, surgical, neurological conditions, cancers, and genetic disorders.

We are committed to promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion, aiming to recruit a workforce that reflects the communities we serve. Newcastle Hospitals is also a leader in sustainability, with a goal to achieve Net Zero by 2030 for our direct carbon footprint and by 2040 for our broader footprint.

About the role

The Community Children’s Physiotherapy team is recruiting an enthusiastic and motivated individual to support the delivery of therapeutic programmes for children with complex health needs within a special school setting. The role is based at Northern Counties School, working alongside physiotherapists to meet students' physical needs and assist with administrative duties. While primarily based at the school, the role may involve work in other community settings, such as patients' homes and clinics.

This is a full-time position, working 37.5 hours per week.

Responsibilities

• Support physiotherapists in delivering individual and/or group therapy sessions to children with complex health needs.
• Communicate effectively with patients, parents, carers, educational staff, and other health professionals.
• Use and review specialist equipment, including standing frames and moving and handling equipment.
• Assist in the moving and handling of patients using appropriate equipment.
• Support the physiotherapy team with administrative duties and housekeeping to ensure smooth service delivery.

Requirements

Qualifications & Education

• Essential:
  • Good standard of education to GCSE level or equivalent, including Maths and English.
  • Technical qualification, e.g., NVQ Level III Diagnostic and Therapeutic Care or equivalent work experience.
  • Current driving licence, if relevant to the role.
• Desirable:
  • Associate Member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.

Knowledge & Experience

• Essential:
  • Previous experience working as a therapy assistant.
  • Understanding of manual handling principles.
  • Basic understanding of physiotherapy clinical practices and procedures.
• Desirable:
  • Experience working with individuals with physical disabilities, e.g., mobility problems.

Skills & Abilities

• Essential:
  • Appreciation of the principles of physiotherapy practices and procedures.
  • Organisational and time management skills.
  • Ability to work as part of a team.
  • Effective written and oral communication skills.
  • Ability to reflect and appraise own performance.
  • Good communication and interpersonal skills.
  • Ability to take responsibility within agreed protocols.
  • Paediatric moving and handling skills.
• Desirable:
  • IT skills.

Benefits

As a flexible working-friendly organisation, we strive to accommodate arrangements that work for both the service and employees. Additional benefits and details can be found in the attached documents.

Additional Information

• All references from current and previous employers must cover a minimum of 3 years of employment.
• Successful candidates requiring a DBS check will have the cost deducted from their first month’s salary.
• Shortlisted candidates will be contacted via email; please check spam folders.

For further information or informal visits, contact Jemma Bell, Community Paediatric Advanced Physiotherapist, at jemmabell@nhs.net or 0191 282 3452.