Job summary
The Hand Therapy at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital has an exciting opportunity for a Highly Specialist Band 7 Physiotherapist or Occupational Therapist to join our dynamic team.

In addition to the substantive post, a 12 month Fixed Term Contract is also available to cover maternity leave.

You will join a well-established, integrated team, comprising of 20 therapists, supported by Advanced Clinical Practitioners and Consultant Hand Therapists. The team is collaborative, supportive, and forward-thinking, with a strong emphasis on professional development.

The successful candidate will manage a varied and complex caseload, working with both adult and paediatric patients following trauma or with acquired conditions. You will work closely alongside Hand Surgeons in specialist clinics, contributing to the delivery of high-quality, patient-centred care.

This role offers excellent variety and responsibility operationally and managerially, to support the running of the service and the team clinically.

There are opportunities to teach and supervise Band 5 and Band 6 therapists and to contribute to or lead research, innovation, and quality improvement initiatives within the department.

Main duties of the job
Key Responsibilities

• Act as an expert clinician within the hand therapy service, providing specialist input across an adult and paediatric caseload.
• Work as an autonomous practitioner, managing a designated caseload of patients, including assessment, treatment planning, intervention, and ongoing evaluation, while maintaining accurate and up-to-date clinical records.
• Apply advanced clinical reasoning and specialist skills to assess and manage patients with traumatic and acquired hand and wrist conditions including static and dynamic splinting. Provide expert advice and support to colleagues where required.
• Deliver high-quality, evidence-based care by using current best practice to plan, implement and evaluate all hand therapy interventions.
• Contribute to the operational management of the hand therapy service alongside other Band 7 therapists, supporting the effective day-to-day organisation of clinics, caseload allocation, and team coordination.
• Provide supervision, teaching, and support to junior therapists, therapy assistants, and students on placement, contributing to workforce development.
• Participate in, and where appropriate lead, departmental audit, research, and quality improvement initiatives.

About us
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of England's top-performing and safest trusts. We operate two main acute hospital sites--Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and West Middlesex University Hospital--along with award-winning clinics across North West London.

Our nearly 7,500 staff care for a diverse population of 1.5 million, providing full clinical services, including maternity, A&E, and children's services, plus specialist HIV and sexual health clinics. The Care Quality Commission rates us 'Good' in safety, effectiveness, care, and responsiveness, and 'Outstanding' in leadership and resource use.

We continually invest in our facilities, including a £30m expansion of critical care at Chelsea and Westminster and an £80m Ambulatory Diagnostic Centre at West Middlesex.

We welcome applications for flexible working arrangements, accommodating requests where possible to support our staff and patient needs.

The Trust is committed to equality and welcomes applications from all, regardless of background. Adjustments can be made for disabled candidates. Early application is advised as vacancies may close once sufficient applications are received. If you haven't heard from us within three weeks of the closing date, your application was likely unsuccessful. Employment is subject to a six-month probationary period.

Some roles may require weekend shifts at multiple sites.

Job responsibilities
Clinical:

• To prioritise and manage a specialist clinical caseload, working as an autonomous practitioner and to monitor the caseloads of all hand therapy team members to ensure that an efficient and effective hand therapy service.
• To provide treatment to patients in various locations including hand therapy outpatients, in-patient wards, day surgery/hand management unit and consultant clinics.
• To undertake highly specialised hand therapy assessments and incorporate into treatment session, utilising appropriate therapy techniques and therapeutic handling skills of all types of hand conditions and trauma to form diagnoses and/or establish impairments and disabilities.
• To carry out highly specialist diagnostic assessments on request from consultants when a diagnosis and clinical opinion is required.
• o To monitor and evaluate treatment to measure progress and to ensure effectiveness of the intervention and to identify quickly when treatment requires modifying.
• To cross traditional professional boundaries and demonstrate use of hand therapy assessment and treatment techniques usually performed by occupational therapists and physiotherapists, including static/dynamic splinting, sensory assessments/re-re-education, pressure garment, exercise therapy and manual techniques.
• To use advanced clinical reasoning skills to determine if any other treatment is required and if necessary ensure timely written and/or verbal referral to other professions
• To support more junior staff, both physiotherapists and occupational therapists in the development of their assessment, treatment and clinical reasoning skills to ensure a high standard of care to hand therapy patients.
• To be available for spontaneous highly specialist advice to patients, therapists and other professionals.

Leadership and Management

• To be responsible for providing an efficient and effective hand therapy service, by demonstrating good leadership, organisational, time management and prioritisation skills.
• To work closely with the other band 7 team leads, as well as the band 8a and 8b at all times to ensure that all organisational roles are covered but without needless duplication.
• To be heavily involved in service development, in conjunction with the clinical specialist and Consultant hand therapist and MDT
• To take a lead role in the teaching, supervision and appraisal of static and rotational band 5 and 6 therapists (both physiotherapist and occupational therapists),
• To jointly organise with the other band 7s the hand therapy team schedule in order to cover all clinical areas with the requisite number of staff and relevant level of experience and to update at least one month in advance
• To be involved in and lead the recruitment and selection of more junior staff

Professional Development

• To be responsible for personal continuous professional development and mandatory training
• To participate in the appraisal system as appraiser and appraisee, and be responsible for fulfilling your agreed objectives and personal development plan

Education and Research

• To participate in and contribute to in-service training programme
• To be responsible for the training and induction of all new members of staff to hand therapy team
• To participate in or lead teaching at a high level including to senior medical and nursing staff
• To provide clinical supervision and teaching to more junior staff, students and therapy assistants
• To be involved in developing, leading and completing local and multicentre research and audits undertaken in hand therapy
• To provide highly specialist advice, teaching and training to other professionals

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• BSc or Diploma in Physiotherapy or Occupational Therapy
• HCPC Registration
• Evidence of CPD and relevant post graduate courses (CPD Portfolio)
• Member of BAHT
• Evidence of working towards Accredited Hand Therapist BAHT

Desirable

• Acupuncture
• Injection Therapy
• Evidence of Leadership Training

Experience
Essential

• Experience working as an autonomous practitioner in the NHS or equivalent healthcare system
• Minimal 3 years of post graduate experience at Band 6 level in Hand therapy
• Experience of working as part of an Occupational Therapy/Physiotherapy team in a multi disciplinary team (MDT)
• Presentation of in-service training programme related to hand therapy to the MDT
• Evidence of appraisal, supervision and teaching of band 6 staff, band 5 staff, assistants and students

Desirable

• Experience at band 7 level in hand therapy
• Assessment and treatment of the upper quadrant and upper limb
• Evidence of involvement in Research / QI
• Team leader experience

Skills and Knowledge
Essential

• Demonstrates the ability to clinically reason the application of specialist knowledge required for hand therapy assessment and treatment
• Demonstrates generic hand therapy skills incorporating OT and PT skills
• Demonstrates the ability to clinically reason the application of specialist hand therapy treatment and intervention in a variety of clinical settings
• Evidence of a range of static splinting skills for upper limb injuries with adherence to the principles of splint fabrication.
• Specialised knowledge application and analysis of standardised and non-standardised assessment tools i.e. goniometry, grip strength and Semmes-Weinstein monofilaments
• Evidence of treatment of trauma hand and wrist conditions to include tendon and nerve injuries and fractures
• Evidence of treatment of acquired hand and wrist conditions
• Able to impart skills and knowledge both formally and informally, to other therapists from the same profession, from differing professions, therapy assistants and students in clinical practice.

Desirable

• Evidence of dynamic and neoprene splinting skills for hand and wrist injuries and acquired conditions

Personal Qualities
Essential

• Identifies challenges of working in varying hospital settings and demonstrates the ability to adapt own practice accordingly
• Demonstrates ability to lead a team in day to day operational tasks and to facilitate therapy team working.
• Demonstrates awareness and sensitivity to cultural differences and beliefs.
• Demonstrates evidence of the ability to use reflective practice as a tool for growth and development.
• Ability to work under pressure, respond and assist others with service problems and clinical supervision coping positively with inter-professional tensions or barriers.
• Demonstrates the use of professional communication strategies with patients, carers and members of the MDT and the ability to modify appropriately
• Ability to work autonomously, acting decisively on behalf of self and others
• Demonstrate strategies for management of change in day to day operational tasks and in project management
• Ability to manage stressful situations, emotional or aggressive patients and relatives and to be flexible and manage the situation positively.

Desirable

• Emotional intelligence in differing communication situations

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.

Applicants must have current UK professional registration.

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Clinical lead Hand Therapy
Hayley Fay
hayley.fay2@nhs.net
02033158404