East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust
Trainee/Assistant Practitioner - Stroke Therapies
The closing date is 20 November 2026
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Job summary
We have an exciting opportunity to recruit a full time Trainee/ Assistant Practitioner to join our Integrated Stroke Rehabilitation Therapies Team.

The position gives you the opportunity to complete a Foundation Degree Assistant Practitioner via an apprenticeship route. On successful completion of the 2 year course you will move into a band 4 position.

We are seeking to appoint a highly motivated and enthusiastic candidate, preferably someone who has previously worked within the rehabilitation setting, studied to NVQ level 3 in health and social care or at an equivalent academic level, you should be competent in IT systems.

You will be working across the stroke therapies pathway supporting Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists and Speech and Language Therapists treating patients on the acute stroke unit at Blackburn Hospital, Inpatient stroke rehab & Community stroke team both based at Pendle Community Hospital. A car driver is essential.

The apprenticeship is a 2 year academic programme including work based learning in partnership with UCLAN. Applicants with develop knowledge and skills through attending University 1 day per week as well as undertaking work based learning, additional study of up to 20 hours per week is required in the applicants own time.

Qualified Assistant Practitioners are encouraged to apply for this position also.

Main duties of the job
As an Assistant Practitioner/ Trainee Assistant Practitioner you will work as a member of the Stroke Rehabilitation Therapy Team assisting in the delivery of specialist therapy across East Lancashire supporting qualified therapists in assessing and treating patients who had a stroke.

You will be required to undertake highly skilled and specialised support work supervised by a member of the Stroke Rehabilitation Therapy Team. This may include gathering information for assessments, implementing treatment programmes, and making recommendations for equipment and minor adaptations.

You will use technical and creative skills in the provision of therapeutic activities for individual patients and will be responsible for evaluating and amending treatment programmes and interventions with guidance from the therapist.

As an Assistant Practitioner you will take responsibility for your own caseload within a broad framework laid out by a qualified therapist.

The work will take place in a variety of settings including inpatient stroke units, care homes and patient's own home. The post holder may work as a lone worker in the community.

The position requires you to work 08.30 to 16.30 currently over 7 days.

The post holder will need to be flexible and change base in line with service need and demand.

Staff are required to work weekends

About us
Established in 2003 East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT) is a large integrated health care organisation providing high quality acute secondary healthcare for the people of East Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen.

Our vision is to be widely recognised for providing safe, personal and effective care. We currently provide high quality services and treat over 700,000 patients a year from the most serious of emergencies to planned operations and procedures. We employ over 8,000 staff, many of whom are internationally renowned and have won awards for their work and achievements.

As part of the stroke rehabilitation team you will be based at one of our hospital sites which include Pendle Community Hospital and Royal Blackburn Hospital. Our community stroke rehabilitation team work across East Lancashire visiting patients in a variety of clinical settings. Our integrated therapies team has a strong link with UCLAN employing an AHP Professor in neurorehabilitation and stroke as such we are actively involved in a variety of research projects.

We have a robust supervision and annual appraisal structure along with offering in house training to support the clinical development of our staff. We always aim to provide high standard, quality care to all our patients. As a trainee assistant practitioner you will have an assigned mentor who will provide additional training and support over the two year foundation degree programme.

Details
Date posted: 06 November 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 4
Salary: £28,392 to £31,157 a year, per annum
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time, Flexible working
Reference number: 435-D220-26
Job locations: Pendle Community Hospital, Leeds Road, Nelson, BB9 9SZ, United Kingdom

Job description
Job responsibilities
Organise and deliver a complete episode of therapy intervention as screened and delegated by a qualified therapist and as defined by currently agreed stroke rehabilitation pathways.

You will use technical and therapeutic skills to promote patient independence. As part of the MDT you will also support the team in the delivery of other therapy sessions such as group work or virtual therapy sessions.

You will also be required to support with general administrative procedures such as collecting patient information, completing referrals onto other services, ordering equipment and other tasks delegated by therapists within the team.

You will formulate appropriate treatment goals with the patient and support in the delivery of therapy intervention working towards these specific goals.

For further details on the position please refer to the attached job description.

Person Specification
Academic & work based
Essential

• NVQ Level 3 or equivalent in health and social care
• GCSE 4-7 or above in Maths & English
• Previous experience of working in a healthcare setting
• Previously worked within a therapy setting
• Access to a vehicle for work purposes
• Able to undertake moving and handling tasks

Desirable

• Previously worked in stroke or neuro
• Previously worked as a rehab worker
• Previous academic study in a course relevant to the position
• Work experience

Desirable

• Experience of working in community

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
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.

Employer details
Employer name: East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust
Address: Pendle Community Hospital, Leeds Road, Nelson, BB9 9SZ, United Kingdom
Employer's website: Apply via the company portal

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: Operational Lead for Stroke & Neuro Therapies, Adam Partington, adam.partington@elht.nhs.uk, 01282803757

Details
Date posted: 06 November 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 4
Salary: £28,392 to £31,157 a year, per annum
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time, Flexible working
Reference number: 435-D220-26
Job locations: Pendle Community Hospital, Leeds Road, Nelson, BB9 9SZ, United Kingdom

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