Job summary
The Band 6 Complex Discharge Therapist will provide specialist Occupational Therapy or Physiotherapy assessment, treatment and discharge planning for patients with complex clinical, functional and social needs across inpatient services. This is the second year of receiving winter funding for the complex discharge therapy team, this year we will be approaching this as a UHN Therapies model, adding resilience and expertise across both NGH and KGH. Whilst KGH will be your primary site there may be occasions where you are required to work at NGH.

The post holder will work as part of a roaming therapy team providing expertise and assessment to the daily Discharge Hub, escalation areas and medically fit wards where therapy needs are impacting discharge. They will support timely, safe and effective discharge planning by identifying barriers to discharge, undertaking comprehensive assessments and working collaboratively with patients, carers, ward teams and external agencies to achieve the best possible outcomes.

Main duties of the job
Working autonomously within their professional scope of practice, the post holder will manage a complex caseload, undertaking detailed assessments, applying advanced clinical reasoning and developing individualised treatment and discharge plans. They will contribute to positive risk management discussions and provide expert advice to support decision making within multidisciplinary teams.

The post holder will work closely with ward-based therapists to provide joint assessments, support complex cases and promote effective use of therapy resources across the organisation. They will provide clinical support, supervision and teaching to Band 5 therapists, therapy support workers and students, contributing to workforce development and the delivery of high-quality therapy services.

The role includes participation in seven-day services and, where appropriate, professional on-call rotas. The post holder will contribute to service development, audit, quality improvement and evidence-based practice initiatives, acting as a role model for professional standards, patient-centred care and collaborative working across UHN.

The post holder will deputise for the lead therapist for day to day operational management tasks as required

About us
Please submit your application as soon as possible, as we reserve the right to close adverts once sufficient applications have been received.

We recognise that AI tools can support application writing; however, candidates are asked to keep their use to a minimum. Responses should reflect your own experience, skills and knowledge, as over-reliance on AI-generated content may result in generic answers that do not accurately represent your abilities.

University Hospitals of Northamptonshire (UHN) brings together Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust. As a group, we are committed to improving services for our communities through collaboration, modernising care delivery and striving for excellence. Working together enables us to share expertise, strengthen services and create greater opportunities, and there may be a requirement to work across sites depending on service needs.

Our Excellence Values are Compassion, Accountability, Respect, Integrity and Courage. UHN welcomes applications from all backgrounds and is committed to an inclusive working environment. We are proud signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant and hold the Gold Award under the Employer Recognition Scheme. Candidates who identify as members of the Armed Forces community and meet the essential criteria will be guaranteed an interview.

Details
Date posted: 18 September 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 6
Salary: £39,959 to £48,117 a year
Per Annum pro rata
Contract: Fixed term
Duration: 4 months
Working pattern: Full-time, Part-time, Flexible working
Reference number: 264-8270458-CSS
Job locations: University Hospitals of Northamptonshire, Northamptonshire, Kettering, NN16 8UZ, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities
Please see attached job description and personal specification for full details of the role and responsibilities.

Person Specification
Education, Training and Qualifications
Essential

• Educated to HCPC Registered Physiotherapist/Occupational Therapist level or equivalent level of education, training or experience
• Evidence of Post graduate CPD, including attendance at recent relevant post graduate learning events

Desirable

• Member of CSP/RCOT

Knowledge and Experience
Essential

• Ability to work across 7 day service and where appropriate participate in the overnight on-call rota (adults, children and young people)
• Relevant experience working within the NHS environment.
• Education of other MDT members.
• Up to date with professional practice and research
• Understanding of clinical governance and its implication for services including quality and audit.
• Understanding of legal responsibilities.
• Experience of deputising for Senior staff. Working in a multi-disciplinary setting.
• Ability to comprehend and work within the Trusts policies
• Broad post-registration experience across acute inpatient, rehabilitation and discharge planning services, including management of patients with complex clinical and functional needs

Desirable

• Knowledge of community-based therapy services and services that external partners offer.
• Membership of Interest Groups relevant to clinical interest

Skills
Essential

• Recent experience within an Acute inpatient therapy setting.
• Good clinical knowledge base of physiotherapy/occupational within the acute setting.
• Good knowledge of the role of Physiotherapy/Occupational Therapy in Effective Discharge planning from the Acute setting.
• Able to present information written and orally in a clear and logical manner
• Able to demonstrate good organisational and delegation skills.
• Proven flexible working practices. Be able to cope with demands of a busy department including prioritisation.
• Be a car driver or able to travel between trusts and where appropriate respond within 45 minutes when responding to oncalls (24 hours)

Desirable

• Able to assist others in learning.
• Able to motivate others and take the lead as necessary.
• Ability to organise training.
• Evidence of participation in research / audit

Key Competencies, Personal Qualities and Attributes
Essential

• Passionate and committed to bring our Dedicated to Excellence values to life, improving the way we work with each other, particularly focusing on empowerment, equality diversity and inclusion of our staff, patients and service users
• Flexibility and adaptable; able to respond effectively to service demands
• Compassionate and empathetic; with a strong commitment to person centred care
• Self-motivated, proactive and able to work independently with minimal supervision
• Resilient, with the ability to manage pressure and challenging situation constructively

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship
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 (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

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 (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details
Employer name: Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Address: University Hospitals of Northamptonshire, Northamptonshire, Kettering, NN16 8UZ, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.kgh.nhs.uk/working-for-us

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist, Neeha Uddin, neeha.uddin@nhs.net, 01536493434