About this role
Job summary
Join an exciting new service launching on 1 September 2026 and help shape the future of care closer to home.
We are looking for enthusiastic Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists to join our new countywide Home First service. This is an exciting opportunity to work within an innovative multidisciplinary team supporting people to recover, regain independence and remain safely in their own homes following hospital discharge.
Working across acute, community and home settings, you will provide timely assessment, rehabilitation and intervention for adults with a range of physical, functional and rehabilitation needs. You will play a key role in supporting safe discharge planning, admission avoidance and preventing unnecessary hospital readmissions, whilst working closely with health, social care and voluntary sector partners.
This role offers the opportunity to work in a dynamic and supportive environment where you can develop your clinical skills, influence patient outcomes and contribute to the successful delivery of a new integrated service designed to improve patient flow and independence across Gloucestershire.
This role will be part of a rota working weekends and also in-reaching to our acute hospitals to improve patient transitions from hospital to home.
Main duties of the job
As a member of the Home First team, you will assess, plan, deliver and evaluate rehabilitation and therapy interventions for adults within acute, community and home settings, supporting individuals to maximise independence and achieve their goals.
You will manage a varied clinical caseload, undertaking holistic assessments, risk assessments and treatment planning for people with a range of physical, neurological, orthopaedic, medical and rehabilitation needs. Working autonomously and alongside the multidisciplinary team, you will support safe and timely discharge planning, admission avoidance and the prevention of unnecessary hospital readmissions.
The role involves providing rehabilitation, equipment assessment, advice and education to patients, carers and partner organisations, whilst ensuring accurate clinical records and outcome measures are maintained.
You will contribute to clinical governance, quality improvement, audit and service development activities, whilst maintaining high professional standards and evidence-based practice. The post holder will also support and supervise therapy assistants, students and other learners as appropriate, contributing to workforce development and the delivery of high-quality patient-centred care.
The successful candidate will be flexible, proactive and committed to helping people remain independent within their own homes while working within a fast-paced, developing service operating across a 7-day model.
About us
We have a skilled and dedicated workforce of over 5000 colleagues working in a diverse range of services over 55 sites and within people's homes. We strive to enable a welcoming workplace culture that builds and celebrates civility, inclusivity and diversity, while providing a sense of belonging and trust.
Annual staff surveys, regular Pulse surveys and other engagement opportunities provide our people with lots of opportunity to tell us about their experiences of working with us. In the latest staff survey, 61% of colleagues gave us their views. It was great to hear that:
72% of colleagues would recommend the Trust as a place to work, ranking us 1st for Provider Trusts in the South West region on this question. 76% would recommend the standard of care provided in our services if a friend or relative needed treatment, also ranking us 1st in the South West region. 81% said that care of patients and service users is the Trust's priority, compared with an average in comparable NHS Trusts in England of 64%.
This high-level overview shows we are in a healthy position, with higher scores than average for comparable organisations, alongside a great response rate, indicating good staff engagement. However, we also know we have plenty of room for improvement in many areas. To that end, we continue to prioritise and invest in our commitment to genuinely becoming a Great Place to Work with consistent top-quartile performance in the annual staff survey and Pulse surveys.
Job description Job responsibilities
The qualification, training & experience requirements for the role are underlined in the Job Description/Person Specification.
The Trust aims to recruit and retain the best possible staff who, through the application of their skills, qualification and experience, will make a positive contribution to our business of providing quality health care services. It is the Trusts view that the costs associated with moving house in order to take up a post with us should not restrict our ability to recruit the excellent people we need; therefore, we support staff to relocate with our relocation policy.
This post requires the post holder to be able to undertake all statutory and mandatory training and post holders must be able to undertake physical interventions. Fitness for physical intervention will be assessed by Occupational Health.
To ensure you fully understand how the Trust, as a Data Controller, will process and store your data please read the attached document Applicant and Staff Privacy Notice prior to applying for the role.
Candidates for any staff appointment shall, when making application, disclose in writing to the Trust whether they are related to any governor. Failure to disclose such a relationship may disqualify a candidate and, if appointed, may render them liable to dismissal.
Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust are proud to have been recognised as a Veteran Aware Trust, evidencing the provision of the best care for Veterans and driving to improve the care for veterans and their families. Find out more about this by clicking on the link at the right-hand side, titled Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance.
At Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust, we are supportive of the people we care for in the community and aim to provide a fully responsive service to everyone who needs it. This is
the same approach we take for our employees. We look to value the skills and experiences of those we work with, whether they are service users, carers, families or those looking to work with us.
Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust is part of the NHS. We treat NHS patients according to NHS principles and standards. The difference is the Trust is accountable to local people, rather than to Government, and so we are able to work closely with our community to develop services in the way that best suits the needs of local people.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
HCPC Registration as an Occupational Therapist or Physiotherapist. Degree/Diploma in Occupational Therapy or Physiotherapy.
Desirable
Membership of relevant professional body (e.g. CSP). Moving and Handling training.
Skills & Experience Essential
Experience undertaking therapy assessments, rehabilitation and interventions. Experience working within community, acute or rehabilitation settings. Knowledge of discharge planning, rehabilitation and admission avoidance. Experience working independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team. Experience supervising, supporting or developing support staff and students.
Desirable
Experience working as a registered practitioner for 18 months or more. Experience of Home First, frailty or community rehabilitation services.
Personal Attributes Essential
Ability to work under pressure and manage competing priorities. Ability to use initiative and work autonomously. Ability to participate in weekend and bank holiday working. Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle.
Desirable
Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills.
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).
Employer details Employer name Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
Address Edward Jenner Court
Pioneer Avenue
Gloucester
GL3 4AW
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.ghc.nhs.uk/who-we-are/jobs/ (Opens in a new tab)