Rehabilitation Exercise Instructor

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has been provided by additional NHSE funding to enhance the rehabilitation of patients within the Level 1a neurorehabilitation wards C2 an L1 at Salford Care Organisation with the introduction of four Rehabilitation and Exercise Instructors.

These roles are part of a ground-breaking redesign of services aimed at improving intensity and effectiveness of rehabilitation.

This multi-faceted role will work within the acute neurorehabilitation Wards C2 and L1, alongside the therapy staff.

They will support the physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists and dieticians, and will be expected to agree and provide a plan of physical activity and nutritional intake to meet each patients' specific needs.

The therapy team on Ward C2 and L1 provide specialist neurorehabilitation to service users who have a wide variety of significant and complex impairments as a result of neurological injury or illness including: traumatic brain injury; acquired brain injury; spinal cord injury; Guillain barre syndrome; multiple sclerosis (MS); infections of the brain, or other inflammatory conditions of the peripheral or central nervous system.

Improving levels of physical activity and offering additional options for rehabilitation with these patients is the key aim for these roles.

We are keen to develop innovative practice and support staff development. The service offers opportunities to engage in apprenticeships should funding become available.

Main duties of the job

The Rehabilitation and Exercise Instructors will work as part of the Allied Health Professionals team of staff on Wards C2 and L1 within the wider multidisciplinary team.

By supporting exercise programmes, use of equipment, and promotion of functional tasks through repetition, the aim is to enhance the intensity of rehabilitation, which in turn will increase and maintain patient strength, progress mobility and prevent deconditioning.

The rehabilitation and exercise instructors will also be provided with training to enable them to support specialist rehabilitation programmes in specific areas such involvement in swallow rehabilitation, working under guidance from the speech and language therapy Team, tasks related to management of weight and weight loss / gain with guidance from dieticians, and cognitive rehabilitation involving functional tasks and games with guidance from the occupational therapy team.

Supporting and motivating the patient to regain as much independence as possible will be key to this role and the job holders will need to be able to encourage and challenge where they meet resistance to change.

Monitoring and maintaining exercise, postural management and seating equipment will also be an important role, along with identifying novel and innovative approaches to use to enhance physical activity

About us

The Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (NCA) provides hospital and integrated health and social care services to over one million people living across Greater Manchester. Our 20,000 colleagues care for people in hospital and in the community, working across Bury, Rochdale, Oldham and Salford, to save and improve lives.

As a large NHS trust we are committed to enhancing the health of our local population by delivering consistently high standards of care and working closely with local authorities and key partners. We believe in our power and potential to make a difference and we're always looking for people who demonstrate our three core values - care, appreciate and inspire - to join our team.

In return, we can offer you a job role with purpose and flexibility. The size and scale of the NCA means we can provide more challenge and opportunities so your career can always be moving in the right direction. By joining us you can also access a competitive benefits package, including, a fantastic annual leave allowance, flexible working opportunities and protected hours for health and wellbeing activities, helping you to achieve more personal downtime and a better work-life balance.

We are currently in process of updating our values. For the latest information around our values and behaviours, please visit our careers website www.careers.northerncarealliance.nhs.uk