Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust

Apprentice Occupational Therapy Assistant Practitioner

The closing date is 27 July 2025

Job summary

This role is offered on an Apprenticeship Contract basis. The hours are full-time, 37.5 hours per week.

Progress your career and become a qualified Assistant Practitioner

This is a very exciting opportunity within Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust to train as a qualified Assistant Practitioner by completing the Level 5 Assistant Practitioner Apprenticeship standard, Occupational Therapy Pathway.

During the two-year programme the Apprentice Assistant Practitioner will continue to deliver service and care within Community Neurology Service Team. As part of the apprenticeship, there is an expectation for weekly attendance to the University of Worcester and completion of assignments and assessments to gain and embed clinical skills and knowledge, to meet specific clinical competencies and learning outcomes, under the support and direction of practice supervisors and practice assessors.

On successful completion of the apprenticeship the successful apprentice will be able to apply for an Assistant Practitioner position within the Trust.

This opportunity is suitable for candidates who meet specific criteria - please refer to the attached document for guidance on this.

Main duties of the job

To work as an integrated member of the Community Neurology Service to provide rehabilitation programmes to service users in their own homes or within other settings.

To support the Community Neurology Service in the provision of an effective rehabilitation programmes; working within the aims and objectives of the team and the policies and procedures of Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust.

The qualification, training & experience requirements for the role are underlined in the Job Description/Person Specification.

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.

Details

Date posted

22 July 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 3

Salary

£24,937 to £26,598 a year per annum

Contract

Apprenticeship

Duration

24 months

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

327-25-615

Job locations

Edward Jenner Court

1010 Pioneer Avenue

Gloucester

GL3 4AW


Job description

Job responsibilities

You will develop and maintain knowledge, skills and competencies related to the role of an Occupational Therapy Assistant Practitioner through your apprenticeship within the service as well as through completion of the Assistant Practitioner Apprenticeship training programme. This includes working in community care settings, and delivery of direct person-centred care. Whilst undertaking this training you will work within the service as an Assistant Practitioner Apprentice, where your role will reflect your learning.

  • To successfully complete the Assistant Practitioner Foundation Degree Apprenticeship
  • To attend University based activities as set out in the Foundation degree programme
  • To complete and pass academic modules to the required standard in order to progress through the programme
  • To ensure timely achievement in accordance with the academic programme requirements
  • To complete and pass the End Point Assessment

On successful completion of the programme you will be equipped with the appropriate knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours to ensure competence at the point of qualification.

Job description

Job responsibilities

You will develop and maintain knowledge, skills and competencies related to the role of an Occupational Therapy Assistant Practitioner through your apprenticeship within the service as well as through completion of the Assistant Practitioner Apprenticeship training programme. This includes working in community care settings, and delivery of direct person-centred care. Whilst undertaking this training you will work within the service as an Assistant Practitioner Apprentice, where your role will reflect your learning.

  • To successfully complete the Assistant Practitioner Foundation Degree Apprenticeship
  • To attend University based activities as set out in the Foundation degree programme
  • To complete and pass academic modules to the required standard in order to progress through the programme
  • To ensure timely achievement in accordance with the academic programme requirements
  • To complete and pass the End Point Assessment

On successful completion of the programme you will be equipped with the appropriate knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours to ensure competence at the point of qualification.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • GCSE level C/4 or equivalent for Maths and English
  • Level 2 Health & Social care or equivalent experience in healthcare setting

Length and/or nature of Experience

Essential

  • Previous experience of working in an health and/or social care environment.

Professional/Managerial/Specialist Knowledge

Essential

  • Understanding the scope of the role of the Occupational Therapy Assistant Practitioner and/or Occupational Therapy Assistant in context of the team and the organisation
  • Understanding of the demands of studying part-time alongside employment
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • GCSE level C/4 or equivalent for Maths and English
  • Level 2 Health & Social care or equivalent experience in healthcare setting

Length and/or nature of Experience

Essential

  • Previous experience of working in an health and/or social care environment.

Professional/Managerial/Specialist Knowledge

Essential

  • Understanding the scope of the role of the Occupational Therapy Assistant Practitioner and/or Occupational Therapy Assistant in context of the team and the organisation
  • Understanding of the demands of studying part-time alongside employment

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

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Edward Jenner Court

1010 Pioneer Avenue

Gloucester

GL3 4AW


Employer's website

https://www.ghc.nhs.uk/who-we-are/jobs/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Edward Jenner Court

1010 Pioneer Avenue

Gloucester

GL3 4AW


Employer's website

https://www.ghc.nhs.uk/who-we-are/jobs/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

CNS Operational Lead

Anna Kearney

Anna.Kearney@ghc.nhs.uk

03004218809

Details

Date posted

22 July 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 3

Salary

£24,937 to £26,598 a year per annum

Contract

Apprenticeship

Duration

24 months

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

327-25-615

Job locations

Edward Jenner Court

1010 Pioneer Avenue

Gloucester

GL3 4AW


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)