Therapy Team Lead – Home First and Frailty Hub: Sponsorship Available

North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust

Job summary

We are seeking two experienced and motivated Therapists with an occupational therapy or physiotherapy qualification to lead the Home First and Frailty Hub therapy team. One post is based at the Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle and one post based at the West Cumberland Infirmary, Whitehaven. Working across A&E, AMU, SDEC and the Frailty Hub, the post holder will provide expert assessment and advanced clinical reasoning to support admission avoidance, reduce length of stay and promote safe discharge home.

This is a leadership role requiring autonomous practice, rapid assessment skills and clinical oversight of patients with a wide range of complex and frailty-related conditions. As Team Lead, you will provide clinical expertise, operational management and professional support, helping to drive service development and quality improvement initiatives in this area. You will work closely with community services, virtual wards, primary care, social care and wider system partners to ensure seamless transitions of care and promote the Home First approach.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will deliver specialist frailty assessments and interventions, undertaking comprehensive evaluations of patients’ functional, cognitive, psychological and social needs to support personalised care planning. They will develop and coordinate rehabilitation and reablement programmes, provide expertise in mobility, falls prevention, equipment provision, environmental adaptation, manual handling, and facilitate timely discharge through Home First and Discharge to Assess pathways. The role requires the ability to manage clinical complexity, including multi-morbidity, fluctuating function, and mental capacity while advocating for patients and supporting positive risk-taking where appropriate.

In addition, the post holder will contribute to workforce development, education and competency assessment, whilst using outcome measures, audit and quality improvement methodologies to support evidence-based practice and the ongoing development of frailty services. Effective communication, partnership working and robust documentation will be essential to maintaining safe, person-centred care across organisational boundaries.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Degree in OT or Physio
  • HCPC Registration
  • Evidence of ongoing CPD / postgraduate development

Desirable

  • Post grad qualification in frailty, rehab or leadership

Knowledge and Experience

Essential

  • oSignificant post-registration experience in frailty, rehabilitation or urgent care
  • oExperience managing complex caseloads and admission avoidance
  • oLeadership and supervisory experience
  • oKnowledge of frailty pathways and integrated care systems
  • oExperience in audit, governance or service improvement
  • oExperience of applying and interpreting outcome measures

Desirable

  • Experience of Home First, D2A or SDEC pathways
  • oPrescribing qualification (if applicable)

Skills and aptitudes

Essential

  • advanced clinical reasoning and risk management
  • excellent communication and influencing skills
  • ability to lead teams and service improvement
  • ability to analyse complex information and make decisions
  • strong organisational and prioritisation skills
  • compassionate value-driven leader
  • resilient, adaptable and proactive
  • collaborative approach to MDT working

Other Requirements

Essential

  • Ability to travel across locality
  • Flexible working inc weekends
  • Commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion

Desirable

  • Driving Licence

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).

Closing Date: 28 August 2026

To apply for this job please visit apps.trac.jobs.