Therapist (OT or Physio) Role in Post-critical Care Rehabilitation

Job overview

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with us.

Please see below for detailed job description of the role.

Main duties of the job

We have anew and exciting opportunity for a B7 Occupational Therapist or Physiotherapist to develop a new post-critical care rehabilitation service, providing additional rehabilitation to patients as they move onwards from ICU to hospital discharge.

Recovery from critical illness starts in ICU, however, the impact of the ICU experience on both the patient and their family can last for many months. This postholder will lead a team developing and implementing personalised rehabilitation plans (addressing both physical and non-physical goals), working with other members of the MDT, to facilitate discharge and make onward referral to community services as required.

You will work as part of a combined therapy services team delivering patient care across a 7-day service, including weekends and bank holidays, on a roster basis. NB Physiotherapy staff will be part of the acute on-call respiratory rota.

This post is part of the wider Therapy services department. You will have many opportunities to develop new skills and knowledge through our in-service training. You will be part of a large department of over 300 Therapy staff including Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists and Therapy support staff. We have strong links with local Universities and host many student placements within our department.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

We have a new and exciting Band 7 opportunity for either an OT or Physio to lead in post-critical care rehabilitation for patients as they continue on their recovery journey.

There are 75 critical care beds at UHS with approximately 2500 admissions per year. Up to 80% of those experiencing critical illness will report symptoms of post intensive care syndrome (PICS) and it is well documented that continuity of care and a dedicated recovery team can help to address some of these symptoms.

This post will provide support for patients stepping down from the ICU to ward based care; this transition is a significant fracture point in their recovery, when patients and family start to make sense of their critical illness. Information, support and appropriate rehabilitation at this stage can be pivotal in managing ongoing delirium, addressing physical impairments and facilitating a satisfactory quality of life.

This post would suit an OT or Physio, who has a keen interest in rehabilitation and working collaboratively to problem solve with other members of the MDT, in the best interest of the patient.

An important part of this new service will be to collect data to demonstrate the impact of the service to support future growth. Sharing good practice locally and nationally, in addition to educating ward teams about recovery after critical illness is also key aspects of this role.

Please ensure you fulfil all the essential criteria and have read the job description before applying.

For this specific role we need the following skills and/or experience: •    Postgraduate senior skills and experience working in the field of acute critical care, in the NHS or similar. •    For a Physiotherapist this will include established skills in respiratory care, including proven experience in acute respiratory on-call service •    Experience in delivering comprehensive rehabilitation plans for patients with complex multi-pathology, demonstrated by including a personal example in your statement. •    Experience in supervision, teaching, research and audit. •    Clear expressed desire and reasons for leading this project •    A clearly expressed desire to work in UHS Therapy services dept and in this clinical speciality, written as part of your application. •    Experience working in the NHS is desirable. •    As we run a 7-day therapy service, flexibility is needed to work weekends and bank holidays on a rota basis as part of your working pattern.

We actively encourage all potential applicants to contact us to ask any questions you may have.

PLEASE NOTE:  •    Interviews will be held remotely on Teams on 4/8/26 •    Please write application in your own words, keeping information clear and concise. •    We do not accept CV applications •    This post could be offered on a secondment basis. If you are internal, please discuss with therapy manager before applying.

• We reserve the right to close this vacancy based on the number of applications received.

If this post is not for you and you are interested in finding out about other Therapy opportunities, please email [email protected]

We look forward to hearing from you.