Apprentice Assistant Practitioner

As an organisation we recognise the value of a healthy work-life balance. When applying, speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate flexible working, so your work life fits around your home life.

We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates as they are under-represented within the Trust.

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Job overview

We are looking for a motivated and caring individual to join our Speech & Language Therapy and Nutrition & Dietetics teams at Bristol Royal Infirmary as an Apprentice Assistant Practitioner!

This is an exciting opportunity to develop your healthcare career, gaining hands-on clinical experience while completing a fully funded Level 5 Foundation Degree apprenticeship over two years (starting Autumn 2026).

You will work in our fast-paced “front door” services (Emergency Department and Assessment Units), supporting patients with communication and nutritional needs as part of a multidisciplinary team.

• A fully funded Level 5 Foundation Degree
• 4 days clinical experience and 1 dedicated study day per week
• Support from experienced clinicians and regular supervision
• A pathway to a Band 4 Assistant Practitioner role, subject to successful completion and required performance

Eligibility Criteria

To apply, you must:

• Be aged 18+
• Have lived in the UK/EEA for the past 3 years
• Have legal right to work in the UK for the duration of the apprenticeship (relevant visas must permit work and study)
• Not be on another government-funded programme
• Not hold a qualification in the same subject at the same level or above
• Hold GCSE Maths and English (Grade C/4 or above) & a Level 3 qualification (e.g. NVQ, RQF Level 3, A-level or equivalent)

This apprenticeship requires independent study outside working hours. You must be able to manage both work and study commitments.

• Undertake nutritional and dysphagia risk screening (e.g. MUST) and escalate concerns appropriately
• Support patients to meet their nutritional needs, following dietary and dysphagia guidance
• Assist patients with communication difficulties under the guidance of Speech & Language Therapists
• Contribute to the safe management of special diets and food allergies
• Support the implementation and review of patient care and therapy plans
• Maintain stock levels of patient information resources
• Work closely with the multidisciplinary team to support patient care and discharge planning

Working for our organisation

Anonymous information will be used from your application in order to ensure we’re meeting our pledge.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For a full overview of the Job Description, please refer to the PDF Job Description attached as an additional document to this advert

Patient Care:

At all times works within department protocols and procedures under the direct supervision to implement patient treatment plans.

Reports to supervisor daily about the clinical care of individual patients.

Following competency training, undertake delegated tasks to monitor & review patient treatment/therapy plans.

Champion the importance of mouth care for patients with dysphagia.

Ensures height and weights, nutrition risk screening of referred patients are recorded & promote importance of the accuracy of these measurements.

Assists and undertakes the completion of food record charts for individual patients.

Carry out computerised dietary analysis of food record charts.

Helps patients choose suitable meals, from the hospital menu and suggest alternatives when appropriate.

Reviews and monitors dietary intake of individual patients and compares to individual oral nutrition support care plan and supports patients in meeting their nutritional requirements

Records test results for individual patients, this will require use of electronic systems.

Helps with discharge arrangements for patients, including practical assistance sourcing patient information leaflets, nutritional supplements, and formatting of reports/ letters.

Be responsible for ensuring that you complete accurate and comprehensive patient records in line with departmental and Trust procedures.

Person specification

Education and Qualifications

• GCSE grade A- C (grade 4 and above) or equivalent in Maths and English
• Level 3 qualification ie A levels grade D & above / NVQ3 / T Level
• Willingness to study to undertake level 5 qualification foundation degree

• Completion of Care Certificate
• Basic food hygiene

Knowledge and experience

• Experience of working with people, able to demonstrate calm, caring patient manner / attitude
• Ability to work in a variety of situations
• Experience of team working
• Experience of working as a healthcare support worker or similar, demonstrate an awareness of healthcare work
• Knowledge of different cultures, religions and ethnic groups

Skills and abilities

• Effective communication skills, spoken and written
• Time management
• Ability to prioritise
• Good IT skills including Microsoft packages
• Able to complete appropriate documentation accurately
• Ability to work co-dependently
• Self-motivated
• Able to recognise own limitations
• Be able to speak fluent English to an appropriate standard

• Familiarity with computerised administration and ordering systems

• As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application to ensure we’re meeting our pledge.
• The Trust is committed to investing in and caring for all our staff. We will support you in maintaining and improving your health and wellbeing, as well as your career development through management and training support - developing exceptional people for exceptional careers.
• UHBW is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults.
• To comply with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016 all applicants must be able to speak fluent English to an appropriate standard which will be assessed at Interview.
• If you require sponsorship for a visa to work in the UK, to avoid disappointment, please check to ensure you are eligible under the UKVI points based system.
• The Trust uses electronic new starter forms on Trac to collect personal details. Information collected is securely stored and used to set up the employee record on the ESR HR system.
• By applying for this post, you are agreeing to University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are offered a job, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.
• Please be aware of scams – unless specified above, we will only communicate with you via @recruit.trac.jobs or nhs.net e-mails and we will never ask you for any payments.

IMPORTANT:

Please note that if you apply for a position with this Trust, you may be contacted via Trac or via email. This includes invites for job interviews. We therefore recommend that you regularly check your Trac account and email accounts. We may also contact you by texting the mobile number, if provided, on the application form.

Due to the high number of applications that are received for some posts we may close this vacancy before the advertised closing date. Therefore, please apply for this post as soon as you can, if you are interested and you meet the requirements of the Person Specification

Only those candidates who clearly demonstrate how they meet the person specification will be shortlisted for this job.

As a guide interviews should usually take place within 3 weeks of the closing date.

When providing employment reference details, please provide correct work-related email addresses so references can be sought promptly when we are looking to progress your application. Your referee must all be known to you in a line manager or professional lead capacity.