Therapy Assistant Needed at Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust (Apply Now)

There is a particular kind of healthcare role that suits someone who trained in exercise science or personal training but has always felt drawn towards clinical work. This opening in Gloucestershire sits right at that intersection. Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust is looking for a Therapy Assistant to join its respiratory service, a county-wide team that was awarded Royal College of Physicians Pulmonary Rehabilitation accreditation in 2025. That accreditation is not just a badge; it signals a service with genuine clinical rigour and a commitment to measurable outcomes.

The role pays between £28,392 and £31,157 per year, placing it within NHS Band 4. It is a full-time position with Skilled Worker visa sponsorship available, which makes it notable for internationally qualified candidates who hold a Level 3 personal training qualification and REPS or CIMSPA registration. Those two requirements are the real gatekeepers here; without them, applications will not progress regardless of any other experience.

What makes this unusual for a therapy support role is the sheer variety of the work. You will be out in the community, visiting patients at home for oxygen assessments, delivering pulmonary rehabilitation in group settings, and completing capillary blood gas assessments. You will need your own vehicle and a valid UK driving licence, which is a non-negotiable requirement. But in return, you get to work across one of England’s more visually striking counties, with clinical supervision throughout and a defined competency framework to help you grow.

Job Overview

What You’d Actually Be Doing

• Delivering pulmonary rehabilitation to patients with chronic respiratory conditions: This is the core of the role. You will be leading or co-delivering structured exercise programmes, mostly in group settings, for adults managing conditions such as COPD, bronchiectasis or pulmonary fibrosis. These patients often have limited mobility and significant breathlessness, so your exercise training background needs to be applied thoughtfully.
• Conducting home oxygen assessments under clinical supervision: The respiratory service manages home oxygen provision across the county. You will be involved in assessing patients in their own homes, including ambulatory oxygen assessments, which means going out into the community regularly.
• Completing capillary blood gas assessments: This is a more advanced clinical skill than many therapy assistant roles include. Training and supervision will be provided, but it signals that the trust expects this role to grow beyond basic support functions.
• Managing breathlessness and supporting breathing pattern disorder clinics: The service runs physiotherapy clinics for patients with breathing pattern disorders and sputum retention issues. You will work alongside physiotherapists and nurses in this area.
• Handling clinical, administrative and audit responsibilities: This is not a purely hands-on role. You will maintain clinical records, contribute to audit processes and use NHS clinical systems, so strong IT and communication skills matter.
• Travelling across Gloucestershire to deliver care: The service is county-wide. You will be driving between locations regularly, so this is very much a community-based, on-the-road position rather than a desk or single-site role.

Who They’re Looking For

Must-haves (essential criteria):

• Level 3 personal training qualification (this is a hard requirement, not a preference)
• Active REPS or CIMSPA registration
• A health and social care qualification or equivalent clinical experience
• Demonstrable experience delivering exercise interventions, whether one-to-one or in group settings
• Strong IT and communication skills
• A valid UK driving licence and access to your own vehicle for business use

Nice-to-haves (desirable criteria):

• Previous experience working in a healthcare setting
• Knowledge of clinical systems used in the NHS
• Experience working with patients who have long-term conditions

If you have the Level 3 qualification and registration but less healthcare experience than you would like, it is worth applying. The service has a comprehensive induction and competency framework in place, and the listing makes clear that learning opportunities are built into the role.

What Most Applicants Get Wrong

1. Applying without fully reading the qualification requirements

The Level 3 personal training qualification and REPS or CIMSPA registration are listed in capital letters on the original job posting. That emphasis is deliberate. Applications that do not clearly evidence both requirements will be screened out before anyone reads the rest of the form. Do not assume that extensive healthcare experience will compensate for a missing qualification on this one.

1. Downplaying the community and driving aspect of the role in the application

Some applicants mention they have a driving licence but say nothing about their comfort with or experience of community-based working. This role involves frequent travel across a large county, often to visit patients in their homes. Demonstrating that you understand and embrace this way of working, rather than treating it as a footnote, will make your application stand out.

1. Treating this as an entry-level exercise role rather than a clinical position

Because the Level 3 personal training qualification is a core requirement, some applicants approach this as though it were a gym instructor role in a clinical setting. It is not. The inclusion of capillary blood gas assessments, oxygen management and NHS clinical auditing means the trust is looking for someone who can develop clinical competencies over time. Your interview answers should reflect an understanding of the clinical environment and a genuine appetite for that growth.

How to Apply (and Actually Get Noticed)

1. Confirm both your Level 3 qualification and REPS or CIMSPA registration are current and valid before you do anything else. If your registration has lapsed, renew it before applying.
2. Visit the official application portal via Trac. The listing number is 7953136. Apply at apps.trac.jobs and create or log in to your NHS Jobs/Trac account.
3. Read the person specification line by line and map every essential and desirable criterion to a specific example from your experience. This is how shortlisting panels work.
4. In your supporting information, address the community nature of the role directly. Explain that you have a valid driving licence, your own vehicle for business use, and that you are comfortable with a role that involves regular travel across a wide area.
5. Highlight any group exercise delivery experience specifically. If you have led exercise classes for mixed fitness levels or for older adults, describe the specifics. This experience is the closest transferable skill to pulmonary rehabilitation delivery.
6. If you have any experience with long-term conditions, even outside a formal clinical setting, include it. Clients with chronic illness in a personal training context is relevant here.
7. If you require Skilled Worker sponsorship, tick the relevant box and state this clearly in your application. The trust has confirmed this is a supported route.
8. Submit before the 21 May 2026 deadline. NHS Trac systems do close applications precisely at the stated time, so do not leave it to the final hour.

Visa and Eligibility

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust has confirmed that applications from candidates requiring Skilled Worker visa sponsorship are welcome and will be assessed on the same basis as all other applications. This is a positive signal for internationally qualified exercise and therapy professionals who meet the Level 3 and REPS or CIMSPA requirements.

If you are applying from outside the UK, you will need to provide criminal record certificates from any country where you have lived for 12 months or more in the past ten years, in line with Home Office requirements since April 2017. This applies to adult dependants accompanying you to the UK as well. The official guidance is available at gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants.

Note that REPS (Register of Exercise Professionals) and CIMSPA (Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity) are UK-specific professional registries. If you hold an equivalent qualification from another country, contact the trust before applying to confirm whether it meets their requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are answers to the most common questions people ask about this Therapy Assistant role at Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust, including eligibility, interview format, visa requirements and what to expect from the application process.

Do I need a healthcare qualification or is the Level 3 personal training certificate enough?

The Level 3 personal training qualification and REPS or CIMSPA registration are both mandatory, but the essential criteria also include a health and social care qualification or equivalent experience. Having only the personal training certificate without any healthcare background may make your application weaker, though the trust does accept equivalent experience in place of a formal health and social care qualification.

Is the driving licence requirement really non-negotiable?

Yes. The listing states that a valid UK driving licence and access to your own vehicle for business purposes are essential requirements. The service operates across the whole of Gloucestershire and community visits are a central part of the role. There is no indication that this requirement can be waived.

What does CIMSPA registration involve and how do I get it?

CIMSPA is the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity, and it is one of the UK’s main professional registers for exercise professionals alongside REPS. To register, you typically need a qualifying Level 3 qualification in personal training. You can apply via the CIMSPA website, and the process involves submitting proof of qualification and agreeing to their code of conduct. If you are internationally qualified, check whether your qualification is recognised before applying for this role.

Will Skilled Worker visa sponsorship cover my family as well?

A Skilled Worker visa can include dependants such as a spouse or partner and children under 18. However, the trust’s sponsorship covers your work visa only; your dependants would need to apply separately under the dependant visa route. Costs and eligibility criteria apply. The UK Visas and Immigration guidance at gov.uk has full details.

What is the interview process likely to look like for this role?

NHS interviews at this trust level typically combine values-based questions with competency and scenario questions. Gloucestershire Health and Care has a commitment to continuous improvement embedded in its culture, so be prepared to discuss a time you identified a problem and worked to make something better, as well as questions about patient safety and working in multidisciplinary teams.

Can I apply if I currently hold a personal training qualification from outside the UK?

The listing specifically requires REPS or CIMSPA registration, both of which are UK bodies. If your international qualification is not currently recognised by either register, you would need to contact REPS or CIMSPA to discuss equivalency before applying, or reach out to the trust’s recruitment team to ask whether international equivalents will be considered.

Is there room for career progression from this Therapy Assistant role?

The listing mentions clinical supervision, a comprehensive induction and competency framework, and access to both in-house and external training. While formal career pathway details are not specified, NHS Band 4 therapy assistant roles typically offer a route toward Band 5 and beyond, particularly if you pursue additional healthcare qualifications alongside the role.

Official Application Link

Apply directly for the Therapy Assistant role at Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust via the Trac NHS jobs portal before the 21 May 2026 closing date.

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