County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
Highly Specialist Healthcare Science Practitioner
The closing date is 04 June 2025
We are seeking an enthusiastic and highly motivated Highly Specialist Healthcare Science Practitioner / Highly Specialist Cardiac Physiologist / Clinical Scientist / Echocardiographer to work as part of our friendly team providing a diagnostic Cardiology and Respiratory service to both in-patients and out-patients. We welcome suitable applicants looking for either full-time or part-time work. The principal hospitals within County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust are Darlington Memorial Hospital, The University Hospital of North Durham, Bishop Auckland Hospital, and Shotley Bridge Hospital. The Cardiology & Respiratory Investigations Units comprise a team of approximately 40 staff who provide a broad range of invasive and non-invasive procedures including echocardiography, stress echocardiography, trans-oesophageal echocardiography, diagnostic angiography, pacing implant / follow-up, complex device follow-up, tilt testing, and nerve conduction studies.
We are committed to providing learning and development opportunities; we actively encourage and support all appropriate professional development. The hospital base for this post is Darlington Memorial Hospital.
Main duties of the job
The successful candidate will work as part of a team in the busy Cardio-Respiratory departments. They will be highly specialist in echocardiography and will have a responsibility for delivering the highest quality echocardiography services within their designated team. They will work closely with colleagues to ensure that protocols and procedures meet local and national requirements for good practice and service delivery. They will perform a range of cardiac and other physiological investigations, produce evidence-based clinical reports, provide training to other healthcare professionals and students, supervise junior staff, and deputise for more senior staff as needed.
About us
If you are being interviewed, you must accept an interview slot in the system to continue, even if you have arranged with the manager.
You must be able to produce ALL certificates stated as essential in the person specification or you will not be able to complete pre-employment checks.
We provide hospital services from two acute sites - Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham. We also have a centre for planned care in Bishop Auckland and provide care from community hospitals in Chester-le-Street, Shotley Bridge, Barnard Castle, Sedgefield, and Weardale, as well as over 80 other community-based settings and care in patients' homes.
We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates, as these groups are currently under-represented.
From April 1, 2024, we are unable to offer sponsorship for healthcare roles that do not meet the minimum salary. If you are in the UK on a VISA, please ensure you have no restrictions that would prevent you from taking this post.
Full Job Descriptions can be found in the adverts supporting documents.
Job responsibilities
The candidate will independently perform a range of cardiac and physiological investigations, specialising in echocardiography, and will derive clinical reports from highly specialist diagnostic procedures. They must have experience working in a Cardiac Investigations department at Band 6 level and have achieved the minimum academic qualifications in the Person Specification. They must be registered on the RCCP / AHCS / HCPC or be on the AHCS Specialist Echocardiography Register and be working towards Practitioner Training Programme equivalence.
They must also hold a current certificate in Immediate Life Support or be willing to undertake this within the first 6 months.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* BSc (Hons) Healthcare Science: Cardiac Physiology or MSc Clinical Science (Cardiac Science) or equivalent, with acceptance onto AHCS/ RCCP / HCPC professional register.
* Or BSc in a relevant Scientific subject and on AHCS Specialist Echocardiography Register and working towards Practitioner Training Programme Equivalence.
* British Society of Echocardiography Adult Accreditation or equivalent.
* Immediate Life Support (or willing to undertake this within the first 6 months of employment).
Special Skills & Knowledge
* Specialist in the field of echocardiography, able to provide clinical advice to a range of healthcare professionals, as well as patients and carers.
* Ability to provide operational leadership for echocardiography.
* Organizational skills.
* Experience of involvement in research/audit programs.
* Ability to audit and supervise the work of others.
* Ability to prioritise workload.
* Good communication skills, written and verbal.
* In-depth knowledge of pathologies relevant to Cardiology.
* Ability to analyse complex information, interpret results, and provide accurate reports to medical staff and other healthcare professionals within primary and secondary care.
* Able to provide advice to clinicians.
* Ability to assess patient condition and seek expert assistance when required.
* Ability to train other staff of all levels and act as mentor.
* Ability to liaise with other staff both in primary and secondary care.
* Able to manage resources within budgetary limits and service requirements.
* Presentation skills.
* Able to use evidence-based practice to ensure quality standards.
Statutory Registration
* Registered with RCCP, AHCS, or HCPC, or on the AHCS Specialist Echocardiography register and working towards Practitioner Training Programme equivalence.
Experience
* Significant experience in echocardiography with highly specialist knowledge.
* Experience at specialist level (Band 6 level) or equivalent.
* Experience working within a Cardiac investigations unit.
* Experience of a broad range of diagnostic procedures within Cardiology.
* Experience of audit and quality assurance programs.
* Experience of training staff from various disciplines.
* Experience of stress echocardiography / trans-oesophageal echocardiography.
* Experience of supervising staff teams.
* Experience of service development and change management.
* Participation in local, regional, and national professional meetings and conferences.
* Able to work in various clinical environments.
* Experience of implementing and reviewing new services.
* Experience of budget management.
Special Requirements
* Able to travel across Trust sites to meet the requirements of the post.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975, and a disclosure check will be required to check for any previous criminal convictions.
County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
£46,148 to £52,809 per year, pro-rata
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