Band 6 - Senior Respiratory Physiologist, Respiratory Physiology
Main area Respiratory Physiology Grade Band 6 Contract Permanent Hours
* Full time
* Flexible working
37.5 hours per week Job ref 360-A-11114
Department name West Herts - General Staffing Site Watford General Hospital Town Watford Salary £40,617 - £48,778 pa inc. HCA Salary period Yearly Closing 15/03/2026 23:59
Job overview
West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is seeking to appoint one substantive, full-time Band 6 Senior Physiologists in Respiratory Medicine to join our dynamic and supportive Respiratory team. This is an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic Highly Specialised Respiratory Physiologist to join our team in the established Pulmonary Function Unit at West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust. The service provides a range of routine pulmonary function tests, including spirometry, gas transfer, lung volumes (via body plethysmography and Nitrogen washout), reversibility testing and Cardio-Pulmonary Exercise Testing.
The successful post holders will support the Respiratory Physiology Service in delivering high-quality respiratory diagnostics and sleep therapies to the West Hertfordshire population across our three hospital sites.
The role involves close collaboration with colleagues across the wider Respiratory Department, and flexibility to travel between all three Trust sites will be essential to provide service support where required. This is an excellent opportunity for a motivated individual to develop specialist skills within a supportive environment and contribute meaningfully to the delivery and development of Respiratory services.
Main duties of the job
Primary duties and areas of responsibilities:
* The post holder will work closely with clinical staff to provide a high-quality respiratory service across the Trust.
* They will develop, implement, and maintain quality standards within the service.
* The post holder will run independent clinics for the assessment and management of patients with respiratory conditions, including asthma, breathlessness, and sleep disorders.
* Responsibilities include patient diagnosis, treatment planning, and follow-up, requiring a high level of autonomy and clinical expertise.
* The role may involve significant contributions to follow‑up of patients on biologic medications for complex asthma.
* Providing direct advice for patients with mild sleep apnoea, helping to reduce reliance on consultant‑led clinics.
* Supporting and further developing respiratory physiology service.
The post holder will perform a wide range of respiratory investigations, including but not limited to:
* Full lung function testing (spirometry, static lung volume, gas transfer)
* Exercise oximetry (6MWT, cycle ergometry)
* Reversibility testing
* Respiratory muscle testing
* Challenge tests (e.g., Mannitol, exercise‑induced asthma)
* Multichannel home sleep study analysis and reporting
* Assist Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPEX)
Working for our organisation
With a new hospital planned for Watford and work underway to update theatres at St Albans City Hospital, this is an exciting time to join us. We are building on the success of our award‑winning virtual hospital and re‑imaging models of care, working ever more closely with partners and making the most of advances in digital healthcare. Staff wellbeing and development are a priority at our Trust, as is the role of innovation in improving clinical care, outcomes and patient experience.
Our vision is Excellent patient care, together and our values are to be empowered, compassionate, professional and inclusive. They capture an important balance across what we must all do as individuals and to support others.
At West Herts we offer a variety of flexible working options as we recognise the importance of a good work life balance and the ability to work flexibly.
We kindly invite you to consider submitting an application. If you have a disability or long‑term health condition and should you require support or guidance please contact westherts.recruitment@nhs.net. If you are a Service Leaver, Veteran, Military Reserve, Cadet Force Adult Volunteer, or partner/spouse of those serving please tick "Member of the Armed Forces Community" on the application form.
We reserve the right to close this advert early due to the volume of applicants.
If you do not hear back within 3 weeks of your application, please assume you have been unsuccessful on this occasion.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The postholder will independently record, measure, and monitor physiological changes in patients, delivering accurate, reliable, and reproducible results. The post holder will interpret results and produce precise test reports, and sleep studies without direct consultant oversight. This requires significant expertise and the ability to make complex clinical decisions.
The post holder will ensure the safe use of all equipment, perform required calibrations, and organise maintenance updates as necessary.
The post holder will provide support to junior trainees and other healthcare professionals, ensuring safe practice, professional development, and maintenance of high clinical standards. This includes supporting competency assessment, with particular emphasis on spirometry quality assurance, in line with ARTP standards.
Person specification
Education and qualifications
* BSc Clinical Physiology or equivalent
* BLS
* ARTP Parts 1 & 2 or equivalent
* Knowledge of Microsoft Office packages eg PowerPoint, Word, Excel and other IT skills acquired through training and practical experience
* AHCS registration
* ARTP/ ERS membership
Knowledge and experience
* A thorough understanding of respiratory physiology
* Experience as a trained physiologist, with a wide range of abilities in performing and reporting respiratory physiology tests.
* Evidence of continual professional development
* Attendance of professional scientific meetings and training courses.
* Experience of diagnosing and treating OSA
* Previously undertaken research/ audit
West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust provides acute healthcare services to a core catchment population of approximately half a million people living in west Hertfordshire and the surrounding area. The Trust also provides a range of more specialist services to a wider population, serving residents of North London, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and East Hertfordshire.
As an employer of nearly 6,000 people the Trust is one of the biggest employers in the area and sees nearly a million patients each year.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Application numbers
This vacancy may close early if it receives a high number of applications. Please complete and submit your application in good time to avoid disappointment.
If you have problems applying, contact
Address West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust
Recruitment Team
Watford General Hospital
Vicarage Road
Watford
Hertfordshire
WD18 0HB
Telephone 07815425420
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