Job overview
This is an excellent opportunity for a Senior Paediatric Audiologist to join our team.
We are a community-based, consultant-led 2nd tier NHS paediatric audiology service working across 3 sites covering Barnet and Enfield. The post involves rotation across all 3 sites which include: Edgware Community Hospital, Oak Lane Clinic (East Finchley) and St Michael's hospital (Enfield).
We are looking for innovative, passionate team players to help us continue our provision of an excellent paediatric Audiology service.
This role includes full diagnostic assessments to an array of children, liaising with a number of multi-professionals both in community and other hospitals, via reports and emails to ensure our patients get the best holistic care possible.
Our patient demographic includes children aged from 6 months-18 years with varying levels of complexity, from a culturally diverse population with multi-ethnic, bilingual and multilingual speaking communities as is the case across London.
Main duties of the job
Please see the Job Description and the Persons Specification for further details about the job role. If you are unable to access the PDF, the details of the job description can also be found in the 'Detailed Job Description and Main responsibilities' section.
Please note we are a 2nd tier service and do not provide auditory habilitation/rehabilitation
Working for our organisation
Whittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the way we look after our staff. We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief. The Trust believes that as a public sector organisation we have an obligation to have recruitment, training, promotion and other formal employment policies and procedures that are sensitive to these differences. We think that by doing so, we are better able to treat our patients as well as being a better place to work.
The post holder will be part of the multi-disciplinary team responsible for the provision of a wide range of Audiology services across Whittington Health.
The post holder will ensure that a consistently high quality, complex and sophisticated clinical service is provided, meeting the highest national and international standards. This includes maintaining continuous professional development, clinical supervision and training of junior members of staff, working autonomously, managing own caseload and demonstration of initiative.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
MAIN DUTIES
Clinical Duties:
To work in providing a child-led, family focused service ensuring our patients are provided with clinical excellence in a holistic manner.
To lead clinics independently and undertake a full range of specialised audiological assessments for children of all ages. This includes; taking an appropriate medical history, conducting age/developmentally appropriate test battery and to problem solve inconsistent or erroneous findings. Explaining the results to the patients and their families, formulating patient management plans and ensuring this is communicated to relevant health care or other professionals.
Maintain empathy and rapport with the patient throughout the appointment and during testing to maximise the quality of test results and minimise patient anxiety including identifying the relevant concerns of the patient, any family at the end of the test session, discussing the care plan for any further management.
Communication:
To communicate verbally, face-to-face and on the telephone, and in writing with children and families ensuring that the information is age appropriate for the child.
To communicate with children and families through interpreters where necessary.
To deal with telephone queries from parents, carers, other departments within the hospital, other hospitals, health care workers, primary care workers, medical staff, social services and Education Department appropriately.
To explain complex information in a clear and concise manner.
Research, Development and Education:
To keep up-to-date with developments in-field and ensure appropriate changes are incorporated into patient care. To monitor national and international developments in the field of Paediatric Audiology, in conjunction with the Service Lead and to develop departmental policies to ensure that evidence-based practice is implemented.
To participate in mandatory staff training sessions.
To attend and participate in team monthly meetings. To bring innovative ideas to help bring positive changes to improve our clinics and provision of hearing health care to all our patients.
To disseminate acquired course knowledge to other team members.
To be responsible for completing student’s/ apprenticeship’s log books.
To supervise the work of trainee, junior and assistant audiologists and provide guidance and support in audiological techniques to trainees studying for professional examinations.
Management and general responsibilities:
To ensure incidents are reported and logged appropriately. To train staff around logging incidents, and remain up- to-date on incident reporting procedures, and disseminate the same to the team and service lead.
To ensure all patients are seen in compliance with Trust policies in an environment that upkeeps the highest levels of health and safety. On a daily basis this involves an active awareness of good hygiene, to prevent the spread of MRSA and other infectious diseases especially in the use of clinical equipment used for otoscopy and tympanometry. Also involved is maintaining an awareness of fire safety and emergency procedures, and ensuring the department fulfils all general health and safety protocols.
To undertake other duties with the Audiology Team as directed by Clinical Service Manager agreed by the post holder.
To participate in any relevant training to further skills and knowledge as directed by the (Line) Service Manager, Paediatric Audiological Physician and Trust Policies.
To participate in regular appraisals with Service manager/Chief Audiologist, highlighting development and training needs in a professional development plan.
Person specification
Essential
Essential criteria
1. Relevant BSc/equivalent and practical qualification
2. Professional registration
3. Evidence of CPD
Desirable criteria
4. Post graduate qualification
5. Membership of BSA/BAA
6. BSL Qualifications
Skills
Essential criteria
7. Competent at performing a full range of Audiological tests on children
8. Ability to communicate effectively with parents/carers/children
9. Ability to communicate effectively and appropriately with patients who learning and social communication difficulties
10. Good interpersonal skills
11. Ability to use Auditbase, Microsoft Word, Powerpoint and Excel
Desirable criteria
12. Familiar with Smart4hearing
Personal qualities
Essential criteria
13. Able to show understanding and empathy
14. Ability to work co-operatively within a team
15. Flexible, reliable and patient
16. Dedicate to improving Audiology services for children and families
Desirable criteria
17. Leading audits
SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN AND ADULTS
To comply with the Trust’s Safeguarding Children and Adults policies, procedures and protocols. All individual members of staff (paid or unpaid) have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults This will require you to:
18. Ensure you are familiar with and comply with the London Child Protection Procedures and protocols for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young people.
19. Ensure you are familiar and comply with the London Multi Agency Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults Pan London Procedures.
20. Ensure you are familiar and comply with local protocols and systems for information sharing.
21. Know the appropriate contact numbers and required reporting lines.
22. Participate in required training and supervision.
23. Comply with required professional boundaries and codes of conduct
Whittington Health is committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.