County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
Highly Specialist Healthcare Science Practitioner / Clinical Scientist
The closing date is 27 August 2025
We are seeking an enthusiastic and highly motivated Highly Specialist Healthcare Science Practitioner / 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 when 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 in patients' homes.
We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates, as these groups are currently under-represented.
Full Job Descriptions can be found in the adverts supporting documents.
Over-reliance on AI-generated content is discouraged, as it may diminish the applicant's chances of success.
For the most up-to-date information on visa requirements and eligibility, please check online to determine whether you can apply.
From April 9th, 2025 - Healthcare assistants - You must have a minimum of two years of NHS experience as a HCA for the Trust to consider sponsorship (we will only consider sponsorship if you meet this criterion and have a current visa expiring within 3 months).
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 AHCS or HCPC register or be on the AHCS Specialist Echocardiography Register.
They must also hold a current certificate in Immediate Life Support or be willing to undertake this within the first 6 months.
Person Specification
Special Requirements
* Able to travel across Trust sites to meet the requirements of the post
Experience
* Significant experience in echocardiography with highly specialist knowledge.
* Experience at specialist level (Band 6 level) or equivalent.
* Experience in a Cardiac Investigations Unit.
* Experience of a broad range of diagnostic procedures within Cardiology.
* Experience of audit and quality assurance programmes.
* Experience of training staff from various disciplines.
* Experience of Stress echocardiography / trans-oesophageal echocardiography.
* Experience supervising staff teams.
* Experience of service development and change management.
* Participation in professional meetings and conferences at local, regional, and national levels.
* Able to work in diverse clinical environments.
* Experience of implementing and reviewing new services.
* Experience of budget management.
Qualifications
* BSc (Hons) Healthcare Science: Cardiac Physiology or MSc Clinical Science (Cardiac Science) or equivalent, with acceptance onto AHCS / HCPC register.
* Or BSc in a relevant scientific subject and on the AHCS Specialist Echocardiography Register.
* British Society of Echocardiography Adult Accreditation or equivalent.
* Immediate Life Support certification (or willingness to undertake within 6 months).
Statutory Registration
* Registered with AHCS or HCPC, or on the AHCS Specialist Echocardiography register.
Skills & Knowledge
* Specialist in echocardiography, capable of providing clinical advice to healthcare professionals, patients, and carers.
* Operational leadership in echocardiography.
* Organizational skills.
* Participation in research/audit programmes.
* Ability to supervise and audit others' work.
* Workload prioritisation.
* Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
* In-depth knowledge of cardiological pathologies.
* Ability to interpret complex results and produce accurate reports.
* Ability to advise clinicians.
* Assess patient conditions and seek further assistance when required.
* Training and mentoring skills.
* Resource management within budget constraints.
* Presentation skills.
* Use of evidence-based practices to maintain quality standards.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975. A disclosure check will be required to identify any previous criminal convictions.
County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
£47,810 to £54,710 per annum, pro-rata
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