Lead Echocardiographer Clinical scientist

Job responsibilities

Clinical

Support the medical team by providing highly specialised and advanced procedures within the echocardiography service.

• Develop and maintain clinical pathway/protocols and ensure they reflect national guidance and development of knowledge base
• Performs (on a daily basis) highly specialised cardiac investigations, interprets the results investigations include but are not limited to:
  • Echocardiography
  • Performs, or supports TOE & Stress Echo

• The post holder is required to have a high level of clinical skill, with the ability to quickly assess and evaluate patients, recognising and responding to the adult who is critically ill without delay and supporting the team to meet their needs.
• Produces factual reports to clinicians in order to facilitate patient care. These reports are prepared and issued without being checked by a clinician and often have significant influence on patient care and management.
• Calibration and quality assurance checks are performed on a broad range of equipment to ensure the accuracy and validity of the results obtained.
• Assists (when required) with basic personal care duties such as helping patients to dress/undress for a variety of procedures.
• To assess and monitor Risk in own and others practice acting on results thereby ensuring safe delivery of care.
• Maintain confidentiality at all times.

Scientific

• To be responsible for the safe use of complex and expensive equipment e.g. ultrasound equipment.
• To assess and adapt clinical techniques following assessment for each procedure to meet the individual needs of the patient.
• To be responsible for quality assurance of the routine and specialised tests within the department, including external assessment, internal monitoring and taking corrective action where the need is identified.
• To disseminate highly complex scientific knowledge, gained through private study and research and development projects, by peer reviewed publications and presenting to large groups at local and national meetings.
• To initiate, participate in and supervise local and national research projects and audits within the department, to achieve improved clinical governance.
• To possess the I.T. skills required for:
• Microsoft Office for report writing, audit and data management and presentations e.g. word-processing, spreadsheets development, PowerPoint.
• Statistical packages for analysing scientific and clinical data, e.g. SPSS, Stata.
• Laboratory computer system for entering, retrieving, and validating results.
• Online databases for literature searches.

Managerial/Leadership

• Support the Clinical service manager in achieving long-term objectives of the department and its strategic direction including devising and revising COPs and guidelines as needed.
• Deputise for the Clinical service manager for echocardiography science services in their absence.
• To oversee the quality of the echocardiography science services and ensure all the protocols/procedures are followed and all work correctly documented/recorded. Have knowledge of accreditation and certification standards required for delivery of echocardiography science services.
• Ensure good communication and efficient performance within the department by actively participating in regular operational meetings.
• Participate in the competency-based assessments and training of junior staff within the team. To ensure areas of concern in the clinical and operational performance of staff within the team are identified and reported to the Clinical service manager.
• To be responsible for implementation of National, Trust and Departmental policies within the Department. Responsible for producing local and regional policies within broad professional and NHS guidelines, which will lead to changes in working practice for the Department and result in improved performance.
• To maintain a high personal standard of professional practice and behaviour to meet the required professional standards (e.g. HCPC, IQIPS (UKAS)) and encourage others within the team and under your supervision to do likewise.
• Work flexibly covering the work of colleagues during peak periods or absence.
• Responsible for the transfer of new technologies, tests or testing methods into routine diagnostic service.
• To ensure that the IT systems and clinical technology is appropriate for the needs of the Department for data entry, spread sheets and report writing.
• To recognise the opportunities to plan and initiate cost improvements and income generation schemes via service reviews and audits.
• To interpret national and international relevant policies for disease testing and standardise validation practise in the department.
• Ensure that appraisal and personal reviews for allocated staff are completed. Participate in the recruitment of staff.
• To be actively involved in departmental quality groups and pro-active in the sharing of good practice.
• To make proposals for, assist and/or lead in the implementation of changes in working practice as agreed by departmental working groups.

Research and Development

• Required to take a lead role in research and audit, clinical audit and evaluation of equipment.
• Presentation of results at local, regional or international level may be required.
• Responsibility for maintaining personal development by keeping up to date with recent advances in the profession, by attending relevant courses./educational events and by reading appropriate literature.

Training

• To identify own personal needs to work at advanced levels and beyond and take appropriate action to ensure that these needs are met.
• To assist with the development of the role and succession planning.

Qualification and Professional Training

Essential

• BSC in Clinical Physiology (Cardiology) or equivalent APEL and ONC, plus HNC in Medical Physics and Physiological Measurement (MPPM)
• Master level degree or equivalent qualification in Healthcare Science
• Accreditation with BSE or BHRS
• Membership of the Society for Cardiological Science and Technology (MSCST)
• HCPC registered

Desirable

• Intermediate Life Support
• Mary Seacole NHS Leadership Award or equivalent
• DClinSci or PhD

Experience and Knowledge

Essential

• Extensive post graduate experience in a wide range of cardiac physiology related topics
• Extensive experience in a formal leadership role within an NHS Hospital Trust
• Experience as an independent practitioner across the range of routine and specialised investigations and therapeutic interventions, such as but not limited to a) 3d Echo b)Stress echo and TOE
• Evidence of communicating specialist information to key stakeholders including clinicians
• Evidence of leading clinical research and audit
• Developing and implementing training packages
• Experience with leading multidisciplinary teams

Desirable

• Experience with governance, QA and/or complaint management
• Experience of planning and developing specialist services including contributing toward local and national policies
• Experience of developing service plans, business cases and cost improvement plans
• Experience of Improving Quality in Physiological Services (IQIPS) accreditation process

Skills and Abilities

Essential

• Day-to-day local rota management
• Comprehensive leadership and management abilities
• Self-disciplined and self-motivated
• Ability to manage and lead team in emergency situations
• Ability to engage the team and develop changes in working practices including research and audit
• IT competency
• Evidence to demonstrate continual professional development
• Excellent communication skills written and verbal
• Excellent analytical and influencing skills
• Able to prioritise workload as changes occur and to simultaneously focus on a particular task to meet set deadlines
• To be able to assist patients to dress and undress
• To be able to push, maneuver and assist patients to transfer from wheelchair to examining couch
• To be able to deal sensitively with anxious patients and relatives attending the department for tests and to answer patient complaints/ queries.
• To be able to deal with occasional exposure to distressing circumstances
• To be able to deal with and advise on personal and professional staff issues.
• To be able to apply concentration in the interpretation and analysis of test data and results, together with a high level of concentration during patient test procedures.
• To be able to concentrate for prolonged periods when producing service reports, business cases and planning.

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Professional manner
• To demonstrate the ability to work autonomously, lead and organise a team of staff.
• To be able to combine the demands of leading a team with the commitment to clinical input
• Ability to form positive working relationships
• To demonstrate the ability to facilitate changes in practice
• To demonstrate the ability to facilitate changes in practice
• Good previous health record

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).