Job summary
As a centre for excellence for Orthopaedic surgery there is an opportunity for a Surgical First Assistant to join our team.
You will work closely with the rest of the team to ensure the delivery of care within our organisation. Providing expert clinical assistance and support to the patient, consultant surgeons, junior medical and theatre staff involved in Orthopaedic surgery.
There are 20 operating theatres at the Freeman Hospital, of which four theatres are designated for elective Orthopaedic lists.
You will need to be a highly organised individual with excellent communication skills. Flexibility will be essential for anyone wishing to apply for this post. An important part of your role will be teaching staff with the MDT so you must have a recognised teaching qualification. You must have a theatre scrub background to be eligible to apply for this post. Freeman Orthopaedic Team have robotic hip and knee replacement facilities. We are also a centre for complex revision and osteosarcoma surgery.
The successful candidate must have the Surgical First Assistant (Advance Scrub Practitioner) qualification to be offered a Band 6. If you do not not have this qualification, there will be an expectation that the course will be completed within 12-18 months of your start date and you would remain on a Band 5 salary until this was completed.
Main duties of the job
- Interview Date: 7 August 2024
-
37 hours 30 minutes/week
- You will be redirected to Trac to apply for the vacancy. Please expand the job details section and read all of the information before applying for the vacancy.
You will have significant Orthopaedic experience. You will be expected to provide expert surgical assistance to Consultant Surgeons, junior medical staff, theatre staff and patients involved in Orthopaedics and to meet the needs of our services to ensure the provision of safe patient-centred care.
Suitable post for an experienced registered nurse / ODP, who has demonstrated a high level of clinical achievement and clinical excellence wishing to expand sphere of skills, responsibilities and influence in specialist area.
About us
Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the busiest, largest and most successful teaching NHS foundation trusts in the country, with around 16,000 staff and an annual income of £1 billion.
We have a long history of providing high quality care, clinical excellence, and innovation in medical research regionally, nationally and internationally.
We're also proud to be the second largest provider of specialised services in the country. This means we support people with a range of rare and complex medical, surgical and neurological conditions, cancers and genetic orders.
Our staff oversee around 2 million patients 'contacts' each year, delivering high standards of healthcare.
Please see attached information on what Staff Benefits we have to offer at our Trust.
We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and recognise the benefit in providing an inclusive environment. We value and respect the diversity of our employees and aim to recruit a workforce which reflects the communities we serve, and is equipped to deliver the best service to our patients. We welcome all applications irrespective of people's race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion or belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Band 5
- Accountable for assessing, planning, delivering and evaluating high quality patient care in the Peri-Operative environment.
- Provide effective support to both patient and carers throughout their care pathway.
- Act as role model, teacher and supervisor for junior staff and students, participating in mentor and preceptorship programmes
- To abide by Trust policies and procedures.
- Provide support for and depending on experience deputise for nurse in charge in their absence.
- Act as patient advocate in accordance with Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Code / Health and Care Professions Council standards of conduct, performance and ethics.
- Work collaboratively as an effective member of MDT.
- Participate in 24 hour on call service when appropriate to role
Band 6
- To provide expert assistance and support to the Consultant Surgeons, junior medical, theatre staff and patients involved in Orthopaedics
Please note it is a requirement of The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that all successful candidates who require a DBS for the post they have been offered pay for their DBS certificate.The method of payment is a salary deduction from your first months pay.
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Band 5
- Accountable for assessing, planning, delivering and evaluating high quality patient care in the Peri-Operative environment.
- Provide effective support to both patient and carers throughout their care pathway.
- Act as role model, teacher and supervisor for junior staff and students, participating in mentor and preceptorship programmes
- To abide by Trust policies and procedures.
- Provide support for and depending on experience deputise for nurse in charge in their absence.
- Act as patient advocate in accordance with Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Code / Health and Care Professions Council standards of conduct, performance and ethics.
- Work collaboratively as an effective member of MDT.
- Participate in 24 hour on call service when appropriate to role
Band 6
- To provide expert assistance and support to the Consultant Surgeons, junior medical, theatre staff and patients involved in Orthopaedics
Please note it is a requirement of The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that all successful candidates who require a DBS for the post they have been offered pay for their DBS certificate.The method of payment is a salary deduction from your first months pay.
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.
Person Specification
Band 5
Essential
- Evidence of achievements and career development in current post and of on-going professional development
- Awareness of current relevant NHS policy context
- Has understanding / experience of adult / child safeguarding
- Basic IT skills
- Relevant and recent clinical experience
- Registered Nurse (appropriate to branch) / ODP
- NMC / HCPC registration
- Diploma / Degree in Nursing / ODP completed or willingness to undertake) or equivalent experience
Desirable
- Meets Nursing and Midwifery Council requirements for mentorship if relevant to role
- Relevant clinical skills relating to the specialty e.g. cannulation, IV drug administration, acting as scrub practitioner
- Previous experience in speciality
Band 6
Essential
- Registered Nurse / Operating Department Practitioner with significant previous clinical experience in major abdominal surgery or NAASP courses to degree / diploma level or equivalent.
- Relevant teaching qualification
- Has clinical experience gained at a high level of achievement and clinical excellence
- Recent evidence of supervision of students and junior staff.
- Evidence of recent knowledge and experience of specialist area gained through formal qualification or experiential learning.
- Has the skill and competence to ensure the delivery of evidence based practice in line with NMC/HCPC professional requirements
- Evidence of continuous professional development.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
- Ability to develop external networks with peers to share good practice.
- Ability to improve and maintain professional knowledge.
- Ability to communicate with patients' pre and post operation, whilst being mindful that there may be barriers to communication
- Ability to provide expert clinical advice and support to the multidisciplinary team
- Ability to provide expert assistance and support to the patient, Consultant Surgeons, junior medical and theatre staff involved in Robotic surgery.
- Can manage complex / sensitive information relating to patients and provides specialist advice to a range of health care professionals.
- Ability to analysis, interpret and compare a range of complex options relating to sensitive patient information and apply expert clinical judgement to identify appropriate clinical interventions
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
Desirable
- Basic Surgical Skills Course
- Member of National Association of Assistants in Surgical Practice (NASSP)
- Basic surgical skills course
- Leadership / management qualification
- Audit / research experience
- Evidence of leading programmes of education or training.
- Evidence of Change management
- Evidence of experience in planning or organising Training events
- Experience of managing data and resources
- Robotic surgery experience
- Evidence of teaching experience
Person Specification
Band 5
Essential
- Evidence of achievements and career development in current post and of on-going professional development
- Awareness of current relevant NHS policy context
- Has understanding / experience of adult / child safeguarding
- Basic IT skills
- Relevant and recent clinical experience
- Registered Nurse (appropriate to branch) / ODP
- NMC / HCPC registration
- Diploma / Degree in Nursing / ODP completed or willingness to undertake) or equivalent experience
Desirable
- Meets Nursing and Midwifery Council requirements for mentorship if relevant to role
- Relevant clinical skills relating to the specialty e.g. cannulation, IV drug administration, acting as scrub practitioner
- Previous experience in speciality
Band 6
Essential
- Registered Nurse / Operating Department Practitioner with significant previous clinical experience in major abdominal surgery or NAASP courses to degree / diploma level or equivalent.
- Relevant teaching qualification
- Has clinical experience gained at a high level of achievement and clinical excellence
- Recent evidence of supervision of students and junior staff.
- Evidence of recent knowledge and experience of specialist area gained through formal qualification or experiential learning.
- Has the skill and competence to ensure the delivery of evidence based practice in line with NMC/HCPC professional requirements
- Evidence of continuous professional development.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
- Ability to develop external networks with peers to share good practice.
- Ability to improve and maintain professional knowledge.
- Ability to communicate with patients' pre and post operation, whilst being mindful that there may be barriers to communication
- Ability to provide expert clinical advice and support to the multidisciplinary team
- Ability to provide expert assistance and support to the patient, Consultant Surgeons, junior medical and theatre staff involved in Robotic surgery.
- Can manage complex / sensitive information relating to patients and provides specialist advice to a range of health care professionals.
- Ability to analysis, interpret and compare a range of complex options relating to sensitive patient information and apply expert clinical judgement to identify appropriate clinical interventions
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
Desirable
- Basic Surgical Skills Course
- Member of National Association of Assistants in Surgical Practice (NASSP)
- Basic surgical skills course
- Leadership / management qualification
- Audit / research experience
- Evidence of leading programmes of education or training.
- Evidence of Change management
- Evidence of experience in planning or organising Training events
- Experience of managing data and resources
- Robotic surgery experience
- Evidence of teaching experience
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.
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).
Additional information
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.
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).
