Respiratory and Sleep Healthcare Science Practitioner (Band4)

Job summary

We are looking to recruit an enthusiastic and dedicated apprentice into the role of a Healthcare Science Practitioner, and to join our Respiratory Physiology team in London North West Healthcare NHS Trust.

Our department offers a range of standard lung function and sleep diagnostic testing as well as CPAP therapy, across our Trust sites. Our physiologists assess patients referred internally by our consultants and externally from GP surgeries through direct access to diagnostics pathways. We have a small, friendly and dedicated team that is growing to meet clinical demands. We work closely with our MDT teams including consultants, nurses, admin teams and other referring teams.

As a Band 4 Healthcare Science Practitioner in Respiratory Physiology you will enrol on the Healthcare Science Level 6 Apprenticeship by attending and completing the Healthcare Science BSc delivered by City and St. George's University of London. You will commence with supporting the respiratory physiologists to provide a high quality clinical service in the first year, then start the degree course from the second year in the post, while continuing your work placements in our department. You will assist in providing a safe and caring diagnostic service for patients, visitors, colleagues and other staff members attending the department. You are also expected to maintain competency by completing the workplace training and academic requirements to appropriate standards.

Main duties of the job

• Undertaking and completing inhouse and formal training and competency for the duties in the role, and routine review of competencies, under supervision of workplace trainer and mentors. Maintaining personal development through continued professional development (CPD).

• Performing basic, low-risk accurate and reliable diagnostic testing and reporting independently after training, including FeNO, spirometry, BD reversibility, 6 minute walk test. Preparing sleep study equipment for testing, completing symptom questionnaires with patients, setting up patients with sleep study equipment, and downloading sleep study results over the first year in the post. From the second year onwards, further diagnostic testing will be taken independently following further inhouse and formal training and competency assessment, as listed under Key Responsibilities.

• Undertaking a Level 6 apprenticeship in the form of a Healthcare Science BSc (Physiological Sciences) degree as delivered by City and St. George's University of London, and completing learning outcomes at each stage of the course, under supervision of academic and workplace supervisors, from the second year in the post.

• Supporting the work of respiratory physiologist colleagues with lung function and sleep clinics, and seeking support from senior colleagues with duties and scenarios beyond scope of your role

• Collaborating with respiratory and sleep admin staff on patient bookings.

About us

London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust (LNWH) cares for the people of Brent, Ealing, Harrow and beyond.

Our team of more than 8,200 clinical and support staff serve a diverse population of almost one million people.

We run major acute services at:

• Northwick Park Hospital: home to one of the busiest emergency departments (A&E) in the country. The hospital provides a full range of services including the country's top-rated hyper-acute stroke unit and one of only three hyper-acute rehabilitation units in the UK
• St Mark's Hospital: an internationally renowned specialist centre for bowel disease
• Ealing Hospital: a busy district general hospital providing a range of clinical services, as well as 24/7 emergency department and urgent care centre, and specialist care at Meadow House Hospice
• Central Middlesex Hospital: our planned care site, hosting a range of surgical and outpatient services and collocated with an urgent care centre.

We are a university teaching NHS trust, in recognition of the important role we play in training clinicians of the future and bringing the benefits of research to the public.