Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

Clinical Physiologist / Clinical Scientist Neurophysiology

Information:

This job is now closed

Job summary

The Neurophysiology department is looking for a Band 6 Clinical Physiologist/Clinical Scientist to join our dynamic and enthusiastic team.

This is an exciting opportunity to work in the Neurophysiology department based at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. The department provides a wide range of Neurophysiology Investigations County wide on both adults and paediatrics. Applicants would be performing EEGs, physiologist led Nerve conduction studies, and a full modality of evoked Potentials.

The department is committed to carreer progression and advanced Neurophysiolgical practice.

Main duties of the job

  • Main duties and responsibilities

    • Monitor and maintain high professional standards of Neurophysiological services to patients
    • Work collaboratively with other professionals and agencies to ensure service(s) meet changing healthcare needs.
    • Demonstrates leadership and support to other junior Neurophysiological staff in dealing with difficult and conflicting situations including those of a clinical and professional nature.
    • Participates in the implementation of policies.
    Plans reports and interprets a range of basic, specialist and minimal highly complex Neurophysiological investigations to a high level of competence to patients. Using own initiative to
  • Provides unsupervised specialist Neurodiagnostic investigations to patients of all ages with neurological or psychiatric disorders attending the department and across non-dedicated environments for the Worcestershire Hospitals, surrounding community trusts and GPs. .
  • To work with all members of the multi disciplinary team.
  • Undertakes interpretation of results and provision of factual reports.
  • Works both alone and collaboratively on a day-to-day basis to ensure that the service needs are met.
  • Supervision of junior staff.
  • Participates in training and education of junior and other staff groups
  • To organise and manage administrative duties

About us

Our purpose is simple - Putting Patients First. We are looking for exceptional colleagues who can help us achieve this.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is a large acute and specialised hospital trust that provides a range of local acute services to the residents of Worcestershire and more specialised services to a larger population in Herefordshire and beyond.

The Trust operates hospital-based services from three sites in Kidderminster, Redditch and Worcester

Our workforce is over 7,000 strong, and our caring staff are recognised as providing good and outstanding patient-centred care. You could be one of them.

We are committed to recruiting the best people to work with us to achieve our Vision - working in partnership to provide the best healthcare for our communities, leading and supporting our teams to move 4ward. Our 4ward behaviours, which we ask all staff to demonstrate, underpin our everyday work and remain firmly at the heart of all we do.

Our objectives are simple:

  • Best services for local people
  • Best experience of care and best outcomes for our patients
  • Best use of resources
  • Best people

Better never stops, and our Clinical Services Strategy provides a clear future vision for our Trust, our hospitals, our services and our role in the wider health and care system.

We are proud to have achieved Timewise accreditation - this means we are committed to embedding flexible working within our organisation as a flex positive employer.

Details

Date posted

06 March 2024

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£35,392 to £42,618 a year

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Flexible working

Reference number

C9365-24-0250

Job locations

Charles Hastings Way

Worcester

Worcestershire

WR5 1DD


Job description

Job responsibilities

WORCESTERSHIRE ACUTE HOSPITALS NHS TRUST

JOB DESCRIPTION

Post Title: Specialist Clinical Physiologist (Neurophysiology)

Pay Band: Band 6

Hours: 37 1/2

Contract: Perminant

Location / Department: Neurophysiology

Accountable to: Kelly Bill

Reports to: Kelly Bill

Ref:

Key Working Relationships: Patients, carers, clinical and non clinical members of staff. Also including other professional organisations

Risk Assessment: Manual handling activities, exposure to bodily fluids, needle stick injury, cross infection, lone working, aggressive and abusive behaviour and unpredictable patients and visitors. Exposure to emotionally distressing situations, VDU and contained hazardous materials.

Job Purpose:

  • Provides unsupervised specialist Neurodiagnostic investigations to patients of all ages with neurological or psychiatric disorders attending the department and across non-dedicated environments for the Worcestershire Hospitals, surrounding community trusts and GPs. .
  • To work with all members of the multi disciplinary team.
  • Undertakes interpretation of results and provision of factual reports.
  • Works both alone and collaboratively on a day-to-day basis to ensure that the service needs are met.
  • Supervision of junior staff.
  • Participates in training and education of junior and other staff groups
  • To organise and manage administrative duties

Key Duties:

Main duties and responsibilities

Clinical

  1. Monitor and maintain high professional standards of Neurophysiological services to patients and will initiate remedial action where necessary.
  2. Work collaboratively with other professionals and agencies to ensure service(s) meet changing healthcare needs.
  3. Demonstrates leadership and support to other junior Neurophysiological staff in dealing with difficult and conflicting situations including those of a clinical and professional nature.
  4. Participates in the implementation of policies.
  5. Plans reports and interprets a range of basic, specialist and minimal highly complex Neurophysiological investigations to a high level of competence to patients. Using own initiative to derive the best clinical interpretation of neurophysiological investigations. On patients with neurological, non- neurological, psychiatric, learning disabilities, labile mental states and substance dependant conditions.

Specialist Neurophysiological investigations;

- Perform Electroencephalographic (EEG) investigations employing current standard techniques (digital) with out supervision in the EEG laboratory taking appropriate action(s) where necessary. Also perform EEGs on the ward. These are to be performed on all ages and in a variety of clinical circumstances.

- Perform emergency EEGs on ITU (Intensive Therapy Unit), SCBUs (Special Care Baby Unit) or general wards this could be on or off site, appropriate action taken where necessary.

- Perform EEG investigations using special techniques. These include activated recording using hyperventilation and photic stimulation. Recordings following sleep deprivation, using video, a non-routine nature, e.g. postural change,

- Performs Nerve conduction studies for Carpel tunnel syndrome (CTS)

- Assist with EMG (Electromyography) examinations and Nerve conduction Studies with the Clinical Neurophysiologist

- Performs all modality of evoked potentials on all age groups both for Neurological and Opthamological purposes.

- Performs full calibration, faults and machine checks on all neurophysiological equipment and appropriate action taken where necessary.

Advanced Neurophysiological investigations;

- Initiates and takes appropriate unsupervised action where further nerve conduction studies may be needed e.g. Needs lower limbs studies when screening CTS in a diabetic patient.

- Recordings during the administration of medication (e.g. Chloral hydrate Thiapentone), recordings during general anaesthesia, recording during stimulation of

  1. In the absence of a Consultant Neurophysiologist, selects pages of EEG to be interpreted and reported on, with a potential for treatment and/or diagnosis.
  2. Maintain continuous professional development appropriate to the range of Neurophysiological services to patients.
  3. Provides an on call EEG service when required.
  4. Undertakes simple fault remedy, cleaning and maintenance of recording equipment or apparatus within the department including care and maintenance of electrodes and other apparatus.
  5. Knowledge and ability to use emergency equipment and manual handling aids.
  6. Provides simple advice for major lifestyle changes to both patients and medical staff, where necessary with advice from senior members of staff.

Managerial and Leadership

  1. Facilitate the management of junior Neurophysiological staff
  2. Undertakes responsibility for the efficient and effective management of own physical resources.
  3. Contributes to the effective and efficient use of information resources, ensuring effective patient reporting and data storage. To include archiving techniques both paper and digital.
  4. Contributes to the maintenance of statistical information as required for statistical and other management purposes.
  5. Contribute to health and safety and quality assurance policies to patients, staff and visitors.
  6. To attend Trust, Regional and National meetings relating to issues of Neurophysiological Services provision.
  7. Participate in Trust/Region wide projects.
  8. Participate in counselling, grievance, and discipline and welfare matters and where appropriate implementing disciplinary procedures.
  9. Promote and ensure equality, diversity and rights for all.

Education Training and Development.

  1. Participate in the implementation of education and training of Neurophysiologists and other staff groups in line with mandatory, professional and personal development according to service needs. Remedial action taken as necessary.
  2. Promote staff compliance with CPD guidelines, professional code of conduct and evaluate the effect of development on the service delivery.
  3. Provide clinical supervision /mentorship for other staff.
  4. To participate in the teaching and training in the Neurophysiology to a broad range of healthcare workers including medical, AHP, nursing, HCS etc.
  5. Contributes to and coordinate individual training plans and funding to support staff development and training needs.
  6. To ensure personal compliance with regards to mandatory, professional and personal development according to service needs.
  7. To ensure personal compliance with CPD guidelines, professional codes of conduct and evaluate the ecce t of development on service delivery.

Clinical Governance and Audit.

  1. Participates in audit to ensure compliance with and development of professional and local policies and procedures and clinical standard/ guidelines.
  2. Contribute to patient and public involvement in the development of Neurophysiology Services(s).
  3. To facilitate investigation of complaints regarding the service(s) and to report the findings to the trust in accordance with local procedure and to take remedial action if appropriate.
  4. Work with agreed Trust, local and national policies and protocols to include child protection and data protection issues.
  5. Initiates and participates with occasional research and development programmes.
  6. Facilitates and ensures patient and public involvement in the development of Neurophysiology Services(s).

Financial management responsibilities

1. Contribute to the maintenance of statistical information as required for statistical and other management purposes.

Vision and Values:

The Trust aims to provide local services for local people. It has developed its vision to reflect this commitment.

To continue to be the major provider of acute/specialist services for the people of Worcestershire (and wider) with a strong reputation for providing outstanding, high quality, reliable, accessible and integrated healthcare for local people

Driving this commitment are the Trust-wide signature behaviours:

Do what we say we will do

No Delays, every day

We listen, we learn, we lead

Work together, celebrate together

Standard Clauses:

The purpose of this post should remain constant, but the duties and responsibilities may vary over time within the overall role and level of the post. The post holder may from time to time be asked to undertake other reasonable duties. Any such changes will be made in discussion with the post holder in the light of service needs.

Competence

The post holder is responsible for limiting his / her actions to those which s/he feels competent to undertake. If the post holder has any doubts as to his or her competence during the course of his / her duties then s/he should immediately speak to their line manager or supervisor.

Job description

Job responsibilities

WORCESTERSHIRE ACUTE HOSPITALS NHS TRUST

JOB DESCRIPTION

Post Title: Specialist Clinical Physiologist (Neurophysiology)

Pay Band: Band 6

Hours: 37 1/2

Contract: Perminant

Location / Department: Neurophysiology

Accountable to: Kelly Bill

Reports to: Kelly Bill

Ref:

Key Working Relationships: Patients, carers, clinical and non clinical members of staff. Also including other professional organisations

Risk Assessment: Manual handling activities, exposure to bodily fluids, needle stick injury, cross infection, lone working, aggressive and abusive behaviour and unpredictable patients and visitors. Exposure to emotionally distressing situations, VDU and contained hazardous materials.

Job Purpose:

  • Provides unsupervised specialist Neurodiagnostic investigations to patients of all ages with neurological or psychiatric disorders attending the department and across non-dedicated environments for the Worcestershire Hospitals, surrounding community trusts and GPs. .
  • To work with all members of the multi disciplinary team.
  • Undertakes interpretation of results and provision of factual reports.
  • Works both alone and collaboratively on a day-to-day basis to ensure that the service needs are met.
  • Supervision of junior staff.
  • Participates in training and education of junior and other staff groups
  • To organise and manage administrative duties

Key Duties:

Main duties and responsibilities

Clinical

  1. Monitor and maintain high professional standards of Neurophysiological services to patients and will initiate remedial action where necessary.
  2. Work collaboratively with other professionals and agencies to ensure service(s) meet changing healthcare needs.
  3. Demonstrates leadership and support to other junior Neurophysiological staff in dealing with difficult and conflicting situations including those of a clinical and professional nature.
  4. Participates in the implementation of policies.
  5. Plans reports and interprets a range of basic, specialist and minimal highly complex Neurophysiological investigations to a high level of competence to patients. Using own initiative to derive the best clinical interpretation of neurophysiological investigations. On patients with neurological, non- neurological, psychiatric, learning disabilities, labile mental states and substance dependant conditions.

Specialist Neurophysiological investigations;

- Perform Electroencephalographic (EEG) investigations employing current standard techniques (digital) with out supervision in the EEG laboratory taking appropriate action(s) where necessary. Also perform EEGs on the ward. These are to be performed on all ages and in a variety of clinical circumstances.

- Perform emergency EEGs on ITU (Intensive Therapy Unit), SCBUs (Special Care Baby Unit) or general wards this could be on or off site, appropriate action taken where necessary.

- Perform EEG investigations using special techniques. These include activated recording using hyperventilation and photic stimulation. Recordings following sleep deprivation, using video, a non-routine nature, e.g. postural change,

- Performs Nerve conduction studies for Carpel tunnel syndrome (CTS)

- Assist with EMG (Electromyography) examinations and Nerve conduction Studies with the Clinical Neurophysiologist

- Performs all modality of evoked potentials on all age groups both for Neurological and Opthamological purposes.

- Performs full calibration, faults and machine checks on all neurophysiological equipment and appropriate action taken where necessary.

Advanced Neurophysiological investigations;

- Initiates and takes appropriate unsupervised action where further nerve conduction studies may be needed e.g. Needs lower limbs studies when screening CTS in a diabetic patient.

- Recordings during the administration of medication (e.g. Chloral hydrate Thiapentone), recordings during general anaesthesia, recording during stimulation of

  1. In the absence of a Consultant Neurophysiologist, selects pages of EEG to be interpreted and reported on, with a potential for treatment and/or diagnosis.
  2. Maintain continuous professional development appropriate to the range of Neurophysiological services to patients.
  3. Provides an on call EEG service when required.
  4. Undertakes simple fault remedy, cleaning and maintenance of recording equipment or apparatus within the department including care and maintenance of electrodes and other apparatus.
  5. Knowledge and ability to use emergency equipment and manual handling aids.
  6. Provides simple advice for major lifestyle changes to both patients and medical staff, where necessary with advice from senior members of staff.

Managerial and Leadership

  1. Facilitate the management of junior Neurophysiological staff
  2. Undertakes responsibility for the efficient and effective management of own physical resources.
  3. Contributes to the effective and efficient use of information resources, ensuring effective patient reporting and data storage. To include archiving techniques both paper and digital.
  4. Contributes to the maintenance of statistical information as required for statistical and other management purposes.
  5. Contribute to health and safety and quality assurance policies to patients, staff and visitors.
  6. To attend Trust, Regional and National meetings relating to issues of Neurophysiological Services provision.
  7. Participate in Trust/Region wide projects.
  8. Participate in counselling, grievance, and discipline and welfare matters and where appropriate implementing disciplinary procedures.
  9. Promote and ensure equality, diversity and rights for all.

Education Training and Development.

  1. Participate in the implementation of education and training of Neurophysiologists and other staff groups in line with mandatory, professional and personal development according to service needs. Remedial action taken as necessary.
  2. Promote staff compliance with CPD guidelines, professional code of conduct and evaluate the effect of development on the service delivery.
  3. Provide clinical supervision /mentorship for other staff.
  4. To participate in the teaching and training in the Neurophysiology to a broad range of healthcare workers including medical, AHP, nursing, HCS etc.
  5. Contributes to and coordinate individual training plans and funding to support staff development and training needs.
  6. To ensure personal compliance with regards to mandatory, professional and personal development according to service needs.
  7. To ensure personal compliance with CPD guidelines, professional codes of conduct and evaluate the ecce t of development on service delivery.

Clinical Governance and Audit.

  1. Participates in audit to ensure compliance with and development of professional and local policies and procedures and clinical standard/ guidelines.
  2. Contribute to patient and public involvement in the development of Neurophysiology Services(s).
  3. To facilitate investigation of complaints regarding the service(s) and to report the findings to the trust in accordance with local procedure and to take remedial action if appropriate.
  4. Work with agreed Trust, local and national policies and protocols to include child protection and data protection issues.
  5. Initiates and participates with occasional research and development programmes.
  6. Facilitates and ensures patient and public involvement in the development of Neurophysiology Services(s).

Financial management responsibilities

1. Contribute to the maintenance of statistical information as required for statistical and other management purposes.

Vision and Values:

The Trust aims to provide local services for local people. It has developed its vision to reflect this commitment.

To continue to be the major provider of acute/specialist services for the people of Worcestershire (and wider) with a strong reputation for providing outstanding, high quality, reliable, accessible and integrated healthcare for local people

Driving this commitment are the Trust-wide signature behaviours:

Do what we say we will do

No Delays, every day

We listen, we learn, we lead

Work together, celebrate together

Standard Clauses:

The purpose of this post should remain constant, but the duties and responsibilities may vary over time within the overall role and level of the post. The post holder may from time to time be asked to undertake other reasonable duties. Any such changes will be made in discussion with the post holder in the light of service needs.

Competence

The post holder is responsible for limiting his / her actions to those which s/he feels competent to undertake. If the post holder has any doubts as to his or her competence during the course of his / her duties then s/he should immediately speak to their line manager or supervisor.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

  • Appropriate post qualification experience in EEG, NCS and evoked potentials.
  • Experience of working in a MDT
  • Practical experience and familiarity with the range of basic and specialist neurophysiological l investigations

Desirable

  • Supervisory experience

Qualifications

Essential

  • BSc Hons Clinical Physiology (Neurophysiology) BTEC HNC/D in MPPM / or equivalent
  • Professional body examination or equivalent
  • HCPC or RCCP registration

Desirable

  • Training & Assessing qualification

Skills and Knowledge

Essential

  • Ability to perform a wide range of basic Neurophysiological investigations and/or
  • Able to interpret specialist Neurophysiological investigations results and patient conditions
  • Ability to communicate complex and sensitive information in a variety of forms to patients, relatives and carers including children and patients with learning or physical disabilities.
  • Ability to work autonomously, co-ordinate, plan and prioritise
  • Able to undertake complex eye-hand coordination tasks such as electrode placement and dexterity and co-ordination for use of diagnostic equipment.
  • IT literate
  • Managerial skills
  • Teaching training skills
Person Specification

Experience

Essential

  • Appropriate post qualification experience in EEG, NCS and evoked potentials.
  • Experience of working in a MDT
  • Practical experience and familiarity with the range of basic and specialist neurophysiological l investigations

Desirable

  • Supervisory experience

Qualifications

Essential

  • BSc Hons Clinical Physiology (Neurophysiology) BTEC HNC/D in MPPM / or equivalent
  • Professional body examination or equivalent
  • HCPC or RCCP registration

Desirable

  • Training & Assessing qualification

Skills and Knowledge

Essential

  • Ability to perform a wide range of basic Neurophysiological investigations and/or
  • Able to interpret specialist Neurophysiological investigations results and patient conditions
  • Ability to communicate complex and sensitive information in a variety of forms to patients, relatives and carers including children and patients with learning or physical disabilities.
  • Ability to work autonomously, co-ordinate, plan and prioritise
  • Able to undertake complex eye-hand coordination tasks such as electrode placement and dexterity and co-ordination for use of diagnostic equipment.
  • IT literate
  • Managerial skills
  • Teaching training skills

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).

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.

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

Address

Charles Hastings Way

Worcester

Worcestershire

WR5 1DD


Employer's website

https://www.worcsacute.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

Address

Charles Hastings Way

Worcester

Worcestershire

WR5 1DD


Employer's website

https://www.worcsacute.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Clinical Service Manager

Kelly Bill

k.bill@nhs.net

01905760697

Details

Date posted

06 March 2024

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£35,392 to £42,618 a year

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Flexible working

Reference number

C9365-24-0250

Job locations

Charles Hastings Way

Worcester

Worcestershire

WR5 1DD


Supporting documents

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