Job summary
An opportunity has arisen for a well-motivated and enthusiastic audiologist to join our friendly team based at Alder Hey Children's Hospital and in community clinics and schools across the region. We are a large, busy and expanding paediatric audiovestibular department offering a comprehensive range of diagnostic and rehabilitative audiological and vestibular services for children from birth to nineteen across Liverpool, Sefton and West Lancashire.
The successful candidate will join a hardworking and committed team of audiovestibular physicians, audiologists, a nurse specialist and audiometricians. This post will provide excellent opportunities to enhance your experience in all aspects of the paediatric audiovestibular spectrum. There is ample scope to develop your interest and progress yourself with CPD opportunities including peer review processes, attending academic conferences and meetings, and co-authoring publications.
Main duties of the job
This post is suitable for a qualified audiologist that would like to specialise in paediatrics and entails working as part of a multidisciplinary team providing highly specialised audiological services including rehabilitation of hearing-impaired children. The post holder will work at Alder Hey and community clinics and schools across the Liverpool, Sefton and West Lancashire region.
The post-holder will be expected to work closely with senior staff and ensure that a consistently high quality, complex and sophisticated clinical service is provided. This includes maintaining continuous professional development, working autonomously, managing own caseload, demonstration of own initiative and supporting senior staff and managers in developing the service.
Training and development in paediatric Audiology assessment and management will be provided.
About us
The audiology department moved to our new state of the art Children's Health Park in October 2015 and we work closely with colleagues across the Trust and in the community including ENT, neurology, oncology, endocrinology, rheumatology, general and community paediatrics and genetics, amongst many others.
Alder Hey is a national tertiary and quaternary service for vestibular assessment and management in children, accepting referrals from across the country. The department has a diagnostic facility in operation including provision for VNG, VEMPs and vHITs, in a dedicated vestibular laboratory and gait analysis facility in the hospital. We have a well-established regional bone anchored implant programme in conjunction with our ENT colleagues and we are expanding to include middle ear implants.
Alder Hey paediatric audiovestibular department is leading the way for assessment of hearing in children with programmable intracranial shunts, paediatric ototoxicity monitoring and paediatric vestibular disorders assessment and management. There is an active research and academic portfolio of the department with a significant national and international presence led by the honorary professor in the department.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Carry out Otoscopy following BSA recommended procedures.
- Identify children with atypical or abnormal ear conditions and refer on as appropriate.
- Identify any contraindications for any further procedures e.g. tympanometry and impressions.
- Take accurate and safe impressions of the ear following BSA recommended procedures for children aged 4 years and above.
- Diagnose, manage and rehabilitate children with hearing impairment using a wide range of audiological procedures.
- To be able to modify, when appropriate, diagnostic audiological assessment for children from birth to 19 years, in order to obtain reliable information about hearing and manage accordingly.
- Apply clinical knowledge to interpret and analyse test results, in order to devise an appropriate strategy and implement an individual patient management plan.
- Provide support for ENT, by performing pure Tone Audiometry for children aged 4 years and above. Perform tympanometry when appropriate for children from 6 month and above.
- Support the pre-school Tier 3 clinics for the assessment, diagnosis and management of pre-school children in Alder Hey and community clinics, using the following test techniques; Visual re-enforcement audiometry (VRA), Infant Distraction testing, Performance testing, Speech testing, Testing of middle ear muscle reflex (MEMR) using tympanometry and TEOAEs
- Produce accurate and detailed clinical reports to be used as an aid to diagnosis and future patient management.
- Arrange / advise referral to other professionals for treatment / management when required e.g. referral to ENT nurse or GP for treatment of an infection.
- Order ear moulds and hearing aid consumables using Trust ordering system. Ensure stock levels for the department are maintained at the required level to offer an efficient patient service.
- Carry out comprehensive hearing aid repair sessions.
- To be able to select, fit, verify and evaluate a range of NHS digital hearing aids, including BTE and open fit, CROS/BICROS and bone conduction aids and to provide appropriate care and review.
- Complete follow up reviews of existing hearing aid users and derive satisfactory outcome measures using speech testing and appropriate questionnaires.
- Carry out routine maintenance and calibration checks on audiological equipment, reporting faults and arranging for repair when necessary.
- Update national eSP/S4H database with results of hearing tests as and when required.
- Perform PTA in schools and community clinics as follow-up from the school entry screen programme across the North West, including Sefton, Southport and West Lancashire
- Assess, diagnose and manage children on Tier 2 clinics referred from the school entry screen programme
- Responsibility for triaging referrals from the school entry screen programme based on clinical need.
- Supporting the Cleft Palate team in delivering audiological Services for children aged 5 years upwards, with Cleft Palate.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Carry out Otoscopy following BSA recommended procedures.
- Identify children with atypical or abnormal ear conditions and refer on as appropriate.
- Identify any contraindications for any further procedures e.g. tympanometry and impressions.
- Take accurate and safe impressions of the ear following BSA recommended procedures for children aged 4 years and above.
- Diagnose, manage and rehabilitate children with hearing impairment using a wide range of audiological procedures.
- To be able to modify, when appropriate, diagnostic audiological assessment for children from birth to 19 years, in order to obtain reliable information about hearing and manage accordingly.
- Apply clinical knowledge to interpret and analyse test results, in order to devise an appropriate strategy and implement an individual patient management plan.
- Provide support for ENT, by performing pure Tone Audiometry for children aged 4 years and above. Perform tympanometry when appropriate for children from 6 month and above.
- Support the pre-school Tier 3 clinics for the assessment, diagnosis and management of pre-school children in Alder Hey and community clinics, using the following test techniques; Visual re-enforcement audiometry (VRA), Infant Distraction testing, Performance testing, Speech testing, Testing of middle ear muscle reflex (MEMR) using tympanometry and TEOAEs
- Produce accurate and detailed clinical reports to be used as an aid to diagnosis and future patient management.
- Arrange / advise referral to other professionals for treatment / management when required e.g. referral to ENT nurse or GP for treatment of an infection.
- Order ear moulds and hearing aid consumables using Trust ordering system. Ensure stock levels for the department are maintained at the required level to offer an efficient patient service.
- Carry out comprehensive hearing aid repair sessions.
- To be able to select, fit, verify and evaluate a range of NHS digital hearing aids, including BTE and open fit, CROS/BICROS and bone conduction aids and to provide appropriate care and review.
- Complete follow up reviews of existing hearing aid users and derive satisfactory outcome measures using speech testing and appropriate questionnaires.
- Carry out routine maintenance and calibration checks on audiological equipment, reporting faults and arranging for repair when necessary.
- Update national eSP/S4H database with results of hearing tests as and when required.
- Perform PTA in schools and community clinics as follow-up from the school entry screen programme across the North West, including Sefton, Southport and West Lancashire
- Assess, diagnose and manage children on Tier 2 clinics referred from the school entry screen programme
- Responsibility for triaging referrals from the school entry screen programme based on clinical need.
- Supporting the Cleft Palate team in delivering audiological Services for children aged 5 years upwards, with Cleft Palate.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- BSc Hons audiology
- Audiology qualification (e.g. MPPM BTEC/BAAT)
- Professional Registration (Academy of Healthcare science AHCS/Healthcare Professional Council HCPC)
Knowledge and experience
Essential
- Demonstrate an understanding of the wide range of paediatric diagnostic tests and rehabilitation tools
- Experience of fitting verifying and evaluating a range of hearing aids and completing individual management plans
Desirable
- Knowledge of British Sign language Desirable.
- Post registration experience in an NHS department
- Completion of paediatric 'M' modules
Skills and attributes
Essential
- Excellent skills in using audiological equipment and associated software programmes
- Excellent communication skills both written and verbal, enabling the post holder to communicate with professionals, carers and children and those who have communication difficulties
- Ability to keep accurate and legible patient records and statistical information
- Evidence of knowledge of current trends within paediatric audiology
- Motivated and keen to learn and develop
- Proven ability to compliment the dynamics of the existing team
- Ability to maintain strict patient confidentiality
Other additional requirements
Essential
- Ability to travel to community clinics
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- BSc Hons audiology
- Audiology qualification (e.g. MPPM BTEC/BAAT)
- Professional Registration (Academy of Healthcare science AHCS/Healthcare Professional Council HCPC)
Knowledge and experience
Essential
- Demonstrate an understanding of the wide range of paediatric diagnostic tests and rehabilitation tools
- Experience of fitting verifying and evaluating a range of hearing aids and completing individual management plans
Desirable
- Knowledge of British Sign language Desirable.
- Post registration experience in an NHS department
- Completion of paediatric 'M' modules
Skills and attributes
Essential
- Excellent skills in using audiological equipment and associated software programmes
- Excellent communication skills both written and verbal, enabling the post holder to communicate with professionals, carers and children and those who have communication difficulties
- Ability to keep accurate and legible patient records and statistical information
- Evidence of knowledge of current trends within paediatric audiology
- Motivated and keen to learn and develop
- Proven ability to compliment the dynamics of the existing team
- Ability to maintain strict patient confidentiality
Other additional requirements
Essential
- Ability to travel to community clinics
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).
