Sleep Practitioner

This is an exciting opportunity for a Band 5 Sleep Practitioner to join the new Dorset Sleep Service which will be providing Sleep Diagnostics and CPAP Therapy for Dorset residents in partnership with the Respiratory team from University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust. The role is full-time during office hours; flexible working is available, and job-sharing would be considered. There may be the opportunity to train as a Respiratory Physiologist, which would involve studying for a BSc in Healthcare Science - Respiratory & Sleep (funded by the NHS) alongside your work-based training.

The job will consist of issuing, downloading and analysis of sleep studies; overseeing CPAP patients’ activity and actioning issues arising from the monitoring database; performing CPAP set-ups including choosing appropriate machine settings and fitting masks; performing CPAP reviews; supervising and assisting with training of junior staff; and undertaking routine clinical and administrative duties such as cleaning equipment, updating patient records, and filing. Training will be provided - including working towards nationally recognised professional qualifications, with clear career progression pathways within the service.

We’re looking for someone with a degree in a healthcare-related field, or a degree and suitable healthcare experience; and who has worked in a respiratory and/or sleep department and is familiar with overnight oximetry, polygraphy, Obstructive Sleep Apnoea, and CPAP therapy. You will need to be able to work independently and to prioritise your own workload. The ability to work some time outside of office hours (7am-7pm) and/or occasional Saturdays, and to travel to additional sites would be advantageous.

At DCHFT, we pride ourselves on the care we provide for our patients, and on the culture, we are creating for our staff. We work hard to create a fair, inclusive environment for our staff

Our Mission is to provide outstanding care for people in ways which matter to them, and our vision is Dorset County Hospital, working with our health and social care partners, will be at the heart of improving the well-being of our communities.

The Dorset Sleep Service is a brand-new development starting in Autumn 2023 which will provide diagnostic sleep studies and CPAP treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea for Dorset’s population of around 380,000 residents. We expect to be performing around 1,700 sleep studies a year to begin with and will be taking over the care of about 5,000 patients already on CPAP therapy; we expect this to rise to about 3,000 sleep studies a year and almost 8,000 CPAP patients over the next five years.

The team will consist of Administrators, Sleep Practitioners at Associate, Practitioner, and Senior level, and a Head of Department, and will be overseen by a Consultant in Respiratory Medicine. We will be open mostly during office hours, with potential scope for early starts/late ends and weekends to support Flexible Working (we have no plans for night shifts yet). The department will be based initially at Southwalks House in Dorchester, with plans to expand to additional sites in the east of the county during the first year.

You will be coming into a fresh new service and will be an integral part of creating responsive and effective procedures from the beginning; we value innovation and new ways of thinking to solve problems. We aim to create a diverse, inclusive, and supportive environment where everyone - colleagues and patients alike - are treated with respect and consideration.

We have vacancies for clinical roles from Band 3 to Band 7, so please check our other adverts for further opportunities within this service.

Clinical Responsibilities
- Holding or working towards gaining ARTP qualifications as a Pulse Oximetry and Polygraphy Practitioner, as a CPAP Practitioner, and potentially as an Associate Practitioner in Respiratory Physiology.
- Seeing patients at sleep study appointments, taking basic measurements of height, weight, and collar size, and recording patients’ sleep histories and symptoms
- Preparing, demonstrating, issuing, receiving, cleaning, and downloading sleep study devices
- Analysing and interpreting sleep study results, creating reports, and escalating any complex queries to senior staff
- Overseeing the monitoring database of CPAP patients’ activity, actioning issues and escalating complex queries to senior staff
- Performing CPAP set-up appointments, including choosing appropriate machine settings, fitting masks, demonstrating the equipment, explaining usage and cleaning of equipment, and arranging suitable follow-up
- Setting out replacement CPAP equipment for patients to collect or arranging delivery of equipment, checking patient identities at collection, and solving any issues at collection.
- Performing CPAP reviews including replacing or re-fitting equipment, adjusting mask fit and machine settings, advising on adjusting to therapy, suggesting