Sonographer

WORCESTERSHIRE ACUTE HOSPITALS NHS TRUST JOB DESCRIPTION Job Title: Sonographer Grade: Band 7 Hours of Work: Full/Part Time Base: Worcester Royal Hospital Location of Duties: Base site is Worcester however would be expected to work at any site within the Trust as the service requires. Currently the Worcester and Kidderminster sonographer rota is combined. Accountable to: Clinical Director Radiology Responsible to: Chief Radiographer Reports to: County Lead sonographers. Job Purpose: To predominantly undertake a wide and comprehensive range of ultrasound examinations and be responsible for independent written reports on 95% of these.

The range of clinical work will be general abdominal scanning which may include additional specialised areas such as small parts and vascular andObstetrics and gynaecology scans. The post holder will be expected to be autonomous in and develop their clinical practice The post holder will provide supervision, support and education to qualified and unqualified staff Dimensions: Day to day supervision of assistants and trainees. Advise clerical staff on booking appointments Other Key Relationships: Senior and junior medical and radiographic staff, administration and clerical staff, other health care professionals and care providers, porters, patients and relatives, ultrasound maintenance engineers. Risk Assessment: This post involves working with display screen equipment, manual handling, exposure to body fluids and imparting bad news to patients/service users Key Task Clinical and Service Provision: To work as an Advanced Practitioner (sonographer) undertaking a wide range of examinations demonstrating excellence in these to a high professional standard.

Provide specialist information by performing, interpreting and reporting examinations as per departmental protocols. Ensuring that reports are generated promptly, (based upon clinical history provided, information from the patient and scan the appearances) andthat any urgent findingsare acted upon in the patients best interest e.g. recorded into patients notes orverbally relayed to the referring clinician Ensure that examination reports are made available on the Radiology Information System. To be responsible for consulting with clinicians to ensure that appropriate follow up investigations are made.

To inform patients of their scan results when appropriate, imparting bad news eg foetal death/abnormality in a sensitive and empathetic way and to provide help and support to colleagues with respect to this. To assess the patients physical and psychological suitability for transvaginal ultrasound before deciding to proceed with the examination. To be responsible for theworkflow within the area of work ensuring that clinical requests are acted upon as appropriate(ensuring that any urgent requests/examinations are flagged up and acted upon in the patient'sbest interest)and that a goodthroughput of patient examinations is achieved. To be available to advise on the booking of appointments, advise on examination preparation and liaise with staff regarding emergency referrals and queries.

To assist and provide clinical support to other sonographers and other staff (e.g. midwife scanning clinics) with technical or other problems that may arise. To work as a Radiographer to a high professional standard and to provide assistance and guidance to others, mainly to helpers, students and assistant practitioners in order to maintain these standards. This standard must be that set by the Directorate regarding quality and protocols.

Supervise and assist other appropriate personnel to perform their duties as and when required. To care for the patients in the department especially in their ownarea of work. To communicate to patients any delays likely to affect them, and within the standards set by the HPC to describe examination findings, if appropriate. Checking patients details prior to examination and ensuring that such details are present and correct on the request form/computer.

(PAUSED and checked) Requests must be justified, as per departmental protocol and as per statutory regulations, Ionising Radiations (Medical Exposure) Regulations (IR(ME)R) and the radiographer must use their professional judgement to refuse inappropriate requests. To ensure that patients are not pregnant prior to certain procedures. Ensuring that all images are properly identified with patients name, side examined, date of examination and coded if appropriate. To enter information of the examination into the Radiology Computer System.

Ensuring that, on completion of examination, the patient is informed how they will get their results and that they may leave and arrangements are made for transport if necessary. Ensuring that radiation safety measures are being observed within the limits of the procedure being carried out and that his/her own standard of Radiation Protection is in accordance with the "Ionising Radiation Regulations 1999", IR(ME)R 2000 and any other r