Senior Audiologist

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Senior Audiologist to join our team at St Helens Hospital. As a key member of our audiology service, you will be responsible for providing comprehensive adult audiology services, including diagnostic assessment, speech testing, and rehabilitation.

The ideal candidate will have a strong background in audiology, with experience in working with complex patients and a proven track record of delivering excellent patient care. You will be responsible for leading a team of junior staff, providing clinical supervision, and contributing to the development of our audiology service.

Main Duties:

• Provide direct hearing management of the adult population, including diagnostic assessment, speech testing, and rehabilitation.
• Lead a team of junior staff, providing clinical supervision and guidance.
• Contribute to the development of our audiology service, including clinical audit, research, and clinical governance.
• Take an active role in areas of clinical audit, research, and clinical governance of the Audiology service.
• Support other team members and students.
• Deliver student training and mentor junior staff.
• Be responsible for department stock management and supporting the Health & Safety compliance for the department.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provides pure tone audiometry and tympanometry, advising patients and referring clinicians on management plans based on results obtained.
• Advanced theoretical and practical knowledge of clinical audiometry.
• Notes result of tests and provides reports as necessary ensuring that test results are recorded in hospital and departmental records.
• Provides test results and reports to outside agencies as appropriate.
• Ensures departmental audiometry protocols and procedures are adhered to.
• Explain complex hearing test results to patients whose first language is not English and/or an interpreter is required.
• Adapt assessment procedures to manage needs of most complex patients including those with learning difficulties, dementia, deaf-blind, mental health issues eg schizophrenia, development delays or multiple combinations of these problems.
• Routine and complex assessment of patients with tinnitus.

Auditory Rehabilitation:

• Assess the general auditory rehabilitative needs of hearing-impaired adults with respect to their audiological status, communication skills and social needs.
• Rehabilitation of patients with learning difficulties/dementia.
• Formulate appropriate management strategies based on this information and appropriate treatment plan. Advise patients and significant others on above implement.
• Examination of patients' ears and assessment of any abnormal pathology.
• Aural impression taking and assessment of most appropriate ear mould/thin tube according to departmental protocols.
• Refer patient to, and liaise with, external agencies as appropriate.
• Assessment of most appropriate hearing aid in line with MHAS and departmental protocols.
• Hearing aid fitting for patients with tinnitus/hyperacusis.
• Fitting of hearing aids and verification of fit using objective and subjective measures (includes questionnaires and insertion gain measurements).
• Use of specialised hearing instruments where required, e.g. non-standard hearing aids, CROS systems and ITE aids.
• Advising patients, and significant others, on communication strategies, auditory training, lip-reading and assistive listening devices.
• Provide ongoing assessment and maintenance for adult hearing-impaired adults.
• To act as a key worker for patients such as during the transition from paediatric to adult clinics.
• To plan and deliver rehabilitative treatments to the most complex patients including those with learning difficulties, dementia, deaf-blind, mental health issues, development delays or multiple combinations of these problems.
• Ensure all adult auditory rehabilitation is appropriately documented.

Communication:

• To ensure effective inter-departmental communication between all trust sites.
• To communicate effectively and courteously with medical, nursing, clerical and other health care professionals including those outside the Trust; both verbally and electronically.
• To provide written reports regarding patient test results, outcomes and subsequent care plan to ENT consultants, other clinicians and GPs as appropriate.
• Communicate with students and their clinical educator to provide progress reports, areas for development and practical assessment results.
• Communicate relevant technical and/or condition-related information with persuasion, reassurance and understanding to a hearing-impaired clientele and their carers (includes elderly, children, patients with special needs and ethnic minorities).
• To counsel distressed patients and their relatives/carers on hearing loss or associated problems, including those with cognitive impairment or illnesses that may lead to anxiety, aggressive behaviour or suicidal ideation.
• To signpost patients to appropriate support groups, benefits advice etc.
• To maintain Audiology statistics in an efficient and accurate manner.

Clinical & Professional Responsibilities:

• Maintain Professional Registration with RCCP, adhering to the Code of Conduct and CPD requirements.
• To develop, update and maintain own personal knowledge within the audiological field.
• Ability to make decisions autonomously on difficult issues, working to tight and often changing time scale.
• Ensure that training plans and assessment for students accurately reflect current professional requirements and provide excellent learning experience for students.

Administrative Responsibilities:

• Maintenance of patient records and analytical data.
• Maintain calibration of audiological equipment and report discrepancies appropriately.
• Ensure all procedures are documented and updated in patient management system.
• Maintain room facilities and general department upkeep, liaising with works department where necessary; keeping senior audiologists informed.

Teaching & Training Responsibilities:

• Liaise with Clinical Educator regarding the provision of induction training and on-going training for students and non-registered staff.
• To have supervisory responsibility of other audiologists and students.
• Supervision and training of other staff, including technical assistants, Audiology undergraduate students and medical students can be expected at this level.
• Demonstrate leadership and mentoring qualities.

Line Management/Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Liaise closely with Audiology Service Manager to maintain high standards of care for hearing impaired patients, adhering to Trust and departmental values and procedures.
• Participate in supervision and training of undergraduate and postgraduate (MSc) students (after a suitable probationary period for new graduates).
• Assess undergraduate students who are studying for BSc in audiology and to complete where appropriate the National Audiology Logbook.
• Manage workload and performance of junior staff and students.
• In the absence of senior managers, ensure staffing levels, and skill mix, are maintained to meet the demands of patient-facing service.
• Have working knowledge of Trust policies and procedures that deal with staff wellbeing and management e.g. absences, whistleblowing, anti-bullying, disciplinary and grievance policies.
• Ensure Health & Safety procedures are adhered to within the team including Fire Safety and risk assessments, in line with Trust directives and professional guidance.

Research & Audit:

• Participate in departmental research, audit and development activities.
• Collect data to enable audit of departmental procedures.
• Review and comment on existing policies to ensure that professional developments are embedded in practice.
• Participate in the introduction of new procedures into clinical use.
• Support junior staff and students in understanding the needs and philosophies that underpin research ethics, impact and evidence-based healthcare - and development of research methods and technologies.
• To develop, update and maintain personal knowledge within the audiological field.