Ect Practitioner

Take full responsibility to ensure that the environment is in a state of readiness to receive patients and that all staff have checked and confirmed that they have all the necessary equipment to provide the days treatment. The post holder is required to conducting the pre-ECT session handover to the consultant, the junior doctors, the recovery nurse, the anaesthetist and any other member of staff present in the ECT department who will be taking part in delivering ECT. The post holder will give a brief psychiatric history of the patient, there current patient status with the Trust, outline the current Mental health act status, and whether they have consented to treatment, The postholder needs to obtain and provide information around whether the patient has been seen by a SOAD (second opinion doctor), any previous ECT treatments, any current medical concerns including any medication they are currently prescribed, what medication they have taken that morning, any tooth or denture problems,. The post holder should also be aware of and provide an outline of previous ECT treatments, recovery and concerns.

The post holder is required to prepare the patient for treatment ensuring nil by mouth and correct patient identification present. Responsible for ensuring that the emergency equipment in ECT are functioning and have been tested in accordance to protocol. Check the Thymatron ECT machine circuit is working and the impedance is correct. In the admission phase you will be responsible for ensuring that the legal requirements are upheld in accordance to the trust consent policy and the Mental Health Act.

Ensure that pre-treatment checks are complete and report any omissions to other members of the treatment team. Ensure that patients attending for ECT treatment (and their relatives/carers where appropriate), receive information relevant to their needs. In the treatment phase be responsible for the safe operation of the ECT machines and work under instruction of the medical staff to deliver the prescribed dose. Have awareness of the ECTAS standards and guidelines in relation to ECT.

To hold a thorough understanding of the current national and local operational policies, procedures and guidelines relating to ECT. To coordinate ECT treatment plan, i: e, meet the patient and offer information and arrange a visit to the ECT suite prior to treatment. Develop and maintain a working knowledge of the ECT pathway and assists the medical staff as required, informing the anaesthetic team and making sure that the ECT pathway is correctly completed. To ensure that the patient is fully informed about the rationale for their treatment and is involved in the implementation and evaluation of their treatment.