Specialist Respiratory Physiologist

Job summary

Due to exciting service expansion plans through community diagnostic centres, we are looking to recruit three Specialist Respiratory Physiologists to join our team The department currently operates Monday-Friday , however there is opportunity to work four long days.

We are looking to recruit an enthusiastic, dynamic and highly motivated, registered and experienced Respiratory Physiologists to work competently in basic and advanced respiratory and sleep investigations. The Cardio-Respiratory department is spread over five sites with the two largest being Leeds General Infirmary and St James Hospital. The respiratory and sleep services are mainly based at St James Hospital, although cross site working will be required.

The department is committed to providing an excellent patient and staff experience and therefore supports lifelong learning and continual professional development, both academic and non-academic. Attendance at conferences, MDTs and service improvement ideas are actively encouraged within the team. The department is accredited with the National School of Healthcare Science and advocates training and development including apprenticeships, PTP, STP and most recently HSST. It is expected that band 6 applicants will support the department with training junior members of the team and undertake a mentorship qualification where appropriate.

Main duties of the job

The respiratory and sleep department perform a wide range of routine and specialist investigations including full lung function, mannitol challenge testing, respiratory muscle testing, capillary blood gases, hypoxic challenge tests, sleep study analysis such as overnight oximetry, limited channel studies and actigraphy. In addition to this, there is opportunity to assist and develop skills in cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET). The department also supports the CPAP and NIV team with CPAP initiation, remote monitoring and treatment interventions. We have a close working relationship with multi-disciplinary team members such as respiratory physiotherapists, nurse specialists and medical consultants.

All applicants should be registered with a recognised professional body such as the Registration Council of Clinical Physiologists / Academy of Healthcare Science or HCPC.

To discuss the job role further or to arrange an informal visit, please contact:

Andrew Fitzpatrick- Head of Clinical Physiology

Richard Madeley- Respiratory Team Manager/Clinical Scientist

About us

Come and join our team in Leeds and become part of The Leeds Way sharing our vision and values. Our Trust is recognised for our staff engagement, great care and rated GOOD by the Care Quality Commission.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is one of the largest acute health providers in the UK and based in one of the fastest growing and vibrant cities in the north.

At Cardio-Respiratory CSU, we aim to be a fair and supportive CSU with positive, caring teams who are champions of the Leeds Way values. Our values are part of what make us different from other trusts, so we see this as a strength, as well as a responsibility. They have been developed by our staff and set out what they see as important to how we work. Our five values are:

Patient-centred

Collaborative

Fair

Accountable

Empowered

Leeds Teaching Hospitals is committed to our process of redeploying 'at risk' members of our existing workforce to new roles. As such, all our job adverts are subject to this policy and we reserve the right to close, delay or remove adverts while this process is completed. If you do experience a delay in the shortlisting stage of the recruitment cycle, please bear with us while this process is completed, and contact the named contact if you have any questions.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Principal Duties & Areas of Responsibility

To be state registered.

Demonstrates the ability to prioritise and organise the clinical caseload within a designated area of respiratory.

To be able to exercise initiative as an autonomous practitioner in all areas of the respiratory department. The individual uses his/her discretion to re-adjust plans as the clinical situation/need of the patient changes.

Access to advice from Highly Specialist Respiratory Physiologist is available if required but clinical work is not routinely evaluated/supervised. The individual also seeks advice from external sources if required ( technical specialists from industry).

Communicates with all members of the multidisciplinary team to ensure the best possible care for the patient. Communication skills including:

I. Negotiating, with physicians who demand investigations not achievable within the service limitations.

II. Reassurance, to patients who are anxious about their clinical findings.

III. Persuasiveness, to young children who are scared to undergo clinical procedures.

Immediate Life Support training essential during procedures performed on acutely ill patients and those at very high risk of sudden cardiac death.

Expected to undertake formal post-graduate training by means of periodic in-house assessments.

Non clinical skills to include computer literacy.

To communicate information about specialist respiratory investigations to patients and relatives/carers including children and those with learning and/or physical disabilities.

Performs, analyses and interprets a wide range of highly specialist and complex respiratory investigations in order to generate factual reports which are used to influence patient management. These sources are then in turn used to aid audit and compilation of statistical information.

To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspect of own work, including the management of patients in your care.

Provides clinical technical advice to patients and other members of the multi-disciplinary team including respiratory and non-respiratory physicians and other health care professionals.

Carries out all aspects of clinical work as approved by their Line Manager.

Works as an autonomous practitioner within established departmental policies and those recognised by international organisations ( European Respiratory Society (ERS), British Thoracic Society (BTS - UK)

Performs/facilitates a number of the following investigations on a range of respiratory and medical patients including acutely ill, paediatric and elderly patients and those with a range of physical and learning disabilities:

- Spirometry

- Flow Volume Loops

- Lung Volumes

- Airways Resistance

- Transfer Factor

- Reversibility Studies

- 6 Minute Walks

- Incremental Shuttle Walk Tests

- Mouth Pressure Tests

- Sniff Inspiratory Nasal Pressures

- Sitting and Supine Vital Capacity

- Capillary Blood Gas

- Hypoxic Challenge Test

- Mannitol Challenge Tests

- Cardio-Pulmonary Exercise Tests

- Overnight Oximetry

- Respiratory Variable Sleep Studies

- Full Polysomnography

- Osler Studies

- Actigraphy Studies

Requires a high level of manual dexterity and good hand to eye co-ordination in order to ensure the accurate application of a range of diagnostic tools, detailed evaluation of sleep studies.

High level of sensory co-ordination in order to immediately analyse and respond to complex life-threatening physiological signs. Following interpretation the Physiologist uses judgmental skills in order to make instantaneous decisions about further patient care.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

RCCP/AHCS/HCPC registration ARTP Part 1 and 2 or ARTP practitioner qualification Knowledge of respiratory physiology to degree level and/or equivalent

Desirable

Life support training Masters level study Mentorship qualification

Skills & behaviours

Essential

General physical abilities to undertake role Shows initiative to develop and learn new skills Enjoys working as part of a team Innovative thinker Seeks and welcomes feedback from others using reflective practice

Desirable

Ability to manage change Interest in service development Coaching skills Interest in developing others using feedback tools

Experience

Essential

Awareness of NHS plan and modernisation Training others in specialist skills and knowledge Broad range of knowledge and skills in fundamental and specialist respiratory investigations

Desirable

Leadership ability

Additional Requirements

Essential

Please state if you wish to work full time ( hours) or part time hours. In addition, if you state part time hours please state the number of days you wish to work. Do you wish to work full time, hours - Yes or No Do you wish to work part time - Yes or No. If Yes, please state the number of days you wish to work.

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