Specialist HEMS Paramedic

Job summary

Applications are invited for appointment to the role of Specialist HEMS Paramedic with a specific interest in Patient Aftercare , as detailed in the attached job profile. The successful applicant will be fully seconded to Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS),and combine the role of Specialist HEMS Paramedic with a specific area of responsibility Aftercare Lead on a 50% clinical / 50% non-clinical basis. All candidates must be a Registered paramedic with the HCPC, with a minimum 5 years post registration patient facing experience and undertaken a previous UK HEMS secondment (minimum 2 years) with experience of patient aftercare as detailed in the person specification, and hold a full UK Driving Licence. Appointment will be subject to Candidates being able to complete a "fit for role" test and Class 2 aviation medical. KSS is an internationally renowned charity providing Helicopter Emergency Medicine Services (HEMS) to the million resident population of Kent, Surrey and Sussex. KSS operate two teams from Redhill Aerodrome; one 24 hours a day (two twelve-hour shifts; Helimed 60) and one 18 hours a day (two nine-hour shifts; Helimed 21) seven days a week. Paramedics rotate between both Helimed 21 and Helimed 60 shifts. Both teams comprise at least one HEMS paramedic and one HEMS doctor and can be deployed via helicopter or rapid response car to patients requiring pre-hospital resuscitation and rapid transfer.

Main duties of the job

This is an excellent opportunity for those who have an interest or experience in pre hospital care and patient aftercare services, underpinned by previous HEMS operational experience through either KSS or a similar UK based HEMS Service. Although post holders are employed through University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust the posts are hosted by Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex and are based at the charity's operational base at Redhill Aerodrome, Surrey, RH1 5JZ. The clinical rota is full shift covering early, late, day and night shifts and includes rota'd time for clinical governance days that all staff attend fortnightly. It is compliant with the UK Working Time Regulations. Post holders will be provided with specific training for this role and will work under direct supervision of an experienced HEMS paramedic until they are able to work on scene without direct supervision. After this time, there is senior HEMS consultant on call advice via telephone at all times and regular case reviews will ensure that clinicians are adequately supported in their work. Non-clinical (Aftercare) time will be self-rostered, and the successful applicant will be expected to manage their time based on needs of the post.

About us

Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS) is an internationally renowned air ambulance charity providing Helicopter Emergency Medicine Services (HEMS) to the million resident population of Kent, Surrey and Sussex. Our vision is an end to preventable loss of life from medical emergency. Although we are an independent charity and healthcare provider, KSS has strong links with University Hospitals Sussex, both managerially and clinically.

KSS operate two teams from Redhill Aerodrome; one 24 hours a day (two twelve-hour shifts; Helimed 60) and one 18 hours a day (two nine-hour shifts; Helimed 21) seven days a week. Both teams compise at least one HEMS paramedic and one HEMS doctor and can be deployed via helicopter or rapid response car to patients requiring pre-hospital resuscitation and rapid transfer to the most appropriate hospital for their needs.

KSS work in partnerships with the statutory ambulance service (South East Coast Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust), the Major Trauma Centres in Kent (Kings College Hospital), Surrey (St Georges Hospital) and Sussex (the Royal Sussex County Hospital) and hospital teams across the three counties. KSS has built a strong reputation for delivering high quality pre-hospital care and is renowned internationally for the strength of the service it has developed and for its reputation as a leading producer of impactful per-hospital care research.

Further information about KSS can be found at:

Job description

Job responsibilities

The Specialist HEMS Paramedic is expected to deliver high quality patient focused care within their own scope of practice, and within the context of the enhanced care team underpinned by experience within the HEMS environment and a core set of competencies.

They will be expected to have a sound knowledge and appropriate level of experience in the management of the critically ill or injured complex patient, in the pre-hospital setting.

The role involves providing specialist advice within the team in matters relating to scene safety, scene management, inter-agency working, extrication techniques, patient triage and transportation. A sound knowledge of the acute health care networks across the South East is therefore vital.

The Specialist HEMS Paramedic will be expected to remotely support the tasking function and assist in the identification of appropriate calls and the safe, but timely deployment of the aircraft or response car when dispatched. The post holder will be required to lead the operational service delivery on a real time basis both in the dispatch function and the transport and triage decision making.

As a high profile member of the clinical team, the Specialist HEMS Paramedic will be expected to support and promote the fundraising efforts of the charity and will be required to assist in the delivery of, or attendance at, presentations and other fundraising functions.

This roll will be combined with specific responsibilities as Aftercare Lead. This is a key member of our newly formed Patient and Family Aftercare Team, with responsibility for the development and embedding of this service within our communities. Their role, working with the Patient and Family Aftercare Manager, will focus on establishing this crucial service through engagement and negotiation with our NHS colleagues, engaging with patients and their families to ensure the service meet their needs and aligns them with available support and support patient visits to KSS and the demonstration of impact of the service.

Delivering on our purpose and striving towards our vision as a charity relies upon us understanding how the interventions we undertake have influenced patient outcome. This is best achieved through the establishment of more extensive patient relationships and acute sector collaboration, allowing us to obtain granular quantitative and qualitative data which will be vital in informing the targeted development of prevention and education strategies as well as of core service provision.

An additional aim of the role in the medium term will be to provide liaison and engagement activity to support our Prevention and Education Key Strategic Initiative.

The role will require flexible working at both our Redhill and Rochester bases and may require attendance at our Major Trauma Centres and other key stakeholder sites. The individual may also be required to potentially meet patients and their families in a residential setting or community setting.

The individual will play a key role in representing KSS in our communities, raising awareness of our cause, displaying our behaviours, and living by our values.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Experience Knowledge HCPC Registration Ability to completion of AAKSS HEMS Paramedic Clinical Competency Framework (within 3 months of start date)

Desirable

Qualifications relating to critical care Post graduate study, ideally at level

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

Essential

Evidence of having undertaken own development to improve understanding of equalities issues Evidence of having championed diversity in previous roles (as appropriate to role).

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