Theatre Practitioner

Job summary

Halton Hospital

The Nightingale building is part of our elective general surgery hospital which has two theatres for elective surgery and a treatment suite for laser vein surgery and Chronic Pain services. It is situated adjacent to the Captain Sir Tom Moore Building (CSTM). A third theatre is planned for 2025

Captain Sir Thomas Moore Building (CSTM)

There are 5 elective surgery theatres on this site all with laminar air flow. This site has 3 theatres for mainly orthopaedic elective surgery and 2 theatre which covers breast, urology, Ear Nose and Throat Surgery, gynaecology, dental and other surgical specialities as required.

Main duties of the job

All applicants will be expected to possess excellent communication and team working qualities with a willingness to learn new skills. You should be forward thinking and passionate about providing a high standard of care. Practitioners will be team players with a flexible attitude to the service requirements, and a defined awareness of the importance of service delivery. We welcome individuals who have an enthusiastic approach to teaching students and junior members of staff.

In return for your dedication and enthusiasm, we offer a fully supported preceptorship and core competency programme, championed by our perioperative practice education team. Continuing Professional Development is available via both in-house and university-based training initiatives such as Advanced Life Support with regular CPD reviews to support progress. We are an elective site with 7 theatres, 5 with laminar flow, with an 8th planned for 2025, providing a high standard of clean air quality for patients and staff and perform a wide range of surgery including:

Urology

Breast

General Surgery

Gynaecology

ENT

Pain Management Service

Laser Vein Surgery

At Halton Theatres we work full time hours over 4 weekday shifts

About us

Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is a caring and compassionate organisation that is both ambitious and innovative. We are committed to delivering the best outcomes for our patients and providing a positive experience of our staff. We aspire to be outstanding for our patients, our communities and our staff and are committed to being a great place to receive healthcare, work and learn.

Straddling the neighbouring boroughs of Warrington and Halton we are part of the Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care system. Our hospitals are ideally situated to meet the growing healthcare needs of the 330,000 population of these boroughs.

Warrington Hospital is home to our emergency, critical care and maternity services, Halton Hospital is focused on elective procedures and the Runcorn Urgent Treatment Centre, although many services are offered at both sites and in community hubs.

A CQC-rated 'good' organisation with 'outstanding' features, we are working towards university hospital status, having achieved teaching hospital status in 2019.

Our workforce of nearly 5,000 across both sites comprises more than 50 nationalities. We strive to be an equal, diverse and inclusive employer, which is recognised as a pioneer in its equality, diversity and inclusion work. The Trust is proud to have achieved numerous external accreditations and is working towards achieving the Anti-Racist Organisation Framework, recognising the importance of anti-racism in all that we do.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Main Tasks

1. To provide a high level of support to Team Leaders in the delivery of patient care either within the field of Anaesthetics, Theatre Scrub work or Recovery.

2. To assess, plan, implement and evaluate patient care during the intra operative phase.

3. To deputise for the Team Leader in one of the above clinical areas when requested.

4. To participate in an out of hour rota covering, Maternity and Main Theatres as per service requirements (not on the elective site)

5. To provide assistance in alternative trust locations when required.

6. To act as patients advocate during the perioperative episode of care.

7. To maintain patient safety as a priority within the theatre environment.

8. To ensure all equipment/ stock levels are maintained and in good working order prior to each operative list, any problems are highlighted to the relevant departments and Clinical leads.

9. To assist with the positioning and preparation of the patient Tourniquet, Diathermy etc as directed by the surgical team, ensuring patient safety always.

10. To actively promote a professional environment within Theatre, which will assist in the motivation of all grades of staff.

11. To participate in the management of caseloads within Theatre, and to supervise and support staff in training.

Recovery Practitioner

1. To provide skilled assistance to the anaesthetist to enable safe maintenance of airway in both adult and paediatric services in the post anaesthetic phase

2. To apply pain management knowledge and use practical skills to support epidurals / /I V bolus of opiates

3. To provide immediate post-operative care for patients requiring High Dependency/ITU intervention, whilst awaiting transfer externally or within the trust.

Anaesthetic Practitioner

1. To provide skilled assistance to the anaesthetist to enable safe maintenance of airway in both adult and paediatric orthopaedic services.

2. To assist in patient positioning/preparation for elective and trauma orthopaedic procedures

3. To assist in the safe external transfer of patients requiring High dependency/ITU care at the identified receiving hospital.

4. To provide a cell save service as required when qualified as per Trust protocol.

Scrub Practitioner

1. To provide nursing care for patients during surgical intervention and skilled assistance to the Surgeon and Anaesthetist to ensure patient safety always.

2. Act as lead taking responsibility for elective specialities, completing accurate documentation to ensure adherence to protocol thus ensuring patient and staff safety always

3. The post holder will have significant responsibility in ensuring that all instrumentation is sterile and available for use prior to procedure and meets all decontamination criteria to maintain standards of practice and minimise risk to patient safety.

Teaching & Training

1. To participate in teaching programmes as required.

2. To identify suitable teaching opportunities/requirements for staff undergoing development and to undertake practical teaching of staff at every possible opportunity.

3. To identify own training needs through the appraisal mechanism and ensure identified needs are met.

4. To actively participate in induction programmes for new staff to ensure a welcoming environment.

5. To mentor student ODPs and Student nurses.

Person Specification

essential

Essential

nurse or ODP Registration on Part 1, or 12 of NMC Register (RN Adult) or Registration with HPC as ODP

Desirable

operating theatre experience

essential

Essential

recent experience in an acute care setting

Desirable

Minimum of 12 months experience at Band 5 in related speciality Experience of supervising staff Evidence of ability to teach in practice

essential

Essential

Comprehensive applied Anatomy and Physiology for relevant clinical area Knowledge of surgical procedures

Desirable

Effective organisation skills, including time management and prioritising skills

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