Head of Clinical Engineering

Job description

Job responsibilities

The post holder is responsible for using initiative and judgement to organise and manage the sections staff, equipment and financial resources. The post holder is responsible for:

Delivering high-quality complex specialist services to patients, safely, legally and in compliance with Trust policy and practice.

Ensuring and providing advice on the provision of medical equipment to the trust and its customers and compliance with relevant legislation, manufacturer and trust requirements and best practice throughout the equipment lifecycle.

Responsible medical devices safety officer for the trust.

Providing the trust and external customers with reliable and responsive scientific and technical support, using judgement and expert knowledge to provide them optimally in accordance with the needs of the customers and making best use of the resources available.

Providing leadership and strategic direction to the section in conjunction with the Head of Medical Physics.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES & AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

To take responsibility for strategically planning and managing the provision of equipment management, scientific and technical services in Clinical engineering throughout the Trust, and to external customers including other trusts in Yorkshire.

Accountable for managing the direct delivery of the whole Clinical Engineering service, maintaining a broad range of complex and expensive medical equipment across the Trust and beyond.

To provide motivation and leadership to the scientific and technical staff of the section to maintain a high standard of service provision.

To develop and maintain, in conjunction with the departmental quality manager, an appropriate quality system for the services provided by the section and ensure that the services provided by the section are of high quality.

Ensure that the Trust fulfils its statutory obligations with respect to the provision of medical devices and other related Health and Safety legislation, including the maintenance of adequate records.

To develop effective working relationships with senior clinical staff and other staff within the department and wider Trust.

To use initiative and expertise to assist with the development and introduction of new techniques and technologies in the field of medical equipment management.

To liaise with external organisations and regulatory bodies who have an interest in the work of the section.

To take responsibility for provision of similar services to external organisations, as appropriate.

Develop, review and maintain the Trust corporate policy Management of Medical Devices.

Develops, reviews, maintains and implements Clinical Engineering policies, processes and procedures including carrying out research and development into novel strategies for managing risk and new methods of service delivery.

Develops and delivers training programmes related to the clinical engineering services and undertakes appropriate teaching.

Responsible for the section providing scientific and technical support services, which include advising on selection, installation and acceptance testing of highly complex equipment, the quality assurance, maintenance, calibration and repair of the trusts fleet of medical equipment.

Responsibility for Clinical Engineering annual budget of approximately £5M

Responsibility for the operation and strategic development of the Equip equipment asset recording, management and service database system.

Responsibility for effective monitoring of medical devices management and developing trust-wide action plans based on shortcomings in medical devices management practice identified in the annual Medical Devices Controls Assurance return.

Takes responsibility for final decisions relating to electrical safety of medical equipment in exceptional or non-straightforward situations where expert guidance is needed.

Other duties as determined by the Head of Department, and for the provision of effective services.

Deputises for the Head of Medical Physics and Engineering as directed and acts as a departmental bronze commander, when necessary

COMMUNICATION & WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

Develop and maintain effective working relationships with the senior clinical, scientific and technical staff in all customer departments, as well as other staff in Medical Physics & Engineering.

Be diplomatic and persuasive in resolving conflict situations, for example where research work must be delayed due to the required regulatory processes being slow, or where the needs of service delivery are perceived to conflict with arrangements for the safety of staff or patients. Such situations can be contentious and highly complex, requiring empathy for disparate points of view and the need for the post holder to overcome significant barriers to acceptance (for example as part of a management of change process).

Liaise with external organisations and regulatory bodies who have an interest in the work of the section, or its customers, such as the Health and Safety Executive and the MHRA. This frequently requires the description of complex processes in terms that are pertinent and comprehensible to the issues that are of concern to the other party and may involve negotiating, persuasive and reassurance skills, particularly where there are barriers to understanding highly complex information.

To liaise with trust planners and contractors in the planning and execution of projects affecting the work of the section or its customers.

To liaise with Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering professionals throughout the UK and internationally, to maintain state-of-the-art knowledge of medical technologies, for the benefit of services provided by the LTH trust and its customers.

To present and receive highly complex and / or sensitive and / or contentious information to large groups of staff, such as might be associated with the implementation and management of high volume medical equipment or new procedures.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Detailed professional and scientific knowledge of Clinical Engineering management
• Experience of managing a Clinical Engineering service.
• Thorough understanding and experience of quality systems, such as ISO 9001:2015.
• Thorough understanding of medical device standards , guidance and legislation, (e.g. ISO 13485:2016)
• Knowledge of healthcare risk management policy and standards such as ISO 14971:2019

Qualifications

Essential

• Honours degree or equivalent in physical sciences or electronic or electrical engineering.
• Chartered Engineer
• Registration with the Register of Clinical Technologists (RCT) or registration with the HCPC as a Clinical Scientist.
• Formal management and / or leadership qualification or management training in appropriate area.
• Substantial previous relevant experience in the area of clinical engineering and equipment management

Desirable

• MSc degree in physical sciences or engineering.

Skills & behaviours

Essential

• Ability to cope with large and unpredictable workload.
• Ability to provide leadership and work as part of a team.
• Demonstrate the ability to manage change in complex environment.
• Ability to focus on major policy issues whilst maintaining a busy operational service.
• Proven financial management skills.

Additional Requirements

Essential

• Ability to analyse highly complex situations where conflicting demands on limited resources have to be reconciled in order to minimise risk to the organisation
• Use of own judgement to make evidence-based assessments of risk, where the outcome for the organisation may be in conflict with national or other published guidelines

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name

Leeds Teaching Hospitals

Address

Seacroft Hospital

York Road

Leeds

LS14 6UH

Employer's website

https://www.leedsth.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)