GI Physiologist, Band 7

Job description

Job responsibilities

Provision of Clinical Services/Clinical Responsibilities

Patient Care

- Undertake the full range of Upper and Lower GI Physiology diagnostic tests and procedures as required by patients.

- Undertake interpretation of results and provision of reports.

- Work according to professional standards and guidelines of the Association Gastrointestinal Physiologist (AGIP)

- Will be trained and assessed in the competencies required to undertake these activities to ensure that high quality of patient care is maintained.

Professional Development, Education and Training

- Develop own skill and knowledge, following the Trust personal development and Review System.

- Attend appropriate scientific and educational meetings and courses for personal skill and knowledge development and updating.

- Participate in Continued Professional Development.

Management and Leadership

- Contribute to and facilitate the development of quality improvement initiatives.

- Contribute to the development of local policies and procedures acting in a development and advisory capacity, including Health & Safety and Quality Assurance.

- Establish and promote collaborative working relationships and effective communication between all members of the multidisciplinary team.

- Disseminate the development of the role at local, regional and national events and conferences by undertaking presentations and public speaking/workshop activities.

- Provide GI training for students attending the unit for training.

- To train other professional groups in GI physiology measurement and update on advancements in practice and service delivery.

- To line manage/supervise staff and take a lead role in their training, education and development.

Research and Development

- To provide guidance and recommendations with regard to GI Physiological investigations within the department.

- Be accountable for service improvement that is conducive to the delivery of a high quality service.

- Work toward developing new services within GI physiology including BRAVO and hydrogen breath testing.

- Maintain knowledge of developments and current practices relevant to the clinical area and use this knowledge to carry out clinical practice founded on research and evidence.

- Undertake evidence-based research in GI physiology.

- Develop audit tools as required to justify, benchmark, quantify, develop and assess practice, designing and/or redesigning protocols and documents to assist the function of the Directorate

- Lead own independent research within GI physiology, which may have a demonstrable impact on investigative methods and / or patient pathways.

- Contribute towards designing and maintaining patient information leaflets for approval and publication to Trust Standards.

- Contribute to writing, reviewing and updating standard operating procedures for current and new patient diagnostic tests.

- Carry out regular audits of Laboratory activity and monitor the performance of the service and testing procedures.

- Provide complex technical support to clinical audits.

Communications and Working Relationships

- The post holder is required to obtain a detailed history, lifestyle, and dietary assessment and to council on appropriate modifications that may improve patient symptoms, depending on test results.

- To take informed consent prior to every patient diagnostic test.

- Ensure and promote effective methods of communication to both members of staff and patients attending for investigation.

- Communicates condition related information to patients and relatives, helping them to understand their diagnosis and future possible treatment pathways.

- To communicate in a manner that reassures patients whilst imparting complex information. This will require ability to overcome barriers in communication and ability to meet the needs of patients with disabilities.

- Excellent written, verbal and presentation skills will be required for imparting audit findings and sharing knowledge with national bodies/organisation

Financial/Physical Resources

- To order GI physiology consumables and other related supplies (e.g. pH/Impedance catheters, pharmacy supplies etc.) in collaboration with other departmental staff. This will require a working knowledge of acceptable stock levels and departmental demand.

- The post-holder is responsible for maintaining specialist test equipment where possible and reporting faults and escalating issues.Assist in the effective budget management within the department, in terms of resource requirements, equipment and related supplier

General Working Conditions

- The post-holder should be in good health and possess a full driving license.

- The post-holder should have highly developed skills including excellent dexterity, hand eye co-ordination and sensory skills for the related procedures e.g. intubation of oesophageal catheter

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Relevant Scientist degree in Clinical Physiology (GI Physiology)
• Demonstration of Continuing Professional Development
• To have attained a highly developed practical and theoretical expertise specific to gastrointestinal physiology testing and be proficient across the major repertoire of clinical investigative techniques and their critical interpretation
• To have a broad knowledge of routine and specialised investigative and analytical methods in GI physiology and an aptitude for technical troubleshooting and general problem solving
• To have achieved full (or about to imminently achieve) competencies across the entire repertoire of physiological investigations (equivalent to Masters level) of the GI tract and hold substantial in-post formal training in an approved training centre.
• Registered or working towards registration with the Academy for Healthcare Science (AHCS), Registration Council for Clinical Physiologists (RCCP) or the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC)

Desirable

• Eligible (or about to imminently be eligible) for associate membership of the British Society of Gastroenterology compliant with the accreditation requirements of the Association of Gastrointestinal Physiologists (AGIP) as an independent practitioner in Gastrointestinal Physiology

Experience

Essential

• To have achieved full (or about to imminently achieve) competencies across the entire repertoire of physiological investigations of the GI tract and demonstrable evidence of completion of an approved training pathway in an appropriate centre.
• To have developed practical, theoretical and analytical expertise across these areas to the level of an independent practitioner
• To have demonstrated (through formal assessment) a broad understanding of the normal anatomy and physiology of other organ systems pertinent to all modalities of clinical physiology

Knowledge/ Skills

Essential

• Able to demonstrate knowledge clinical practice
• Evidence of strategic NHS awareness
• Able to train other relevant health care professionals including other Allied Health Professionals, Nurses and Medical Students.
• Able to handle complaints, face to face, in a non-confrontational manner.
• Confident and competent to act appropriately in emergencies and in the event of significant clinical findings whether physically on-site or via telephone throughout the 24 hour period.

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Cheltenham General Hospital

Sandford Road

Cheltenham

GL53 7AN

Employer's website

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