Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

Sleep Assistant Practitioner, Cardiopulmonary.

The closing date is 13 August 2025

Job summary

We are looking to recruit an Assistant Sleep Practitioner to join our friendly and enthusiastic team at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals. This post is ideal for someone who is keen to pursue a career in healthcare science.

The successful candidate will support the sleep service, issue sleep studies, address telephone and email queries from patients on Continuous Positive Airway Pressure 'CPAP' independently, liaising with medical staff and senior colleagues on appropriate use of tests and investigations.

Our department is actively involved in delivering training and have an excellent record supporting; Level 4 Healthcare science apprenticeships, the Practitioner Training Programme (PTP) the Graduate Diploma in Respiratory Physiology and the Scientist Training Programme (STP).

The post holder will work with the rest of the team to ensure patients with diagnosed and suspected Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) receive timely investigations and support with ongoing therapy using CPAP.

The post holder will be based at Worcestershire Royal Hospital but will be required to work at other Trust sites. Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust comprises of 3 hospitals: The Alexandra Hospital, Worcestershire Royal Hospital, and Kidderminster Treatment Centre. All sites have good road links to M42 and M5 motorways.

Main duties of the job

In the first couple of months, the main duty will be to gain experience in a respiratory physiology department, learning how to issue sleep studies, how to resolve issues patients may have complying with CPAP therapy and learn how to use patient administration systems and ensure accurate record keeping.

The range of duties will include:

Issuing and receiving sleep study equipment identifying patients that need more urgent analysis.

Perform Spirometry and related tests, Flow Volume Loops, response to bronchodilators etc.

CPAP support including giving advice over the telephone and seeing patients face to face to help with mask fitting.

Perform arterialised capillary blood gas sampling and ensuring the results are returned to the referrer

Booking patients onto the PAS and outcoming and coding interventions appropriately.

Creating letters on Bluespier documenting interventions and attempted interventions ensuring accurate clinical record keeping

To identify patients requiring support from our CPAP and NIV (Ventilation) MDT discussions.

To support colleagues by providing feedback regarding the updating of and working in accordance with the current standards, guidelines and departmental protocols and policies. Acting appropriately in the event of significant adverse findings, alerting physicians or senior staff when immediate medical attention is required.

To work in partnership with other care providers to maintain high quality care throughout.

About us

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is a large acute and specialised hospital trust that provides a range of local acute services to the residents of Worcestershire and more specialised services to a larger population in Herefordshire and beyond.

The Trust operates hospital-based services from three sites in Kidderminster, Redditch and Worcester

Our workforce is more than 7,000 strong, and our caring staff are recognised as providing good and outstanding patient-centred care. You could be one of them.

We are committed to recruiting the best people to work with us. Our values, which we ask all staff to demonstrate, underpin our everyday work and remain firmly at the heart of all we do.

Being open and honest

Ensuring people feel cared for

Showing respect to everyone

We are proud to have achieved Timewise accreditation - this means we are committed to embedding flexible working within our organisation as a flex positive employer.

DBS Checks and Costs

Any applicants who are offered posts requiring a DBS check as part of their employment check will have the cost of this check (at the current rate) deducted from their salary. Please see link in Supporting Information section for more details on DBS checks and costs.

Date posted

30 July 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 3

Salary

£24,937 to £26,598 a year

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working

Reference number

C9365-25-0227

Job locations

Charles Hastings Way

Worcester

Worcestershire

WR5 1DD

The Alexandra Hospital

Woodrow Drive

Redditch

Worcestershire

B98 7UB

Kidderminster General Hospital

Bewdley Road

Kidderminster

Worcestershire

DY11 6RJ

Job description

Job responsibilities

WORCESTERSHIRE ACUTE HOSPITALS NHS TRUST

JOB DESCRIPTION

Post Title: Assistant Sleep Practitioner

Pay Band: Band 3

Hours: Full Time 37.5 Hours Per Week

Location / Department: Worcestershire Royal Hospital, Alexandra Hospital Redditch and Kidderminster treatment Centre Cardiopulmonary departments

Accountable to: Countywide Respiratory Physiology Lead

Reports to: Sleep disordered breathing service lead

Key Working Relationships:

Internal: All categories of patients within the trust. All levels of Medical, Nursing, Clerical, Ancillary and Engineering personnel. External: All categories of patients and relatives, general public, General Practitioners and staff, Paramedics, Company representatives and technical training advisors.

Job Purpose:

The post holder will support the respiratory physiology service in the provision of respiratory diagnostics and sleep therapies to the Worcestershire population.

The post holder will provide support to clinical and administrative staff, escalate any concerns to the Sleep service lead.

The post holder will support the Countywide respiratory physiology lead ensuring waiting list targets are being met.

The post-holder will be expected to function independently as a assistant sleep practitioner and assist in other clinical areas as required. You will be working with a group of clinical scientists and clinical physiologists and consultants/nurses who are committed to providing the highest standards of patient care.

The post-holder will work closely with the staff within the wider Cardiopulmonary department and will be expected to travel to each of the 3 sites to offer support when required.

The post holder will support the admin and clerical staff to ensure efficient use of NHS resources optimising the waiting lists, and ensure appointment lists are fully booked.

Assisting in maintaining quality of the clinical investigation service provision, including audit, research and development, procurement and quality assurance of all equipment.

Providing support in the provision and maintenance of IT systems supporting the department, ensuring system resilience and compliance, working with trust IT department and outside suppliers.

Translate complex technical information through patient care to patients, their relatives and healthcare professionals.

Key Duties:

Professional/Clinical Leadership

Consistently provide high quality leadership in a visible and highly professional manner, acting as a positive role model.

Act as a source of reference to other members of the department giving support, advice and recommendations.

Demonstrate continuous professional development, maintaining a high level of clinical competence.

Support service leads to ensure that all staff have a clear understanding of the care and environmental standards they are expected to maintain.

Act as a clinical role model, assessing and delivering care needs as a significant part of their role. They will also ensure high standards of clinical care are consistently achieved and monitored.

Role model the trusts values and expected behaviours.

Ensure all communication, which may be complex, contentious or sensitive, is undertaken in a responsive, inclusive and timely manner, focusing on improvement and ways to move forward.

Ensure all communication is presented appropriately to different recipients, according to levels of understanding, type of communication being imparted and possible barriers such as language, culture, understanding or physical or mental health conditions.

Ensure that waiting times are monitored and reported on a weekly basis and that any potential problems are escalated appropriately.

Clinical and professional responsibilities

The post requires knowledge in the field Respiratory Physiology, and Sleep Medicine.

This is an Assistant post and following the training period you will be expected to be competent at performing the following duties independently

Issuing sleep diagnostic equipment including overnight oximetry and multi-channel sleep studies.

Support the Sleep service answerphone and email queries resolving patient issues efficiently and accurately.

Ensure accurate clinical record keeping updating spreadsheers and completing clinic letters.

Support the Admin team with booking patients supported onto the patient administration system.

Support infection control and prevention measures by supporting the clinical teams with environment and device cleaning

Undertake measurements of blood gases by arterialised capillary sampling and escalate abnormal results.

Undertake and attaint competence in the performance of Spirometry.

Be accountable for own professional actions.

Highlighting any urgencies or concern to senior staff.

Report urgent outcomes to the appropriate medical teams or clinicians.

To attend training courses to update ones own technical, physiological and pathological knowledge of specialist procedures and to update ones knowledge, in respect of specialised clinical use of equipment.

To deliver services ensuring they are delivered in line with Health & Safety and other Trust guidelines

Clinical governance and quality

To contribute to the maintenance of all trust policies and procedures within the departments.

Support systematic clinical audit and monitor improvements.

Ensure that physiological tests and interventions are delivered in line with best practice at all sites.

Help ensure a safe, secure environment for patients, visitors and staff.

Ensure that confidentiality of patient records is strictly maintained and comply with the Data Protection Act.

Ensure the update and smooth running of departmental databases and archive systems.

support and monitor the safety of equipment, ensure service / maintenance is carried out to a high level, taking action when faulty equipment is detected.

The job description is not intended to be exhaustive and it is likely that duties may be altered from time to time in the light of changing circumstances and after consultation with the post-holder.

The post holder might be required to work across the Trust at any time throughout the duration of their contract, which may entail travel and working at different hospital sites