Job summary
We
are seeking an enthusiastic and highly motivated Highly Specialist Healthcare
Science Practitioner / Clinical Scientist/Echocardiographer to work as part of
our friendly team providing a diagnostic Cardiology and Respiratory service to
both in-patients and out-patients. We welcome suitable applicants looking for
either full-time or part-time work. The
principal hospitals within County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
are Darlington Memorial Hospital, The University Hospital of North Durham,
Bishop Auckland Hospital and Shotley Bridge Hospital. The Cardiology & Respiratory
Investigations Units comprise a team of approximately 40 staff who provide a
broad range of invasive and non-invasive procedures including echocardiography,
stress echocardiography, trans-oesophageal echocardiography, diagnostic
angiography, pacing implant / follow-up, complex device follow up, tilt testing
and nerve conduction studies. We are
committed to providing learning and development opportunities; we actively
encourage and support all appropriate professional development. The hospital
base for this post is Darlington Memorial Hospital.
Main duties of the job
The
successful candidate will work as part of a team in the busy Cardio-Respiratory
departments. They will be Highly
specialist in echocardiography and will have a responsibility for the delivery
of the highest quality echocardiography services within their designated
team. They will work closely with
colleagues to ensure that protocols and procedures meet local and national
requirements for good practice and service delivery. They will perform a range of cardiac and
other Physiological investigations, and produce evidence-based clinical
reports. They will provide training to
other healthcare professionals and students and will supervise junior staff, as
well as deputise for more senior staff on occasions.
About us
If you are being interviewed you must accept an interview slot in the system to continue, even if you have arranged with the manager
You must be able to produce ALL certificates stated essential in the person specification or you will not be able to complete pre-employment checks
We provide hospital services from two acute sites - Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham. We have a centre for planned care in Bishop Auckland and provide care from community hospitals in Chester-le-Street, Shotley Bridge, Barnard Castle, Sedgefield and Weardale as well as over 80 other community based settings and providing care in patients' homes.
We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as BAME and disabled people are currently under-represented
Full Job Descriptions can be found in the adverts supporting documents
Over reliance on
AI-generated content is discouraged and may diminish the applicant's chances of
success
For the most up-to-date information on visa requirements and eligibility, please check online to determine whether you can apply.
From April 9th 2025 - Healthcare assistants - You must have a minimum of two years
of experience working within the NHS as a HCA for the Trust to consider
sponsorship (we will only consider sponsorship if you meet this criteria and
have a current visa expiring within 3 months)
Job description
Job responsibilities
The candidate will independently perform a range of Cardiac
and physiological investigations, specialising in echocardiography, and will
derive clinical reports from highly specialist diagnostic procedures. They must have experience of working in a
Cardiac Investigations department at Band 6 level and have achieved the minimum
academic qualifications in the Person Specification. They must be registered on the AHCS or HCPC register
or be on the AHCS Specialist Echocardiography Register
They must
also hold a current certificate in Immediate Life Support or willing to
undertake within the first 6 months.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The candidate will independently perform a range of Cardiac
and physiological investigations, specialising in echocardiography, and will
derive clinical reports from highly specialist diagnostic procedures. They must have experience of working in a
Cardiac Investigations department at Band 6 level and have achieved the minimum
academic qualifications in the Person Specification. They must be registered on the AHCS or HCPC register
or be on the AHCS Specialist Echocardiography Register
They must
also hold a current certificate in Immediate Life Support or willing to
undertake within the first 6 months.
Person Specification
Special Requirements
Essential
- Able to travel across Trust sites to meet the requirements of the post
Experience
Essential
- Significant experience in the field of echocardiography, with highly specialist knowledge.
- Experience at specialist level (Band 6 level) or equivalent.
- Experience of working within a Cardiac investigations Unit.
- Experience of a broad range of diagnostic procedures within Cardiology.
- Experience of audit and quality assurance programmes
- Experience of training staff from a range of disciplines.
Desirable
- Experience of Stress echocardiography / trans-oesophageal echocardiography.
- Experience of supervising staff teams
- Experience of service development and change management
- Experience of participating in local, regional and national professional meetings and conferences
- Able to work in a range of clinical environments.
- Experience of implementation and reviewing new services
- Experience of budget management.
Qualifications
Essential
- BSc (Hons) Healthcare Science: Cardiac Physiology or MSc Clinical Science (Cardiac Science) or equivalent, with acceptance onto AHCS / HCPC professional register.
- Or BSC in a relevant Scientific subject and on AHCS Specialist Echocardiography Register.
- British Society of Echocardiography Adult Accreditation or equivalent.
- Immediate Life Support (or willing to undertake this within the first 6 months of employment)
Desirable
- Teaching / mentoring qualification
Statutory Registration
Essential
- Registered with AHCS or HCPC, or on AHCS Specialist Echocardiography register
Special Skills & Knowledge
Essential
- Specialist in the field of echocardiography, able to provide clinical advice to a range of healthcare professionals, as well as patients and carers
- Ability to provide operational leadership for echocardiography
- Organizational skills
- IT skills
- Experience of involvement in programmes of research/audit
- Ability to audit and supervise the work of others
- Ability to prioritise workload
- Good communication skills written and verbal.
- In depth knowledge of pathologies relevant to Cardiology
- Ability to analyse complex information, interpret results and provide accurate reports to Medical staff and other Healthcare professionals within primary and Secondary care.
- Able to provide advice to clinicians.
- Ability to assess patient condition and seek expert assistance when required.
Desirable
- Ability to train other staff of all levels and act as mentor.
- Ability to liaise with other staff both in Primary and Secondary care.
- Able to manage resources within budgetary limits and service requirements.
- Presentation Skills.
- Able to use evidence based practice to ensure quality standards.
- Negotiation skills
- Leadership skills
Person Specification
Special Requirements
Essential
- Able to travel across Trust sites to meet the requirements of the post
Experience
Essential
- Significant experience in the field of echocardiography, with highly specialist knowledge.
- Experience at specialist level (Band 6 level) or equivalent.
- Experience of working within a Cardiac investigations Unit.
- Experience of a broad range of diagnostic procedures within Cardiology.
- Experience of audit and quality assurance programmes
- Experience of training staff from a range of disciplines.
Desirable
- Experience of Stress echocardiography / trans-oesophageal echocardiography.
- Experience of supervising staff teams
- Experience of service development and change management
- Experience of participating in local, regional and national professional meetings and conferences
- Able to work in a range of clinical environments.
- Experience of implementation and reviewing new services
- Experience of budget management.
Qualifications
Essential
- BSc (Hons) Healthcare Science: Cardiac Physiology or MSc Clinical Science (Cardiac Science) or equivalent, with acceptance onto AHCS / HCPC professional register.
- Or BSC in a relevant Scientific subject and on AHCS Specialist Echocardiography Register.
- British Society of Echocardiography Adult Accreditation or equivalent.
- Immediate Life Support (or willing to undertake this within the first 6 months of employment)
Desirable
- Teaching / mentoring qualification
Statutory Registration
Essential
- Registered with AHCS or HCPC, or on AHCS Specialist Echocardiography register
Special Skills & Knowledge
Essential
- Specialist in the field of echocardiography, able to provide clinical advice to a range of healthcare professionals, as well as patients and carers
- Ability to provide operational leadership for echocardiography
- Organizational skills
- IT skills
- Experience of involvement in programmes of research/audit
- Ability to audit and supervise the work of others
- Ability to prioritise workload
- Good communication skills written and verbal.
- In depth knowledge of pathologies relevant to Cardiology
- Ability to analyse complex information, interpret results and provide accurate reports to Medical staff and other Healthcare professionals within primary and Secondary care.
- Able to provide advice to clinicians.
- Ability to assess patient condition and seek expert assistance when required.
Desirable
- Ability to train other staff of all levels and act as mentor.
- Ability to liaise with other staff both in Primary and Secondary care.
- Able to manage resources within budgetary limits and service requirements.
- Presentation Skills.
- Able to use evidence based practice to ensure quality standards.
- Negotiation skills
- Leadership skills
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).
Additional information
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
County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
Address
Darlington Memorial Hospital NHS Trust
Hollyhurst Road
Darlington
County Durham
DL3 6HX
Employer's website
https://www.cddft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)
