Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT) is a large teaching Trust located in North East London. Our Vision is to provide outstanding healthcare to our community, delivered with pride.
We care for a population of more than 750,000 people and are one of the largest employers in the region, with 7,500 staff and volunteers.
We have a national and international reputation for many of our specialist services, including stroke, renal, neurosciences, cancer services and trauma.
Depending on the kind of work you'd like to do, you could work in one of two locations:
- King George Hospital in Goodmayes, Ilford
- Queen’s Hospital in Romford
Both hospitals provide a wide range of acute hospital services including: Emergency Department (A&E), outpatients, surgery, inpatient medical care and critical care. Together both hospitals have more than 1,000 inpatient beds.
Our Trust works in partnership with the Virginia Mason Institute (VMI) based in Seattle. It is one of only five hospital Trusts in the UK to have this arrangement. The Virginia Mason Institute is known for helping healthcare organisations around the world to create and sustain a ‘lean’ culture of continuous improvement which puts patients first.
Job title: Respiratory Physiologist
Band: Band 6
Hours of work: 37.5
Location: Cardio-Respiratory Unit, Queens
Specialty/department: Specialist Medicine.
Accountable to: Head of Cardio-Respiratory Diagnostics
Responsible to: Lead Cardiac Physiologist
Job purpose
To provide a high quality, appropriate and effective Cardio-Respiratory investigation service.
To supervise, guide and support all junior members of staff.
To be responsible for the organisation and delivery of an area of specialist responsibility as allocated by the Lead Cardiac Physiologist.
The post holder is expected to establish and maintain positive interpersonal relationships with other staff members characterised by trust, mutual respect, and open, honest communication.
Internal Relationships
Medical and Nursing personnel of all levels. Management staff. Administrative and clerical staff. Most staff groups within the Trust
External Relationships
Patients of all ages and levels of understanding and their relatives. General Practitioners. Members of the public. Staff from other hospitals or related groups.
To work independently within occupational and departmental policies and procedures and codes of conduct to perform a range of respiratory diagnostic tests and procedures on patients.
4. Clinical / operational responsibilities
Professional, Clinical and Technical:
To make effective use of the clinical expertise within Cardio Respiratory, take account of and care for the patient’s physical and mental wellbeing whilst they attend the department. To refer patients to a respiratory physician for advice or urgent medical attention, as required and strengthen the clinical support within the department.
Lung Function:
- To perform unsupervised routine and complex lung function investigations and procedures. Make manual measurement and calculation where necessary
- To provide leadership to trainee staff in all aspects of practical techniques and to ensure service responsiveness appropriate to the range and volume of clinical requests received.
- Take responsibility for accurate documentation of tests and results. Check and present the performing physiologists comments analyse, edit, interpret and write reports on Respiratory function studies as necessary.Download data to PC, analyse and edit reports on sleep studies.
- To ensure accuracy and reliability through regular calibration, maintenance and minor “troubleshooting” of all equipment used and to report any concerns to the Head of Department.
- Responsibility for quality assurance and the infection control of all equipment used.
- Responsibility for health and safety, fire and other procedures affecting the department and patient care.
- Use computer software as appropriate for the grade.
- To evaluate new equipment and operating techniques in conjunction with the head of department
- Report any untoward events/results to the Chief Respiratory Physiologist
Sleep (at KGH):
- Perform, unsupervised, all techniques used within the Sleep service.
- To jointly offer Sleep Service Clinics to assess, plan and prioritise specialised clinical and technical interventions that contribute to the care and treatment of patients with sleep disordered breathing.
Educational- teaching and Research:
- The post holder will be expected to teach, lecture or present at suitable meetings and training courses.
- To support the Department in the education and training of junior doctors, student nurses and physiologists on basic lung function.
- To initiate where appropriate, and implement or participate in, research projects in conjunction with the respiratory consultants. Undertake Trust’s mandatory training programme and updates
- Participate in departmental audits and assist in the reporting of statistical data.
Area of Specialist Responsibility
Ÿ To be responsible for the organisation and delivery of service in an area of specialist responsibility as allocated by the Senior Chief Cardiac Physiologist.
- To be responsible for personal mandatory CPD and to ensure continued professional registration with RCCP (Registration Council for Clinical Physiologists).
- To attend annual conference of professional bodies, ARTP (Association for Respiratory Technology and Physiology) and BTS (British Thoracic Society) as required.
- Ensure that the care given is of an optimal and comparable standard to other centres of excellence through peer review and professional forums (e.g. Association of Technicians and Respiratory Physiologists, ARTP and British Sleep Society, BSS)
- To maintain membership of the national professional body for Respiratory Physiology and contribute to and participate in, when able, relevant initiatives and activities
Education and Training
Ÿ To maintain an up-to-date knowledge of the specialty including clinical developments, undertaking training, and continued professional development as identified during the appraisal process.
- All staff are responsible for the continual compliance with CQC standards and outcomes.
- The postholder must be aware of, and work in line with, the Trust’s Safeguarding Adults and Children procedures.
- Daily moderate effort will be required to manoeuvre patients and equipment into position for tests and procedures.
- Daily concentration will be required, occasionally prolonged for monitoring patients during tests and procedures and analysing results.
- Due to the nature of patients conditions who are undergoing respiratory physiological tests and procedures, there will be frequent exposure to distressing circumstances, occasionally highly distressing.
- Due to the nature of the respiratory physiological tests and procedures performed, there will be frequent exposure to unpleasant working conditions, occasionally highly unpleasant.