Audiologist

Are you an Audiologist interested in Adult Audiology and are looking to train and progress?

We are looking for a bright, committed, and enthusiastic individual to join the Adult Audiology department based at Northampton General Hospital Trust.

You will be working as part of the newly formed countywide Audiology Service and will be part of the exciting journey the collaboration gives us for service improvement, collaborative working and staff development.

To apply for this position, you will need to have a BSc in Audiology (or equivalent). You will need recent Audiology experience (preferably in the NHS); further training will be provided.

Be registered or in the process of registering with the RCCP/AHCS or HCPC.

Be interested to take an active role and contribute in the departments journey to secure IQIPS accreditation.

Full time role 37.5 hours per week.

Main duties of the job

The primary aim of the adult audiology services to provide a quality assured patient centred care to all patients that use Northampton General Hospital audiology services the main roles and responsibilities of this post will include:

Operational

We need an excellent communicator who is proactive in the way they tackle tasks and can work well individually and as part of a team, with a good sense of humour and ability to work well under pressure. You must be able to work with Adults, children and families with complex needs and/or challenging social needs.

To ensure that a consistently high quality, complex and sophisticated clinical service is provided, meeting the highest national and international standards. This includes maintaining continuous professional development, working autonomously, managing own caseload and demonstration of own initiative as well as working well as part of a team.

About us

Northampton General Hospital is one of the largest employers in the area and we are on an exciting journey. All of our divisions are committed to doing things better, with more efficiency as we update, modernise, and advance. We have also entered into a Group Model with neighbouring Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and become University Hospitals of Northamptonshire.

Our Excellence Values

1. Compassion
2. Accountability
3. Respect
4. Integrity
5. Courage

We want to recruit the best people to deliver our services across the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire and help to unleash everyone's full potential. As an organisation, we value how we communicate and promote our vacancies to all communities.

We are a Defence positive trust, supporting our reservists, veterans, spouses and partners.

The Hospital Group encourages applications from people who identify from all protected groups, especially those from BAME, Disabled and LGBTQ+ backgrounds as these are underrepresented in our hospitals.

We understand that we need to work with colleagues from diverse backgrounds and make sure the environment they work in is inclusive and collaborative.

We have active Networks that promote and support colleagues from all backgrounds. This ensures everyone feels supported and has a sense of belonging working for Kettering and Northampton General Hospitals.

Job responsibilities

To ensure that all patients are assessed accurately, using the most appropriate combination of clinical tests, to assist in their further clinical and medical management.

To Help the head of audiology maintain and develop audit and CPD resources for the department and use this as a mechanism through which it can monitor its performance insurance quality and strive for continuous improvement in service delivery.

To keep well versed with the latest developments in audiology to inform and ensure their continued personal development and that of the department.

To take forward the modernization of the service and develop initiative patient focused models of care.

To always comply with the Northampton General Hospital health and safety policies by following agreed safe working procedures and reporting incidents using the trust risk incident reporting system.

To always respect patient confidentiality and not divulge patient information unless sanctioned by the requirements of the role.

Clinical

To undertake regular clinical sessions to maintain a high clinical profile professional competence authority and credibility.

To professionally lead and actively participate in the work of specific specialised disciplines in the department appropriate to the skills and experience of the post holder.

To provide specialist advice to patients, professionals, and professional services on all matters pertaining to adult audiology and clinical services.

To be professionally responsible for test results in the writing of test reports.

To be responsible for the clinical decisions as to the viability of which diagnostic tests to undertake.

To work closely with the paediatric audiology service so adults and paediatric audiology services are aligned.

In compliance with the departmental policies be responsible for referring patients to other professionals where appropriate.

To audit clinical effectiveness and maintain a programme of development.

Communication

To be able to take a complete audio vestibular case history from a patient and or carers and be able to interpret the information to guide treatment planning and discussions with multi professional team members.

To be able to communicate complex and often sensitive or emotive information (such as diagnosis of hearing loss) in an effective and accurate way in difficult situations to patients and their relatives or carers and be able to adapt using different communication skills in every situation seeking advice from the line manager when necessary.

This may include the use of communication skills including empathy persuasion motivation negotiation training reassurance to ensure the best outcome for the patient.

To be able to communicate effectively with patients with additional communication needs including profoundly deaf people who rely on sign language or language interpreters.

To counsel distressed patients and their relatives or carers on hearing loss or associated problems including those with cognitive impairment or illnesses that may lead to anxiety aggressive behaviour or suicidal ideations. The ability to talk sensitively about other problems the patient may have if appropriate e.g bereavement.

To be able to adapt communication to patients based on their clinical diagnosis and the stage of treatment this may include pre and or post operative patients and patients with long term potentially rare conditions.

To maintain good patient rapport including being sensitive to the patient or carers communication needs.

To liaise with the consultants in ENT/other audiologists and other associated healthcare professionals to ensure a holistic approach to the patient.

To be able to justify the choice of clinical intervention where expert opinions may differ using highly specialist knowledge and experience.

To act as an expert resource and advisor in the area of audiology to other professionals, patients and carers.

To ensure that each patient has access to the relevant counselling rehabilitation and external support that they require in relation to their hearing loss.

To provide support and motivation to patients so that they may complete the assessment and rehabilitation process to the best of their ability.

To be able to communicate effectively with patients to ensure that appointments are managed within appropriate timeframes to reduce delays to the clinics.

To demonstrate effective skills in conflict resolution and competent negotiation skills when dealing with difficult or challenging situations including the discussion of complex cases with other clinical staff.

To undertake joint consultations with other professionals including speech and language therapists and teachers of the deaf.

To work constructively and flexibly with people from other cultures and backgrounds being particularly alert to special vulnerabilities e.g. refugee status, war related post-traumatic stress disorders.

Person Specification

Educations, Training and Qualifications

• Educated to BSc/BAAT at in audiology including or equivalent level of education, training or experience
• Registered/in the process of registering to practise as an audiologist/clinical scientist with either health or care professions council HCPC or the Academy of healthcare sciences AHCS
• Evidence of postgraduate CPD
• Significant postgraduate experience in the relevant clinical area
• Applied theoretical knowledge of the relevant assessment and therapeutic rehabilitative procedures for the management of audiological or vestibular conditions in adults and or children
• Membership of BAA, BSA

Skills

• Ability to work in a team and to independently deliver clinical and non-clinical tasks
• Ability to work with a level of autonomy to assess, diagnose, differentially diagnose, and manage patients and their families
• Participation in research and development activities including audit of clinical outcomes as required
• Ability to work calmly and methodically when under pressure from a busy and varied caseload demonstrating good prioritisation and organisational skills
• Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups
• Ability to monitor outcome using clinical and non-clinical data
• Ability to speak to distressed patients
• Evidence of teaching students and groups of staff
• Experience of working within the designated specialist area e.g. paediatrics / CI / tinnitus

Knowledge and Experience

• Demonstrable experience in the relevant clinical area and evidence of clinical competency
• Experience in formulating comprehensive management plans based on case history information and diagnostic test results where management decisions may or may not be straightforward
• Experience of working with hearing impaired patients, parents, carers and associated professionals
• Specialist knowledge of routine and non-routine diagnostic therapeutic audiological assessment procedures their interpretation and their implication for patient management
• Evidence of participation in clinical audit research and or presentations at scientific meetings
• Experience of NHS Audiology Department
• Evidence of financial and stock management
• Evidence of rota management and managing annual leave

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.

£29,970 to £36,483 a year Per Annum / Pro Rata