Theatre Support Worker

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Band 3 Theatre Support Worker to work within our busy Operating Theatres, at Liverpool University Hospital, on the Aintree Hospital site. This role is to provide care to patients who are under the management of multiple surgical specialities, including Urology, Endocrine, Accident and Emergency, Vascular, Maxilofacial, ENT, General Surgery and Ophthalmology - we are also the Major Trauma Centre Collaborative for Merseyside and Cheshire.

Theatre Support Workers play a key role in delivering high standards of patient care in an area of work that can be technically challenging. We are looking for a person to help our team make a positive difference to patients and the care that they receive. The successful candidate should be hard working, caring, compassionate and keen to learn.

Our Theatre Support Workers work under the direction of our registered theatre practitioners, undertaking duties relating to the care of patients including the preparation and cleaning of the theatres, collecting patients from wards and returning them following surgery, and supporting the team to maintain an environment that is ready to provide safe, high quality care.

Main duties of the job

1. Enable surgical procedures and theatre lists to run efficiently, supporting the registered practitioner to perform their duties effectively by acting as an integral part of the theatre team.
2. Assist in the set up of your theatre each morning ensuring all Trust policies and procedures are followed.
3. Assist the scrub practitioner in setting up for surgical procedures including equipment, such as diathermy machines, suction and endoscopic stacks.
4. Act as the secondary checker when counting swabs, needles, instruments and sterile fluids with a registered member of staff, ensuring any discrepancies are communicated with the theatre team.
5. Circulate for surgical procedures ensuring sterility is maintained, and instrumentation, equipment and sundries are available as required by the registered practitioner.
6. Demonstrable knowledge of how a sterile field is maintained and how to act if the field is compromised.
7. Actively participate in the completion of World Health Organisation's Five Steps to Safer Surgery.
8. Support the theatre practitioner in the care of the peri-operative patient assisting with specific nursing procedures as required.

About us

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust comprises Aintree University Hospital, Broadgreen Hospital & Royal Liverpool University Hospital.

We are part of NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group, formed on 1 Nov 2024 from the coming together of LUHFT and Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust. The Group was born from a shared aim to improve the care we provide our patients.

UHLG is one of the largest employers in the region, with over 16,800 colleagues dedicated to caring for our communities - from birth and beyond.

For the 630,000 people across Merseyside, we are their local NHS. We provide general and emergency hospital care, alongside highly specialised regional services for more than two million people in the North West.

Aintree University Hospital is the single receiving site for adult major trauma patients in Cheshire and Merseyside and hosts a number of regional services including an award-winning stroke facility. Broadgreen Hospital is home to elective surgical, diagnostic and treatment services, together with specialist patient rehabilitation. Liverpool Women's Hospital specialises in the health of women and babies, delivering over 7,200 babies in the UK's largest single site maternity hospital each year. The Royal Liverpool University Hospital is the largest hospital in the country to provide inpatients with 100% single bedrooms and focuses on complex planned care and specialist services.

Job responsibilities

1. To perform clinical observations on patients under the supervision of the registered practitioner within the scope of competency training, being able to recognise, record and report changes in patients condition and relevant observations to registered staff.
2. Accurately measure and record blood loss: weighing swabs, measuring suction to calculate loss before information is communicated/reported to anaesthetist and registered staff. (site specific)
3. Sterilisation of specialised equipment in decontamination area as required by specialty, following manufacturers and Trust guidance.
4. Overall management of scopes, including the organisation of repairs per COSHH and manufacturers guidance and daily maintenance of storage cabinets and stock levels.
5. Support the perioperative team in sending for patients where appropriate and receive a handover of care from the ward teams ensuring receipt of clinical notes and handover of care face-to-face at the patients bedside as per Locssips guidance.
6. Assist in safe transfer of postoperative patients back to the ward ensuring oxygen is available and in working order.
7. Carry out patient safety checks and report any discrepancies to the theatre practitioner in charge.
8. Demonstrate correct use of PPE for: laser, X Ray, infected cases, chemical spillages and disposal of clinical waste and fluids.
9. Escort the patient to the anaesthetic room, assisting the anaesthetist and anaesthetic practitioner as necessary, ensuring the appropriate monitoring and equipment is applied as requested within the scope of competency training.
10. Assist with the moving and handling of patients from bed to theatre trolleys, ensuring correct position, following adequate training.
11. Act as the patients advocate, maintaining their dignity at all times within a departmental team to ensure total Pre, Peri and Post-operative care.
12. Work flexibly within the department, according to competency and skills.
13. Monitor and manage the replacement of fluids using relevant fluid management systems during orthopaedic/urology surgery and other applicable surgical procedures ensuring expiry dates are checked with registered practitioner.
14. Able to receive and care for theatre specimen correctly and understand the differing requirements for histology, culture and sensitivity, cytology and frozen sections, with oversight from registered practitioner.
15. Arrange the collection of specimens in a timely manner using established organisational practices liaising with external partners as required.
16. To collect and accept blood products in accordance with the trust policy ensuring they are delivered to the correct theatre in both elective and emergency procedures. Demonstrates correct storage of blood in theatre blood fridges.
17. Care for the dying/organ donation patient with dignity, providing support to the visiting teams as required.
18. Maintain a safe environment for patients and staff by completing checks as required and reporting immediately any hazards or areas of concern.
19. Act within a link role where required for training competencies e.g. blood collection, fire safety.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Demonstrates a willingness and capability to undertake NVQ Level 3.

Experience

• Demonstrable experience in a theatre setting.
• Previous Care experience.

Knowledge

• Reputation for high standard of patient care.

Skills

• Ability to develop effective interpersonal relationships with colleagues in the healthcare setting.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

Other

• Supportive of colleagues and patients.
• Committed to high standards of patient care.

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.

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust