HART Paramedic

Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) - Operatives

Applications are invited from existing Registered B6 Paramedics to join the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust's Hazardous Area Response Team based at our West site, Clock Tower Road in Isleworth.

All applicants must have significant post-qualification ambulance operational experience. You will need to be a Registered Paramedic with the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) and have successfully completed an HCPC-approved paramedic programme.

You must have fully completed the NQP process and be a minimum of 2 years post initial HCPC registration at the close of application.

You must have demonstrable evidence of Paramedic practice within the last 12 months.

You will also need a current manual driving licence, valid in the UK and covering category B and C1 vehicles. You must have no more than three penalty points and at least two years of driving experience.

Beyond that, a dedicated approach to providing high-quality care to others could well see you into one of the most satisfying and highly respected roles in the community.

Main duties of the job

HART Paramedics receive training in high-risk operations through national and local courses and others to meet the HART Capabilities.

HART Paramedics are expected to work in highly pressurized environments and staff will need to be mentally and physically resilient to undertake the role.

It may not be possible to progress applications from staff who suffer from vertigo, claustrophobia, skin allergies, or inhaler-dependent asthma. Those taken forward will be subject to an enhanced medical and fitness assessment, clinical and competency assessment, interview and DBS check. Assessments include working at height, confined space, physical fitness, face fit, and swimming.

HART resources are double-staffed however staff need to be able to work as a solo responder.

Trust FRU course eligibility:

• Driving licence checks must be current with no more than 3 penalty points
• Section 19 must be up to date
• Min 12 months experience of emergency driving on a DCA
• Min 12 months incident-free of a blameworthy or noteworthy driving incident
• Must be able to be eligible and complete an initial 1-day FRU course with a qualified driving instructor.
• Individual portfolio must be up to date
• Any medicines e-learning must be up to date and all PGDs signed
• No pending investigation or resolution hub investigation awaiting an outcome.
• Up to date with most recent Saturator and Mandatory updates (or booked to attend).

About us

Our organisation is driven by our strategic objectives and organisational values and we look for people who are strongly aligned with them.

• Dynamic and Unpredictable: No two days are the same. You might be called to an industrial accident one day and a flooding rescue the next.
• Team Collaboration: HART operates as part of a close-knit team, often working with other emergency services and agencies.
• High-Stress Situations: Dealing with life-threatening scenarios for patients and sometimes for the responders themselves.
• Exposure to Risks: Whether it's toxic environments or unstable structures, the role involves inherent risks.
• Physical Demands: The job requires excellent physical fitness to cope with heavy equipment and challenging terrain.
• Mutual Aid: HART staff have a mutual aid provision which may see staff redeployed during their shift to support incidents around England with little to no notice.

Rewards

• Camaraderie: A strong bond with team members due to shared experiences in extreme situations.
• Bringing high-quality clinical care to patients at complex incidents.
• Recognition: Being part of a specialized unit within the NHS, the work is widely respected and celebrated.

Ongoing training

• After initial training staff receive 37.5 hrs training every 7 weeks. This includes residential training at specialist venues around the UK

Job responsibilities

As a registered practitioner you would be responsible for undertaking and documenting a comprehensive patient assessment, providing appropriate care and treatment, and referring, discharging or conveying patients to the most suitable place of definitive care, this may include specialist centres e.g. heart attack centres, major trauma centres or hyper acute stroke unit.

Working to the current HCPC standards of proficiency for Paramedics, the paramedic will lead on the clinical and operational development of students and staff, providing high-quality mentorship and education in practice. Assist in the development of an integrated approach to the delivery of unscheduled care involving all relevant stakeholders including health and social care organisations, particularly within the primary care field.

HART staff work closely with other emergency service teams, providing paramedic care at a range of incidents including hazardous material incidents, either as a result of accidental or deliberate release, structural collapse and Urban Search and Rescue incidents, confined space incidents, working at height, specialist firearms incidents and working on or in water.

Due to the nature of specialist roles and the amount of training required this role is subject to a repayment of costs contract clause which lays out a scaled repayment of costs schedule within the first 2 years of the contract. This role is also not eligible to be seconded from in that period for the first 2 years.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• HCPC registered Band 6 Paramedic
• Minimum of two years' experience in emergency ambulance operations
• Full manual driving licence, valid in the UK including vehicle categories C1 and B (not B auto.)
• Level 3 Certificate in Emergency Response Ambulance Driving (CERAD) or equivalent IHCD blue light driving qualification
• Practice Educator (PEd with PEd modules 1 and 2 completed or commitment to work towards completion) or equivalent
• FDg/ DipHE or BSc in Paramedic Science or relevant field of practice, or a clinically relevant extended practice qualification
• Certificate in Practice Education or equivalent teaching/mentorship qualification

Experience

• Commitment to CPD activity
• Demonstrable experience in clinical patient facing role
• Demonstrable and credible experience of working as team member and as a lone practitioner with the ability to work independently with confidence
• Experience of supervision, mentorship and development of a range of clinical staff in relevant practice settings

Knowledge & Skills

• Detailed understanding of appropriate care pathways, and ability to support mentees in their use.
• Understanding of a range of adult education approaches and strategies in practice settings
• Ability to assess and examine patients presenting with a broad range of conditions
• Ability to recognise 'red flags' for medical conditions and evaluate clinical risk in line with nationally accepted best practice
• Demonstrate a high level of professionalism, responsibility and accountability
• Critically reflect on practice in order to improve patient care, including the future mitigation of errors
• Ability to analyse, problem solve and make decisions
• Experience of using a range of computer programmes

Personal Abilities

• Excellent, highly developed listening, verbal and communication skills
• Ability to communicate sometimes highly complex, contentious, challenging and/or highly sensitive messages face to face
• Excellent report writing skills to ensure accurate and honest documentation in a timely manner.
• Ability to safely and sensitively manage the expectations of a variety of stakeholders
• Minimise clinical risk through reasoned and justifiable clinical decisions; including clinical risk assessment of triage decisions
• Adhere to the Trust values and behaviours

Other requirements

• Understanding of and demonstrable commitment to diversity as an employee of LAS and as a provider of services to the public

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.

Salary: £42,939 to £50,697 a year Pro-rata per annum inc of outer London HCAS