Surgical First Assistant - General Surgery & Colorectal

Job overview

Liverpool University Hospital

Liverpool University Hospital offers an exciting opportunity for an experienced theatre practitioner to apply for the role of Surgical First Assistant in the Colorectal Surgery Unit. The role involves working across both Royal Liverpool Hospital and University Hospital Aintree sites.

The inpatient wards are based at both hospitals—Royal Liverpool Hospital with 28 beds for colorectal patients and Aintree with 8 beds. Both hospitals also offer day case and outpatient services.

The colorectal team also works with other surgical departments, offering advanced laparoscopic and robotic surgeries.

Core activities include trauma, emergency, and elective colorectal surgeries. The Surgical First Assistant will support the surgical teams and work closely with consultants to ensure high-quality care.

The unit has regular access to three robotic lists at Royal Liverpool and one robotic list at Aintree with the da Vinci single-port robot, the first of its kind in the NHS.

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a dynamic, fast-paced team.

• Assist scrub staff in setting up specialized equipment for colorectal surgeries.
• Ensure the safe positioning of patients for optimal surgical access and comfort.
• Support the operating surgeon with tasks such as cutting sutures, ligatures, inserting drains, securing hemostasis, and retracting tissues to the highest standards.
• Correctly handle and operate specialized colorectal surgical equipment, including laparoscopic instruments, endoscopes, diathermy units, staplers, and other tools.
• Understand wound healing principles and perform skin closure using sutures or stapling techniques as directed by the surgeon.
• Follow sterile procedures and theatre protocols to maintain a sterile environment.
• Demonstrate safe patient handling and positioning, using appropriate aids and equipment during colorectal surgeries.
• Take responsibility for the care and maintenance of surgical equipment, ensuring its safe and effective use.
• Perform peri-operative catheterization when required.
• Practice proper draping techniques to ensure patient privacy and prevent contamination.
• Contribute to creating a safe, patient-centered environment that prioritizes well-being throughout the surgical process.

Working for our organisation

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.

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.

For roles at Liverpool Women’s, visit their careers page.

• Assist scrub staff in setting up specialized equipment for colorectal surgeries.
• Ensure the safe positioning of patients for optimal surgical access and comfort.
• Support the operating surgeon with tasks such as cutting sutures, ligatures, inserting drains, securing hemostasis, and retracting tissues to the highest standards.
• Correctly handle and operate specialized colorectal surgical equipment, including laparoscopic instruments, endoscopes, diathermy units, staplers, and other tools.
• Understand wound healing principles and perform skin closure using sutures or stapling techniques as directed by the surgeon.
• Follow sterile procedures and theatre protocols to maintain a sterile environment.
• Demonstrate safe patient handling and positioning, using appropriate aids and equipment during colorectal surgeries.
• Take responsibility for the care and maintenance of surgical equipment, ensuring its safe and effective use.
• Perform peri-operative catheterization when required.
• Practice proper draping techniques to ensure patient privacy and prevent contamination.
• Contribute to creating a safe, patient-centered environment that prioritizes well-being throughout the surgical process.
• Person specification

Qualifications

• RGN/AHP/HCS/ODP
• To have undertaken post-registration advanced scrub practitioner surgical skills course
• To have evidence of continuing professional development

• Advanced life support
• Evidence of extended clinical skills/assessment

Experience

• Demonstrable post registration experience. Familiar with care of the critically ill/unstable patient.
• A competent practitioner with evidence of gaining and practicing some or all of the clinical and operational skills obtained it the job description.
• Proven leadership and management skills
• Experience of working effectively within a MDT setting. Flexible approach to work.
• To have experience as theatre nurse within surgical theatres
• Experience of working in a theatre environment

Knowledge

• To possess clinical credibility to influence across both professional and organisational boundaries
• To maintain basic life support skills
• Advanced IT skills
• Accept personal responsibility for identifying own learning needs and professional development in liaison with the Unit Manager for Theatres / Clinical lead
• Assist in facilitating a learning environment conductive to the acquisition of further knowledge and skills
• • Contribute to the development of teaching strategies appropriate to the learning needs of junior medical staff/colleagues
• Share expertise with other areas
• To have knowledge of change management
• To understand the importance of teamwork as well as being able to work autonomously with an enthusiastic and self-confident manner
• To be aware of the physical demands of assisting and retracting for long periods

Skills

• Ability to anticipate any clinical issues that may arise during the course of providing treatment to patients. Excellent verbal and
• Ability to anticipate any clinical issues that may arise during the course of providing treatment to patients. Excellent verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex and sensitive information.
• Has evidence of leadership ability and how this has impacted on recent roles. Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrate ability to work on own initiative. Demonstrate ability to prioritise. Ability to manage highly complex clinical and operational situations that involve staff from all levels within the organisation, in circumstances where information is often conflicting or not fully known
• To have excellent problem solving ability To have good time management To be self motivated To be able to deal with sensitive issues with tact and diplomacy To be able to deal with occasional highly distressing or emotional circumstances
• To be able to deal with conflict in an effective manner
• To have excellent concentration to be able to assist competently during long complex cases

• Computer literate/skills
• Leadership course evidence of change management and table to demonstrate the impact of changes

Please ensure you check the email account (including junk/spam boxes) from which you apply regularly as we will use this to contact you regarding your application.

Posts advertised to ‘internal staff’ are open to employees of hospitals within University Hospitals of Liverpool Group and you should confirm your employment within your application form.

Only those applicants who demonstrate clearly how they meet our person specification will be shortlisted for interview.

We reserve the right to close any vacancies from further applications when we have received a minimum number of applications from which to make a shortlist. Please ensure you apply without delay if you wish to be considered for this role.

Candidates applying for the role of Healthcare Assistant on the staff bank should note that due to the nature of the role, workers must be aged 18 or above when commencing in post. Applicants are therefore welcome from those aged over 18 or within 3 months’ of their 18^th birthday.

Not all roles are suitable for every flexible working opportunity all of the time. Flexible working options may include reduced hours, compressed hours, fixed shifts, time back in lieu and home working.

The Trust is committed to promoting equality and diversity; we value the contribution of individual talent, skills, knowledge and experience and aim for a workforce demography representative of the local community. We encourage applicants from the following groups that are currently under-represented in our workforce black, Asian and minority ethnic, lesbian, gay, bisexual and Transgender (LGBTQ+), disabled, male and age 16-24.

Bank posts require upfront payment. DBS applications submitted from 2nd December will be subject to the new DBS fee of £26.50 (standard) and £54.50 (Enhanced).

From April 2017, Skilled visa applicants and their adult dependant(s) will be required to provide a criminal record certificate from each country they have lived in consecutively for 12 months or more in the past ten years.

Applicants requiring sponsorship may wish to determine the likelihood of obtaining sponsorship for this position by assessing themselves against the criteria on the gov.uk website - https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa.

This organisation has a zero-tolerance approach to the abuse of children, young people and vulnerable adults. All staff must ensure they adhere to the organisations safeguarding children and adults’ policy and comply with the Local Safeguarding Children and Adult Board procedures.

Staff should be mindful of their responsibility to safeguard children and adults in any activity performed on behalf of the organisation in line with the requirements of statutory guidance and legislation.

All employees (and volunteers)are expected maintain their safeguarding knowledge and skills by completing mandatory safeguarding training which includes understanding and recognising the signs of abuse and neglect and taking appropriate action.

As an organisation, we have adopted the Merseyside Domestic abuse workplace scheme which supports our staff who are experiencing Domestic Abuse /any forms of sexual violence.

If you have any personal requirements that will enable you to participate in our recruitment process please contact a member of the Recruitment Services by phone on 0151 706 4666 at the earliest opportunity to ensure that measures can be put in place to enable your application for this post.

Please note: new entrants to the NHS will commence on the first pay point of the relevant band.