Senior Audiologist

Job overview

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

This is an exciting opportunity where the post holder will provide clinical expertise and leadership in the adult audiology service. This will encompass the delivery if valuation monitoring and development of the audiology service and its staff there will be access to clinical paediatric assessment activity if desired.

This role is an important part of the new structure of audiology services across Northamptonshire as part of the newly formed collaboration.

The successful candidate must be able to demonstrate excellent team working and leadership qualities as well as a high level of clinical and communication skills. They will play a key role in providing supervision training and advice to junior staff and students and will work closely with other specialism leads and a motivated audiology team to work towards equips accreditation continual development of inequality assured culture and provision of a patient focused service.

clinical management and leadership skills.

Working for our organisation

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

Compassion

Accountability

Respect

Integrity

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.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Main Duties and Responsibilities

The primary aim of the 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, clinical supervision and training of junior members of staff including medical students, working autonomously, managing own caseload and demonstration of own initiative as well as working well as part of a team.

Key duties

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

In conjunction with the head of audiology to investigate and respond to all patient complaints in compliance with the trust policy and within the timescales set by the trust using complaints positively to review and improve services.

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 respect patient confidentiality and not divulge patient information and less sanctioned by the requirements of the role.

To participate in the recruitment selection and interviewing process for all new staff.

Line management responsibilities for members of the adult audiology team.

To monitor and manage sickness and well-being issues in the absence of the head of audiology.

Clinical

To undertake regular clinical sessions in order 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 by all student staff particularly in the absence of the head of audiology.

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 knows who rely on sign language or language interpreters.

To counsel distressed patients and their relative stroke 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 EG 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 report 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.

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 and 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 order logical or vestibular conditions in adults and or children
• Knowledge of impact of comorbidities such as global delay or neurological conditions in the management of adults and/or children

• Postgraduate management leadership training or experience as supervisor
• Membership of BAA, BSA

Knowledge and Experie

• Demonstrable experience in the relevant clinical area and evidence of clinical competency with a complex patient caseload
• Specialist knowledge of routine and non-routine diagnostic therapeutic order logical assessment procedures their interpretation and their implication for patient management
• 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
• Evidence of participation in clinical audit research and or presentations at scientific meetings

• Evidence of rota management and managing annual leave
• Evidence of financial and stock management

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

• Evidence of teaching students and groups of staff
• Experience of working within the designated specialist area Eg paediatrics /CI/ tinnitus

At Northampton General Hospital we provide general acute services and hyper-acute stroke, vascular and renal services to people living in Northamptonshire. As well as this we are an accredited cancer centre and provide cancer services to a wider population of Northamptonshire and parts of Buckinghamshire.

We are proud to be the first hospital in the UK to have obtained Pathway to Excellence® designated accreditation from the American nurses credentialing centre (ANCC).

We are driven to helping you to be the best you can be.

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.

Apply today and join the largest family in Northamptonshire.

Our Excellence Values:

• Compassion
• Respect
• Integrity
• Courageous
• Accountable

To apply for this post, scroll down to the bottom of this page and select “apply online now”.

In submitting an application form, you authorise Northampton General Hospital to confirm any previous NHS service details via the Electronic Staff Record Inter Authority Transfer process should you be appointed to the post.

Due to the high number of applications received we are unable to respond to each application individually. If you have not been contacted within 4 weeks of the closing date you have been unsuccessful in this application.

For further information on nursing, apprenticeships, A&E or any other departments please visit our specific website or pages that are indicated on the right hand side of this advert.

Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust recognises that staff of differing backgrounds and life experiences enrich our workforce and bring different skills and knowledge. We therefore encourage and welcome applications for our vacancies from all candidates regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

PLEASE NOTE THAT WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CLOSE VACANCIES PRIOR TO THE ADVERTISED CLOSING DATE WHEN WE ARE IN RECEIPT OF SUFFICIENT APPLICATIONS