Healthcare Scientist - Respiratory/Sleep Physiology

Job overview

The post holder will provide specialist clinical physiology knowledge within respiratory and sleep and will ensure best principles of care are provided to patients at our acute sites Maidstone Hospital and Tunbridge Wells Hospital and new Community Diagnostic Centre.

Main duties of the job

To provide a high quality, appropriate and effective Respiratory and Sleep test service; interpret results and provide technical reports

Responsible for the monitoring and performance of calibration and quality control procedures for all equipment

Proven competency to be able to supervise, guide and support all junior staff and other professionals

To deputise for the principal respiratory physiologist

Please note that this role may often attract a high level of applications. Please note this role may close earlier than the original closing date so please ensure you submit your application as soon as possible.

Working for our organisation

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust ranks among the top 10 NHS Trusts nationwide and was named the second-best Trust to work for in the South East in the 2023 NHS Staff Survey.

We are a large acute hospital trust in south-east England, providing general hospital services and specialist care to around 600,000 residents in West Kent and East Sussex. With a dedicated and diverse team of over 8,000 staff we are proud to offer specialised cancer services to over two million people through the Kent Oncology Centre.

Fordcombe Hospital, near Tunbridge Wells, became part of the Trust in October 2024. Specialising in planned care, it offers two operating theatres, 28 inpatient and day-care beds, diagnostic services (X-ray, MRI, CT, and endoscopy), and consultation/treatment rooms.

We are a flexible working-friendly organisation. Whether it’s adjusting your hours or exploring other flexible arrangements, we want to work with you to find the best solution for you, our patients, and the Trust. Talk to us about how we can accommodate your working needs.

Joining us includes a comprehensive benefits package:

• At least 27 days of annual leave plus public/bank holidays (pro-rata for part-time staff).
• Membership in the NHS Pension Scheme, with a 20.6% employer contribution and life assurance benefits
• Blue Light card eligibility
• And more, additional benefits can be found in the benefits documents below

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please also check your application for errors/omissions prior to submission.

Please note that appointment to this post will be subject to a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service Check at Enhanced Level. (Enhanced level now includes regulated checks against vulnerable adults and children)

All successful applicants will be required to complete our corporate trust induction once a start date had been agreed.

Applicants whose first language is not English and who are required to provide a language test certificate as evidence of their proficiency must ensure that it is, or is equivalent to, IELTS level 7.0 with no element below 6.5 (or IELTS level 8.0 with no element below 7.5 for Speech and language therapists).

Person specification

Qualifications

• BSc Clinical Physiology (Respiratory and Sleep) or equivalent
• Relevant Master qualification or STP or relevant experience in respiratory and sleep physiology
• Registered with AHCS/ HCPC (or in process of registration)
• ARTP Part 1 & 2 or ARTP practitioner

• Research evidence
• Mentoring qualification

Experience

• Post registration experience in respiratory physiology
• Experience of teaching / mentoring staff.
• Experience of research and audit together with presentation skills.

Knowledge

• Must be competent in producing accurate test data from highly complex respiratory tests
• Management and development of clinical protocols
• A thorough understanding of respiratory physiology

• Trained in sleep physiology
• Highly complex procedures including full polysomnography, cardiopulmonary exercise testing and respiratory muscle testing.
• An understanding of sleep physiology

In the event that we receive a high volume of applications, we may need to close the application process earlier than planned. To avoid missing out, we encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible.

Please contact the Recruiting Manager for an informal discussion should you have any queries relating to the role for which you are applying.

We are committed to being a diverse employer and strive to reflect everyone in our local communities. We welcome applications from people of diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences and celebrate the diversity of thought, viewpoints, and ideas that will make our Trust the best place to work.

You can find out more here: Access to Work: get support if you have a disability or health condition: What Access to Work is - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Good luck! We look forward to welcoming you to our exceptional team!