Critical Care Practitioner
Welcome to Swansea Bay University Health Board. We welcome applications from people who share our values: caring for each other, working together and always improving.
Swansea Bay University Health Board reserve the right to close this vacancy after 24 hours if a large number of suitable applications are received. Therefore we encourage early applications to ensure consideration for this post.
Prior consideration for this vacancy will be given to staff currently awaiting redeployment and we therefore reserve the right to withdraw this advert at any stage.
The salary scale above has been agreed as part of the NHS Agenda for Change pay award for 2024/2025 and will be implemented in November 2024 backdated to 1st April 2024 where applicable.
Applications may be submitted in Welsh. Applications submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application submitted in English.
Job overview
The Emergency Medical Transfer and Retrieval Service (EMRTS Cymru) exists to provide air and road-based prehospital care and inter-facility patient retrieval. An operational team is made up of a combination of critical care practitioners (CCP) and doctors, targeted to the patient’s needs.EMRTS Wales has input into five bases in Wales.
The bases, operated by the Wales Air Ambulance Charity, are located in Dafen, Cardiff Heliport, Welshpool Airport, Caernarfon Airport, and the EMRTS Critical Care Hub (ECCH) Cwmbran. EMRTS teams work primarily on the helicopters of the Wales Air Ambulance Charity, operated by Gama Aviation Services.The teams also deploy by road as required in Rapid Response Vehicles (RRV). The service operates a 24hr critical care service in Wales.
The team activates for two primary roles:
- Provision of critical care support to patients who are suffering from critical illness or injury in the prehospital environment.
- Undertaking time critical secondary inter-hospital transfers of critically ill or injured patients.
The service provides a clinician on the ECCH/trauma desk 24 hours a day providing clinical support and major trauma network (MTN) advice.
Due to our clinical response model, there will be a requirement to work at any of our bases for training, education, and service delivery requirements, which may include working at the EMRTS Critical Care Hub/Trauma Desk.
Main duties of the job
Critical Care Practitioners (CCPs) are registered practitioners who have undertaken additional post registration higher education and clinical development to assess and manage critically ill or injured patients with high acuity care needs during the prehospital transfer/retrieval phase.
The CCP has an enhanced level of knowledge and skills in order to undertake an advanced assessment and critical care management of patients with complex prehospital needs.
The CCP responds to 999 emergencies, inter-hospital transfers, urgent hospital admissions and other allocated patient interventions and delivers high-quality and effective prehospital care.
The CCP will assess and treat high acuity patients with critical illness and/ or injury by providing appropriate support and therapy and ensuring they are transferred or retrieved rapidly and safely to a care facility, which is best suited to provide treatment for their ongoing complex needs.
Working as a crew or as an autonomous practitioner, initiating appropriate care and effective treatment to patients in both hospital and prehospital environment, selecting and applying appropriate skills and equipment safely and within appropriate level of training, competency and scope of practice.
Working for our organisation
We believe staff are our best asset and we want you to be happy and confident about starting your career here in Swansea Bay University Health Board.
As one of the biggest healthcare groups in the UK we can offer a wealth of professional training and development opportunities in an innovative, forward-thinking organisation.
You might be a nurse or doctor, maybe you specialise in a health science/therapy or can offer skills in one of our support services - we have a job for you.
There are also apprenticeships, work placements and volunteering roles available.
We are an inclusive employer and welcome applications from everyone whatever their sex; religion or belief; race; age; sexual orientation; gender identity or, whether they are pregnant or have recently been on maternity leave, married or are in a civil partnership; or, whether they are disabled.
Our values - Caring For Each Other, Working Together and Always Improving, show that our commitment to equality is at the heart of everything we do.
If you want excellent career and training opportunities while living on the doorstep of some of Europe's most spectacular scenery, with all the benefits of a thriving and cosmopolitan city - look no further.
The ability to speak Welsh is desirable for this post; Welsh and/or English speakers are equally welcome to apply.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
A full Job description is attached to this advert.
To qualify for this role, you must be HCPC / NMC registered, meet all of the essential criteria within the personal specification, and be able to provide demonstrable relevant experience in the prehospital emergency care setting.
Selection for this rewarding role is demanding, & consists of a fitness test, several clinical scenario assessments, a written examination, and an interview including Crew Resource Management elements. Candidates who have been successfully shortlisted will be invited to undertake the selection process on 16^th February at our Dafen Airbase
Person specification
Registration and Eligibility
Essential criteria- Registered with the HCPC or NMC (as appropriate).
- Full UK driving licence
Qualifications
Essential criteria- An Allied Health Professional with successful completion of full training (e.g., IHCD/HEI paramedic training, critical care nurse training ENB 199/100/124 or equivalent)
- Willingness to work towards a Non-Medical Independent Prescribing or Non-Medical Authorisation of Blood Transfusion course
- Successful completion of advanced resuscitation training in adults, paediatrics and neonates (or equivalent)
- Higher qualification in prehospital emergency medicine e.g., Diploma in Immediate Medical Care or Retrieval and Transfer Medicine
- Completion of level 7 education (such as PGCert/PGDip/MSc) in Critical Care or relevant science-based programme
- IHCD/Future Quals emergency driving qualification
- Successful completion of HEMS Technical Crew Member course
Experience
Essential criteria- Extensive experience of post-registration clinical work.
- Evidence of career progression and demonstrable clinical CPD
- Evidence of transfer experience (inter/intra-hospital)
- Demonstrable experience in pre hospital environment
- Experience of air ambulance work as part of a formal HEMS team.
- Work as part of an enhanced prehospital/transfer team delivering enhanced care
- Evidence of teaching/instructing in resuscitation or critical care.
Knowledge and Skills
Essential criteria- Excellent clinical skills and knowledge.
- Evidence of teaching/instructing in resuscitation or critical care.
- Good knowledge of the EMRTS clinical governance systems.
- Previous attendance on an EMRTS clinical attendant scheme, and/or prior engagement with the EMRTS service
Swansea Bay University Health Board is committed to supporting its staff and processes to fully embrace the need for bilingualism thereby enhancing service users experience. In our commitment to increase the number of staff able to communicate in Welsh with patients and professionals, we would particularly welcome applications from Welsh speakers.
Equality remains at the centre of the Health Boards policy-making, service delivery and employment practices. We value the diversity of our staff and welcome applications from people from protected groups under the Equality Act 2010, this specifically includes age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/reassignment, race, religion, disability, pregnancy and maternity and marriage and civil partnership.
We are a Disability Confident Employer and applications are welcomed from persons with disabilities. A disability will not prejudice your application. If you are unable to submit your application in the requested format because of a disability please contact the Recruitment Team, who will agree a more suitable way for you to apply.All disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria listed in the Person Specification will be invited to interview.
To work in the UK, all candidates who are not UK or Republic of Ireland (RoI) nationals require sponsorship to obtain either a Health and Care visa or Skilled Worker visa, unless you have permission to work via another route. Non UK / RoI candidates wishing to apply should self-assess the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship by visiting Work in the UK.If you are eligible for the Health and Care visa, application costs are lower and you do not need to pay the annual Immigration Health Surcharge.