• Job Description

  Req#: C9439-2324-0112-1?language=en&page=1003&sort=publicationDateDes

  Job summary

  We are seeking an enthusiastic and highly motivated Highly Specialist Healthcare Science Practitioner / Highly Specialist Cardiac Physiologist / Clinical Scientist/Echocardiographer to work as part of our friendly team providing a diagnostic Cardiology and Respiratory service to both in-patients and out-patients. We welcome suitable applicants looking for either full-time or part-time work. The principal hospitals within County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust are Darlington Memorial Hospital, The University Hospital of North Durham, Bishop Auckland Hospital and Shotley Bridge Hospital. The Cardiology & Respiratory Investigations Units comprise a team of approximately 40 staff who provide a broad range of invasive and non-invasive procedures including echocardiography, stress echocardiography, trans-oesophageal echocardiography, diagnostic angiography, pacing implant / follow-up, complex device follow up, tilt testing and nerve conduction studies. We are committed to providing learning and development opportunities; we actively encourage and support all appropriate professional development. The hospital base for this post is Darlington Memorial Hospital.

  Main duties of the job

  The successful candidate will work as part of a team in the busy Cardio-Respiratory departments. They will be Highly specialist in echocardiography and will have a responsibility for the delivery of the highest quality echocardiography services within their designated team. They will work closely with colleagues to ensure that protocols and procedures meet local and national requirements for good practice and service delivery. They will perform a range of cardiac and other Physiological investigations, and produce evidence-based clinical reports. They will provide training to other healthcare professionals and students and will supervise junior staff, as well as deputise for more senior staff on occasions.

  About us

  If you are being interviewed you must accept an interview slot in the system to continue, even if you have arranged with the manager

  You must be able to produce ALL certificates stated essential in the person specification or you will not be able to complete pre-employment checks

  We provide hospital services from two acute sites - Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham. We have a centre for planned care in Bishop Auckland and provide care from community hospitals in Chester-le-Street, Shotley Bridge, Barnard Castle, Sedgefield and Weardale as well as over 80 other community based settings and providing care in patients' homes.

  We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as BAME and disabled people are currently under-represented

  From April 1 2024 we are unable to offer sponsorship for healthcare roles that do not meet the minimum salary, If you are in the UK on a VISA please ensure you have no restrictions that would prevent you from taking this post.

  Full Job Descriptions can be found in the adverts supporting documents

  Details

  Date posted

  14 May 2025

  Pay scheme

  Agenda for change

  Band

  Band 7

  Salary

  £46,148 to £52,809 a year per annum, pro rata

  Contract

  Permanent

  Working pattern

  Full-time, Part-time

  Reference number

  C9439-2324-0112-1

  Job locations

  Darlington Memorial Hospital NHS Trust

  Hollyhurst Road

  Darlington

  County Durham

  DL3 6HX

  
  

  Job description

  Job responsibilities

  The candidate will independently perform a range of Cardiac and physiologiscal investigations, specialising in echocardiography, and will derive clinical reports from highly specialist diagnostic procedures. They must have experience of working in a Cardiac Investigations department at Band 6 level and have achieved the minimum academic qualifications in the Person Specification. They must be registered on the RCCP / AHCS / HCPC or be on the AHCS Specialist Echocardiography Register and be working towards Practitioner Training Programme equivalence.

  They must also hold a current certificate in Immediate Life Support or willing to undertake within the first 6 months.

  Job description

  Job responsibilities

  The candidate will independently perform a range of Cardiac and physiologiscal investigations, specialising in echocardiography, and will derive clinical reports from highly specialist diagnostic procedures. They must have experience of working in a Cardiac Investigations department at Band 6 level and have achieved the minimum academic qualifications in the Person Specification. They must be registered on the RCCP / AHCS / HCPC or be on the AHCS Specialist Echocardiography Register and be working towards Practitioner Training Programme equivalence.

  They must also hold a current certificate in Immediate Life Support or willing to undertake within the first 6 months.

  Person Specification

  Qualifications

  Essential

  • BSc (Hons) Healthcare Science: Cardiac Physiology or MSc Clinical Science (Cardiac Science) or equivalent, with acceptance onto AHCS/ RCCP / HCPC professional register.
  • Or BSC in a relevant Scientific subject and on AHCS Specialist Echocardiography Register and working towards Practitioner Training Programme Equivalence.
  • British Society of Echocardiography Adult Accreditation or equivalent.
  • Immediate Life Support (or willing to undertake this within the first 6 months of employment)

  Desirable

  • Teaching / mentoring qualification

  Special Skills & Knowledge

  Essential

  • Specialist in the field of echocardiography, able to provide clinical advice to a range of healthcare professionals, as well as patients and carers
  • Ability to provide operational leadership for echocardiography
  • Organizational skills
  • IT skills
  • Experience of involvement in programmes of research/audit
  • Ability to audit and supervise the work of others
  • Ability to prioritise workload
  • Good communication skills written and verbal.
  • In depth knowledge of pathologies relevant to Cardiology
  • Ability to analyse complex information, interpret results and provide accurate reports to Medical staff and other Healthcare professionals within primary and Secondary care.
  • Able to provide advice to clinicians.
  • Ability to assess patient condition and seek expert assistance when required.

  Desirable

  • Ability to train other staff of all levels and act as mentor.
  • Ability to liaise with other staff both in Primary and Secondary care.
  • Able to manage resources within budgetary limits and service requirements.
  • Presentation Skills.
  • Able to use evidence based practice to ensure quality standards.
  • Negotiation skills
  • Leadership skills

  Statutory Registration

  Essential

  • Registered with RCCP or AHCS or HCPC, or on AHCS Specialist Echocardiography register and working towards Practitioner Training Programme equivalence

  Experience

  Essential

  • Significant experience in the field of echocardiography, with highly specialist knowledge.
  • Experience at specialist level (Band 6 level) or equivalent.
  • Experience of working within a Cardiac investigations Unit.
  • Experience of a broad range of diagnostic procedures within Cardiology.
  • Experience of audit and quality assurance programmes
  • Experience of training staff from a range of disciplines.

  Desirable

  • Experience of Stress echocardiography / trans-oesophageal echocardiography.
  • Experience of supervising staff teams
  • Experience of service development and change management
  • Experience of participating in local, regional and national professional meetings and conferences
  • Able to work in a range of clinical environments.
  • Experience of implementation and reviewing new services
  • Experience of budget management.

  Special Requirements

  Essential

  • Able to travel across Trust sites to meet the requirements of the post

  Person Specification

  Qualifications

  Essential

  • BSc (Hons) Healthcare Science: Cardiac Physiology or MSc Clinical Science (Cardiac Science) or equivalent, with acceptance onto AHCS/ RCCP / HCPC professional register.
  • Or BSC in a relevant Scientific subject and on AHCS Specialist Echocardiography Register and working towards Practitioner Training Programme Equivalence.
  • British Society of Echocardiography Adult Accreditation or equivalent.
  • Immediate Life Support (or willing to undertake this within the first 6 months of employment)

  Desirable

  • Teaching / mentoring qualification

  Special Skills & Knowledge

  Essential

  • Specialist in the field of echocardiography, able to provide clinical advice to a range of healthcare professionals, as well as patients and carers
  • Ability to provide operational leadership for echocardiography
  • Organizational skills
  • IT skills
  • Experience of involvement in programmes of research/audit
  • Ability to audit and supervise the work of others
  • Ability to prioritise workload
  • Good communication skills written and verbal.
  • In depth knowledge of pathologies relevant to Cardiology
  • Ability to analyse complex information, interpret results and provide accurate reports to Medical staff and other Healthcare professionals within primary and Secondary care.
  • Able to provide advice to clinicians.
  • Ability to assess patient condition and seek expert assistance when required.

  Desirable

  • Ability to train other staff of all levels and act as mentor.
  • Ability to liaise with other staff both in Primary and Secondary care.
  • Able to manage resources within budgetary limits and service requirements.
  • Presentation Skills.
  • Able to use evidence based practice to ensure quality standards.
  • Negotiation skills
  • Leadership skills

  Statutory Registration

  Essential

  • Registered with RCCP or AHCS or HCPC, or on AHCS Specialist Echocardiography register and working towards Practitioner Training Programme equivalence

  Experience

  Essential

  • Significant experience in the field of echocardiography, with highly specialist knowledge.
  • Experience at specialist level (Band 6 level) or equivalent.
  • Experience of working within a Cardiac investigations Unit.
  • Experience of a broad range of diagnostic procedures within Cardiology.
  • Experience of audit and quality assurance programmes
  • Experience of training staff from a range of disciplines.

  Desirable

  • Experience of Stress echocardiography / trans-oesophageal echocardiography.
  • Experience of supervising staff teams
  • Experience of service development and change management
  • Experience of participating in local, regional and national professional meetings and conferences
  • Able to work in a range of clinical environments.
  • Experience of implementation and reviewing new services
  • Experience of budget management.

  Special Requirements

  Essential

  • Able to travel across Trust sites to meet the requirements of the post

  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.

  UK Registration

  Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

  Additional information

  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.

  UK Registration

  Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

  Employer details

  Employer name

  County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

  Address

  Darlington Memorial Hospital NHS Trust

  Hollyhurst Road

  Darlington

  County Durham

  DL3 6HX

  
  

  Employer's website

  https://www.cddft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

  Employer details

  Employer name

  County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

  Address

  Darlington Memorial Hospital NHS Trust

  Hollyhurst Road

  Darlington

  County Durham

  DL3 6HX

  
  

  Employer's website

  https://www.cddft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

• About the company

  National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly-funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). The founding principles were that services should be comprehensive, universal and free at the point of delivery—a health service based on clinical need, not ability to pay. Each service provides a comprehensive range of health services, free at the point of use for people ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom apart from dental treatment and optical care.

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