Job summary
We are seeking a full time Lead Sonographer who be responsible for the day to day organisation and management of the Ultrasound Service.

The post holder will provide clinical support and mentoring to the diagnostic imaging team of Sonographers, Student, Radiology Support Workers and Administrative and Clerical staff to actively develop the service in conjunction with NHS guidelines and directives.

Main duties of the job

• The Lead Sonographer will undertake both clinical and managerial duties and when appropriate deputise for the General Manager for Imaging Services; will assist in the co-ordination, management and allocation of staff and resources within the Ultrasound department and report back to the General Manager, senior leadership team for Imaging and the Divisional leadership team and Trust.
• The post holder will work as part of a multi-disciplinary team in Imaging, liaising with those involved to ensure the appropriate imaging, reporting and management of the patient is provided when and where necessary. They will maintain a high professional and technical standard ensuring that all staff working in their area maintains similar standards.
• The post-holder will undertake clinical work within the established quality standards of practice, adhering to ultrasound guidelines such as published as those published by BMUS, RCOG, RCR, FASP and NICE.
• The post-holder will work as a practitioner in the delivery of all ultrasound imaging, reporting and management of the patient within departmental protocols.
• To develop systems of work within the ultrasound team to ensure appropriate techniques are used to minimise the risk of Musculo-skeletal injury and that all ergonomic feature of the ultrasound equipment are utilizes to support the wellbeing of the scanning staff.

About us
We are proud to be part of BSW Hospitals Group - a formal partnership between Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust and Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust. With a combined workforce of over 17, 600 colleagues, and budget of 1.6 billion the Group is united by a common purpose to deliver the best possible care to over 1 million people.

We are creating a health and care system that works with the people we care for, reducing the differences people currently face in access, experience and outcomes, improving the experience of our colleagues and tackling shared challenges like sustainability and finances. Every improvement we make across our Group will be guided by what creates the greatest benefit for our colleagues, our patients, our communities and our partners.

Job responsibilities

• To develop and encourage multidisciplinary working and partnerships with other practitioners, including medical consultants, divisional clinical directors and clinical leads.
• To ensure effective communication of all Ultrasound issues. This will include regular documented communication with the Ultrasound team in addition to communication with the senior management team within Imaging including risks around delivery of required standards.
• To make sure where relevant a process is in place to validate requests against agreed protocols and referral guidelines and also to actively participate in the process.
• To arrange, plan and participate in the Ultrasound Quality Assurance programme to include national screening programmes.
• To plan maintenance schedules, initiate and monitor external engineers to breakdowns, to support prompt service resumption.
• To be accountable for the data collection of the service activity. To assess and analyse complex data in order to identify patterns and trends to enable effective and informed decision making and long-term planning of services.
• To undertake and be responsible long-term workforce planning through analysis of data to assist in the planning of caseloads and inform decisions around changing skill mix. Identifying the future needs of the service in line with modernisation and changing healthcare needs.
• To be responsible for recruitment, retention and regular review of staffing levels and skill mix within the service to ensure these meet the needs of the services, national targets and Trust objectives.
• Manage staff rosters, annual leave, and training to maintain a core staffing resource working towards the delivery of a 7-day service in the future.
• To manage day to day activities of any locum or third-party provider staff as required, supporting the ultrasound service.

Please see attached JD for full responsibilities

Qualifications
Essential

• HCPC Registered (or equivalent professional body)
• Masters level qualification in Ultrasound

Desirable

• Management Qualification
• Quality improvement training

Experience
Essential

• Experienced Sonographer
• Experience of working and managing an Ultrasound Department
• In depth experience of leading and managing teams of sonographers across different levels
• Significant experience of working in a multidisciplinary environment with a range of health professionals

Knowledge
Essential

• Demonstrable skills in leading change management with teams
• Advanced communication skills
• Advanced negotiating skills
• A proven ability to deal effectively with patients, their families and carers and the general public

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.

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants.

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.