Job summary
You will be a vital member of our team and provide hearing assessments, hearing aid fittings and follow-ups for adult patients both within the Hospital as well as in the community. Core to this role is involvement with complex adult patients, adults with Learning Difficulties and vestibular clinics.

You will also have significant involvement with the paediatric service, for hearing assessments, hearing aid fittings and crucially ABR testing of newborn babies.

The position involves frontline patient contact and therefore highly developed interpersonal skills are necessary. The role provides a significant opportunity for a talented candidate seeking a more advanced clinical post as well as a position within the departmental senior team. We invest in further training and will facilitate further opportunities for motivated individuals.

Main duties of the job

• Perform a range of diagnostic audiological tests in adults, as well as fit and fine-tune hearing aids in accordance with national and local protocols
• Provide support for ENT clinics, including testing of children and adults with Learning Difficulties
• Perform hearing tests on children aged approximately five and above
• Fit hearing aids to children from birth
• Carry out ABR testing on newborn babies
• Carry out clinics in community locations across the local area
• Involvement in developing the RUH audiology service
• Demonstrate own duties to others and provide training to junior clinicians, when required
• Recognise problems beyond own area of knowledge and expertise and refer onwards or seek advice as required
• Update own professional knowledge-base of current protocols and recommended procedures
• Contribute to local departmental audits as well as research and development

About us
We are proud to be part of BSW Hospitals Group - a formal partnership between the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, Great Western Hospitals 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.

By working together, we make a real difference for our patients, each other, and our community. Every role matters in delivering the exceptional, person-centred care we're proud of.

We're committed to a compassionate, inclusive culture where kindness is championed, differences are valued, and diversity makes us stronger.

We want to support you to thrive, taking your career to its full potential. We prioritise staff wellbeing - and yes, we even have a pool!

Discover what it's like to live and work in Bath, explore our RUH staff benefits, and learn how we're building healthcare for the future through the Dyson Cancer Centre and our commitment to research.

Job responsibilities
1. Clinical and Technical
Perform hearing assessment and hearing aid fitting in adults and children, from birth, adhering to BSA guidelines. Competence in behavioural testing, including play audiometry and modified techniques for pure tone audiometry with more complex patients is required.

Extensive experience of independently carrying out electrophysiological testing, including ABR on newborn babies, plus ASSR, is essential to this role.

Selection, fitting and evaluation performance of hearing aids to children of all ages, according to MCHAS guidelines. Knowledge and experience with a range of hearing aids, as well as prescriptive fitting methods such as DSL version 5, is required, as is experience with verification techniques, i.e. REMS and RECDs

Competence in adult rehabilitation, including assessments such as pure tone and speech audiometry with non-routine, complex patients is required

Experience of counselling patients with tinnitus is required, as well as experience of working with multi-disciplinary teams involved in the treatment of patients with complex needs

Ability to work independently and plan individualised management plans with the multi-disciplinary team, whilst ensuring that the patients needs are considered at all times

Work closely with multidisciplinary and multiagency teams, including medical staff, audiology colleagues, and Hearing Therapy to ensure effective delivery of individual management plans

Ensure clean and tidy working areas in accordance with local decontamination and infection control protocols

Participate in research and service development projects as required by the department

3. Clerical and Administrative
Develop and maintain a working knowledge of the hospital Patient Administration System (PAS)

Record accurate, concise and timely information into the PAS following each patient contact. Order and schedule appointments when required and provide support for queries from patients via telephone and email

Assist with ensuring continuity of stock, maintaining stock databases, restocking consumables in clinic rooms and delivering effective and efficient hearing aid provision

Preparation of stock as required for outreach clinics

Assist with other administrative duties when required

4. Teaching and training
Develop own knowledge and skills in line with the Knowledge and Skills Framework for the post

Ensure Trust mandatory training remains up to date and maintain CPD record

To demonstrate duties to students, new staff and volunteers supporting the repairs service

Attend appropriate training courses

Training of junior clinicians and clinical staff

5. Management and supervision
Participation within the senior management team and facilitation of effective working relationships within the Trust and throughout the wider professional network

Supervision of junior clinicians and audiology trainees and involvement in training courses provided by the Audiology Department to other professional groups

Person Specification
Education
Essential

• MSc in Audiological Science or STP in Audiology

Desirable

• Registration with RCCP/HCCP
• Member of British Academy of Audiology and/or British Society of Audiology
• Advanced courses in Audiology

Experience
Essential

• Experience of working as an independent clinician with complex patients and those with LD
• Experience of hearing assessments and hearing aid fittings using REMS and RECD
• Experience with Auditbase, NOAH, Target, Genie, patient management software and Microsoft Office
• Experience of independently carrying out ABR tests on newborns
• Experience of vestibular testing

Desirable

• Knowledge of NHS service provision and pathways

General skills
Essential

• UK Driving Licence and access to a car
• Ability to remain calm and professional in busy situations
• Good communication skills, written and verbal, with ability to demonstrate fluency, clarity and effectiveness at all levels

Desirable

• Ability to facilitate change within the work area

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.