Sleep Specialist (Nurse, Physiologist or Physiotherapist)

Employer
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
Location
Worcester
Salary
£35,392 to £42,618 a year including the pending 2023/2024 pay agreement
Closing date
8 Jun 2023

View more

Profession
Nurse
Grade
Band 6
Contract Type
Permanent
Hours
Full Time
Job summary

The Worcestershire sleep service receives approximately 1 thousand referrals annually from GPs across Worcestershire and parts of surrounding counties. It also receives internal referrals from respiratory consultants, cardiologists and the weight management service.

The majority of our patients have Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) and are on CPAP therapywith approximately 5 thousand patients on therapy requiring ongoing care and support. This is a very rewarding role as you will see how getting good quality sleep improves patients quality of life. We also provide BiPAP therapy to a small number of patients with OSA who require high treatment pressures and Adaptive Servo-Ventilation (ASV) for patients with central sleep apnoea.Patients with respiratory insufficiency such as those with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome (OHS) requiring Non-invasive ventilation are treated in conjunction with the specialist respiratory nursing team who we work with closely.

The sleep service comprises of a team of skilled professionals comprising of Specialist Nurses, Physiologists, Healthcare Scientists, Healthcare Science associates and Administrative support staff.

We are looking for a professionally registered; Physiologist, Healthcare Scientist, Physiotherapist or Nurse to Join our friendly team.

This is a fantastic opportunity to join our team where we will offer further training in respiratory diagnostics, physiology and sleep.

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate would be expected to have knowledge of sleep disordered breathing including sleep apnoea and nocturnal hypoventilation syndromes. They would be expected undertake CPAP trials and follow-up as well as scoring and reporting multi-channel sleep studies. Other duties include participating in the sleep and ventilation MDT, supporting the sleep service with stock control and general administration.

The trust also has a large lung function service providing both routine and advance pulmonary diagnostics including exercise testing. It is expected that the successful candidate would also support this side of the service and training in routine lung function testing including spirometry would be provided.

Key roles would include:
  • Initiate patients on CPAP therapy explaining sleep study results, device workings, care and cleaning of equipment, provision of lifestyle advice and DVLA guidance.
  • Follow-up with patients on CPAP therapy interpreting device therapy and compliance data alongside results of overnight oximetry and assessment of patient symptoms
  • Issuing sleep diagnostic equipment including overnight oximetry and multi-channel sleep studies.
  • Score, report and interpret overnight oximetry and multi-channel sleep studies
  • Initiate patients on BiPAP therapy in either spontaneous mode or adaptive servo ventilation.
  • Undertake and interpret measurements of blood gases by either capillary or arterial sampling
  • Undertake routine lung function measurements


About us

Our purpose is simple - Putting Patients First. We are looking for exceptional colleagues who can help us achieve this.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is a large acute and specialised hospital trust that provides a range of local acute services to the residents of Worcestershire and more specialised services to a larger population in Herefordshire and beyond.

The Trust operates hospital-based services from three sites in Kidderminster, Redditch and Worcester

Our workforce is nearly 6,800 strong, and our caring staff are recognised as providing good and outstanding patient-centred care. You could be one of them.

We are committed to recruiting the best people to work with us to achieve our Vision - working in partnership to provide the best healthcare for our communities, leading and supporting our teams to move 4ward. Our 4ward behaviours, which we ask all staff to demonstrate, underpin our everyday work and remain firmly at the heart of all we do.

Our objectives are simple:
  • Best services for local people
  • Best experience of care and best outcomes for our patients
  • Best use of resources
  • Best people

Better never stops, and our Clinical Services Strategy provides a clear future vision for our Trust, our hospitals, our services and our role in the wider health and care system.

We are proud to have achieved Timewise accreditation - this means we are committed to embedding flexible working within our organisation as a flex positive employer.

Job description

Job responsibilities

The Respiratory Physiology led sleep apnoea service receives approximately 1000 referrals annually from GPs across Worcestershire and some parts of Herefordshire, Warwickshire and Shropshire. It also receives internal referrals from respiratory consultants, cardiologists and the weight management service.

The vast majority of our patients have OSA and are on CPAP with an estimated 5000s patients on therapy requiring ongoing care and support with another 900 undertaking a trial of therapy annually. We also provide BiPAP therapy to a small number of patients with OSA who require high treatment pressures and ASV for patients with central sleep apnoea. Patients with respiratory insufficiency such as those with COPD and OHS requiring Non-invasive ventilation are referred on to the respiratory nursing team who we work with closely.

The successful candidate would be expected to have considerable knowledge of sleep disordered breathing including sleep apnoea and nocturnal hypoventilation syndromes. They would be expected undertake CPAP trials and follow-up as well as scoring and reporting multi-channel sleep studies. Other duties include participating in the sleep and ventilation MDT, supporting the sleep service with stock control and general administration.

This post is open to applicants from a range of respiratory backgrounds including physiology, nursing and physiotherapy. The trust also has a large lung function service providing both routine and advance pulmonary diagnostics including exercise testing. It is expected that the successful candidate would also support this side of the service and training in routine lung function testing including spirometry would be provided.

- Initiate patients on CPAP therapy explaining sleep study results, device workings, care and cleaning of equipment, provision of lifestyle advice and DVLA guidance.

- Follow-up with patients on CPAP therapy interpreting device therapy and compliance data alongside results of overnight oximetry and assessment of patient symptoms

- Issuing sleep diagnostic equipment including overnight oximetry and multi-channel sleep studies.

- Score, report and interpret overnight oximetry and multi-channel sleep studies

- Initiate patients on BiPAP therapy in either spontaneous mode or adaptive servo ventilation.

- Undertake and interpret measurements of blood gases by either capillary or arterial sampling

- Undertake routine lung function measurements

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Bsc or Msc in Nursing, Physiology, Healthcare Science or Physiotherapy.
  • Registration with NMC, AHCS, RCCP or HCPC Registration.


Desirable

  • ARTP CPAP practitioner
  • Completion of the ERS Respiratory sleep certified training programme
  • ARTP Practitioner certificate


Experience

Essential

  • Experience working with Sleep apnoea patients
  • Experience working with patients with Respiratory conditions


Desirable

  • Experience using acute or domiciliary CPAP devices and masks.
  • Experience providing lifestyle advice to patients


Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

C9365-23-0251

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