Job Description

Are you a motivated, dynamic and caring Registered ODP who is able to demonstrate the highest standard of clinical practice, then Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust would really like to hear from you.



The post holder will primarily provide a comprehensive and skilled service within all aspects of their role in Anaesthetic Support and as a member of the multi-disciplinary team, they will assess, plan, implement and evaluate the care for patients supporting, guiding and supervising junior staff.



The Post holder will provide direct patient care and will be expected to have a specialist detailed clinical knowledge of their area gained through further qualifications and experience and to undertake this without direct supervision.



As a core member of the cardiac arrest team, the post holder, pending the arrival of an Anaesthetist, will be expected to initiate emergency resuscitation and the post holder will be responsible for the provision and co-ordination of the anaesthetic support service out-of-hours, liaising with the wider multi-disciplinary team.



The critical care environment which the post holder will access includes:



Main Theatre/Recovery

Emergency department

Inpatient Ward areas

Intensive Care

High Dependency Unit

Obstetrics

Captain Sir Tom Moore & Nightingale Theatres (Halton Campus)

Ophthalmology

CT Scanner

Radiology

Blue Light Ambulance Inter Hospital Transfers



The post holder will provide a high level of skilled anaesthetic support to a wide variety of patients both adult and paediatric in both the elective and emergency setting.



You will be expected to work in challenging situations and provide a calm confident approach to patient care.



You will work alongside both Anaesthetic and Critical Care doctors to provide the safest services for those patients requiring anaesthesia or critical care management within the trust



The post holder in the absence of a Theatre Manager or Anaesthetic Team Leader, will be required to lead the anaesthetic support service especially during the out of hours period. You will support the multi disciplinary service to provide the safest and most effective surgical service to the people of Warrington and Halton.



The post holder will provide support and guidance to junior theatre and medical staff , acting as a point of reference for complex or difficult cases.



You will be an integral part of the trust's emergency medical response working with other professionals responding to cardiac arrest, major trauma and other clinical emergencies involving adult and paediatric patients on the trust site. You will also manage and support intensive care staff in the movement of the critical care patient, this may be within the hospital or externally transferring patients via blue light ambulance to other units for on going care.



Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is a caring and compassionate organisation that is both ambitious and innovative. We are committed to delivering the best outcomes for our patients and providing a positive experience of our staff. We aspire to be outstanding for our patients, our communities and our staff and are committed to being a great place to receive healthcare, work and learn.



Straddling the neighbouring boroughs of Warrington and Halton we are part of the Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care system. Our hospitals are ideally situated to meet the growing healthcare needs of the 330,000 population of these boroughs.



Warrington Hospital is home to our emergency, critical care and maternity services, Halton Hospital is focused on elective procedures and the Runcorn Urgent Treatment Centre, although many services are offered at both sites and in community hubs.



A CQC-rated 'good' organisation with 'outstanding' features, we are working towards university hospital status, having achieved teaching hospital status in 2019.



We employ nearly 5,000 people from over 80 nationalities, striving to be a diverse, inclusive employer and recognised leader in equality. We support flexible working, welcoming flexible applications. Proud of our many accreditations, we are embedding an anti-racist approach in all we do.



1. To use a wide range of verbal and non-verbal communication techniques to communicate effectively with patients undergoing treatment. The Practitioner requires adept interpersonal skills to carry out this role.



2. To ensure the maintenance of effective communication within the team and across multi-disciplinary and organisational boundaries.



3.



3. To utilise specialist knowledge across operating department practice underpinned by theoretical knowledge (the base qualification for this role is in curriculum laid down by the College of Operating Department Practitioners) enhanced by relevant practical experience, further study and qualification(s).



4. To attend meetings and study sessions and to demonstrate an interest in clinical audit and furthering of own professional development by ensuring that own professional knowledge is widened and enriched.



5. To work within limits of competency and level of training and to participate in the Performance Development Review (PDR) system and along with AHP comply with the CPD Process as a requirement through the regulating professional body.



6. As a qualified, autonomous professional, the post holder is required to organise the provision of medical equipment and to make judgements involving a range of facts or situations, which require analysis or comparison of a range of options. For example, the post holder is required to make operational recommendations, based on findings from pre-use testing. Monitoring of complex anaesthetic/surgical devices, analysing this data and acting on the information to provide high quality care.



7. The post requires highly developed physical skills within a specialised field where a high degree of precision and/or speed and high levels of hand, eye and sensory co-ordination are essential. For example, in performing the role of Senior ODP - Specialist Practitioner: Anaesthetics and Emergency Care, the post holder will be required to be analytical and competent in intermediate/advanced airway management, defibrillation, Advanced Life Support/Paediatric Life Support and peripheral venepuncture, cannulation, intraosseous access and in providing a specialist support service to the other clinicians during these procedures.



8. In the emergency situation, pending the arrival of an Anaesthetist, the Practitioner will be expected to commence emergency resuscitation i.e. CPR, cannulation, intraosseous access, intermediate/advanced airway management, defibrillation and administration of emergency drugs within own individual scope of practice.



9. The post holder will be expected to co-ordinate the safe transfer of critically ill patients, in-line with the Intensive Care Society, HCPC and regional SCITT/ Critical Care Network guidelines.



10. To prepare and utilise complex equipment relevant to their expertise e.g. cell saver/PCA/syringe pumps and anaesthetic machines.



11. This post involves communicating confidential/complex medical information throughout the peri-operative episode.



12. To contribute ideas to encourage good practice and to assist in research projects.



13. The post requires a broad knowledge and understanding and practice of skilled airway management of the unconscious and semi-conscious patient and monitoring and recording of vital signs and recognises and acts on complications of those vital signs.



14. The post holder will maintain airway, recognising airways that are compromised e.g. laryngeal spasm and airway obstruction. Dealing with compromised airways effectively, with prompt knowledge and skill and know when to call for medical assistance.



15. The post holder will be required to be skilled in intravenous drug administration and blood transfusion administration and in providing skilled assistance to the clinician during critical airway management. To provide highly specialist clinical technical services in assisting the Anaesthetist and/or Surgeon as required. To initiate/calculate/participate in the checking and administration of prescribed drugs including controlled drugs and other substances in accordance with Trust policy.



16. To ensure the maintenance of a safe, comfortable, therapeutic environment for patients and a pleasant, receptive climate for patients' relatives in accordance with the provisions set out in the NHS Plan.