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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• To provide sensitive advice to patients regarding their auditory status having been referred for consultation by other health professionals including primary care workers, medical consultants, community practitioners and Audiology staff. Such advice is delivered within an emotive atmosphere. To develop and advise on interventions and (re)habilitation programmes based upon autonomous clinical opinion, which may involve referral onwards to relevant intervention programmes.
• To provide theoretical and clinical knowledge to a range of practitioners. To present summary data to the department at clinical audit meetings.
• Responsible for working within the adult team to deliver the clinical direction to the service, within the boundaries set by the service leads. Some of this clinical work to include lone working at off sites.
• To be aware of the referral-to-treatment position of the adult service and ensure that the leads of the service are appraised of threats to breaching.
• Contribute to the efficiencies of device utilisation and patient benefit outcomes, as well as awareness of DNA rates for the adult service.
• Opportunity to contribute to research and development programmes in Audiology for UHS. Maintenance of own audit activity as requirement for continued registration with regulatory bodies.
• Conduct daily stage A calibration checks on all equipment to be included within clinical tasks for the day. To report immediately to head of service, and the calibration lead, any calibration failures and to make safe the affected equipment to ensure that it is not used with patients until remedial action has been successfully implemented.

Communication

• Independent practitioner, holds responsibility for patient care and patient management plan.
• Providing and receiving routine information which requires tact or persuasive skills or where there are barriers to understanding.
• Anticipates barriers to communication and takes action to improve communication.
• Is proactive in seeking out different styles and methods of communication to assist longer term needs and aims of the patient.
• Communicates effectively and calmly in difficult situations and with challenging people.
• Has to communicate complex explanations regarding causation of hearing loss and treatment options.
• Allows the patient to form their own opinions and choices regarding their rehabilitation options whilst guiding them towards successful choices through empowerment based upon knowledge of their condition and the potential benefit of rehabilitation options.
• Develops partnership with the patient toward a shared goal.

Service Delivery and Improvement

• Implements policies and proposes changes to working practices or procedures for own work area.
• Works with team leads to evaluate the impact of changes on the service and feeds this information into ongoing improvements.

Patient Care Delivery

• Calibrates and maintains highly specialist or highly complex equipment.
• Holds responsibility for implementing individual management plans without medical oversight.
• Provides specialised advice which contributes to the diagnosis, care or education of patients.

Learning and Development

• Attends mandatory training updates as required.
• Undertakes training as necessary in line with the development of the post and as agreed with the line manager as part of the personal development process.
• Achieves and demonstrates agreed standards of personal and professional development within agreed timescales.
• Participates in the Trust’s appraisal process to discuss how role will help deliver the best possible care to our patients and help to deliver any changes in service.