AudiologistinSidcupinSidcupPUBLISHED THU 5 DEC 2024

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a band 6 Audiologist to join the existing Team within Oxleas.

The service covers Tier 2 Children's Audiology assessments for the boroughs of Bexley and Greenwich.

This post will cover 3 sites: Acorns at Queen Mary's Hospital (DA14), Highpoint House (SE18) and Erith Health Centre (DA8).

To ensure an effective audiological service is provided to all children in Bexley in association with other health professionals and colleagues from other agencies. To provide specialised advice and support to parents and carers.

To work autonomously in providing a Community Paediatric Audiology Service, providing hearing assessments and ongoing monitoring of hearing, including a service for children with sensory-neural hearing loss.

To undertake evidence-based audit and research projects to further own and team's clinical practice, making recommendations to clinical lead and, when appropriate, lead the implementation of specific changes to practice or contribute to service protocols.

About us

Physical Effort/Skill and Demands:

Designated regular car used travelling between base and various venues on a daily basis.

Transporting equipment to clinics, schools etc. and creating a physical and safe environment in which to work.

Occasionally the need to be very physically active when dealing with unpredictable behaviour from the children.

Awareness of local weather, road conditions or incidents which could affect travelling time to work.

Awareness of reporting incidents and protocols e.g. aggressive behaviour of patients, clients, relatives or carers.

Mental Effort:

High level of concentration is required when assessing children with a colleague or on ones own.

Alert to possible safeguarding children issues.

Dealing with queries on a daily basis or when attending courses, statutory training, communicating with colleagues, children, parents/carers, interpreting services including BSL on a range of diverse questions from clinical, service provision, education etc.

The requirement to manage patients when giving distressing news regarding unfavourable prognosis of a possible permanent hearing loss.

Communication and Relationships

Able to discuss sensitive health issues with children, young people and their family members, using negotiation and reassurance skills where required.

Able to work in a team of peers offering support and advice within own area.

Able to identify and report concerns to senior staff.

Able to keep accurate and clear records.

To make verbal and written reports and records as required ensuring these are kept up to date.

To encourage an open communication with children, young people and their families and friends, helping them to become actively involved in decision making within all elements to the service.

To be empathetic to children, young people and their families needs.

To ensure the necessary liaison, communications and follow up arrangements following assessment.

To work closely with the audiologists, associate specialist in child health, peripatetic teachers of the hearing impaired and the speech and language therapists working within services for hearing impaired children.

To work as an integral member of a multi-disciplinary team in the centre.

To maintain records using computerised databases are required.

To provide information about audiological services to health professionals and the general public.

To act as a resource for Oxleas in audiological matters.

To communicate clinical information, sometimes complex, in a sensitive and reassuring manner to parents and carers responsive to their level of understanding and taking into account any requirements for interpreters if required.

To have the ability to deliver training to other health professionals i.e. health visitors, school health advisors specific to specialist area e.g. use of audiometer to enable them to carry out their role.

To attend and contribute verbally and write reports for Child Safeguarding proceedings.

Kent Result Areas

To assess children referred to the service by health visitors, community and acute paediatricians, speech and language therapists, GPs and other colleagues.

To work closely with the audiologists, associate specialist in child health, peripatetic teachers of the hearing impaired and the speech and language therapists working within services for hearing impaired children.

To assess children in outreach clinics.

To assess children in mainstream schools as required.

To refer children to tertiary services as required and support them as necessary.

To provide appropriate support to health visitors and other engaged in the Newborn Hearing Screening Programme including AOAEs and AABRs.

To work with the ENT consultants ensuring agreed protocols are followed.

To provide ongoing follow up for children who have been issued with hearing aids including impression taking and to liaise closely with specialist teachers, speech and language therapists etc.

To work as an integral member of a multi-disciplinary team in the centre.

To assess the hearing of children referred to the department inline with agreed criteria, performing a full range of testing suitable for children Primary and secondary assessments, including distraction, visual reinforcement audiometry, cooperation and performance tests, pure tone audiometry (including Air Conduction and Bone Conduction and Masking), speech tests, Oto acoustic emission tests, otoscopy and tympanometry. These hearing assessments may be undertaken in a range of locations.

Personal and Professional Development

To keep up to date with current theory and practice and to maintain a high level of general clinical expertise.

To participate in the planning and monitoring of the audiological service.

To comply with Health and Safety procedures.

To ensure management of clinical risk within own caseload.

To participate in Performance Development Review and regular supervision sessions as agreed.

To attend in service training conferences and other courses as appropriate.

To keep up to date with statutory and mandatory training.

To undertake as directed the collection of data for use in service audit and research projects.

To manage and undertake research into specific areas of clinical practice and service delivery using a range a research methodologies as part of departmental initiatives.

To deputise for senior staff in their absence, sharing responsibility with other audiologists for allocation and prioritisation of referrals.