Highly Specialist Healthcare Science Practitioner/ Clinical Scientist

NHS; Darlington; On-site; GBP 47,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional healthcare provider is seeking a Highly Specialist Healthcare Science Practitioner / Clinical Scientist in Echocardiography to join their Cardiology and Respiratory team. This role involves performing high-quality echocardiography services, providing clinical leadership, and supervising junior staff. The ideal candidate will have significant echocardiography experience and relevant qualifications. This position offers both full-time and part-time options, with a salary range of £47,810 to £54,710 per annum.

Qualifications

• Minimum academic qualifications in the Person Specification.
• Registered on the AHCS or HCPC register.
• Experience in a Cardiac Investigations department at Band 6 level.

Responsibilities

• Perform a range of cardiac and physiological investigations.
• Provide training to other healthcare professionals and students.
• Supervise junior staff and demonstrate clinical leadership.

Skills

Echocardiography expertise

Operational leadership

Organizational skills

Communication skills

Mentorship capability

Education

BSc (Hons) Healthcare Science: Cardiac Physiology

MSc Clinical Science (Cardiac Science)

Job description

Overview

County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

Position

Highly Specialist Healthcare Science Practitioner/Clinical Scientist – Echocardiography

The closing date is 20 September 2025

Job summary

We are seeking an enthusiastic and highly motivated Highly Specialist Healthcare Science Practitioner / Clinical Scientist / Echocardiographer to join our Cardiology and Respiratory investigations team. The role supports diagnostic cardiology and respiratory services for in-patients and out-patients. We welcome suitable applicants for either full-time or part-time work. The principal hospitals within the Trust are Darlington Memorial Hospital, The University Hospital of North Durham, Bishop Auckland Hospital and Shotley Bridge Hospital. The Cardiology & Respiratory Investigations Units employ approximately 40 staff providing a wide range of invasive and non-invasive procedures including echocardiography, stress echocardiography, trans-oesophageal echocardiography, diagnostic angiography, pacing implant/follow-up, complex device follow-up, tilt testing and nerve conduction studies. We are committed to learning and development and encourage/provide opportunities for professional development. The hospital base for this post is Darlington Memorial Hospital.

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate will work as part of a team in the busy Cardio-Respiratory departments. They will be highly specialist in echocardiography and responsible for delivering the highest quality echocardiography services within their designated team. They will work closely with colleagues to ensure protocols and procedures meet local and national requirements for good practice and service delivery. They will perform a range of cardiac and other physiological investigations, and produce evidence-based clinical reports. They will provide training to other healthcare professionals and students and will supervise junior staff, as well as deputise for more senior staff on occasions.

About us

We provide hospital services from two acute sites—Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham. We have a centre for planned care in Bishop Auckland and provide care from community hospitals in Chester-le-Street, Shotley Bridge, Barnard Castle, Sedgefield and Weardale, as well as over 80 other community-based settings and care in patients’ homes.

We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as BAME and disabled people are currently under-represented.

Full Job Descriptions can be found in the adverts supporting documents.

Job responsibilities

The candidate will independently perform a range of cardiac and physiological investigations, specialising in echocardiography, and will derive clinical reports from highly specialist diagnostic procedures. They must have experience of working in a Cardiac Investigations department at Band 6 level and have achieved the minimum academic qualifications in the Person Specification. They must be registered on the AHCS or HCPC register or be on the AHCS Specialist Echocardiography Register. They must also hold a current Certificate in Immediate Life Support or be willing to undertake this within the first 6 months.

Person Specification

Special Requirements

• Able to travel across Trust sites to meet the requirements of the post

Experience

• Significant experience in the field of echocardiography with highly specialist knowledge.
• Experience at specialist level (Band 6 level) or equivalent.
• Experience of working within a Cardiac Investigations Unit.
• Experience of a broad range of diagnostic procedures within Cardiology.
• Experience of audit and quality assurance programmes.
• Experience of training staff from a range of disciplines.
• Experience of Stress echocardiography / trans-oesophageal echocardiography.
• Experience of supervising staff teams.
• Experience of service development and change management.
• Experience of participating in local, regional and national professional meetings and conferences.
• Able to work in a range of clinical environments.
• Experience of implementing and reviewing new services.
• Experience of budget management.

Qualifications

• BSc (Hons) Healthcare Science: Cardiac Physiology or MSc Clinical Science (Cardiac Science) or equivalent, with acceptance onto AHCS/HCPC professional register.
• Or BSc in a relevant scientific subject and on AHCS Specialist Echocardiography Register.
• British Society of Echocardiography Adult Accreditation or equivalent.
• Immediate Life Support (or willingness to undertake this within the first 6 months of employment).

Statutory Registration

• Registered with AHCS or HCPC, or on AHCS Specialist Echocardiography register.

Special Skills & Knowledge

• Specialist in echocardiography with ability to provide clinical advice to a range of healthcare professionals, patients and carers.
• Ability to provide operational leadership for echocardiography.
• Strong organisational skills and ability to train other staff and supervise work.
• Experience of research, audit and applying evidence-based practice to ensure quality standards.
• Ability to prioritise workload and manage resources within budgetary limits.
• Good verbal and written communication skills; ability to liaise with primary and secondary care.
• Able to provide clinical advice to clinicians and to interpret complex information.
• Ability to assess patient condition and seek expert assistance when required.
• Mentorship and staff development capability.
• Presentation skills.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and, as such, a disclosure check will be carried out by the Disclosure and Barring Service.

County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

Salary: £47,810 to £54,710 per annum, pro rata