Paediatric Audiologist

Sussex Community Nhs Foundation Trust; Crawley Down; On-site; GBP 34,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust's Children's Audiology Service in Crawley invites a motivated Paediatric Audiologist / Paediatric Clinical Scientist to join our team. You will conduct age-appropriate hearing assessments and support rehabilitation for children up to 18, working with a multidisciplinary group to deliver family-centred care.

Ideal applicants will have NHS paediatric audiology experience, be registered in the UK, and be committed to development within a supportive Trust

Qualifications

• 2 years audiology experience with paediatric work.
• Experience with VRA/Play Audiometry and tympanometry.
• Registered with UK professional body and eligible to work in the UK.

Responsibilities

• Conduct comprehensive paediatric hearing assessments for children up to 18 years.
• Support hearing aid fitting, verification, and follow-up.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to plan management.
• Maintain accurate records using SystmOne.

Skills

Verbal communication

Written communication

Teamwork

IT skills

Education

Audiology BSc/MSc/STP or equivalent

UK professional registration required

Tools

SystmOne

Job description

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a motivated and enthusiastic Paediatric Audiologist / Paediatric Clinical Scientist (Audiology) to join our Children's Audiology Service within Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust. Based in Crawley, you will provide high-quality, family-centred audiological assessment and management for infants, children and young people up to the age of 18 years. Working within a friendly and supportive multidisciplinary team, you will play a key role in delivering diagnostic hearing assessments, supporting rehabilitation pathways, and contributing to service development. You will work closely with senior paediatric audiologists, clinical scientists, audiology assistants and child development colleagues, as well as external partners including ENT services, sensory support teams, paediatricians, speech and language therapists, health visitors, school nurses and social care professionals. This role offers excellent opportunities for professional development and may include additional responsibilities in areas such as hearing therapy, school screening training, digital communications and service development, depending on experience and service need.

• Deliver a wide range of age-appropriate paediatric hearing assessments for children and young people up to 18 years of age.
• Interpret assessment findings, communicate outcomes to families and develop appropriate management plans.
• Support paediatric hearing rehabilitation services, including hearing aid fitting, verification, validation and follow-up care.
• Work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams and external agencies to ensure coordinated, child-centred care.
• Provide sensitive and effective communication to children, parents, carers and professionals, adapting approaches to overcome communication barriers where required.
• Participate in service development, clinical audit, quality improvement initiatives and pathway development.
• Maintain accurate clinical records and activity data in line with professional and Trust standards.
• Contribute to the supervision, training and support of junior staff, students and colleagues.
• Participate in continuing professional development, appraisal processes and clinical supervision activities.
• Support the maintenance and calibration of audiological equipment and ensure safe use of clinical resources.

About us

We are the main provider of NHS community services across East and West Sussex, with 6,000 staff serving 1.3 million people. We deliver essential care to adults and children, helping them manage their health, avoid hospital admissions, and reduce hospital stays. Our Trust vision is to provide excellent care at the heart of the community. We offer opportunities across medical, clinical, support, and corporate services.

Why work for us?

• Positive 2024 NHS Staff Survey results, highlighting compassionate leadership and wellbeing
• Varied environments: community hospitals, patients' homes, and bases across Sussex
• Flexible working options: part-time, flexi-time, annualised hours, and flexi-retirement
• Excellent training, development, and research opportunities
• Accredited Living Wage Employer, we ensure fair pay for all our staff
• Cost-effective workplace nurseries in Crawley, Hove, and Brighton
• Active EMBRACE, Disability & Wellbeing, LGBTQIA+, and Religion & Belief networks
• Level 3 Disability Confident Leader and Veteran Aware Trust

Our values--Compassionate Care, Working Together, Achieving Ambitions, Delivering Excellence--guide everything we do.

We embrace diversity and encourage applications from all backgrounds, particularly from ethnically diverse, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ individuals. We aim to create an inclusive environment and support reasonable adjustments during recruitment.

This post may close early if sufficient applications are received.

Job responsibilities

As a Band 6 Paediatric Audiologist/Paediatric Clinical Scientist, you will be responsible for delivering specialist paediatric audiology services as part of a multidisciplinary Child Development team.

Key responsibilities include:

• Undertake comprehensive paediatric hearing assessments using a range of behavioural and objective techniques, including:
• Visual Reinforcement Audiometry (VRA)
• Play Audiometry
• Pure Tone Audiometry
• Speech Discrimination Testing
• Masking Techniques
• Acoustic Admittance Measurements
• Otoacoustic Emissions (OAEs)
• Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) and Auditory Steady State Response (ASSR) testing where appropriate
• Analyse and interpret complex assessment findings to support diagnosis and management planning.
• Communicate assessment outcomes sensitively and effectively to children, parents and carers.
• Work with families to provide advice, support and ongoing management for childhood hearing loss.

Hearing Rehabilitation

• Support hearing aid assessment, fitting and follow-up services.
• Undertake hearing aid verification and validation procedures, including Real Ear Measurements (REMs) and measured RECDs.
• Carry out hearing aid maintenance, troubleshooting and repairs.
• Take aural impressions and fit ear moulds for infants and children.
• Provide advice regarding assistive listening devices and communication support.

Multidisciplinary Working

• Work collaboratively with paediatricians, ENT services, speech and language therapists, sensory support services, school nurses, health visitors, GPs and social care teams.
• Contribute to multidisciplinary meetings and coordinated care planning.
• Ensure timely referrals and effective communication with partner organisations.

Leadership, Training and Service Development

• Support and supervise junior audiology staff and assistants as appropriate.
• Contribute to staff induction, teaching and training activities.
• Participate in clinical audit, service evaluation and quality improvement initiatives.
• Contribute to the development of clinical protocols, pathways and service objectives.
• Support the development of patient information resources, online content and service communications where required.

Professional Responsibilities

• Maintain professional registration and practice within relevant professional and legal frameworks.
• Participate fully in appraisal, clinical supervision and continuing professional development.
• Maintain accurate and contemporaneous electronic patient records using SystmOne.
• Ensure compliance with safeguarding, infection prevention, data protection and health and safety policies.
• Contribute to the delivery of safe, effective and patient-centred services in line with Trust values and national standards.

Additional Development Opportunities

• Deliver hearing therapy services.
• Lead training and support for school hearing screening programmes.
• Support development of the Children's Audiology website and social media presence.
• Participate in wider service development projects across Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust.

Qualifications and/or professional registration

Essential

• Audiology BSc or MSc or STP or equivalent
• Registered with U.K. professional body

Experience

Essential

• 2 years audiology experience hearing assessments and hearing aid fittings
• Knowledge and experience of paediatric audiological assessment, equipment and referral pathways

Skills and Knowledge

Essential

• Ability to demonstrate effective verbal and written interpersonal/communication skills.
• Ability to work as part of a team within a health and multi-agency setting.
• Ability to demonstrate knowledge of general child development.
• Ability to organise and manage own workload and prioritise.
• Ability to demonstrate an aware-ness of Child Protection guidelines and responsibilities.
• Ability to demonstrate cultural awareness and is sensitive to the differing needs of patient groups.
• Ability to demonstrate up to date clinical expertise.
• Ability to relate theory to practice
• Ability to undertake audit activity
• Ability to provide training to others.
• Ability to demonstrate knowledge of the potential for working in partnership with other agencies.
• IT Skills

Desirable

• Ability to demonstrate paediatric specific practical experience of hearing aids, hearing aid fittings, hearing assessment (behavioural and objective).

Other Requirements

Essential

• Ability to attend clinics away from base either in own car or by public transport (Haywards Heath, Crawley/Brighton)

Desirable

• Car driver

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).