Senior Theatre Assistant

Repair; Wigan; Hybrid; GBP 26,000 - 27,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Job summary

Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Senior Theatre Assistant to work 28.5 hours per week. The post is Band 3 with a pro rata salary; there is a potential training pathway to Band 2–3.

You will work alongside nursing and medical staff, delivering agreed clinical skills and nursing care to support the peri-operative journey. The role involves clinical tasks after training and competency assessment.

Qualifications

• Significant experience of working within the perioperative environment.
• Ability to manage risk and escalation concern.
• Ability to work in a multi-professional team.
• GCSE Maths & English or equivalent.
• Level 3 Diploma in Peri-operative care or equivalent qualification/experience.
• Completion of in-house Theatre Assistant competencies.
• Evidence of continued development.

Responsibilities

• Provide individualised patient focused care whilst in the peri-operative environment.
• Support moving and handling, correct patient positioning, assess pressure areas and skin integrity.
• Deliver planned care and document findings in patient records under supervision.
• Act as circulating member of the theatre team, follow policies and ensure counts are accurate.
• Assist in preparation and use of technical theatre equipment as directed.
• Maintain a sterile field and patient safety during procedures.
• Recognise urgent situations and respond promptly, transferring patients with staff.
• Respect privacy, dignity and diversity; communicate effectively with patients and families.

Skills

Perioperative care

Teamwork

Patient observations

Communication

Education

GCSE Maths & English

Level 3 Diploma in Peri-operative care

Theatre Assistant competencies

Job description

Main area Senior Operating Theatre Assistant Grade NHS AfC: Band 3 Contract Permanent: 28.5 hours Hours

• Part time
• Flexible working

28.5 hours per week (Mon-Fri between service hours 0800-1800) Job ref 302-26-8262707S-TAP

Site Wrightington Hospital Town Wigan Salary £25,760 - £27,476 per annum, pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing Today at 23:59

People at the Heart. One Team. Your Career at WWL.

Job overview

We are looking to recruit a Senior Theatre Assistant to work 28.5 hours per week.

As Senior Theatre Assistant you will work alongside nursing and medical staff to competently provide agreed clinical skills and nursing care to deliver a timely and quality service to patients during their peri operative patient journey.

Although this role is advertised as a Band 3 - Senior Theatre Assistant post, it could potentially be offered as a Band 2 - Band 3 training post.

Previous applicants need not apply.

Main duties of the job

Provide high-quality support to registered nurses and medical staff within the theatre environment. Accurately monitor, record, and report patient observations, escalating concerns and initiating appropriate action when required. Undertake agreed clinical duties and tasks independently following training and competency assessment, ensuring all care is delivered in line with Trust policies, procedures, and professional standards.

Working for our organisation

Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is proud to provide high‑quality acute hospital and community services to the people of the Wigan Borough and surrounding areas. At WWL, our staff are central to everything we do — we believe that happy staff make for happy patients, and this ethos underpins our culture and our success.

We have a strong, recognised track record in staff engagement and in living our values:

People at the Heart

Listen and Involve

Kind and Respectful

• ONE Team

We are committed to placing patients at the heart of every decision and delivering safe, effective care that protects dignity and enhances experience. We seek to recruit people who share our values, our passion for high‑quality care, and our belief in working together as One Team.

At WWL, we recognise the strength that comes from a rich and diverse workforce. We welcome applications from all sections of society and are dedicated to creating an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities

• Work as part of a designated clinical team, providing individualised patient focused carewhilst in the peri- operative environment.
• Support moving and handling, correct patient positioning, assess pressure areas and skinintegrity, documenting findings in a timely manner within the patient records.
• At the direction of the Registered / medical staff, participate fully in the delivery of plannedcare, applying and evaluating agreed clinical skills to ensure a seamless patient journeythrough the operating department.
• To act as a circulating member of the theatre team, following policies and procedures, forthe counting, recording and checking of swabs, needles and instruments in conjunctionwith the registered practitioner.
• Support registered theatre practitioners in the preparation and use of technical equipment required prior and during operative procedures.
• Ensuring patient safety by maintaining a sterile field for operating procedures.
• Recognise and respond appropriately to urgent and emergencysituations.
• Participate in the transfer and escort of patients with a registered practitioner.
• Be aware of the patient’s needs – emotional, social, physical, and cultural. Respectprivacy, dignity, and beliefs. Act in a way that supports equality and diversity.
• To undertake clinical interventions, i.e. basic clinical observations in order to assess apatients NEWS status, 12 lead ECG, Bladder scanning, cannulation & phlebotomy, asdirected by a registered practitioner, following successful completion of relevant training and competency based assessment. This is not a prescriptive list, rather an indication as
  to the level of clinical intervention that may be required.
• Maintain full compliance with allocated mandatory training.
• Maintain own level of competence and ongoing CPD.
• Undertake specific training for onward development of the role

Planning and Organisational Duties

• Contribute to the development of services and ensure the effective and efficient use ofresources
• Demonstrate good understanding of principles of consent. Ensure valid consent isavailable and documented prior to undertaking of any clinical procedures
• Participate in audit activities undertaken in area of practice.
  Postholders are expected to work independently regarding routine, delegated tasks,following established good practice and refer to non-routine tasks appropriately.
• Assist with the preparation, identification, recording and dispatch of specimens from thetheatre unit.
• Ensure that the pharmacy stock items including controlled drugs are received and storedin accordance with COSHH and Trust guidance; any in balance in stock is reported to thesenior registered practitioner on duty as soon as it is identified.
• Assist in maintaining and monitoring cleaning standards within the clinical areas ensuringgeneral fixtures/fitting and specialist equipment are cleaned in accordance with guidelines
• To participate in the management of supplies ensuring the theatre unit has sufficient levelsof all essential supplies to meet the service demands.
• Receive and dispatch sterile supplies ensuring relevant schedules are completed
• Assist with the collection of blood and blood products

Communications and Key Working Relationships

• Participate in the assessment of health care needs through the completion and interpretation of assessment tools and PARS documentation if allocated to the post anaesthetic care unit (PACU)
• Work collaboratively with others in the theatre environment and beyond, to ensure that patients’ needs are met and contribute to effective lines of communication between medical, registrants, and administrative staff
• The service users come from a variety of cultural backgrounds and the Senior Healthcare
• Assistant will be expected to communicate effectively with all patients and families effectively.
• Provide general non-clinical advice, information and guidance to patients, relatives and visitors
• Communicate effectively with dignity and respect to all patients, relatives and others considering potential barriers to understanding.
• Have knowledge and demonstrate appropriate use of communication tools (verbal and nonverbal) to gain informed consent with patients where there may be barriers to effective communication e.g., loss of hearing, altered perception, expressive and receptive dysphasia, pain, fear – this is not an exhaustive list.
• To participate in assessment of capacity, working alongside registered practitioners to gain valid consent, whilst working within a legal framework, particularly with patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment.
• To ensure that documentation is completed in accordance with Trust and departmental requirements.
• Assist in receiving and providing handover, demonstrating clear effective communication.
• Recognise and report any situations, behaviours or errors that could result in poor care outcomes.
• Contribute to a culture where all staff feel safe to raise their concerns [and that] speaking up about what these are is a normal part of their routine.
• Communicate effectively with other departments within the Trust, as well as outside agencies, as required.
• Provide and receive sensitive information regarding the patients’ medical condition.
• Develop own skills and knowledge and contribute to development of others.
• Assist in the orientation of new staff with regards to specific areas.
• Regularly attend workplace and staff engagement meetings and contribute positively to discussions about the improvement of care.
• Report any concern regarding patient care to the registrant in charge of patients care.
• Assist registered personnel in carrying out ‘last offices’, in compliance with the Trust policy
• To participate in bone donation and retrieval process and ensure compliance with protocols and documentation
• Collect correct prostheses /replacement implants from implant room, as directed by scrub practitioner
• Act as bone link for theatre to allocate and collect bone matter and bone grafts, ligaments and tissue for procedures from the bone bank following the designated competency-based training

Responsibility for Finance

• Participate in ensuring effective use of all financial resources in providing and delivering aneffective service
• Exercise personal duty of care in the safe use and storage of equipment
• Be environmentally aware and prudent in use of resources and energy

Responsibility for Human Resources

Demonstrate compliance with the Trusts policies, procedures, values and standards ofbehaviour

Responsibility for Health & Safety

Compliance with the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 – the post holder is required to fulfila proactive role towards the management of risk in all of their actions. This entails the riskassessment of all situations, the taking of appropriate actions and reporting of all incidents,near misses and hazards, and a statutory duty of care for their own personal safety and thatof others who may be affected by their acts or omissions.

Responsibility for Teaching

• The post holder will promote life‑long learning through the use of appropriate coaching, teaching and assessment in practice by:
• Contributing to the provision of a positive learning environment, sharing individual knowledge with other staff.
• Act as a role model and participate in the support during training of staff new to post.
• Accept responsibility for self-up dating and awareness of changes in unit-based equipment particularly regarding the maintenance of specialist equipment and its decontamination/sterilisation processes.
• Participate in the appraisal process and have a personal development plan structured to both individual needs & that of the post.
• Demonstrate commitment to personal development through work-based programmes to enhance personal knowledge and skill.
• Support those developments, which contribute to the achievement of departmental, team and individual goals.
• Attend annual mandatory training updates in compliance with Trust policy
• Undertake link trainer role for theatre staff such as moving and handling, bone bank, buddy for T-Level or work experience learners.

Person specification

Experience

• Significant experience of working within the perioperative environment
• Ability to manage risk and escalation concern
• Ability to work in a multi‑professional team.
• Ability to work under indirect supervision.
• Ability to support new colleagues and visitors

Qualifications

• GCSE Maths & English or equivalent
• Level 3 Diploma in Peri-operative care or equivalent qualification/experience
• Completion of in-house Theatre Assistant competencies
• Evidence of continued development.

Skills

• Able to effectively plan, manage and organise elements of own workload and time.
• Ability to coordinate an area of responsibility such as clinical audit, cascade/link training to colleagues.
• Ability to anticipate and plan patient or service needs to support registered practitioners
• Ability to undertake extended clinical duties appropriate to competence and area of practice.
• Contribute to the ongoing assessment, planning and implementation of patient care
• Demonstrate the promotion of equality, diversity and rights of others
• Ability to complete patient records in accordance with policies and procedures.
• Ability to implement of health and safety, infection prevention and control strategies relevant to role/environment.
• Accurate numeracy and literacy skills.
• Ability to work in challenging situations.

Knowledge

• Understanding of baseline clinical observations and recognise deviation.
• Understanding of sterility and safety within theatre.
• Basic understanding of contemporary NHS aims and objectives.

WWL is part of the Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment. We recognise continuous or ‘unbroken’ service from any Greater Manchester Local Authority, NHS organisation, Transport for Greater Manchester, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service or the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. This ensures access to our service-related benefits.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.