Sonographer

Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; Milton Keynes; On-site; GBP 47,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS healthcare provider in Milton Keynes is seeking a Band 7 Sonographer to join their Imaging department. The role requires expertise in obstetric and gynecological ultrasound, alongside strong communication and analytical skills. The successful candidate will be responsible for independent imaging and report generation, ensuring high standards of patient care. Offering a competitive salary of £47,810 to £54,710 per annum pro rata, this is an excellent opportunity for professional development within a renowned institution.

Qualifications

• Must have HCPC registration and preferably two years of NHS experience.
• Commitment to professional development is essential.
• Ability to work autonomously and in a multidisciplinary team.

Responsibilities

• Perform high-quality imaging and issue reports on ultrasound examinations.
• Coordinate and organize own workload effectively.
• Communicate clear ultrasound reports to referring clinicians.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Organizational skills

High level of analytical skills

Strong IT skills

Logical problem-solving ability

Education

Postgraduate certificate in obstetric & gynecological ultrasound

State registered healthcare professional (HCPC)

Tools

Microsoft Office

PACS/RIS systems

Hospital information systems (HIS)

Job description

Go back Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Sonographer

The closing date is 03 December 2025

Milton Keynes University Hospital (MKUH) is district general hospital which operates across three sites in Milton Keynes. The Imaging department at MKUH provides an essential service to the trust and includes ultrasound, CT, MRI, DEXA, mammography, as well as a general x‑ray and interventional radiology service.

We are currently inviting applications from enthusiastic individuals for a fixed term full‑time band 7 sonographer post to be based across all MKUH sites, to include the acute hospital site and two MKUH CDC locations of Whitehouse Park and Lloyds Court.

The postholder must hold at least a UK postgraduate certificate in obstetric & gynaecological ultrasound and/or general ultrasound. The post holder will work autonomously, performing high quality imaging and issuing reports on all ultrasound examinations including obstetrics, gynaecology (including TA and TV), and abdominal as a minimum.

They will be expected to support both the service and its staff in continuing to maintain and develop the highest standards of imaging. In return the successful applicant will be offered a high standard of support towards their career pathway.

The successful candidate will be HCPC registered, preferably with two years current NHS experience. Flexibility in their approach to work is essential, with an unwavering commitment to keeping patients at the forefront of their clinical practice.

Interview: 18/12/2025

Main duties of the job

Essential requirements include excellent communication and organisational skills, a dedication to Continuous Professional Development (CPD), and practical knowledge of ultrasound safety, QA, legislation, and health and safety requirements. Strong IT skills, including Microsoft Office, and working knowledge of PACS/RIS systems is also essential.

The ideal candidate must demonstrate a commitment to professional development and show a keen interest in the future of their profession and the diagnostic imaging services.

About us

Milton Keynes University Hospital, in proud partnership with the University of Buckingham, is a University Teaching Hospital committed to advancing patient care through cutting‑edge research and education. With a "Good" rating from the CQC and significant investment underway, this is an exciting time to join our team and grow your career.

As a medium sized general hospital, we provide a full range of general medical and surgical services, including a busy Emergency Department, Maternity, and Paediatrics. As the population of our city and surrounding areas continues to grow rapidly, we are expanding and enhancing our facilities to meet rising demand and improve access to care for all our communities.

We are also proud to offer a growing portfolio of specialist services. In January 2025 we opened our state‑of‑the‑art Radiotherapy Centre, bringing advanced cancer treatment closer to home. Our services also include neonatology, specialist surgical care, and a wide range of diagnostics, supported by the new Community Diagnostic Centre at Whitehouse Health Centre.

Further investment is underway, including the construction of Oak Wards – a new ward block featuring two 24‑bed wards – and the recently approved Women and Children’s Centre, set to open by 2030.

Job responsibilities

Communication and relationship building

1. Communicate with all referring clinicians to ensure that imaging requests are justified and appropriate.
2. Provide clear, concise and accurate ultrasound reports.
3. Inform a referring clinician of urgent or unexpected results, as appropriate.
4. Liaise with appropriate staff regarding the organisation of follow‑up outpatient appointments for patients following ultrasound imaging.
5. Communicate in a concise, sensitive and appropriate manner, complex or contentious information regarding ultrasound scanning procedures to patients and their relatives, as well as other hospital staff and referrers.

Responsibilities for analysis

1. Use a high level of analytical and judgemental skills in this role.
2. Assess information about the patient’s condition, symptoms, laboratory test results and previous imaging, pulling the information from multiple electronic sources in order to understand the relevance and suitability of the test and to determine the most likely findings indicated by the clinical question.
3. Understand when information regarding the scan request is insufficient and to judge when to seek further information from available resources (i.e., peer, referring clinician, Radiologist, previous imaging studies).
4. Comprehend when a referral is inappropriate and able to advise on the most suitable alternative test.

Responsibilities for planning and organisation of activities

1. Coordinate and organise own workload.
2. Be able to operate multiple scanning lists in order to ensure work is carried out following principles of urgency and priority in a rapidly changing workflow setting.
3. Recognise and understand the skill set of colleagues and organise this workforce in accordance with the changing demands of the day.
4. Anticipate when own mandatory training or competency assessments (e.g., first trimester, screening for Downs syndrome, Edwards syndrome and Patau syndrome, fetal cardiac, 20‑week screening scan, non‑invasive prenatal testing, uterine artery doppler, fetal medicine foundation certificate of competence in the nuchal translucency (NT) scan, etc) are due or required and liaise with appropriate section head sonographer to plan training completion around own working schedule.

Responsibility for patient care management

1. Be responsible for identifying patients (adults and children) at risk under the safeguarding principles and referring patients to the safeguarding team where appropriate.
2. Provide the highest level of patient care, ensuring the patient experience is optimised, with specific reference to the hazards posed by cross infection and similar risk.
3. Contribute to the patient care pathway through participation in multidisciplinary team meetings (MDT) as required.

Please refer to the job description for further details.

Person Specification

Qualifications and knowledge

• Masters, Postgraduate Diploma or Post graduate certificate in medical ultrasound validated by HEI and CASE accredited with relevance to obstetric ultrasound practice or equivalent accreditation for ultrasound (i.e., CMU or DMU (CoR)).
• RCOG/ RCR diploma in obstetric ultrasound, Advanced Training skills module or subspecialty training in maternal fetal medicine.
• State registered healthcare professional (i.e., GMC, NMC, HCPC, RCT).
• Must have specialist knowledge across a range of procedures and practices with ultra‑sonography that is underpinned by theoretical study.
• Quality Improvement, transformation, and innovation training.
• Evidence of keeping informed of the current ultrasound techniques & practices via short courses & study days to underpin knowledge development (i.e., FMF accreditation).
• Knowledge of relevant national imaging standards (e.g., BMUS, IR(ME)R 2017, IRR '17 and associated codes of practice).

Experience

• Evidence of a sound level of computer literacy (MS Teams, word, outlook, power point and excel).
• Familiarity with hospital information systems (HIS‑Cerner), radiology information systems (CRIS), Viewpoint (SBLv3) and picture archiving communications systems (Insignia PACS).
• Good understanding of health and safety requirements.
• Sound awareness of data protection, freedom of information and confidentiality issues within NHS.
• Must have specialist expertise underpinned by theory and extensive practical experience in the range of ultrasound techniques which are required by trust (i.e., obstetrics, gynecology, generals, MSK, ultrasound guided interventional procedures, vascular ultrasound).
• Must hold experience of working independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team (MDT) and be competent to write a concise and accurate ultrasound report.
• Evidence of up‑to‑date CPD.
• Ability to undertake audit or R&D.
• Required to participate in trust quality assurance and clinical governance programmes.
• Experience at writing protocols / guidelines and patient care pathways using research‑based evidence of best practice.

Skills

• Good organisational and time management skills.
• High level of self‑motivation and ability to learn and develop.
• Logical approach to decision making and problem solving.
• Ability to work to agreed protocols and standards of good/ best practice.
• Accountable for own professional actions.
• Ability to prioritise own workload and work effectively under pressure.
• Flexible attitude to service provision and enthusiasm for change.
• Ability to work effectively and efficiently as part of a team.
• Ability to cope with the physical demands of the role which will include manual support/ lifting of patients and equipment safely and efficiently.
• Ability to work using own initiative but also to know when to seek assistance and guidance from peers.
• Proven ability to assess clinical situations & indications and act appropriately (i.e., vetting process).

Personal and people development

• Ability to demonstrate confidentiality and trustworthiness.
• Deal calmly and politely with members of hospital staff who are working in areas of extreme pressure.
• Interest and willingness in teaching / training less experienced staff & students when in ultrasound and help attending students in their training and development.
• Maintain continued professional development as required by HCPC.
• Patient centred and customer focused.
• Aspires to develop leadership and management potential.

Communication

• Good written, verbal, and non‑verbal communication skills.
• Consistently demonstrates a friendly professional attitude and approach in the workplace.
• Good empathic skills and the ability to manage issues in a caring, compassionate, and considerate manner.
• Ability to work across disciplines and with a wide range of professional groups.
• Keep all records up to date in a clear, accurate and concise manner on a day‑to‑day basis.
• Professional in appearance and conduct.

Specific requirements

• Able to perform the duties of the post with reasonable aids and adaptations.
• To participate in the departmental shift system across 7 days of the week including out of hours.
• Satisfactory pre‑employment checks. Occupational Health and Disclosure and Barring Service clearance and references spanning 3 years.
• Has an acceptable attendance and punctuality record at work.
• Ability to travel to all trust sites including community diagnostic centres.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

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.

Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

£47,810 to £54,710 a year Per annum pro rata