Technical Assistant

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust; Leeds; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a workshop assistant to support the medical physics and engineering department. This vital role involves collecting water samples, repairing medical equipment, and ensuring patient safety for those undergoing life-maintaining treatments. You'll work closely with a team of renal technologists, contributing to the maintenance of essential equipment and water treatment systems. If you're passionate about patient care and have a knack for technical tasks, this opportunity offers a chance to develop your skills in a dynamic healthcare environment.

Qualifications

• Proven ability to work managed rather than supervised.
• Knowledge of relevant medical device types and accessories.

Responsibilities

• Repair medical devices for clinical treatment of patients.
• Maintain stock levels and quality testing of water treatment systems.
• Travel to various sites for equipment maintenance.

Skills

Manual dexterity

Team working

Patient focused

Flexible approach

Good communication

Customer service skills

Education

ONC or equivalent qualification in electronic or engineering subject

Further qualifications in Engineering or science subjects

Tools

e-Quip computer database

Access database

Oracle database

Job description

Job Summary

The Renal section requires a workshop assistant, based in the medical physics and engineering department at St James's hospital. Your main duties will be to collect water samples from the satellite units across the west Yorkshire region, issue and repair a range of medical equipment for use in hospital and at home in the community.

This role is key to ensuring patient safety for patients undertaking life maintaining haemodialysis. In addition, you will support a team of renal technologists in the maintenance of renal replacement therapy equipment and associated specialist water treatment systems.

Main duties of the job

• You must be prepared to undertake a degree of heavy manual work.
• Some knowledge of medical equipment will be advantageous; this is an ideal opportunity to develop your skills in these areas.
• You should be a good communicator at all levels, with the ability to work as part of a team as well as on your own.
• You will have some patient contact and will play an important role in providing a responsive frontline service; therefore, good customer service skills are essential.
• Experience of working with computers will also be an advantage.
• Due to the travel involved, you must possess a full driving licence.

Job Description

Job responsibilities

• Responsible for the safe repair of medical devices (for which the post holder has been trained on and signed off competent) for use in clinical treatment of patients.
• Takes responsibility for maintaining stock levels.
• Responsible for regular quality testing of dedicated water treatment plant used at various sites, including bacterial/endotoxin testing and filter changing.
• Results are reported to line manager if outside allowable limits or other clinical assessment required.
• Takes remedial action when necessary to water treatment systems if the test results are outside permitted limits i.e. disinfection of pipe works, under the direction from the renal team leader.
• Responsible for managing and scheduling the routine maintenance of home Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD) equipment and Automated Peritoneal Dialysis (APD) OR routine PAT testing of powered wheelchair.
• Uses own judgement to determine spare part stock levels and appropriate suppliers based on delivery lead times and price.
• Work is carried out within departmental procedures and quality manual documents.
• Travel to other hospitals, health centres, and patients' homes as necessary for the execution of work.
• Participates in the technical and equipment management activities of the Clinical Engineering Service and manages own time.
• Uses hand tools during repair of equipment. Good hand to eye co-ordination when preparing water sample slides for analysis using pipette.
• Works to objectives set within the quality system and through annual appraisal.
• Persuades and negotiates with suppliers, users, and other teams to ensure that replacement parts are available and service priorities are met.
• Daily work includes providing replacement consumable stock to clinical areas e.g. dialysis lines, filters, wheelchair parts etc.
• Ability to concentrate on collating parts lists, writing requisitions for spare parts, updating the databases and responds to many unpredictable interruptions from incoming deliveries and members of staff.
• Uses database information to plan and forecast spare parts needed for preventative maintenance activities.
• Ability to work flexibly and to cope with large and unpredictable workload.
• Participates in the relevant training and development of new technical assistant staff within Clinical Engineering as necessary.
• Supports the technical service teams as necessary to meet customer needs.

Person Specification

Requirements

Essential

• Manual dexterity, accurate hand eye co-ordination and use of workshop hand tools.
• Proven ability to work managed rather than supervised.
• Driving licence.

Skills & behaviours
Essential

• Team working.
• Patient focused.
• Flexible approach to new tasks.

Experience
Essential

• Knowledge of e-Quip computer database, Access database, Oracle database and general I.T. skills.
• Knowledge of relevant medical device types and accessories.
• Sound understanding of the departmental quality system requirements.
• Knowledge of stock control system.
• Knowledge of parts held in stock and their location.

Desirable

• Sound knowledge of computer database / I.T. skills.

Qualifications
Essential

• ONC or equivalent qualification in electronic or engineering subject.
• Principles of renal dialysis treatment and related equipment.
• In house technical training covering minor repairs for specific types of devices as agreed with the service manager.

Desirable

• Further qualifications in Engineering or science subjects.

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.