HART Paramedic

Overview

Would you like to use your clinical skills in the most challenging of environments? HART in SECAmb are seeking candidates for both Ashford and Gatwick Operating Units, who are either currently operating as Experienced HART Operatives OR HCPC Registered Paramedics in an A+E ambulance setting. HART is a continuing national initiative led by the Department of Health, which enables clinical care to be delivered in areas previously inaccessible to the Ambulance Service. As such HART Operatives respond to potential incidents of a Chemical, Biological, Radiation and Nuclear (CBRN) and Hazardous Material (HAZMAT) nature; structural / trench collapse, major transportation incidents, incidents requiring working at height, confined space and rescue incidents involving complex entrapment. The team may also be called upon to provide specialist clinical support and knowledge within a Search and Rescue (USAR) environment. All operatives are required to attain Swift Water Rescue Technician (SRT) status which involves working in flooded areas / significant moving water and in difficult environments. On duty operatives are required to be able to deploy to any location, Nationwide, with no notice for periods of 36hrs or more. All operatives must also be able to deploy as part of an Ambulance Intervention Team. In addition to specific HART related work, Operatives will respond as an operational resource, as required, to meet the needs of the Trust.

Responsibilities

Note: You must be a qualified paramedic with one of the following qualifications, IHCD Paramedic Award, BTECH Level 4, BSc, DipHE or FdSc to train as a HART Operative.

• Band 6 experienced Paramedic with a minimum of 2 years (24 months) experience at band 6.
• Are available for ALL the Mandated course dates
• Have driving Licence that is valid within the UK, including C1 category or equivalent.
• UK HCPC registered Paramedic

To apply you must have a good level of physical fitness, weigh under 124KG and over 50KG (in HART PPE approx. 7 KG) and be capable of swimming a minimum of 200 meters. Initial training lasts 11 weeks and consists of mainly residential courses. You will also be required to be available to respond, at no notice, to incidents nationwide for up to 48 hours.

Selection process

• Physical Competence Assessment (PCA):
• (HART PCA tests are carried out on both land and in water and have been designed to replicate a number of the physical demands required to operate as a HART Paramedic.)
• Confined space / height confidence assessment
• ALS Clinical assessment
• Swimming assessment (200m swim / 10min tread water / duck dive)
• Specialist Occupational Health Assessment (including eye, hearing, lung function, grip / back strength testing)
• Interview

Working for our organisation

If you are shortlisted, you must attend an assessment in Ashford for the first stage including Swim Clinical and Confidence assessments. If successful you will be invited to the PCA test and interview. Please note that whilst we are interviewing for both areas of the trust Gatwick have very minimal spaces available without a talent pool available. (No further dates available)

Please note that the salary range noted on the vacancy is in line with agenda for change (AFC) pay scales. All successful applicants would be placed automatically at the bottom of the banding, unless proven, relevant NHS or equivalent experience can be demonstrated.

Following the revision of current national legislation (Vaccine as a Condition of Deployment), the Trust has reviewed our requirements relating to staff uptake of the SARS-COV-2 (COVID-19) vaccination. Going forward, for patient facing positions, we strongly recommend that new starters will be appropriately vaccinated unless medically exempt in order to offer greater protection against exposure to the virus for front line staff. In line with this recommendation, if you are successful in your application for a front line post, we will seek information from you in relation to your vaccine status, including exemption status, as applicable.

Please note, all positions come with a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check relevant to the post. This will either be a basic, standard, or enhanced check depending on the role. The level of check will be outlined in the conditional offer letter sent to successful applicants.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to declare any unspent/unfiltered convictions. If you are shortlisted you will then be sent a self declaration form, which must be completed prior to attending interview. For any queries relating to declarations, please contact the Recruitment Advisor listed on the vacancy.

The Trust is passionately committed to being an inclusive employer – a place where we can all be ourselves and succeed. As an employer we offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement networks, facilities and services to support staff from different backgrounds. We actively support equality of opportunity for all our staff and welcome applications from individuals regardless of age, any disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief. The Trust is making progress towards its aim of becoming more reflective of the diversity of our community in our workforce and guarantees an interview to candidates with disability who meet the essential criteria specified. We particularly encourage applications from Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic and disabled applicants and those from other under-represented groups. The Equality Act 2010 protects disabled people – including those with long term health conditions, learning disabilities and hidden disabilities such as dyslexia. If you tell us that you have a disability we can make reasonable adjustments to ensure that any selection processes – including the interview – are fair and equitable. We are committed to offering opportunities to individuals with disabilities and offer ongoing support, should you be successful, with any adjustments you may need when performing your role.

When completing the application please use your name as it appears on your passport and please ensure you include email addresses and contact numbers for your referees to avoid delay in the recruitment process. Please note that under our Trust policies, we\\\’re unable to employ anyone under the age of 18 years old. The majority of our roles will include some travel between sites for business purposes. If the vacancy you’re applying for includes work related travel, you will be required to ensure that you hold and have covered the cost of suitable car insurance to support this.

Should you require an application form in an alternative format including large print or braille, please contact recruitment@secamb.nhs.uk stating the vacancy reference number and we will be happy to provide this. When completing the reference section, please include details to cover the last three years’ history. Due to the high volume of applications at SECAmb, we regret that we will only be able to contact those applicants who are shortlisted for interview. If you have not heard from us within 10 working days of the closing date, then please assume you have not been shortlisted for interview on this particular occasion. Please note that we contact all applicants via Trac Jobs and would advise you check your Trac Jobs account regularly. Please be aware that the Trust reserves the right to close this vacancy early if sufficient applications are received. For this reason we recommend completing your application as early as possible. Follow our recruitment on Twitter @SECAmbRecruit and check out our Facebook page – SECAmb NHS Recruitment. You can also find us on Linkedin under South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust.

We understand that AI tools can be useful for generating ideas or structuring your application. However, any content submitted must reflect your own experiences, skills, and understanding. Applications that are generated wholly or in large part by AI, without personalisation or accuracy, may be excluded from consideration. We value honesty, authenticity, and integrity in the recruitment process and expect all applicants to uphold these principles.

If you are a current SECAmb employee, by applying for this position, if successful you will move to the terms and conditions associated with the post. Any unsocial hours payments will be paid under the Section 2 agreement of agenda for change. Section 2 unsocial hours will need to be claimed via your monthly timesheet. More information regarding section 2 can be found in the Agenda for Change handbook and on the Zon dedicated Section 2 page on The Zon.