Fetal Medicine Consultant and Obstetric Lead

Responsibilities include undertaking ultrasound imaging in a highly professional manner, managing a patient caseload, and serving as a recognised source of clinical expertise both within the Trust and externally. You will be a member of a multi-disciplinary team providing timely, responsive, and patient-centred ultrasound services both within the base hospital and outreach situations. You will help enable the Trust to meet Key Performance Indicators and other service delivery objectives, and assist others to attain Clinical Specialist status.

Main duties of the job include:

• Scanning and reporting on a variety of third trimester obstetric ultrasound examinations, excluding twins and multiple pregnancies, focusing on placental location.
• Ensuring consistency of medical imaging quality, accurate informative report writing, and maintaining standards of patient care to the agreed departmental and trust standards and protocols.
• Undertaking third trimester ultrasound examinations, maintaining a high, professional and technical standard of work at all times.
• Using skills and in-depth knowledge of anatomy and pathology to provide a diagnostic report of examinations.
• Seeking advice from sonographers in the main Ultrasound department or Fetal Medicine Consultant if there is doubt regarding placental location, fetal demise, difficult measurements, or suspected fetal abnormality.
• Being responsible for the safe conduct of any examination and the welfare of the woman in the care of the sonographer.
• Monitoring and proposing amendments, where necessary, to guidelines, policies, protocols, and SOPs in current area of work/supervision with Fetal Medicine Consultant and Obstetric Lead.
• Communicating to women with empathy when abnormalities are highlighted, and potentially distressing results/diagnostic findings.
• Referring to Fetal Medicine Consultant and screening team your concerns.
• Participating in departmental peer review of images.
• Participating in the clinical supervision of trainee Sonographers and training of medical staff in obstetrics & gynaecology.
• Ensuring adherence to strict growth scan protocol assessing women between the gestation of 28 weeks and Term.
• If twins or placental location is accidentally put on the list, redirect to the main ultrasound department for follow-up scan.
• Adhering to 3rd Trimester protocol and its guidelines.
• If an abnormality or complication occurs, referring to Fetal Medicine Consultant or relevant department.
• Sorting second opinions from the FMC or a sonographer from the main ultrasound department.
• Performing a 3rd Trimester scan in accordance with the Obstetric and Fetal Medicine Consultant guidelines (fetal heart rate, HC, AC, FL, liquor volume, Doppler analysis, and placental position only).
• If there is any concern in the anatomy identified by the sonographer, sorting a referral to the FMC and screening team.
• Ensuring that child protection and vulnerable adult legislation is adhered to within own practice and service.
• Using the Viewpoint reporting programme to produce written reports for the handheld notes and post-process examination on the CRIS database.
• Conforming to professional standards and practice dictated by SoR BMUS and FASP, and incorporating East Sussex Obstetric Ultrasound Guidelines, NICE guidelines, and RCOG guidance within locally developed Trust ultrasound Guidelines.
• Engaging in national and regional audit activity including presentational competencies.

Experience required includes a minimum of 2 years postgraduate experience in Ultrasound.

Training & Qualifications:

• Evidence of further training at Masters Level or equivalent.
• Lower – Middle management training/qualification.
• Evidence of advanced level CPD in specialist skill area.
• Evidence of wide-ranging experience within speciality.

Skills required include:

• Mentorship of junior staff and trainees.
• Academic teaching experience.
• Ability to deputise for Lead – clinical and managerial leadership.
• Able to undertake self-audit and peer review.

Benefits include a wide range of staff benefits such as staff development, enrolment in the NHS pension scheme, auto-enrolment to our Temporary Workforce Service, access to onsite nurseries, staff restaurants, and accommodation. In addition to an internal Occupational Health department, all staff also have access to free psychological support through our confidential Employee Assistance Programme. Onsite parking is available from only £50 a year.