Specialist Clinical Engineer

An exciting opportunity is available to join our clinical engineering team as a Specialist Clinical Engineer, are responsible for the maintenance, repair and management of a wide range of medical devices across The Christie NHS Foundation Trust., The tasks listed will be carried out with a degree of autonomy, individual responsibility and personal accountability, unless otherwise stated. Support and advice in all areas will be available from the line manager and other engineers in the Department as identified in the Organisational Chart.
All duties will be carried out in accordance with NHS guidelines and departmental Quality Assurance (QA) systems and policies in order to ensure that equipment is maintained in an accurate and correctly functioning manner for the safety and benefit of all users and patients.
The role requires the engineer to become a member of the RCT within 12-18 months of starting the post.
This role covers all sites which the Christie NHS Foundation trust provides a service for. A full driving license is required.
Medical Equipment Service and Maintenance
· Daily working in patient areas throughout the Trust, providing technical support to clinicians, involving exposure to adverse and emotional environmental conditions.
· Troubleshooting on equipment whilst it's connected to critically ill patients, involving exposure to adverse emotional and environmental conditions.
· Test new equipment to ensure it meets all statutory, purchase and user needs, and enter onto the asset inventory.
· Under the supervision of Medical Engineering staff, carry out Performance assurance/QA checks (PPM) and precision repairs/calibration on complex medical equipment in a competent, professional manner, which demands good manual dexterity, sensory awareness, use of fine tools and small components, fault analysis and diagnostic skills and the ability to maintain concentration through frequent interruptions, where the demand for safety, precision, timeliness and accurate documentation is paramount.
· Plan/re-schedule PPM checks on equipment after maintenance/repairs.
· Order spares and maintain stock levels to minimise down-time and spares costs.
· Assist in the planned replacement and decommissioning/disposal of equipment.
· Provide technical support to the Medical Equipment Library, where applicable, providing advice to clinical staff on safe equipment use. Participate in auditing data on service history and clinical usage.
· Participate in the Resuscitation-box exchange / refurbishment program where applicable.
Must be prepared to work flexibly when working as part of the Radiotherapy Technical Services Group to support the needs of the service. This may include out of hours work, weekends and bank holidays
Must be prepared to work a shift system when working as part of the Radiotherapy Technical Services Group
Must be prepared to work across the Christie Network when working as part of the Radiotherapy Technical Services Group
Risk Management and Governance
· Exercise professional judgment when analysing the causes, circumstances and risks involved when equipment fails 'in service', advising users accordingly.
· Make decisions to withdraw equipment from use where performance is below acceptable standards.
· Report and participate in investigating clinical incidents/near misses using the appropriate mechanism (hospital incident reporting system).
· Recommend/initiate immediate action to ensure safety and prevent further harm; quarantine equipment and scenes in order to preserve evidence and document observations.
· Carry out all duties in accordance with the Health and Safety at Work Act, relevant statutory regulations, approved codes of conduct and local rules.
· Ensure that appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and other risk control measures, e.g. decontamination of equipment to minimise cross-infection risks to staff and patients, are used, reporting any deficiencies noted to more senior Medical Engineering staff.
· Assess and report on potential risks immediately, taking corrective action to manage incidents or risks to health, safety and security.
· Demonstrate and encourage good health, safety and security practices in the workplace.
· Duties will require the moving and lifting of heavy equipment and maneuvering around/ under it on a daily basis where safe lifting and handling techniques must be employed.
· Duties will frequently involve the risk of exposure to dust, sharps, medical gases, fumes, chemical solvents, body fluids, electric shock, ionising radiation and cramped/unpleasant working conditions where appropriate precautions/PPE must be used. There will be regular exposure to situations where equipment requires attention whilst connected to patients.
Quality and Performance
· Maintain and calibrate departmental test and measurement equipment used to ensure the accuracy of medical devices.
· Participate in the maintenance of the departmental ISO9001:2015 Quality System.
· Ensure all activities are carried out within a quality framework and meet regulatory requirements.
· Propose beneficial changes to own working practices and departmental policies/procedures.
· Plan and prioritise own work under the direction of the line manager.
Finance
· Contribute to the efficient use of physical, staffing and financial resources.
Contracts
· Participate in monitoring and liaising with contractors over managed service contracts to ensure their service commitments are accurately and acceptably performed.
Data Management
· Maintain accurate and timely data/records of all personal work related activities including updating of the equipment management system, equipment records, QA document amendments etc. in line with departmental, NHS and statutory requirements.
Procurement and Commissioning
· Communicate with suppliers and users to resolve problems prior to commissioning.
· Participate in the evaluation, procurement and commissioning of new medical equipment including determining the clinical requirement, potential users and proposed location.
Staff Recruitment, Training and Development
· Communicate effectively on the use and application of complex medical equipment with professional users at all levels including patients/end users.
· Within individual level of skills, knowledge and competence, provide technical support and advice to professional users.
· Supervise staff in junior roles effectively.
Keep abreast of scientific, technological and clinical developments to maintain a level of technical competence and clinical awareness appropriate to current duties and departmental requirements.
Develop new knowledge and competences in line with departmental requirements.
Produce and maintain a Personal Professional Portfolio, giving evidence of Continuing Professional Development and competence.
Other
The job description indicates the duties and responsibilities that are appropriate to meet the present needs of the service. Since these needs may change, as may the resources of staff and material available, it is necessary to recognise that the employee must be willing to undertake other and/or different duties that may, after discussion, be assigned by the director or nominated deputy.
The closing date for this post may be extended if there are insufficient applicants or brought forward if there is a high volume of applicants.
We want to ensure that everyone who works at the Christie or uses our services is welcomed, valued and treated with dignity and respect. The Christie values diversity and is committed to ensuring equal opportunities for all and fair representation across the organisation at all levels. In support of these commitments, we particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and other ethnic minority people and people with disabilities for this post. Appointment will be only on merit.
We are committed to creating a balanced and diverse workforce. As such we welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. Together we will foster inclusion and tackle inequity and health inequalities in cancer care.
As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy
All positions within the Christie are subject to the receipt of satisfactory written references, medical clearance and evidence of your Right to Work in the UK. Some roles will require a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check. Please note if you are successfully appointed to a post with this Trust, you will be required to pay for your own DBS Disclosure.
By applying for this post you are agreeing to The Christie NHS Foundation Trust transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are offered a job information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system. Please note, all communication regarding your application will be made via email, please ensure you check your junk/spam folders as emails are sometimes filtered there.
If you have not heard from us within four weeks of the closing date, I regret that on this occasion your application will have been unsuccessful.
The Inter-Authority Transfer (IAT) process is a critical and beneficial component of ESR and will form part of the recruitment process. In the event that you are successful following interview your previous NHS employment data, if applicable will be transferred from your current / most recent employer.
Overseas candidates wishing to apply for this position and who would require immigration sponsorship, may wish to self-assess the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship for the post on the UKVI website.
You should be aware the Trust operates a No Smoking Policy and therefore employees are not permitted to smoke at work.

Ideally you will have a minimum of a HNC in medical or electronic engineering and have several years' post qualification experience. You will possess expert knowledge in engineering and electronic principles and be able to diagnose complex equipment faults. You will also be an effective problem solver and use initiative in prioritising your work.
As part of the team your role and the work you do will contribute to the safe treatment of our patients.
Working hours are 37.5 per week., The successful candidate will be enthusiastic, dedicated and flexible. Along with excellent technical skills you will be an excellent communicator and enjoy working as part of a team.
You will be involved in a mixture of planned preventative maintenance and repair work across a broad range of medical devices. You will be comfortable providing specialist technical advice to clinical equipment users and colleagues.
You will be expected to have some knowledge of Quality Management principles and work within our ISO 9001:2015 accredited system., We are a relatively small team of 9 engineers with mixed levels of responsibility. Patient safety is at the heart of everything we do and therefore conscientiousness and attention to detail are key skills within the team. Our engineers are split between two workshops, and you should expect to rotate through both. This is a rewarding role, engaged in important work that contributes to the safety of our patients.

The Christie is one of Europe's leading cancer centres, treating over 60,000 patients a year. We are based in Manchester and serve a population of 3.2 million across Greater Manchester & Cheshire, but as a national specialist around 15% patients are referred to us from other parts of the country. We provide radiotherapy through one of the largest radiotherapy departments in the world; chemotherapy on site and through 14 other hospitals; highly specialist surgery for complex and rare cancer; and a wide range of support and diagnostic services. We are also an international leader in research, with world first breakthroughs for over 100 years. We run one of the largest early clinical trial units in Europe with over 300 trials every year. Cancer research in Manchester, most of which is undertaken on the Christie site, has been officially ranked the best in the UK.