Job summary
Employer heading
HART Paramedic ASHFORD ONLY
Band 6
South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SECAmb) has a vision to ‘support our staff to provide a caring, high quality and efficient urgent and emergency care service to our communities’. We are rated ‘Good’ for care by the Care Quality Commission and while the other areas under their most recent report require improvement, our aim is to continually improve and to reach outstanding across all areas of the Trust.
Our 4,000+ workforce provide services to 4.9m people across Kent, Surrey, Sussex and North East Hampshire. We handle over 1 million calls to 999 and 1 million calls to NHS 111 every year. More information regarding our services and locations can be found on our website.
Job overview
Hazard Area Response Team (HART) Operatives – HCPC Paramedics
Would you like to use your clinical skills in the most challenging of environments?
HART in SECAmb are seeking candidates 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.
Main duties of the job
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.
You must have a minimum of 3 years post registration, frontline, operational experience and will have to demonstrate competence in team working, self-discipline, communication, adaptability, planning, and decision-making.
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 48hours.
The selection process will consist of:
Physical assessments:
Psychometric assessment
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 (for external staff only)
Swimming assessment (200m swim / 10min tread water / duck dive)
Specialist Occupational Health Assessment (including eye, hearing, lung function, grip / back strength testing)
Drop in session. Observer shifts can be arranged at the respective HART sites prior to assessment (this is strongly encouraged)
Interview
Working for our organisation
Our fitness standards can be found here there’s also a brief training guide for potential applicants are attached.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Successful candidates will be placed in a ‘talent pool’, attend training courses in preparation to be offered permanent positions as they become available. Applicants may also have the opportunity to enter a relief pool, undertaking full HART training but remaining on existing rotas undertaking relief duties at HART prior to a full time position becoming available. Once trained all HART Operatives are required to remain within the required weight parameters to operate in PPE, pass the mandatory 6 monthly PCA, and remain competent in all HART disciplines through ongoing training courses and planned rostered training weeks. Failure to do so may result in temporary/permanent re-deployment into standard A&E Operations.
Any position is subject to the successful completion of Residential Breathing Apparatus, Incident response Unit, Work At Height / Urban Search and Rescue, Swift Water Rescue and Ambulance Intervention Team training and passing the necessary assessments/examinations
More information on HART can be found on the Zone or via the NARU websites.
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
Please note that we also provide application forms in large print or other formats. Please contact [email protected] to request.
Person specification
essential
Essential criteria
- C1 Driving licence
essential
Essential criteria
- HCPC Registered
Eessential
Essential criteria
- Meet minimum medical and weight requirements
essential
Essential criteria
- 3 Years post qualification operational experience
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Graham Mitchell
- Job title
- HART Operations Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07855521351
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