JOB DESCRIPTION

Post Title: Theatre Practitioner -

Recovery (PACU)

Care Group/Directorate: Surgical Care Group/ Critical Care/ Theatres

Agenda for change Band 5

band:
Accountable to Clinical Team Leader/Manager Matron
Accountable for: Theatre Support workers (TSW)
Main Purpose:
The main purpose of the theatre practitioner is to support the clinical team
leader and manager in ensuring that standards are maintained to a high level
in order to deliver safe quality patient care. To ensure delivery of skills to a
high standard across the areas of the theatre department, - Anaesthetics,
Scrub and Recovery. To deputise In the absence of the clinical team leader.
The theatre practitioner will undertake clinical skills within their scope of
practice and support theatre support workers in their growth and development.
Ensure that at all times the theatre practitioner acts in such a manner as to
uphold and enhance the good standard and reputation of the trust.

Key Working The theatre practitioner will work closely with the clinical team
Relationships: leader/manager, a number of professions and specialities across the trust.
Internal:
 ward/department colleagues
 line manager
 Head of department
 Clinicians
 Peers
External:
 Other NHS organisations
 Members of the general public
 Organisations outside of the NHS

Key responsibilities General Duties pending area of core work:

(General Duties)  Work with the clinical team leaders to ensure the provision of high
quality, individualised care to patients/clients and relatives as part of a
1. Responsibility for multidisciplinary team
patient care,  Create and maintain legible and accurate records of care
communication,  Work with other disciplines and professions for the welfare of patients
planning,  Maintain, update and develop personal and professional knowledge
organisation,  Ensure all care is provided in accordance with Poole Hospital NHS
analysis, freedom to Foundation Trust Policies
act, research and  Ensure compliance within the code of conduct with the professional
service development body
 Handles patients valuables and property in accordance with hospital
policy
 To be responsible for promoting good and effective communications
within the Department.

Clinical responsibility:
 Maintain a personal, professional profile, identifying role and skill
Page 1 of 6
(Job Title 2018)
 developments.
 Assist in the supervision and the training of learners and support
workers.
 Assists in the clinical preparation, pre, intra-operative, peri-operative
and post-operative care of a patient as directed by the surgical and/or
anaesthetic team.
 Take charge of the clinical area in the absence of the team leader
ensuring patient, visitors and staff safety.
Recovery
 To be part of the night theatre team depending on core area of work
 To care for patients requiring Intensive care, requiring ventilation and
High Dependency Care patients.
 To apply pain management knowledge and use practical skills to
support epidurals /P.C.A.S /I Vs bolus of opiates.
 To be utilised as a `resource ` for epidural care and PCA s in the
absence of the pain management team.
 To provide paediatric care including pain and airway management.
 To participates on an out of hour rota depending on core area of work
 To assist in external areas of the trust requiring PACU/recovery
support, MRI, A&E, radiology and endoscopy when required.
 Utilise skills when caring for Paediatric patients on a regular basis.
 To act as the patients advocate whilst in theatre.
 To maintain the equipment
 To ensure that all airway management equipment is maintained.
 To run a list, maintains stock levels and prepare the relevant
equipment for the list.
 To participate in the management of caseloads within Theatres and to
supervise staff within the environment and support staff in training.
 To actively promote a professional environment within Theatres which
assists in the motivation of all grades of staff
 To assist the Anaesthetist and Surgeon across the range of his/her
clinical work
 To keep patient safety as the main priority within Theatres

Team/organisational delivery:
 Participate fully as a team member, including working in all areas of
the theatre suite
 Share knowledge and information in agreed are of work
 Promote a cohesive team and the achievement of team objectives
 Assist in the accurate collection of data in relation to theatre activity
 Demonstrates excellent communication skills throughout the
multidisciplinary team.

Governance/Audit:
 To identify factors which affect quality of patient care and bring to the
attention of the team leaders.
 To participate in clinical audit programmes as approved by theatre
governance group, Trust Clinical Audit and Effectiveness Committee
 Contribute to clinical effectiveness and governance for the Surgical
Clinical Care Group

Page 2 of 6
(Job Title 2018)
2. Responsibility for Education:
financial, HR,  Contribute to the development and maintenance of a positive
Information and learning environment for colleagues, patients/clients and visitors
physical resources  In consultation with Clinical Team leader agree learning objectives to
meet professional and personal needs
 Ensure delivery of safe patient care in theatre environment
 Act as an assessor/interview verify for non-qualified staff.
 Encourage staff development
 Motivation to undertake additional training for development
 Ensure statuary and mandatory training is complete and in date

Financial:
 Contribute to the effective and deployment of resources and staff to
achieve optimum value for money without detriment to patient care.
 Basic knowledge of financial constraints of the trust and department
 Work within the Trust Standing Financial Instructions

HR /Management::
 To act as an assessor for staff undertaking training.
 On a daily basis take responsibility for a team of nurses/ODP’s and
take charge of the department in the absence of the person who has
continued responsibility.
 To participate in the management and development of the department
 To act as a link nurse for specific aspects of clinical practice in
accordance with the needs of department and personal special
interests.

Resource management:
 To assist in maintenance of stock control and security of stock.
 To observe a personal duty of care when using equipment and
resources.
 To support the senior staff in ensuring that resources are used
appropriately and keep waste to a minimum.
 To constantly seek to improve use of resources within Theatres.
 To ensure that all equipment is cared for, cleaned and stored to
provide optimum levels of service.
 Ensure equipment allocated is maintained and managed in line with
manufactures guidance and trust policy
 Guided and adherence to clearly defined Trust policies, protocols and
codes of work

3. Mental, physical and  A rewarding and demanding role in a busy Theatre environment
emotional effort working alongside various multidisciplinary team members.
 Surgical service that is patient focused and requires flexibility and
emotional support from all team members and management.
 Lengthy periods of concentration and standing
 Manual handling of patients as required in line with trust policies and
procedures
 Exposure to unpleasant working conditions at times (involves dealing
with body fluids, foul linen, fleas and lice)
 At times exposure to distressing or emotional circumstances


Page 3 of 6
(Job Title 2018)
 4. Organisational
Structure of
department THEATRE
MATRON

EDUCATIONAL CLINICAL TEAM RISK AND

TEAM MANAGER MANAGERS GOVERNANCE LEAD
TEAM MANAGER

EDUCATIONAL CLINICAL TEAM CLINICALTHEATER CEPOD CELL

TEAM LEADERS COORDINATORS AND
LEADERS COORDINATOR SALVAGE
(SPECIALITY TEAM LEADERS
SPECIFIC) LEAD

EDUCATIONAL THEATRE OUT SIDE TSW

THEATRE
TSW SUPPORT AND PORTERS
PRACTITIONERS
(THIS POSITION0 WORKERS (TSW)

IMPORTANT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION RELATING TO YOUR EMPLOYMENT

Trust Policies, Procedures All staff are required to comply with all Trust policies, procedures and
and the Poole Approach standards, and the Poole Approach at all times.

Any employee who wilfully disregards Trust and Departmental policies

may be liable to serious disciplinary action including dismissal.

Duty of Care You are responsible for ensuring that the patient, family and carers are
at the centre of everything you do.

Be open, honest and willing to acknowledge when something has

gone wrong. Make timely apologies and take action to report
incidents, including near misses; to ensure that as an organisation we
learn.

Raising concerns: you should continuously seek to reduce harm by

speaking up to managers and leaders if you believe that a lack of
skills, knowledge or resources place patients at a risk of harm or if
your concerns are not being listened to. Managers and leaders must
listen to others when they raise concerns and take action.

Wholeheartedly commit to learning about safety, continually striving to

improve excellent care. Develop your own ability to detect and correct
defects.

NHS Standards of All staff must abide by the guidance set out in the NHS Code of
Business Conduct and Conduct and Standard Business Conduct for NHS Staff (HSG 93/5),
Professional registration as amended or replaced from time to time. Managers must also
comply with the NHS Code of Conduct for Managers.

Page 4 of 6
(Job Title 2018)
 All clinical professionally regulated staff must abide by the codes of
conduct issued by their respective regulatory bodies (e.g. NMC, GMC,
HPC) and ensure that they maintain updated registration as required
by the role.
Clinical staff and staff who have a clinical component in their role have
a responsibility to undertake the teaching/education of learners as
required by their Professional body and/or the Trust.

Confidentiality and Data All staff are required to maintain confidentiality of information
Protection regarding patients, staff and other health service business in
accordance with the Caldicott Guidelines, Data Protection Act 1998
and Children’s Act and all other relevant legislation as appropriate.
Any breach of same will be a disciplinary matter.

Health & Safety All staff must be aware of their responsibilities under the Health &
Safety at Work Act and are reminded to take care of their own
personal safety and others whilst at work.
In addition, no person shall interfere with, or misuse anything provided
in the interests of health, safety and welfare.

Infection Prevention and The prevention and appropriate management of infection is of

Control paramount importance in the quality and safety of the care of patients,
and to the safety of visitors and members of staff. It is the
responsibility of all staff to be aware of, assess and minimise these
risks and comply fully with Infection Prevention and Control Policies.

The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (updated 2010), establishes a
Code of Practice for the Prevention and Control of Health Care
Associated Infections. It sets out criteria by which NHS managers
ensure that patients are cared for in a clean environment where the
risk of Healthcare Associated Infections (HCAI) is kept as low as
possible.

Managers, Heads of Departments, Matrons and other Clinical

Leaders are responsible for ensuring that:
 The necessary equipment and mechanisms are in place to
support infection prevention
 health care workers are free of and are protected from
exposure to communicable infections during the course of their
work, and that all staff are suitably educated in the prevention
and control of HCAI

Page 5 of 6
(Job Title 2018)
Conflict of Interest The Trust is responsible for ensuring the service provided for patients
in its care meets the highest standards. Equally, it is responsible for
ensuring that staff do not abuse their official position for personal gain
or the benefit their family or friends. The Trust Standing orders require
employees to declare any interest, direct or indirect, with contracts
involving the Local Health Community. Staff are not allowed to further
their private interests in the course of their NHS duties.

Appraisal and Statutory All newly appointed staff will receive an initial appraisal within 6
Training months of commencing in the post. Thereafter, appraisals will be
conducted on an annual basis.

All staff are expected to undertake all statutory and mandatory training
as deemed necessary by the Trust.

Equal Opportunities
The Trust is positively committed to the promotion and management of
diversity and equality of opportunity in employment and the services
we provide. Our policy, Managing Diversity, sets out our approach to
these matters and it is the responsibility of every employee to comply
with it.

General The post holder will undertake other duties as may be required to
achieve the Trust’s objectives, commensurate with the grading of the
post.

Safeguarding Statement
University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust is fully committed
to safeguarding the welfare of all children and young people, and
vulnerable adults by taking all reasonable steps to protect them from
harm. All staff will receive appropriate training and induction so that
they understand their roles and responsibilities and are confident
about carrying them out.

‘It is the responsibility of every member of staff to maintain the highest

standards of data quality for clinical, operational and managerial
purposes’

No Smoking Policy The Trust has a no smoking policy. Staff are not permitted to smoke
on any of the Trust’s premises nor in any vehicle used on Trust
business.

Last updated This job description is correct at the time of writing and will be subject
to review from time to time
Date: 23.10.2020
Manager Name & Job Title: Clare Bone – Theatre Matron

Page 6 of 6
(Job Title 2018)