Clinical Embryologist | University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
| Posting date: | 05 April 2024 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | Not specified |
| Additional salary information: | £43,742 - £50,056 per annum, pro rata if part time |
| Hours: | Part time |
| Closing date: | 05 May 2024 |
| Location: | Leicester, LE1 5WW |
| Company: | University Hospitals of Leicester |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 6140702/358-6140702-WOM |
Summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Clinical Embryologist to join the Leicester Fertility Centre team.
The post entails daily clinical procedures, ensuring efficiency, safety and success. The service encompasses diagnostic andrology, fertility treatment, fertility cryopreservation for oncology and transgender patients and in house sperm, egg and embryo donation.
The post-holder will contribute to monitoring KPIs, quality control, protocol review and service development. Also ensuring compliance with the HFEA code of practice and relevant legislation, supporting the quality management system and maintaining our 5/5 HFEA inspection rating.
The ideal candidate is driven and a clear, confident communicator, both with patients and colleagues.We are a friendly, dedicated team of multi-disciplinary professionals, committed to high quality care and have helped NHS and private patients to have families for 35 years. We embrace technology, using time-lapse, vitrification, electronic witnessing and e-consent. The clinic is expanding to purpose-built facilities within five years.
• Ensure legal compliance and adherence to professional guidelines
• Assertive, compassionate leadership style, resilient under pressure
• Monitor key performance indicators e.g. success rates, patient feedback, activity targets
• Implement and undertake research projects
• Ensure consent is in place for treatments and stored samples with a robust bring forward system
• Supervise trainee and pre-registrant embryologists, practitioners and assistants according to work-based training programmes
• Facilitate service development by horizon scanning
• Clinical advisory role for referring GPs and for patients undergoing treatment
• Attend regular lab team meetings
• Effective communication within the laboratory team, liaising with the multi-disciplinary team
• Discuss consents and options with patients regarding fate of samples
• Present highly complex information to large groups of patients and staff where there may be significant barriers to understanding
• Communicate sensitive information to patients such as gamete quality and fertilization
Patients are at the heart of all we do. Our outstanding staff have a strong team ethic and take pride in our high quality safe care. To achieve our goals, we need high calibre applicants with potential and enthusiasm.
UHL is the largest UK NHS Trust and the clinic is expanding to purpose-built facilities within 5 years. Staff benefit from salary sacrifice schemes, NHS pension, Blue Light discount, 27-33 days annual leave plus BHs, free bus service, exercise classes and physiotherapy.Leicester has many cultural attractions, only 5 minutes from the M1.
Our new strategy, developed with the support and feedback of colleagues, patients, and partners, is our compass for the next seven years (2023-2030).
We have four primary goals:
• high-quality care for all,
• being a great place to work,
• partnerships for impact, and
• research and education excellence
We will embed health equality in all we do - taking active steps to reduce the avoidable differences in healthcare that some people face, working in partnership with communities.
Our strategy is underpinned by new values and we will work to ensure they are an everyday reality for all:
• we are compassionate,
• we are proud,
• we are inclusive, and
• we are one team
This is an exciting moment as we look to the future with clarity on what we already do well and where we need to focus our energies to make an even bigger difference for the people we serve.
http://www.leicestershospitals.nhs.uk/aboutus/work-for-us/current-vacancies/
Key Relationships
• Administrators, Counsellors, Nurse Specialists, Scientific team, Consultant Gynaecologists, Quality Manager
• General Manager
• Oncology, urology, genetics
• HFEA, UKAS
• GPs, ICB, NHSE
Laboratory Practice
• Ensure that all procedures undertaken in the IVF laboratory are in accordance with the HFEA code of practice, maintaining high quality standards
• Maintain standard operating procedures and develop new laboratory protocols in order to keep the laboratory programme at the forefront of technical advances
• Audit and ensure laboratory protocols are regularly updated and adhere to HFEA guidelines and incident alert recommendations
• Contribute to the production of laboratory protocols and guidelines
• Generate and implement quality control protocols
• Adhere to appropriate risk assessment and infection control procedures
• Make complex clinical judgements, including recommending whether to treat or not, to inform patients of treatment options and discuss implications
• Using clinical judgement, responsible for assessment and diagnosis of individual care, and development of treatment plans for individual patients
• Responsible for own caseload requiring frequent planning and organization of a number of highly complex activities, formulation and adjustment of service and laboratory schedules
• Ensure all stored material for disposal or allocation to research are dealt with according to HFEA guidelines and documented appropriately
• Contribute to continued audit of cryopreserved material in liquid nitrogen fridges with valid consent
• Keep accurate records of expiry dates of HFEA consents for cryopreserved material and ensure patients are contacted prior to the expiry
• Ensure all stored material for disposal or allocation to research are dealt with according to HFEA guidelines and documented appropriately
Clinical Embryology
• Ensure that all relevant laboratory duties for assisted conception are carried out appropriately and safely
• Ensure guidelines or recommendations from the HFEA are understood and applied
• Constant monitoring of the laboratory culture media system and outcomes to identify and rectify any anomalies
• Take part in the normal rota of duties
• Undertake all the highly specialised clinical duties in embryology, including IVF, ICSI, surgical sperm retrieval and preparation of sperm for treatment
• Ensure embryologists are aware of all relevant clinical decisions affecting the fate of patients gametes and embryos
• Ensure each patient’s set of notes are assessed in advance of egg collection to ascertain each individuals wishes, check appropriate consent forms are signed and present
• Attend regular laboratory team meetings
Regional Andrology Service
• Provide cover for the diagnostic services as required
• Help with monitoring performance and facilitate development of the service
• Assist with developing and implementing new clinical scientific protocols
• Ensure results are checked and authorized prior to distribution
• Discuss results and treatment options with patients and service users
• Contribute to sperm donor recruitment, including advertising, interviewing and information counselling
• Organize interviewing and information counselling of patients referred for cryopreservation of sperm prior to chemo/ radiotherapy, including breaking bad news to patients, their partners and families
• Ensure audit and quality control are carried out
Equipment
• Assist with maintenance of laboratory equipment including organizing breakdown visits with service engineers
• Help ensure liquid nitrogen fridges are regularly filled with liquid nitrogen and stored in accordance with HFEA regulations
• Help ensure the alarm system and auto dialler fitted to incubators and nitrogen fridges undergo regular testing and maintenance
• Participate in an on call rota
• Liaise with other team members in the event of an alarm and respond and deal with any problems
Quality Management
• Ensure confidentiality is adhered to at all times
• Ensure local and national governance policies are maintained
• Help maintain quality management system, including ISO 9001 accreditation as required
• Assisting with attaining other ISO accreditation for diagnostic services by UKAS
• Quality control activities (both internal and external) within the Embryology and Andrology service, including protocols, putting measures into place to resolve any deviations
• Driving performance and development of the service
• Compliance with clinical governance standards and effective management of risk
• Help monitor attainment of objectives
• Complete corrective action reports, incident reports, compile, and complete action plans
• Gather, collate, and analyze facts to solve problems, both for individual patient treatments and for troubleshooting within the laboratory
• Carry out audit of all processes and map pathways of laboratory protocols and patient journeys to translate clinical research and evidence into clinical practice
• Continually review performance against KPI’s, addressing areas of concern
Record keeping
• Ensure that patient record forms for notes are easy to understand so that the fate of gametes and embryos can be readily followed
• Ensure that the laboratory forms and confidential patient records are accurately updated and maintained for all laboratory procedures
• Assist in annual audits of the data collection and record keeping processes
• Ensure that the laboratory data is accurately collected and completed for the data bases and HFEA returns
• Supervise the production of statistical data as required for the HFEA and ensure that the figures are regularly updated for patients and other parties as required
• Help with the maintenance of frozen embryos and sperm storage databases
• Liaise with patients to determine their wishes regarding the continuing storage or disposal of frozen samples and to update storage databases
• Assist in the preparation of reports and submissions to the HFEA and participate in HFEA and ISO inspections
• Help monitor electronic data transfer to HFEA for errors and submission within HFEA deadlines
Patient Communication
• Discuss treatment options with patients as required
• Inform patients of treatment options and discuss implications
• Inform patients of failed fertilization and arrange a follow up appointment with the appropriate personnel
• Provide empathy and reassurance when dealing with patients and breaking bad news
• Advise patients of current success rates and discuss options relating to number of embryos to be transferred, including implications of multiple pregnancy
Research
• Actively involved in the planning and execution of innovative research projects
• Ensure that patient consent forms regarding the fate of spare gametes, including donation to research are strictly adhered to
Management and Leadership
• Contribute to an effective system of communication within the scientific team and between the scientific staff and other members of the multi-disciplinary team
• Assist in setting target activities for laboratory performance
• Help ensure the laboratory is meeting targets and continues efficient operation by monitoring activity and maximising treatment options for patients
Budget
• Help manage the laboratory resources in the most cost effective way
Staff
• Instruct trainee embryologists in all aspects of Assisted Conception technology, including supervising STP and MSC trainees at other levels
• Train embryologists all aspects of micromanipulation skills for intracytoplasmic sperm injection
• Participate in teaching sessions within the UHL and for any other interested parties
• Perform appraisals on junior members of the laboratory team
• Assist in the recruitment and selection process for laboratory staff
• Refer any disciplinary issues that may arise to the Consultant Embryologist
This advert closes on Friday 19 Apr 2024