Consultant Sonographer | Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust
| Posting date: | 04 December 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | Not specified |
| Additional salary information: | Dependent on experience |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 03 January 2026 |
| Location: | Walsall, WS2 9PS |
| Company: | Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 7549581/407-WCCSS-7549581 |
Summary
The Consultant Sonographer post has been developed to raise the profile of the imaging service by strengthening clinical leadership. The Consultant Sonographer will clinically lead the ultrasound service, acting as an autonomous practitioner performing and reporting on a wide range of ultrasound examinations, across all patient pathways. The post holder will liaise with physicians and managers to contribute to the annual strategic plan to ensure excellent care for current and future patients. In doing so they will ensure that all national and local targets are met through innovative service delivery.
To produce high quality, independent reports on ultrasound scans, to inform diagnosis/ treatment across all patient pathways to the same standard as a Consultant Radiologist. Therefore, they must have expert knowledge and opinion within the field of ultrasound. They will apply a high degree of professional autonomy in the decision-making process within their specialist area, and will be a champion for the service and the modality, bringing innovative solutions to patient care.
The post holder will provide expert knowledge and opinion within the field of non-obstetric ultrasound. There is also a need for them to have / acquire specialist skills for interventions performed under ultrasound control.
- The post holder will be an expert practitioner within ultrasound demonstrating excellent technical skills in all aspects of ultrasound. They will function at the same level as a Consultant Radiologist.
-To spend approximately 80% of the time providing direct clinical care, through clinical sessions. This involves the utilisation of highly developed specialist knowledge, critical thinking and expert decision-making skills in order to produce and review radiological images and produce highly complex and sensitive formal reports.
-To provide clinical leadership, consultancy and professional education as part of a multidisciplinary approach to patient care. This will include giving professional opinion on images and imparting highly complex information to one or more professional colleagues within multidisciplinary team meetings, justifying interpretation and advising on patient diagnosis.
-Exercise a high degree of professional and personal autonomy, acting as a consultant practitioner, demonstrating advanced clinical competence.
-To independently undertake and provide reports for ultrasound examinations to inform diagnosis / treatment in line with agreed competencies and individual defined scope of practice.
Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust is an integrated Trust and the only provider of NHS acute care in Walsall, serving a population of 284,300, providing inpatient and outpatient services at the Manor Hospital as well as a wide range of services in the community. Walsall Manor houses the full range of district general hospital services under one roof. The £170 million development was completed in 2010 and the continued upgrading of existing areas ensures the Trust now has a state-of-the-art Critical Care Unit, Neonatal Unit, Obstetric Theatre, and Integrated Assessment Unit facilities.
A new Urgent Emergency Care Centre was opened in March 2023. The two-storey development has significantly improved emergency care facilities and capacity and has provided almost 5,000 square metres of additional clinical space.
- The post holder will be an expert practitioner within ultrasound demonstrating excellent technical skills in all aspects of ultrasound, with the exception of obstetric ultrasound. They will function at the same level as a Consultant Radiologist.
-To spend approximately 80% of the time providing direct clinical care, through clinical sessions. This involves the utilisation of highly developed specialist knowledge, critical thinking and expert decision-making skills in order to produce and review radiological images and produce highly complex and sensitive formal reports.
-Scans performed and reported will include a variety of skills within non-obstetric ultrasound.
-The post holder will be required to acquire specialist skills for interventions performed under ultrasound control.
-To drive forward the boundaries of own practice and that of advanced practitioners.
-To provide clinical leadership, consultancy and professional education as part of a multidisciplinary approach to patient care. This will include giving professional opinion on images and imparting highly complex information to one or more professional colleagues within multidisciplinary team meetings, justifying interpretation and advising on patient diagnosis.
-Communication of such reports is generally in the written / electronic format, but specialist opinion may be provided orally as and when required.
-Exercise a high degree of professional and personal autonomy, acting as a consultant practitioner, demonstrating advanced clinical competence, decision making and a knowledge base beyond those associated with conventional Advanced Practitioner Sonographer roles, thereby acting as an expert in their field.
-To independently undertake and provide reports for ultrasound examinations to inform diagnosis / treatment in line with agreed competencies and individual defined scope of practice. This image interpretation involves exercising judgement in assessing complicated images, where the appearances may be indicative of a number of clinical conditions.
-To have detailed awareness and understanding of the importance of other imaging modalities and investigations and refer for patients for further imaging in line with agreed departmental protocols, to aid diagnosis where necessary and show judgement in the consideration of possible options
-To use good analytical and judgemental skills to interpret the images when reporting, in order to accurately differentiate between normal and pathological findings thereby providing highly specialist clinical technical services and contributing to patient diagnosis, care and treatment
-To use analytical and judgemental skills to view the images they produce, to assess their technical quality and to have the ability to identify either technical or pathological reasons for performing additional examinations appropriately.
-To perform audit and attend multidisciplinary meetings to discuss cases as appropriate. Imparting highly complex information and advising on patient diagnosis.
-To maintain and develop clinical skills. Maintain fitness to practice within Professional Code of Conduct and through CPD.
-Ensure the most efficient use of resources whilst ensuring service delivery.
-To maintain a flexible approach to working hours, working core hours at any specified times over a 7 day period, in order to promote a high-quality service.
-Acts as a role model to all other staff, promoting Consultant Radiographer / Sonographer practice and providing expert assistance to Advanced Practitioners.
-Utilise advanced keyboard and sensory skills in order to manipulate images on an ultrasound machine / PACS workstation in order to maximise image appearances to inform diagnosis.
-Demonstrate advanced skills to utilise equipment and Radiology Information System available to provide electronic reports e.g. use of voice recognition technology if available.
Motivate and develop the Sonographers to unlock their potential.
-Lead on ultrasound audit sessions, developing and performing CPD activities such as presentations and workshops.
-There is a requirement to use Visual Display Unit equipment more or less continuously on most days.
-Develop and sustain relationships with patients and all members of the interdisciplinary team across care settings and traditional boundaries in order to maintain effective communication and exchange of information.
-Provide a consultancy service for patients, carers, primary care and secondary care health professionals and external agencies.
-To attend and support relevant multidisciplinary teams ensuring sound clinical decisions are made in relation to ultrasound.
-Develop links with other Consultant Radiographers / Sonographers, promoting the role and the organisation and creating a network for best practice.
Lead by example and be a visible presence within the department, promoting the team and the field of ultrasound.
-Provide clinical leadership for a sub-speciality within ultrasound. This includes responsibility for protocols, governance and audit.
-To exercise leadership in the development and implementation of policy and care pathways with all stakeholders to improve the patients experience of healthcare.
This advert closes on Thursday 18 Dec 2025