Allied Heath Professionals
Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) are the third largest workforce in the NHS. AHPs play a vital role in assessing, treating, diagnosing and discharging patients. We offer excellent teaching and career development opportunities for our AHPs and AHP support workers across the following professions:
Diagnostic Radiography
Our radiography department spans all three of our hospital sites: Watford General, Hemel Hempstead and St Albans City hospital. Each site has a broad range of imaging modalities and specialities.
Across our three sites we have:
- A state-of-the-art interventional suite, giving exciting opportunities to increase Radiographers skill set and scope of practice to advanced practitioner level.
- 5 CT & 3 MRI scanners allowing great training opportunities covering a wide range of scans.
- Reporting Radiographer workforce covering plain film appendicular, chest and abdomen, as well as CT head and MRI MSK scans.
- A successful preceptorship programme preparing band 5s to move into a band 6 role.
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Orthoptics
- Orthoptists specialise in eye movement disorders and children’s vision.
- We work as part of the wider Ophthalmology team (including the Urgent Eye Clinic) and with other departments such as Stroke, Endocrinology, Neurology and Paediatrics.
- We train undergraduate Orthoptists, Optometrists, student nurses and medical students.
Operating Department Practitioners
Our Operating Department Practitioners (ODPs) are an essential part of our theatre teams.
- We are based at St Albans City Hospital (elective work, Monday to Friday) and Watford General Hospital (emergency work 24/7)
- Within these departments, ODPs have the flexibility of working in anaesthetics, scrub or recovery
- You will be supported by an experienced team with dedicated Practice Education Facilitators, including an ODP Practice Education Facilitator.
- We have access to a wide range of CPD including theatre mentorship, an AHP preceptorship programme, care of the paediatric patient, and difficult airway training.
Watch our video to find out more about our theatres department and hear from our staff:
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Therapy services
Dietetics
- We offer a rotational B5 post covering a variety of clinical areas including Care of the Elderly, Diabetes, Surgery, General Medicine, AAU, Stroke and Gastroenterology.
- We offer static B6 post covering surgical, stroke and paediatrics.
- We offer a robust senior tier with a wealth of experience to help guide and support in both your individual learning needs but to also strive to ensure that the best standards of care are provided
- You will be supported by a compassionate leadership team.
- We will support your career development and opportunities for both internal training like Parenteral Nutrition and sponsorship for external courses.
Occupational Therapy
- We offer Band 5 rotations including care of older people, orthopaedics, surgery, acute medical and stroke.
- Our Band 6 rotation covers emergency medicine, stroke, inpatient rehabilitation, and community therapy.
- We offer Band 6s the opportunity to rotate or specialise in a static position.
- We are continually developing our Occupational Therapy Service in new areas such as critical care.
- You will be supported by a compassionate leadership team.
- We will support your career development and opportunities for both internal training and sponsorship for external courses.
Physiotherapy
- We offer a Band 5 Physiotherapy rotation including respiratory / critical care, orthopaedics, stroke, paediatrics, MSK and more.
- We have rotational and static opportunities for Band 6s, with excellent learning opportunities including paediatrics.
- You will be supported by a compassionate leadership team including our clinical specialist and extended scope practitioners.
- We focus on career pathways and development/progression of staff, including opportunities for in-house development programmes and sponsorship for external courses.
- Established SIM training for on-call and advanced respiratory training.
Speech and Language Therapy
- We offer a rotational B5 post covering acute and stroke ward
- We support B5’s opportunity to develop skills and knowledge within the areas of stroke and developing your skills in management of dysphagia within agreed competencies
- We offer rotational B6 post covering all acute medical wards and stroke wards.
- We B6’s with opportunity to develop your skills and knowledge within the areas of stroke and acute wards and developing skills in Videofluoroscopy and tracheostomy management.
- You will be supported to work alongside highly skilled and experienced colleagues and by a compassionate leadership team.
- We are committed to ensuring staff feel supported with their career progression through supervision, appraisal, in-house and external training, and leadership development.