Reporting Sonographer

We are seeking a qualified Reporting Sonographer to join the Torbay South Devon Foundation Trust team. This is an exciting opportunity to join the team and aligns with significant change in leadership in the Ultrasound team and wider Radiology senior management, driving the service forwards with ambitions to make significant quality improvements.

You will work independently acquiring and interpreting diagnostic ultrasound images and then issuing clinical reports to referring clinicians. The role includes acute and elective general ultrasound scans and obstetric work and includes some weekend working. You will be responsible for performing all designated ultrasound scans to the required departmental standards, following departmental protocols and national guidance/best practice.

Working in cooperation with Radiology support workers, sonographers, the lead sonographer and consultant radiologists, you will be undertaking delegated tasks as required, engaging in all four pillars of practice to contribute to a high‑quality ultrasound service that is resilient, progressive and committed to providing the best care possible.

Alongside actively contributing to the delivery of an efficient and highly skilled patient‑focused ultrasound service, you will be part of a team that is strategically going on an improvement journey.

You will be responsible for the safe and efficient use of expensive and complex technical equipment—each fragile transducer costs typically £6,000 to replace and machine cost from £20,000–£120,000.

Provision of a Sonographer‑led, diagnostic Ultrasound imaging for TSDFT Radiology department.

Provide independent clinical opinion, via the CRIS system, on ultrasound examinations carried out, seeking senior colleague advice where required for management of patient care pathway.

You will provide specialist training / mentoring and supervision for trainee advanced practitioners in all aspects of postgraduate clinical ultrasound education.

You will assist in training and provide supervision for Ob/Gyn Registrars, radiologists registrars and student radiographers relevant scanning techniques as requirement for their qualification and training body.

You will supervise and assist clerical staff, support workers, assistant practitioners, student radiographers and provide clinical leadership to a multidisciplinary team of midwives, doctors and nurses.

You will assist the superintendent in the appraisal and selection of ultrasound equipment for the Trust.

You will participate in a 7‑day service, including emergency obstetrics and gynaecology scans on Bank holidays.

The Sonographer team consists of 12 full‑time radiographer and midwife sonographers, who undertake around 30,000 examinations per annum.

There are a total of 11 ultrasound rooms, 6 within the Women's Health Unit, 3 general ultrasound rooms in the main Radiology Department and 2 at Newton Abbot Community Hospital. This service provides scanning support for the acute medical, surgical, DVT, paediatric, obstetric gynaecology teams, GP, OP and IPs.

We have sonographers who are MSK specialists undertaking a wide range of diagnostic scans and therapeutic ultrasound‑guided steroid injections. One sonographer currently provides head and neck scanning and undertakes fine‑needle aspirations.

Our general sonographer team also scans general paediatric patients, including baby hip screening. We have developed specialist training in the gynaecology service with endometriosis investigation which has vastly improved detection and avoids women waiting too long for treatment.

All general sonographers take part in weekend and bank‑holiday working. The team are dedicated and proactive in providing a fluent service to meet the demands on the service.

Full vacancy details can be found on the attached Job Description / Person Specification. Please refer to your suitability to the post in your supporting information from the role requirements or person specification.