Principal Sonographer

Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust

The closing date is 23 February 2026

We are seeking a Principal Sonographer to join Torbay South Devon Foundation Trust. You will be a qualified Reporting Sonographer and will lead the Ultrasound service, managing 15 Sonographers across Non-obstetric and Obstetric service. The service delivers 32,000 studies per annum, supported by an Independent Sector provided Community Diagnostic Centre.

You will join our team at a time of significant change in leadership in Radiology and be responsible for Ultrasound service delivery supported by the Radiology management team. You will provide strategic, managerial, clinical and professional leadership to the team and drive the service forwards contributing to directorate meetings, service planning and clinical governance with ambition to make significant quality improvements.

As a clinical Reporting Sonographer, you will work independently acquiring and interpreting diagnostic ultrasound images. The role includes acute and elective general ultrasound scans, obstetric work and includes weekend working.

Working in cooperation with Radiology support workers, sonographers, and consultant radiologists, you will lead the service, delegating tasks as required and engage in all four pillars of practice to assure a high-quality ultrasound service that is resilient, progressive and committed to providing the best care possible.

Join us to lead to the delivery of a highly skilled patient-focused ultrasound service and a team that is strategically proceeding on an improvement journey.

Please note this will be 8a pending matching/consistency checking.

Leadership & Management

Manage the radiology and obstetric ultrasound service's workforce

Ensure compliance with Trust policies and national targets

Represent ultrasound at meetings

Clinical Excellence & Standards

Undertake and supervise high-quality ultrasound imaging and reporting

Vet referrals, prioritise clinical and managerial workloads

Produce accurate clinical and management reports

Provide expert clinical advice as required

Promote evidence-based, safe and ergonomic practice

Quality Assurance & Governance

Develop, deliver and monitor QA programmes, including national screening requirements

Ensure equipment maintenance, servicing, QA testing and prompt resolution of faults

Monitor service performance, manage risks, incident reporting and complaints and support governance

Lead strategic and operational planning for the service, aligning with Trust and national priorities

Use complex data to inform redesign, capacity planning and service improvement

Modernise pathways, embed innovation and challenge practices to improve patient flow and meet demand

Maintain effective communication with all stakeholders

Disseminate information to the ultrasound team and senior leadership

Present complex information to committees and MDTs

Engage sensitively with patients, often communicating difficult news

Why Work With Us

Our Sonography team is made up of 15 (12 WTE) Radiographer and Midwife Sonographers who collectively support 25,000 examinations each year.

We operate across 10 modern ultrasound rooms: five within the Women's Health Unit, three in the main Radiology Department, and two at Newton Abbot Community Hospital. Our service plays a key role in supporting a wide range of clinical teams, including Acute Medicine, Surgery, MAAT/DVT, Paediatrics, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Fertility, sexual health unit as well as GP, outpatient, and inpatient services.

We also collaborate closely with a local Independent Sector Community Diagnostic Centre, which undertakes approximately 8,500 examinations annually.

Please see attached Job Description and Person Specification for detailed overview of the requirements of role.

• Professional Registration
• Qualifications as defined in Person Spec
• Management Qualification

• Evidence of Ultrasound Clinical experience
• Evidence of leadership and management experience
• Specialist ultrasound scanning experience in a specific area/procedure type

• Evidence of involvement in change management
• Proven involvement in training activities

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust