Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The post holder will work Monday to Friday, 09:00 – 17:00. On call shifts relate to weekday hours from 17:00 to 09:00 and all hours at weekends.The post holder will participate in an on call rota to cover all machine perfusion services which will in total average at no more than a 1:3. 

The practitioner will undertake Normothermic Regional Perfusion and specifically: 

• Maintain readiness to respond to on call notification from the duty Royal Free transplant co-ordinator, and be prepared to travel to the Royal Free within 1 hour of call out at any time during the 24 hour period for DCD NRP retrievals. 
• Arrive at the Royal Free and collect the necessary consumables kit and ice boxes containing the organ preservation solutions from the NORS room, and transport these to the muster point at the A&E entrance to the hospital, before the agreed departure time. 

• Maintain contact with the duty Royal Free transplant co-ordinator as appropriate. 
• Travel via ambulance with the rest of the NORS team to the hospitals where the organ donors are located and remain there with the team for the whole duration of the procedure. 
• Follow the team into the operating theatre suite at the donor hospital, with the consumables kit and organ boxes, and set up the organ perfusion lines, and collect required blood and tissue samples as required throughout the procedure. 
• Fill in the necessary documentation required by NHSBT and Royal Free Transplant services, under supervision of the lead surgeon. 
• Set-up, prime, operate and troubleshoot the Cardiohelp ECMO machine, piccolo express machine, heater/cooler machine, gas adaptors and EPOC arterial blood gas machine to facilitate NRP retrieval 
• Direct where necessary the team in terms of the needs for DCD NRP retrievals. Following the RFL NRP SOP robustly 
• Take donor blood samples where indicated, operate the Piccolo Express machine for LFT’s, take blood gases and record analytic results. 
• Use scientific judgements to correct the parameters of the donor blood where necessary in line with SOP guidelines. 
• Ensure a copy of NRP data sheet is recorded with each retrieved organ and the SNOD 
• Discard of the disposable set in line with donor hospital waste disposal guidelines 
• Assist in any other technical tasks in the operating theatre during the organ donor procedure as required by the lead surgeon. Liaise as necessary with the NHSBT Specialist Nurse – Organ Donation (SN-OD) who will be in theatres arranging transport or distribution of the donated organs. 
• At all times, perform duties with professionalism and respect within the organ donation process, the donor hospital and the local staff members. 
• On return to the Royal Free, return the consumables kit and boxes back to the appropriate store room and repack the consumables kit box in readiness for the next call out 
• Return the completed perfusion forms in the designated letter box. This must be done immediately as the forms must be processed by Transplant & SS Directorate staff for return to NHSBT within 2 days. 

The practitioner will undertake Normothermic Machine Perfusion and specifically: 

• Participate in a 1:3 24 hour on call rota to cover machine perfusion in transplantation. 
• Set-up, operate and troubleshoot the OrganOx metra machine when required for ex situ machine perfusion of the liver. 
• Take samples in line with OrganOx SOP. 
• Operate the piccolo express machine for LFT analysis, facilitate sampling to Biochemistry unit where necessary for LFT analysis and record results. 
• Run arterial blood gases and correct in line with SOP guidelines. 
• Communicate results to transplanting consultant. 
• Facilitate the removal of the liver from the machine ready for transplantation. 
• Discard of the disposable set in line with RFL waste disposal guidelines. 
• Restock the consumables at the end of each case for subsequent call out. 

The practitioner will undertake venous – venous bypass and specifically: 

• Set-up, operate and troubleshoot the Medtronic venous-venous bypass machine when required during liver transplantation. 
• Relate flows and stability of the patient to transplanting consultant surgeon and consultant anaesthetist during the procedure. 
• Facilitate the initiation and weening off of bypass intra-operatively. 
• Discard of the disposable set in line with RFL waste disposal guidelines. 
• Restock the consumables at the end of each case for subsequent call out. 

In addition: 

• Show an interest in, enthusiasm for and awareness of new and emerging techniques and technologies used in liver perfusion and transplantation, for example, but not exclusively, hypothermic machine perfusion technology in liver transplantation. 
• Demonstrate a willingness to develop the Royal Free Liver Transplant perfusion service and undertake additional specialist training as may be required from time to time, for participation in new techniques and updating skills. 
• Work cohesively with colleagues to provide a resilient 24/7 service and provide internal cover for sickness and holidays. 
• Provide cross cover for the NORS logistics manager and cold perfusion team. 
• Regulate practice of self and team through the Trust risk management procedures. 
• Maintain a visible professional presence where patients, carers and staff can turn for assistance, advice and support and upon whom they can rely on to ensure that the fundamental and specialist aspects of care are delivered. 
• Participate in projects and areas of work which reflect clinical, professional and Trust objectives, within the Transplant Directorate. 
• Develop collaborative and educational partnerships with other Perfusion technicians or Perfusionists and professional bodies in the UK. 
• To be aware of the research process and current trends. 
• In collaboration with relevant practitioners, the audit agreed on clinical guidelines of practice, policies and benchmarks within the area of clinical responsibility. 
• To undertake a regular audit of organ perfusion practice, maintaining a departmental database with details of all organs undergoing machine perfusion.