Job summary
- Main area
- Cardiology
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 2 Annex 21
- Contract
- 14 months (Fixed Term)
- Hours
- Full time
- Part time
- Flexible working
- Job ref
- 319-7496072SC
- Employer
- Northumbria Healthcare - NHCT Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Wansbeck General Hospital
- Town
- Ashington
- Salary
- £24,465 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 22/10/2025 23:59
Employer heading

Healthcare Science Assistance Apprentice (Cardiology) – Level 2
NHS AfC: Band 2 Annex 21
Do you want to work in one of the best performing NHS organisations in England? Work for an organisation that was voted the best acute and combined acute and community trust in the country, based on the experience of its staff (NHS Staff Survey 2022). Work in an organisation that supports its staff and focuses on staff experience as much as it does the experience of its patients? You can live and breathe in an area that has the cleanest air, cost effective living, great nightlife, some of the best schools with a wealth of history available on your doorstep. Sound too good to be true? Well it isn’t, this is what you get when you work for Northumbria Healthcare and, this is…the Northumbria Way!
What the Northumbria Way means for you:
- Extensive staff health and well-being programme including access to our specialist Wellbeing Hub
- Support and connection through a variety of Staff Network groups
- A range of flexible working opportunities
- Generous annual leave and pension scheme
- Access to lease car and home electronics scheme (qualifying criteria applies)
- Opportunities to improve your professional development through our vast training programmes
- On-site nursery places via salary sacrifice
- Access to savings scheme via salary sacrifice with Northumberland Community Bank
We are proud to be one of the country’s top performing NHS trusts – rated ‘outstanding’ overall by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). We provide a range of health and care services to support more than 500,000 people living in Northumberland and North Tyneside across the largest geographical area of any NHS Trust in England. Our teams deliver care from hospitals, a range of community venues and people’s homes. Our hospitals include a specialist emergency care hospital (the first of its kind in England), three general hospitals and community hospitals. In the community we deliver a wide range of community and public health services.
We lead in innovation and quality, having opened the Northumbria Healthcare Manufacturing and Innovation Hub during the Covid-19 pandemic and have recently launched our Community Promise – a pledge to make a real impact not just in healthcare but on the wider factors that affect people’s lives, such as education, employment and the economy.
If Northumbria Healthcare sounds like somewhere you could belong we would love to hear from you. Visit our website to catch up on our latest news.
Whilst Northumbria Healthcare are a highly innovative organisation, the use of Third Party Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents a risk to the integrity of our Recruitment & Selection processes. If you use AI, and it poses a risk to the integrity your individual recruitment process, we may withdraw your application at any stage of the process.
Job overview
Are you passionate about healthcare and science? Do you want to start a rewarding career helping patients and supporting clinical teams? We're offering an exciting opportunity to join our Cardiology Department as a Healthcare Science Assistant Apprentice. This Level 2 apprenticeship is designed to give you hands-on experience working in a busy hospital environment, while you study towards a nationally recognised qualification.
As an apprentice, you’ll work alongside experienced healthcare professionals in cardiology, assisting in the delivery of diagnostic tests such as ECGs, blood pressure and ECG monitoring, and patient preparation. You’ll play a vital role in supporting patients and maintaining high standards of care.
This is a fantastic entry-level role for individuals eager to begin a career in healthcare science, particularly in cardiology. Full training and support will be provided, and upon successful completion, there may be opportunities for further development and progression within the NHS.
Main duties of the job
· The post holder will undertake a 12-14 month training programme as a Healthcare Science Level 2 Apprentice.
· Formal training will be given where the successful candidate can learn and develop skills and knowledge relating to working in a busy cardiology department and by undertaking basic cardiology diagnostic tests.
· This is a full-time post and there is an expectation that the apprentice will need to commit to self-directed study, attend college virtually and in person, and successfully complete the training programme within the contract period. The post holder will receive 20% off the job training to fulfil the apprenticeship standard. On successful completion of the apprenticeship and probationary period the post holder will be offered a permanent post of Cardiographer (Band 2).
Working for our organisation
We manage three major locality hospitals at North Tyneside, Wansbeck and Hexham, plus a number of smaller community hospitals and clinics from Tynemouth to Berwick on Tweed, covering one of the largest geographical areas of any NHS trust in the country. Leading in innovation and quality – opening a state of the art Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital, the first of its kind in England. Do you want to work in one of the best performing NHS organisations in England? Work in an organisation that supports its staff and focuses on staff experience as much as it does the experience of its patients? You can live and breathe in an area that has the cleanest air, cost effective living, great nightlife, some of the best schools with a wealth of history available on your doorstep. Sound too good to be true? Well it isn’t, this is what you get when you work for Northumbria Healthcare, this is the Northumbria Way! Please read ‘applicant guidance notes’ before submitting your application.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
As an apprentice all tasks will be under direct supervision until competency through formal assessment is achieved and will include the following main duties within the cardiorespiratory department:
· To perform routine and urgent electrocardiograms.
· To perform and measure automatic and manual blood pressure measurements.
· To set up and fit a cardiac monitor, 24-hour ambulatory ECG monitor, and a 24hr ambulatory blood pressure monitor.
· To prepare equipment and clinical areas for other diagnostic cardiology tests.
· To support cardiology reception/clerical administration as required.
· To handle and store equipment and consumables within accepted and safe limits.
Annex 21
The provisions of Agenda for Change Annex 21 – Arrangements for Pay and Banding of Trainees, would apply whilst undertaking training in this role.
Length of training: x years
Period of Training |
Pay |
More than 3 years from completion of training |
60% of the pay band maximum for the qualified rate |
More than 2 but less than 3 years prior to completion of training |
65% of the pay band maximum for the qualified rate |
More than one but less than 2 years prior to completion of training |
70% of the pay band maximum for the qualified rate |
Up to 12 months to completion of training |
75% of the pay band maximum of the qualified rate |
For further information on Annex 21, please see:
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- 5 GCSEs 9-4 which must include Maths and English
- Committed to complete the Level 2 Cardiology Apprenticeship in Healthcare Science
- Willingness to undertake any training or development relevant to the role
Experience
Desirable criteria
- Previous experience of working in a health orientated environment
Applicant requirements
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Sarah Maxwell
- Job title
- Associate Practitioner
- Email address
- [email protected]
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