Senior Assistant Sleep Physiologist

Ekhuft; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 31,000; Full time

Job summary

A major NHS hospital trust in the UK is seeking a dedicated individual for a role in respiratory sleep medicine. The successful candidate will join a team focusing on patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), providing diagnostic and treatment support. This position emphasizes learning and progression, offering opportunities to obtain relevant qualifications. Responsibilities include managing CPAP clinics and supporting patients through various means. Candidates should be communicative, resilient, and eager to develop within the field of sleep physiology.

Qualifications

• Ability to work autonomously in planning and executing own work.
• Strong desire to learn and develop within sleep physiology.

Responsibilities

• Initiate and download respiratory polygraphy studies.
• Support CPAP patients by email or telephone.
• Supervise and assist in training junior team members.

Skills

Excellent interpersonal and communication skills

Ability to work under pressure

Good IT skills

Strong desire to learn

Education

GCSE English, Maths, Biology at A-C grade or equivalent

Evidence of scientific analysis ability

Job description

Job Summary

Are you passionate about respiratory sleep medicine and on making a difference to patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). You will be joining a team of committed enthusiastic practitioners (physiologists and nurses) involved in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with OSA. As a team we work hard to ensure we put patients, their families and carers at the heart of everything we do. This role provides a secure opportunity to employ and develop a solid understanding of the sleep physiology service whilst learning the necessary skills required to becoming a key and valued member of the team. A willingness to learn and develop will prove critical to any successful applicant. Progression within this role will be encouraged. The expectation is that successful applicants will commence the introductory ARTP Sleep Associate CPAP Certificate within the first 6 months of employment and complete it no later than 12 months after employment. There is a 6 month time frame for the completion of the certificate. If you do not complete this in a timely manner it will jeopardise any subsequent qualifications, such as the apprenticeship in Healthcare Science (Respiratory and Sleep), that you undertake. During the apprenticeship you will also gain experience in respiratory physiology (lung function testing), so a keen interest in developing your job role is required.

Main duties of the job

• Initiate and download respiratory polygraphy studies, check their quality and demonstrate use of the equipment to patients, their families and carers


• Undertake one stop CPAP issue clinics


• Undertake CPAP review and adherence clinics


• Support CPAP patients by email or telephone


• Complete administration tasks associated with CPAP patients e.g. updating written documentation, scanning appropriate paperwork to Sunrise, updating IT systems


• Arrange replacement consumables for CPAP patients


• Supervise and assist in training of junior members of the team


• Problem solve in order to meet patient‑centred directives


• Support the sleep physiology team with returned CPAP devices, e.g. cleaning, downloading and deleting data, phoning patients and completing documentation


• Support the sleep physiology team with CPAP consumables stock management


• Support the sleep physiology team with the mask Field Safety Notices


• Liaise with the respiratory and sleep administration team regarding patient appointments


• Any other activities as deemed necessary by the lead sleep physiologist

About Us

We are one of the largest hospital trusts in England, with five hospitals and community clinics serving a local population of around 800,000 people. Our vision is 'great healthcare from great people'. Everything we do is guided by our values: 'People feel cared for, safe, respected and confident that we are making a difference'. We have a new way of working at East Kent Hospitals, called 'We care'. It's about empowering frontline staff to lead improvements day‑to‑day. We're looking for compassionate people to be part of our improvement journey for the patients, families and carers we care for every day.

Details

• Date posted: 17 December 2025


• Pay scheme: Agenda for change


• Band: Band 4


• Salary: £27,485 to £30,162 a year per annum


• Contract: Permanent


• Working pattern: Full‑time, Flexible working


• Reference number: 344‑6181QEH


• Job locations: Kent & Canterbury Hospital, Canterbury, CT1 3NG

Job Description

Please scroll down to access the full Job Description and Person Specification located in Documents to download. If you have further queries please don't hesitate to contact the line manager using the contact details below.

Person Specification

Qualifications and training (Essential)

• GCSE English, Maths, Biology (or other science) at A‑C grade or equivalent

Desirable

• Evidence of scientific and/or academic ability to analyse and assess scientific, technical and medical literature - demonstrated by Science based A-levels, a Foundation Degree or Degree


• Relevant CPD

Clinical skills and experience (Essential)

• Ability to work under pressure (emotional resilience and ability to prioritise and plan work)


• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal


• Good IT skills and knowledge of common computing packages for word processing, spreadsheets, presentation packages and databases

Desirable

• Experience in a patient / customer focused environment

Governance (Essential)

• Experience of resolving patient / customer / service user concerns effectively

Personal / professional attributes (Essential)

• Strong desire to learn and develop within sleep physiology


• Ability to work autonomously in the planning and execution of own work, and under the guidance of others when needed

Desirable

• Flexibility and adaptability (to meet the demands of the sleep physiology service)


• Flexibility to acquire the skills to organise, plan and monitor the workload of others

General (Essential)

• Ability to travel to all sites as required by the sleep physiology service


• Commitment to own learning and professional development


• Positive and enthusiastic

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website. From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here.

Employer details

East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust
Kent & Canterbury Hospital
Canterbury
CT1 3NG