HART Operative ( and Candidate Pool)

Job overview

An opportunity has arisen for people to join the Hazardous Area Response Team Operatives ( and Candidate Pool) at Mansfield.

Looking for a new and exciting challenge? EMAS NHS Trust are seeking enthusiastic and motivated staff to join their Hazard Area Response Team (HART) appointable candidate pool, which is a continuing national initiative led by the NHS England, which enables clinical care to be delivered in areas previously inaccessible to the Ambulance Service. This pool will be used to fill vacancies across the following 12 months when opportunities arise.

The Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) is the generic term applied to staff recruited and trained specifically to operate within the inner cordon at an incident (“hot zone”) or in hazardous environments. “Hot Zone” is defined as:

The Hot Zone is an area within the Inner Cordon where high concentrations of a substance are present and specific procedures and protocols, including Dynamic Risk Assessments, controlled access and egress and the wearing of appropriate levels of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) are required. Dependent on the type and nature of the hazard this area may contain live casualties who will need to be treated and prioritised for decontamination and evacuation” (National HART Work Standard Operating Procedures).

Main duties of the job

Successful applicants will receive the relevant training, pertinent to the full range of HART capabilities, through attendance of local or national courses.

HART Operatives are expected to be able to work in highly pressurised environments. Appropriate training, equipment and Personal Protective Equipment will be provided to mitigate against any risks, but individuals will need to be mentally and physically resilient to undertake the role.

You will need to be a Registered Paramedic with the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) and have successfully completed a HCPC approved paramedic process.

If you have completed the NQP Pathway, this should be over a 2 year period obtaining experience in clinical practice, or less if progressed through the national fast track programme.

It will be necessary to demonstrate competence in team working, self-discipline, communication skills, adaptability, planning skills and decision making.

Due to the nature of the work and the constraints of the personal protective equipment, including gas-tight suits and extended duration breathing apparatus, a more stringent medical standard must be met.

All aspects of the recruitment and selection process must be successfully completed. Applications will be shortlisted against the requirements of the role. Those taken forward will be subject to an optical assessment, occupational health medical, physical fitness assessment, clinical assessment, competency based interview and DBS check.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Provide immediate health input to the initial assessment of the scene to meet the needs of Ambulance and Health Services, including casualty confirmation and management.

To provide specialist clinical support and knowledge within HAZMAT/CBRN, unstable terrain, at height or in/near water. Actively support and work with other members of the Team undertaking those tasks allocated by the HART Team Leader, or Incident Commander.

Be prepared to respond to national incidents, with the possibility of being away for unknown periods of time.

Direct, coordinate and deliver lifesaving clinical care for patients within the inner cordon including triage (where appropriate, toxic triage), diagnosis, appropriate treatment, prior to, and during, decontamination (if contamination present) and in situations of difficult access, unstable terrain or confined spaces, at times being the only clinician in situ and deliver casualties into mainstream healthcare.