About this role
Job summary
Patient and Family Liaison Clinician opportunity - Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance - Patient and Family Liaison Clinician - Band 7, 0.5 WTE (18.75 hours p/w) - 2 year Fixed Term Contract
DSAA are offering an exciting two-year Fixed term contract for registered nurses or paramedics with extensive experience of working within Critical Care, Emergency Care or Acute Trauma. This is a unique and rewarding role for a dynamic and motivated individual seeking to broaden their experience and practice throughout the entire patient pathway - from pre-hospital emergencies to rehabilitation and recovery. After the 2 years, a substantive role may be available.
The advertised role will support the DSAA Patient and Family Liaison Team to care for patients treated by DSAA who have ongoing care in hospitals in Poole, Bournemouth, Salisbury and Southampton.
Closing date for this role is 24thMay 2026 . The selection day for the role will start at 08:00 on 3rdJune at Henstridge airfield, John Porters Avenue, Henstridge marsh, A30, BA8 0TN. The day will comprise a morning of scenario assessments and a formal interview in the afternoon. Further details will be provided to shortlisted candidates.
For more information, an informal chat about the role, please email the Patient and Family Liaison Team Leader on [email protected] or call Kirsty on 07721112118
Main duties of the job
DSAA provided Prehospital Critical Care for 1700 patients in 2025. The service is charity funded and clinically governed by South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWAST).
Many of the patients treated by DSAA are so severely injured or ill that they do not recall the events or clinical care provided on scene. Many patients suffer life changing injuries and effects from their experiences. As a result of their injuries or illness our patients have to endure enormous physical and mental challenges and require highly specialised support to bridge the gap between pre-hospital critical illness, rehabilitation and recovery. We attend a large number of patients who die and their families previously did not understand the Critical Care that was provided to their loved one in the pre-hospital domain.
The DSAA Patient and Family Liaison team provide complex emotional support and guidance for our patients and families following their pre-hospital critical care experience. As well as explaining the Critical Care provided on scene, they provide ongoing signposting and referrals within the regional networks, the wider NHS and relevant charitable organisations.
A detailed working knowledge and experience in advanced Critical Care practice is required for this role. Specifically, the ability to analyse and interpret complex clinical and non-clinical facts in a range of settings in order to meet the ongoing needs of patients and families is crucial
About us
The destination hospitals for patients treated by DSAA include those in the south (University Hospital Southampton, Southampton Children's Hospital, Poole General Hospital, Bournemouth Hospital, Dorset County Hospital, Salisbury Hospital) and those in the north (Yeovil Hospital, Musgrove Park Hospital, Royal Bath Hospital, Southmead Hospital, Bristol Royal Infirmary, Bristol Children's Hospital).
More information about Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is available at www.dsairambulance.org.uk
Job description Job responsibilities
The DSAA Patient and Family Liaison Clinicians are required to regularly visit patients in hospital in addition to ongoing contact in person with patients and families in a residential setting following their injuries or illness. This are required to drive to visit patients throughout the region. The DSAA Patient and Family Liaison team comply with the SWAST Lone Working policy and carry out Risk Assessments prior to performing a lone visit to private residential settings.
The role requires knowledge of Critical Care pathways within hospitals and throughout the region. The Patient and Family Liaison Clinician will need to work autonomously and create networks within hospital clinical teams and throughout the regional clinical networks. While working autonomously, the Clinician will practice within the governance structure of SWAST, the wider NHS and DSAA.
The Patient and Family Liaison Clinicians meet with families of patients who have suffered life changing injuries or sometimes died on scene despite the best efforts of the critical care from DSAA, in order to support their understanding of the critical care provided to their loved ones. The Patient and Family Liaison Clinicians provide specialist bereavement support to these families incorporating multidisciplinary working to include aspects of care from police and coroners services.
The Patient and Family Liaison Clinician role requires empathy and highly developed communication skills and the ability to manage and relay sensitive information to families including those receiving life changing news.
The Patient and Family Liaison Clinicians are required to utilise skills in psychological assessment and clinical judgement to assess and refer patients or families to further specialist services eg: Pain clinics or Psychology services.
The Patient and Family Liaison team provide a visible, tangible, human face to DSAA Critical Care Team within hospital clinical environments and therefore bridge the gap between prehospital and in-hospital Critical Care. Clinical feedback provided by the Patient and Family Liaison Clinicians to the DSAA Critical Care Team provides valuable information to support service improvement and develop clinical practice. The resilience and sustainability of the DSAA team (clinical, aviation and charity) benefits from the holistic perspective that the Patient and Family Liaison Team bring to DSAA operations.
The Patient and Family Liaison clinicians are expected to develop DSAAs Standard Operating Procedures from a patient and family liaison perspective.
The Patient and Family Liaison team take an active role in monthly DSAA clinical governance days and present clinical follow up information on cases being reviewed and audited. They attend and present to regional trauma and critical care network meetings.
The Patient and Family Liaison Clinicians direct patients to relevant DSAA charity staff if patients indicate any desire to support the DSAA charity in fundraising or other awareness campaign initiatives. The Patient and Family Liaison Clinicians advise the DSAA charity staff on how best to manage the needs of patients. Establish and maintain clear guidance for ethical management of the relationship between charity and clinical teams with regards to Patient and Family Liaison.
The Patient and Family Liaison Clinicians are required to share their experience of the role with colleagues in other services such as Police Family Liaison or other Air Ambulances nationally. This may include presenting to large groups of professionals in order to provide persuasive and reassuring evidence of the benefits of the role to patients and families, in order to encourage collaborative working.
Person Specification
Education and qualifications Essential
HCPC registered paramedic or NMC registered nurse. Evidence of post graduate study or role specific further training in critical care Full UK driving licence
Previous experience (Paid/Unpaid relevant to job) Essential
Must have extensive post qualification experience within critical care Extensive experience of in hospital pathways of care for emergency and critical care patients (including major trauma and cardiac patients) through emergency department, emergency surgery, intensive care, rehabilitation and re enablement Documented evidence of engagement with a HEMS provider such as familiarisation days, training days and clinical governance Experience of managing challenging conversations requiring highly complex communication skills and dealing with sensitive information including families receiving life changing news Experience of managing the care of bereaved relatives and providing bereavement support Evidence of experience with leading service improvement and developing clinical practise Evidence of furthering personal learning
Desirable
Knowledge of exposure to pre hospital critical care pathways Experience of working in the third sector (voluntary or paid) Experience in a clinical role within DSAA destination hospitals (University Hospital Southampton, Southampton Children's Hospital, University Hospitals Dorset (Poole & Bournemouth), Dorset County Hospital, Salisbury Hospital, Yeovil Hospital, Musgrove Park Hospital, Royal Bath Hospital, Southmead Hospital, Bristol Royal Infirmary, Bristol Children's Hospital). Documented evidence of engagement with a HEMS provider such as familiarisation days, training days and clinical governance
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 (Opens in a new tab).
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 Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details Employer name South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
Address Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance
Henstridge airfield, John Porters avenue, Henstridge marsh, A30,
Henstridge
BA8 0TN
Employer's website https://www.swast.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)