South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust
OPAT and Vascular Access Clinical Nurse Specialist
Closing date: 28 May 2026
The successful candidate will join the established OPAT and vascular access teams at SWFT. Building on current good practice, overseen by the MDT, delivering a service of clinical excellence, allowing patients requiring IV therapy to be treated in their own home where possible, and providing appropriate vascular access to adult inpatients at SWFT. The team will work to ensure the BSAC Good Practice Guidelines and the NIVAS guidelines are implemented to ensure optimum care of patients.
Main duties of the job
* Providing OPAT services in the OPAT clinic and where appropriate in the patients own home including administration of IV antibiotics, appropriate assessments including ECGs, bladder scans, observations, vascular access insertion, blood and blood culture taking.
* Completing wound care when needed, training appropriately selected patients and relatives to administer intravenous antibiotics safely.
* Inserting vascular access devices as appropriate and within competencies to inpatients on wards in line with the trust vascular access policies.
* Teaching and training of ward staff in appropriate care of vascular access devices.
The post holder will be responsible for the day-to-day management of OPAT clinic or home visits on a rotational basis. This involves co-ordination of care, caseload management and appropriate escalation of concerns. The post holder will be supported by the senior OPAT team. They will also cover the vascular access service on a rotational basis.
The post holder will ensure the safety of patients by the appropriate use of delegation and supervision, taking into account the skill set and capability of individual team members and ensuring the working environment is conducive to working and learning. The post holder will work collaboratively with the MDT to identify and address areas of concern.
The post holder will contribute to the ongoing development of innovative practice, standards of care and strategies to ensure practice development and education for other professionals caring for patients within this speciality.
Job responsibilities
Expertise & Excellence in Clinical Practice
Contribute to the delivery of evidence-based personalised and compassionate care which places quality at the heart of specialist practice. Care will be responsive to individual needs and reflect current local protocols and national guidelines.
To work with a degree of autonomy and advocacy to ensure the delivery of appropriate care.
To be aware of and elevate clinical concerns to an appropriate clinician in a timely manner.
Contribute to the clinical management of a caseload of patients within speciality and prioritise workload to meet patient and service need.
Use knowledge of the speciality and treatment to support the development of personalised care pathways for individuals and assist with holistic needs assessment, planning and evaluation of care and all care interventions.
Advise on disease and symptom management for patients within the established OPAT governance structure in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Evaluate response to interventions and cascade to relevant colleagues. Support patients to self manage their condition where appropriate, including teaching and assessing the administration of intravenous antibiotics. Provide education for those who will need guided support to self-manage, including supporting wards with this process.
Co-ordinate patient care in line with clinical need and professional skill set both in clinic and in the community, maintaining patient safety and increasing service capacity.
Act as a resource providing specialist advice and support across service boundaries to ensure optimum liaison and co-ordination of care.
Undertake clinical competencies relevant to this specialist service to demonstrate expertise in extended nursing roles.
Assess and assist in managing individual psychological reactions to treatment.
Provide clinical leadership to others across the organisation.
Assist in setting measurable outcomes for the service and continuous evaluation of practice supporting changes where necessary.
Support the implementation of service improvement activities and cascade relevant information to appropriate persons.
Represent the Trust by contributing to and participating in meetings locally, regional and nationally relating to the speciality.
Communication
Take personal responsibility for ensuring effective communication between all service providers. Act as a role model for excellent communication skills. Demonstrate empathetic interpersonal and communication skills in supporting, informing and advising patients and carers through diagnosis, treatment, disease progression, prognosis and supportive and palliative care where applicable. This will involve supporting patients and carers during and following difficult consultations and sometimes bad news.
Effectively and sensitively communicate complex and sensitive information to emotionally distressed patients and family/carers at key points along the care pathway on a frequent basis.
As a core member of the MDT provide professional advice to OPAT patients and ward based staff, and liaise with the senior OPAT team. Refer to other health professionals and outside agencies to ensure optimum care and ongoing support for individual patients/carers, and to ensure the seamless transition from primary to secondary care appropriate to patients individual needs and circumstance. Maintain links with local and national organisations, which support the care of patients within this speciality.
Education
Identify and use educational strategies to deliver information to patients and carers. Participate in the development of patient focused education including training to support self management and health promotion activities. Support wards in referring patients to OPAT and with self-administration training. Assist in the development of other professionals by contributing to Trust wide specialist education and training. Support the delivery of formal and informal teaching initiatives as part of the Trusts education strategy as agreed with the appropriate senior nurse to ensure practice development, staff empowerment and improved care for patients. Act as a mentor/clinical supervisor as appropriate. Take personal responsibility for life-long learning and personal development through clinical supervision and appraisal. Actively engage with learning and development opportunities needed to work as an advancing practitioner and take appropriate action to ensure these needs are met. Contribute to promoting educational links with local providers of higher education and deliver lectures on a range of courses.
Quality, Audit, Innovation and Research
Assist in the development of written patient information and use existing appropriate resources to inform users, according to individually assessed need. Work within the NMC code of professional conduct. Contribute to the development of policies and clinical guidelines to support the specialist service. Collaborate with other MDT members to develop and update multi-professional Trust operational policies and guidelines. Maintain patient records and ensure an effective documentation system to reflect the activity and delivery of specialist nursing care. Promote the service where applicable. Use creative reasoning, experience and vision to support advancement of care. Develop new skills in response to emerging knowledge and techniques. Support management of change as required. Maintain membership and attendance at national and local forums to network and debate issues to inform the specialist nursing role and service delivery where applicable. Assist with the collation of data to provide evidence of productivity, outcomes and quality through audit and research to identify areas for improvement and work with the senior team to implement change. Contribute to the identification of patients eligible for trial entry. Provide support to patients considering entry to clinical trials in relation to informed consent and advocacy. Participate in clinical research relevant to practice area. Assist in the development of links and system to seek the views of patient and carers to ensure service development is in line with user need.
Additional Responsibilities
To facilitate the safe and appropriate discharge of patients requiring IV antimicrobial therapy from secondary to primary care; to provide on-going support and care for patients whilst receiving IV therapy at home including home visits, OPAT clinic and a weekly MDT; to be an expert clinical resource to colleagues and service users by keeping up to date with current research and developments in OPAT and demonstrating best or evidence-based practice at all times; demonstrate in depth specialist knowledge, skills and innovative practice in the delivery of OPAT; support, assist and encourage the multi-disciplinary team in resolving complex patient problems; to actively participate in the delivery of care to the service caseload where needed; to work in collaboration with local services to assess and make recommendations to improve access to Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy; to work flexibly with team members to provide cover to the service, including cross cover of the South Warwickshire Accelerated Transfer Team (SWATT); to participate in the placement and management of peripherally inserted vascular access devices including line removal where appropriate; to promote the use of the right line at the right time and where possible be involved in the education of ward-based staff in issues surrounding vascular access devices; to assess and review patients in the hospital to assess suitability for the service and to monitor progress of OPAT patients in the outpatient clinic; to teach patients or their families/carers to safely administer their own intravenous antibiotics and provide on-going support and advice throughout their treatment course; to participate in the monitoring of patient care, by ensuring blood tests are appropriately performed and results checked and acted upon; to visit patients in their own homes when clinically appropriate; to assist in the upkeep of the clinical database and regular clinical governance audit.
General
To provide short-term cover for colleagues during periods of leave; to ensure that all Trust standards are maintained and monitored to improve the quality of care to all whom come into contact with services provided by South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust; every employee has a duty to take reasonable care of the health and safety of him/herself and of other persons who may be affected by his/her acts or omissions at work, and to cooperate with the South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust to ensure compliance with statutory and Trust regulations; to participate in appraisals and personal reviews and work to achieve agreed set objectives; to participate in appropriate training and development activities; to participate in team, professional and personal development activities and promote commitment to continuous development and improvement; ensure that all staff consciously review mistakes, complaints and incidents/near misses as well as successes to improve performance and the level of customer care; all employees will have an organisational and individual responsibility towards safeguarding vulnerable adults, young people and children. To accept responsibility for the provision of effective infection prevention and control within the Trust in liaison with the Trust’s Infection Control Team.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* Registered General Nurse, NMC registered
* First level degree or diploma in related subject
* Evidence of continued professional development
* Experience working within an OPAT team
* Mentors & assessors or willingness to work towards
Experience
* Relevant and up to date post registration experience within the speciality
* Experience of student supervision and teaching
* Experience of delivering patient advocacy
* Experience and understanding of audit and evidence-based care
* Qualified to administer intravenous medication
* Competent in inserting and managing vascular access devices
* Experience in both team and lone working
* Proven leadership skills
* Experience of undertaking research
Skills
* Clinical, managerial and leadership skills
* Proven listening and counselling skills
* Up to date knowledge of current clinical and professional issues
* Excellent verbal, written, interpersonal and communication skills
* Managing a caseload
* Good decision making abilities
* Understanding of change management process
* Demonstrate an awareness of the National agenda for speciality
* Knowledge of quality standards and relevant
* NICE guidelines, NSF, BSAC guidelines and antimicrobial stewardship
* Team player
* Ability to write reports and maintain accurate records
* Undertaken clinical and nursing research
Personal Qualities
* Creative thinker
* Diplomatic
Other Job Requirements
* Flexible and positive approach to work
* Full UK driving licence
* Ability to work 12hr rotational shifts
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.
#J-18808-Ljbffr