Job summary
We have a proactive cardiac rehabilitation team who are dedicated and passionate about the care, education and support of cardiac patients. We are searching for the right nurse to join us and help establish cardiac rehabilitation for heart failure patients. The successful candidate will be dynamic, focused on empowering patients and their families to participate in the management of their condition. Working closely with the clinical exercise physiologist and other members of the multidisciplinary team the post holder will strive to support patients and their families by providing education about their diagnosis, symptom management, secondary prevention, risk factor management and end of life support.
We are looking for someone with excellent communication skills, which are vital to the role and you would need to be able to demonstrate these at interview. We work as part of a multidisciplinary team and have good liaison both locally and regionally. We would also expect you to be flexible and adaptable to the needs of the service and fellow team members.
Being a car driver with access to a car is essential for the role.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will be an expert clinical practitioner who will work as part of the Cardiology Clinical Nurse Specialist Team (CCNST). They will provide specialist nursing care for patients requiring all aspects of heart failure rehabilitation including cardiac rehabilitation.
To be a clinically based competent and skilled autonomous practitioner choosing, managing, planning and delivering the most appropriate treatment programmes tailored to individual needs, ensuring access to high quality phase 1 - 4 cardiac rehabilitation services.
About us
Come and join a Trust rated Outstanding by the CQC. South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust have been rated as outstanding following our latest inspection by the CQC and we are recruiting new staff to come and help us improve even further. In addition our staff survey results have placed us 4th in the country for recommended place to work.
We provide services across Warwickshire and beyond ranging from Hospitals in Warwick, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Royal Leamington Spa and Shipston-on Stour to Community Services across the county. We are a progressive, expanding organisation with great ambition around improving quality, integrating pathways and delivering high levels of values can be summed up in one sentence. We are 'Trusted to provide safe, inclusive, effective and compassionate care'. Throughout the recruitment process you will be asked to think about how you demonstrate these values and how they impact on your work. It doesn't matter what role you do, whether it is patient facing or not, we are all working in the same way with our values at the core.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Key Result Areas:
Expertise & Excellence in Clinical Practice
Provide support to patients with cardiac conditions and their families, in line with the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) Guidelines for Heart Failure and the British Society for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation Standards (BACPR).
Contribute to the delivery of evidence-based personalised and compassionate care which places quality at the heart of practice. Care will be responsive to individual needs and reflect current local protocols and national guidelines.
Act as a patient advocate to facilitate the process of shared decision making in respect to health, choice of treatment and care. Use interpersonal and communication skills where there may be significant barriers in order to build confidence. Ensure that patients individual needs are expressed and valued and individual care plans are understood.
Act as an accessible professional for the multi-disciplinary team (MDT) supporting the management of a clinical caseload. This will necessitate a degree of autonomy and advocacy to ensure the delivery of appropriate care.
Contribute to the development of patient/staff education and information specific to cardiac rehabilitation along with policies and protocols (SOPs) to guide others involved in the care of this diverse client group. These policies and protocols will relate to patients within our department but also extend throughout the Trust.
Plan programmes for heart failure rehabilitation, co-ordinating staff, venues and patients.
Timely and appropriately recruit patients to exercise programme. Contact patients individually referred for rehabilitation.
Undertake a comprehensive assessment of patients following a cardiac event, who may have complex conditions including multi-pathology.
Use well developed clinical reasoning and departmental/local guidelines to needs assess, risk assess and advise on treatment and lifestyle changes.
Manage group sessions, providing clinical monitoring and education.
Report to and/or refer onto other agencies and health professionals, patients following participation in cardiac rehabilitation programme.
To educate and mentor less experienced members of the cardiology nursing team.
Work autonomously within scope of practice to make clinical decisions and judgements regarding patient management as per local/national and international guidelines.
Undertakes risk assessments regarding patient condition and environment to ensure patient and staff safety.
The post holder must be able to give a full explanation of the patients condition and proposed management to the patient and discuss expected outcomes with them.
The post holder is required to educate patients on an individual and group basis.
Ensure the patient understands and agrees to therapy plan and to set realistic timescales for achieving goals.
To ensure that within the group setting each patient exercises within their agreed individual exercise prescription and is monitored at each session. To act independently to changes in the patients status and modify treatment accordingly.
In conjunction with exercise specialist, undertake an individual risk assessment for exercise, based on cardiac history and current medical conditions. Taking into consideration both cardiac and physical risk of exercise allowing safe exercise prescription and adaptations of exercise programmes.
Agreed functional capacity tests to be performed as part of the patients initial assessment and again at the completion of the programme in order to contribute towards monitoring and audit of patient related outcome measure.
Support patients to self-manage their condition where deemed appropriate. Provide education for those who will need guided support to self-manage and those who will need on-going face to face support.
Contribute to the management of a caseload of patients within specialty and prioritise workload to meet patient and service need, including MDT clinics.
Management & Leadership
Act as a role model demonstrating high standards of holistic care and provide clinical leadership to others across the organisation.
Participate in the recruitment and selection of staff where required.
Provide support to ensure public and patient involvement is embedded within the sphere of practice.
Assist in setting measurable outcomes for the service and continuous evaluation of practice supporting changes where necessary.
Participate in operational and strategic planning for the development and delivery of the service. Support service improvement activities.
Attend Trust senior nurse meetings and contribute to the agenda and strategic nursing vision.
Represent the Trust by contributing to and participating in meetings locally, regional and nationally relating to the speciality.
Contribute to an annual service review, gathering information to support an annual report.
Communication
Take personal responsibility for ensuring effective communication between all service providers.
Act as a role model for excellent communication skills.
Work in partnership with patients, relatives and carers to obtain complex information.
Create a climate in which patients are empowered to make informed choices.
Ensure all clinical practice is documented appropriately in patient records ensuring that the NMC guidelines for documentation are adhered to.
Informally manage complaints with the aim of a satisfactory resolution. Ensure appropriate escalation when this is not achieved.
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 occasionally imparting significant news or supporting patients and carers during and following such consultations.
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.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
1. Registered General Nurse Level 1 with active NMC registration
2. Post basic qualification in specialty
3. Degree or equivalent in a relevant subject
4. BACR Phase IV training or equivalent or willingness to undertake course
5. Evidence of continued professional development
6. Recognised teaching certificate / qualification ( Post Graduate Certificate in Education / Mentors & assessors / SLAiP / ENB 998, C&G 730 or equivalent)
Desirable
7. Health Promotion certificate / course
8. Counselling qualification
Experience
Essential
9. A minimum of three years post registration experience
10. Extensive clinical experience in an Acute cardiology setting
11. Evidence of continuing professional development
12. ILS training
Skills
Essential
13. Clinical, managerial and leadership skills in acute cardiology
14. Proven listening skills
15. Up to date knowledge of current clinical and professional issues
16. Excellent verbal, written, interpersonal and communication skills
17. Ability to prioritise workload
18. Good decision making abilities etc.
19. Evidence of negotiation skills, informing, enquiring, persuading and directing as appropriate
20. Understanding of the change management process
21. Knowledge of quality standards and relevant national and local guidance NICE, BACPR, BSH, CQUINS
Personal Qualities
Essential
22. Recognition of own development requirements
23. Team player
24. Creative thinker
25. Diplomatic
Other Job Requirements
Essential
26. Flexible and positive approach to work, ability to work at various hospital and service delivery locations.
Desirable
27. Car Driver