Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Deputy Clinical Nurse Specialist (Band 6) to join our IBD Team. The successful candidate will work with IBD Specialist Nurses & IBD Co-ordinator and become an integral part of the established Nurse Led Service to provide support, advice and improve access for both inpatients and outpatients.
This is a secondment post which will suit a dynamic and motivated nurse, with experience in the management and care of IBD. It is an excellent opportunity to develop your role within an established IBD specialist nursing team and will be expected to work at both hospital sites. Training and supervision will be provided within the role from both nursing and medical supervisors, along with opportunities to attend relevant study as appropriate.
Candidates need to have relevant experience in inflammatory bowel disease, be able to manage a workload of patients and be able to prioritise and communicate effectively. The post is an excellent opportunity for individuals who wish to develop their skills in specialised inflammatory bowel disease nursing.
Main duties of the job
Job Summary
·To work as a member of the IBD team contributing to the delivery and development of all aspects of the IBD specialist service.
·To assess plan and implement patient’s care, providing specialist and advanced clinical management, education, information and support to patients and their families/ carers with IBD problems. This includes administration of parenteral therapies in our dedicated infusion suite.
·To undertake and further develop nurse-led services including outpatient clinics, inpatient specialist review, telephone advice via the help lines, transition care for adolescents and their families, monitoring of immunomodulation and biologic therapies.
·To work with other members of the multidisciplinary team and other relevant departments throughout the hospital to ensure safe and effective delivery of care for our IBD patients.
·To assist the Senior IBD Nurse Specialist in providing clinical supervision and training to colleagues/ other healthcare professionals and students as appropriate.
·To deputise for the Senior IBD Nurse Specialist during periods of leave.
·To lead local and national clinical audits and to actively participate.
Working for our organisation
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust comprises five of the UK’s best known hospitals – Guy’s, St Thomas’, Evelina London Children’s Hospital, Royal Brompton and Harefield – as well as community services in Lambeth and Southwark, all with a long history of high quality care, clinical excellence, research and innovation.
We have a long tradition of clinical and scientific achievement and – as part of King’s Health Partners – we are one of England’s eight academic health sciences centres, bringing together world-class clinical services, teaching and research. We have one of the National Institute for Health Research’s biomedical research centres, established with King’s College London in 2007, as well as dedicated clinical research facilities.
We have around 23,700 staff, making us one of the largest NHS Trusts in the country and one of the biggest employers locally. We aim to reflect the diversity of the communities we serve and continue to develop new and existing partnerships with local people, patients, neighbouring NHS organisations, local authorities and charitable bodies and GPs.
We strive to recruit and retain the best staff as the dedication and skills of our employees lie at the heart of our organisation and ensure that our services are of the highest quality, safe and focused on our patients.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Duties and Responsibilities
Clinical Practice
·To provide specialist IBD advice, to patients (including transition) and their families/ carers, other healthcare professionals and students.
·To take responsibility for his/her own patient caseload/workload within the designated clinical area and for the assessment and treatment of patients on a day to day basis, without direct guidance from line manager. Escalates concerns to senior IBD nurse / Consultant Gastroenterologist in a timely fashion.
·To undertake nurse led clinics and manage help lines (IBD & infusion suite) for patients in routine follow-up; newly diagnosed; in transition from paediatric care; having flare-ups and those undergoing immuno-suppressive and biologic therapy. Working within the guidelines and protocols in place, which will provide expert assessment, management, education; information and support for patients, and their families, ensuring patients receive therapy in a safe and timely manner.
·To triage and act upon information from the help lines, in line with guidelines and protocols in place, to be available for early access to clinics, to expedite consultation for treatment and admission in acute relapse.
·To develop the skills to assess and interpret specialist information and conditions and takes appropriate action, acting as patients advocate when necessary.
·To work within the guidelines and protocols in place, to provide expert assessment, management, education, information and support for both in and outpatients with IBD, and their families.
·To assist senior colleagues in the development and management of IBD service, including training of junior nurses to ensure safe assessment; education, information and support for patients with IBD.
·To actively participate in the development of policies and protocols to ensure clinical practice is based on best available evidence.
·To recognise own limitations and refers to a more experienced specialist when required and to ensure that feedback mechanisms are in place to facilitate the review of patients when necessary.
·To provide sensitive/ highly sensitive, complex or contentious information to patients/ carers with empathy and reassurance. (Screening for Blood borne viruses and giving patients results as part of biologic therapy assessment Viral Hepatitis and HIV, with empathy and understanding.)
·To provide a counselling/ advice service for patients and relatives and support for patient groups, including Crohn’s and Colitis UK group.
·To communicate with the multidisciplinary team, acting as a specialist resource, demonstrates advanced verbal and non-verbal communication skills with patients, carers and medical and non-medical staff, ensuring communication is at a level appropriate to individual understanding.
·To undertake clinical procedures that require dexterity and accuracy, in line with guidelines and protocols in place. (IBD: Venepuncture & cannulation skills; advanced history taking; clinical assessment and monitoring of IBD patients, including those having acute flare-ups, on immuno-suppressive and biologic therapies and in routine follow-up.)
·To actively participate in the IBD multidisciplinary team meetings.
·To work closely with other IBD CNS’s in the region and nationally to provide a uniformly high standard of care
Leadership and Management
·To deputise for and support Senior IBD Nurse Specialist when necessary in issues relating to the IBD Service.
·To contribute to the provision and review of specialist protocols and policies.
·To be responsible for organising own workload within the requirements of the specialist team activities and work plan and to present reports as required
·To contribute towards the development of effective networks and liaison within IBD.
·To be aware of budgetary limitations and provide highest quality nursing service within those confines.
·To update the line manager of any concerns regarding the quality of service provided in a constructive manner.
Education
·To provide teaching in practice to other healthcare professionals and students through clinical supervision/ facilitation.
·To act as a positive role model and clinical resource for other healthcare professionals and students.
·To offer teaching sessions to patients and their families/carers about managing own condition.
·To participate in the planning, delivery and evaluation of in-house education and training programmes, for all relevant disciplines of healthcare professionals, including medical students.
·To provide relevant updates, education and training within the Trust and externally, to nurses, patient groups and other disciplines with the Senior IBD Nurse Specialist.
Research and Development
·To ensure clinical practice developments are based on best available evidence.
·To review and disseminate new information to relevant staff.
·To evaluate clinical practice in relation to its evidence- base and clinical effectiveness.
·To use core audit skills to enable the specialist team and other health professionals to improve quality of care.
·To engage users and carers in service development process through patient panel and support group.
·To maintain accurate records and databases (both local and regional) for patients with IBD
Professional Development
·To maintain responsibility for own professional and specialist development.
·To be involved in annual performance appraisal and use reflection to identify and prioritise education/development needs.
·To maintain membership of specialist groups and attend regional and national meetings and conferences when possible.To work closely with other IBD CNS’s in the region and nationally to provide a uniformly high standard of care.
·To undertake any training required in order to maintain competency including mandatory training provided by the trust.
Person specification
Qualification and Education
Essential criteria
1. NMC Registered Nurse
2. Post registration experience in IBD or relevant speciality
3. Evidence of continuing professional development (attending seminars, conferences, educational meetings, MDMs)
Desirable criteria
4. Post registration study/qualification relevant to speciality (inflammatory bowel disease - IBD course
5. Teaching and mentoring qualification or equivalent experience
Previous experience
Essential criteria
6. Experience with managing patient relevant to specialist area such as IBD/gastroenterology and colorectal surgeries
7. Ability to work within a team and independently and able to manage own caseload
Desirable criteria
8. Experience of Inflammatory Bowel Disease or gastroenterology in- patient ward experience
Skills/Knowledge/ Ability
Essential criteria
9. Able to demonstrate highly developed specialist knowledge of own patient group
10. Knowledge of analysing and interpreting the care needs of IBD patients
11. Venepuncture & cannulation skills
12. Knowledge of biologic and immuno-modulating therapies
Desirable criteria
13. Knowledge of research and audit including implementation of findings and review of outcomes
Guy’s and St Thomas’ celebrates, respects and values the diversity of its staff and patients. We review our policies, procedures and practices to ensure that all employees, patients and carers are treated equitable according to their needs. We are actively committed to ensuring that no one who applies for a job, works or study’s at the Trust, or accesses our services is discriminated against on the grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality, disability, religion or belief, age, gender identity, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity/paternity, or marital/civil partnership.