Children's asthma and atopy nurse

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Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust 2.79K subscribers

Main area Paediatric Community Grade Band 6 Contract Fixed term: 8 months (Contract to end on 31/03/2027) Hours

• Full time
• Part time

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, (LGT), is a community-focused provider of local and acute care, delivering high-quality services to over one million people living across the London boroughs of Lewisham, Greenwich, and Bexley. We provide whole-life care and are here to support our communities to live healthier lives as well as taking care of them when they need us the most.

Employing almost 7,500 colleagues, affectionately known as Team LGT, we provide services at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, University Hospital Lewisham, and at over a dozen community settings in Lewisham. We also provide some services at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup.

We have recently launched our new vision and values to mark the LGT10 – the tenth anniversary of our Trust forming in 2013. Our trust vision is to be exceptional. In the quality of our patient care; our support for colleagues; and in the difference we make through our partnerships and in our communities.

Our hospitals and community sites provide a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services, as well as emergency and planned care. The Trust is rated as “good” or “outstanding” in over three-quarters of the services inspected by the Care Quality Commission.

Every year our work includes performing 10,000 procedures in our theatres; bringing seven and a half thousand new lives into the world; carrying out 570,000 visits to patients in their homes or communities and providing emergency care for more than 300,000 patients arriving in our busy Urgent and Emergency Departments.

LGT is a centre for the education and training of medical students enrolled with King’s College London’s GKT School of Medical Education. We are a training centre for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals. We are pioneering new roles that will support the changing needs of our patients and are one of the largest employers of physician associates in the country.

We are committed to working with our partners to deliver the best outcomes for our local communities. This means playing an active role in the South East London Integrated Care System (ICS), and in formal partnerships including the South East London Acute Provider Collaborative, provider partnerships with our local mental health trusts and borough-based boards of the ICS in Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham.

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join our well-established Children’s Community Asthma Team, part of our wider Children’s Community Nursing Service.

We are seeking a dedicated and innovative paediatric nurse who is eager to develop their skills in the management of paediatric asthma and atopy. Our recently expanded team now also provides support with eczema management.

If you are looking for the next step in your paediatric nursing journey, we would love to hear from you!

Main duties of the job

This is a substantive post to support and facilitate the integrated asthma and allergy service throughout the Lewisham borough. The post holder will be expected to work flexibly across community care to provide a comprehensive nursing service.

• The post holder will support specialised nursing care to children with atopy within the community setting.
• The aim of the post is to deliver community- based paediatric atopy care that raises awareness, improves care and helps to reduce emergency department attendances, hospital admissions and readmissions and shortens length of stay where appropriate.
• Support nurse led asthma/allergy clinics.
• Support the monitoring, auditing and evaluation of the cost effectiveness and quality of services provided in conjunction with the, in order to achieve the best services and outcomes for clients.
• Support the provision of education and training to staff and clients.
• Work in partnership with members of the multi-disciplinary team across acute, primary and community care settings to maintain high quality care and promote practice that is family centred.
• Work closely with local schools, GP surgeries and community organisations, including pharmacists, to improve children’s inhaler use and ensure treatment complies with best practice.

Working for our organisation

Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:

• Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
• Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
• Improving the experience of staff with disability
• Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
• Making equalities mainstream

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

1. Clinical

• Contribute to the overall aim of reducing emergency department attendances, hospital admissions and readmissions and shorten length of stay where appropriate.
• With support receive/make referrals from other disciplines.
• To support specialist nurse led asthma clinics.
• Assist nursing colleagues in establishing individualised plans of care for patients’ with respiratory and allergic conditions.
• Ensure up to date asthma care plans are available for school staff to enable them to manage children in the school setting.
• With support undertake aeroallergen skin prick allergy testing.
• Collaboratively identify areas of nursing practice developments in specialist area.
• To carry out home visits and with support plan, implement and evaluate nursing care for all patients for whom he/she has continuing responsibility.
• Act in partnership with the child and family when assessing a child’s needs and planning care.
• To provide advice contributing to the well-being of the patient and participate in health promotion.
• Provide advice, education and training to service users, carers and professionals regarding the management and care/support of service users.
• With support empower the child and family to be confident and competent to implement their care. Advise on individualised coping strategies and make appropriate referrals for other support if needed.
• Promote long term concordance with drug regimes.
• Act in a professional manner when dealing with patients and relatives.
• Ensure medical needs and instructions are carried out in accordance with nursing and midwifery council guidelines and ensure accurate record keeping (RIO system used for client records).
• Undertake individual risk assessments to support children and families within their own homes.
• Recognise and respond to safeguarding issues as they arise.

2. Management and Leadership

• Raise the profile of the Paediatric Atopy service within other locations and with other professionals.
• Support, enables and develops other staff.
• Critically reflect on own performance through clinical supervision and personal development programmes.
• To be aware of the National Guidelines in relation to the management of asthma in school.
• With senior staff, participate in strategic planning for the future service provision of the service. Attend meetings as necessary.
• Ensure that all key targets and key performance indicators are met by working within local and national policies and procedures.
• Support with the management of client caseload.
• Establish and maintain effective communication, formal and informal with primary and secondary care.
• Act as a preceptor/mentor to students and other staff as required.
• Work as part of an integrated children’s community nursing team, providing clinical support when necessary.

3. Research

• Facilitate a high quality, cost effective service through undertaking research, surveys, audits in connection with own work. With support implement findings to improve patient care and ensure compliance with agreed standards.
• Utilise research findings to develop new ways of working and disseminate relevant information to staff.
• Promote the use of research in practice and research-mindedness.
• Assist the Community Children’s Specialist nurses with updating or writing new care plans, policies, guidelines and competencies.
• Contribute to service development.
• Encourage innovation and develop new approaches to patient care.
• Ensure that nursing care relating to patients in the speciality is evidence based.

4. Training

• Willing to study for a paediatric asthma /allergy qualification or have relevant experience.
• Provide opportunities for others to learn by being an education role model.
• Undertake mandatory training as outlined by Lewisham and Greenwich Healthcare Trust.
• Supervise/assess nurse learners and post basic students.
• With support plan, design, initiate, monitor & evaluate teaching & learning programmes for a variety of professional and voluntary workers including, clients, carers, junior staff members, nurse learners and other professional staff when required.
• Be pro-active in promoting the health and welfare of clients and families through providing individual care plans, advice and resources that empower families towards a healthier/safer lifestyle.
• Complete professional portfolio and Revalidation requirements.

5. Financial

• Demonstrate accountability in the use and management of all resources including financial.

6. Partnerships

• Actively work together with other professionals by communicating with the extended multi-disciplinary teams within the primary, secondary and community settings.
• Communicate to all relevant staff within the Trust on the atopy service ensuring clarity on care following discharge, expected outcomes and follow-up criteria.
• Actively participate and communicate with Senior Members of the Multi-disciplinary team to promote seamless high quality care for clients and involvement of the appropriate team around the child, coordinating activities and meetings as required.
• Initiate and negotiate communications with families & carers frequently around complex, emotive and contentious issues regarding management of a child’s care in the community. Use appropriate resources as required such as use of interpreters.
• Communicate effectively with the child and family to gain trust and to support them through the management of both the chronic and acute stage of their condition.

General

• Knowledge in paediatric atopy either through having undertaken relevant qualifications or have relevant experience.
• Must have clinical assessment skills and competencies and practice must be underpinned by theoretical knowledge.
• Act as a resource and role model to junior staff members & other professional staff.
• There is a requirement for the post-holder to be IT literate as there is a regular requirement to use computer software to create reports. The team use RIO for all of their client notes.
• To provide a high standard of professional conduct and nursing care at all times in accordance with the NMC.
• Attend relevant meetings, courses, seminars and keep professionally up-to-date.
• Any other duties considered relevant to the post.

Person specification

Qualifications and Training

• RN Child/RSCN – BSc/ BSc(hons)
• Evidence of continuing professional development, short courses. Theoretical & evidence based practice.
• Diploma in Paediatric Asthma
• Diploma in Paediatric Allergy.

Skills and Abilities Required

• Able to demonstrate ability to work as a team and independently.
• Experience in paediatric respiratory & allergy care.
• Understanding of evidence based practice.
• Able to use methodical and structured recording of client information, nursing actions and clinical observations.
• Ability to provide, receive and understand sensitive information relating to safeguarding issues.
• Able to communicate sensitively and empathetically with children, young people and their families and carers. This requires a high level of interpersonal skills and empathy.
• Good team building and people skills.
• Ability to remonstrate teaching skills.
• Prepared to work flexibly.
• Can demonstrate enthusiasm for paediatric respiratory / allergy care.
• Can demonstrate holistic approach to care.
• Willingness to participate in family fun day activities promoting family peer support.
• Willingness to undertake further training to enhance scope of practice.
• Good time management and organisational skills and ability to prioritise a busy and unpredictable caseload.
• Competent in use of IT, data collection and use of internet.
• Familiar with RiO.
• Ability to use research and evidence based findings in practice.

Experience

• Experience gained through previous working with children and families in the community environment.
• Evidence of involvement in clinical audit or patient experience data collection.
• Theoretical and practical experience relating to the speciality.
• Knowledge and experience handling complex relationships and interpersonal dynamics.
• Experience in teaching.
• Experience or participation in service development projects.

We reserve the right to close the post before the stated closing date, please apply early. We do not contact applicants with the outcome of the shortlisting. If you have been shortlisted, you will receive an invite to an assessment day or interview.

As a local employer and anchor institution we work closely with our community to recruit locally and we welcome applications from the widest variety of people to ensure our workforce are reflective of the local communities which we serve. We encourage all suitable candidates to apply including if you are Black, Asian or other ethnic minorities, live with a disability (visible or not) or are LGBT+. We have a number of active staff networks including Disability, LGBT+, Multicultural Inclusion and Women’s staff networks to bring staff together and celebrate diversity across our whole workforce.

Please note: Information provided during recruitment and pre‑employment checks must be accurate. Misrepresentation may be investigated as fraud and could lead to withdrawal from the process, professional sanctions, or criminal action.

Please note: that sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route is subject to Trust allocation and UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) approval.

Employer certification / accreditation badges: You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.