Overview
This is an exciting opportunity to be part of the Adult Epilepsy Service at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust (GSTT). The post holder will act as a specialist and demonstrate a high level of expertise within the specialist epilepsy service, providing advice, education and support to patients, their families and health‑care professionals.
Qualifications & Experience
All potential post holders should have experience as an epilepsy specialist nurse.
Key Responsibilities and Duties
* Work collaboratively and liaise effectively with cross‑specialty multi‑professional health‑care teams to achieve a coordinated specialist service for patients with epilepsy.
* Assess adult patients with new seizures through to those with ongoing seizures.
* Work in collaboration with the patient and multidisciplinary team to develop plans of care around all aspects of epilepsy management.
* Develop and implement nurse‑led support, advice, review and drug monitoring services to enhance the clinical review of patients and meet the clinical governance agenda.
* Be responsible for developing and working within evidence‑based specialist pathways of care, guidelines, protocols and patient group directions to support patient and their families, reviewing and updating plans and documentation.
* Be involved in the development of the epilepsy services in line with service demands and directorate policy.
* Coordinate the provision of specialist services to patients, both within hospital and/or in the community setting, effectively liaising with multidisciplinary colleagues.
* Be conversant with, and work within the recommendations made by the Royal College of Nursing and NICE.
* Contribute to the development of Adult Epilepsy services through establishing links with colleagues nationally and internationally.
* Ensure continued effective registration with the NMC and be aware of NMC Code of Professional Conduct; maintain a professional and updated portfolio.
* Act as the reference point for patient, their families and other carers (e.g., homecare) and assist in all aspects of their care pathway.
* Provide expert nursing advice to internal and external health/social care agencies on patients with epilepsy.
* Develop and provide appropriate, comprehensive, concise and accessible patient/carer information for procedures and therapies.
* Ensure that effective communication has been established with all disciplines, for patient and their families.
* Uphold safeguarding principles when working with young people or vulnerable adults and their families.
* Communicate very sensitive and distressing information to patients and families.
* Provide specialist clinical advice, training and education to health‑care professionals within and outside the Trust.
* Manage own workload/caseload within a defined specialist group.
* Safely set up and maintain administration of all medications in accordance with NMC Guidelines, Directorate and Trust policies; organise and undertake diagnostic tests led by the Neurology consultant where appropriate.
* Participate in the promotion of the specialist service through dissemination of specialist knowledge, both locally and nationally.
* Be responsible for assessing and recognising emergencies in their speciality.
* Interpret information and take appropriate action; lead others to do so.
* Develop assessment tools to support high‑quality nursing interventions, ensuring the problems and needs of patients and/or their carers are appropriately channeled.
* Develop good networks with patients, their families and support groups; seek the views of the service users and encourage participation in certain aspects of service development.
* Establish collaborative working relationships with other Neurology‑Epilepsy Nurse Specialists where relevant (outreach, day‑care) and with community nurses.
* Communicate very sensitive and distressing information to patients and families; assess and advise patients and relatives in crisis situations and ensure that their needs are met by the whole team.
* Enable and support colleagues in developing effective communication skills particularly in difficult situations.
* Use specialist knowledge to explain and reassure patients about diagnosis, treatment options and outcomes.
* Be an active member of the multidisciplinary team to ensure smooth transition of care.
* Provide face‑to‑face clinics, telephone clinics, ward and accident and emergency reviews.
* Actively undertake clinical audits and research within the specialist area.
* Contribute to the ongoing development of clinical practice, research and standards of care within the service, including development of policies, protocols and guidelines and contribute to service development in collaboration with multidisciplinary colleagues.
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